Image via Complex Original
21.
Who is the best point guard in the NBA today? Is it Russell Westbrook even though he tends to take a lot of shots during games? Is it Chris Paul even though he's never led any of his teams to the NBA Finals? Or is it Derrick Rose—who celebrated his 26th birthday over the weekend—even though he's spent most of the last two seasons on the sidelines with injuries? It's a question that's impossible to answer because all three of those players (plus a handful of others, including Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, and Stephen Curry) could be considered the "best" right now.
How do they stack up when compared to other great point guards of the last two decades, though? To answer that question—and to celebrate D-Rose's b-day—we put together a list of The 20 Best Point Guards of the Last 20 Years*. Scroll down to see who made the cut and where they ultimately landed.
*We did not include Magic Johnson—who played 32 games during the 1995-96 NBA season at the age of 36—on this list because of the unusual circumstances surrounding his brief NBA comeback. We didn't think it would be fair, to NBA fans or, more importantly, to him, to try and "rank" him on this list based on that 32-game stretch. But it is worth noting that he averaged 14.6 PPG, 6.9 APG, and 5.7 RPG in less than 30 MPG that season. Respect that.
20.Damian Lillard
Career: 2012-Present
Teams: Trail Blazers
Stats: 19.9 PPG, 6.0 APG, 3.3 RPG, 0.8 SPG
Accomplishments: 1-time NBA All-Star, 1-time All-NBA
There are a handful of young NBA point guards who could be placed into this slot. For example, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, and Kyle Lowry all deserved (and received) consideration. But in his first two seasons in the NBA, Lillard has shown flashes of brilliance and has already proven that he can lead his team in the postseason by helping Portland knock off the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs last season. In the coming years, we'd expect everyone that we just mentioned to climb onto this list by earning a spot on it. But for now, Lillard looks like the young PG with the most potential to grow into the best point guard of his era.
19.Mookie Blaylock
Career: 1989-2002
Teams: Nets, Hawks, Warriors
Stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG
Accomplishments: 1-time NBA All-Star, 6-time NBA All-Defensive, 2-time NBA Steals Leader
Just about every point guard on this list dominates (or dominated) the offensive end of the basketball court. Great point guards need to be able to both score and pass the ball effectively. But while Blaylock did those things, he also excelled on the defensive side of the ball and made his presence known on the court by racking up a ton of steals during his career. He was a lockdown defender who played better D than just about anyone else on this list.
18.Stephon Marbury
Career: 1996-2009
Teams: Timberwolves, Nets, Suns, Knicks, Celtics
Stats: 19.3 PPG, 7.6 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG
Accomplishments: 2-time NBA All-Star, 2-time All-NBA
When you hear the name "Stephon Marbury" today, you probably don't think of all of the good things that he did during his NBA career. More than likely, you think of his time with the Knicks or the fact that he's spent the better part of the last decade playing overseas in China. But once upon a time, Marbury was one of the most feared scorers in the NBA because of his ability to score in a variety of different ways. He scored more than 20 PPG for seven straight seasons. His NBA career definitely could have ended on a much, much higher note. But that shouldn't take away from the talent he displayed during his time in the league.
17.Stephen Curry
Career: 2009-Present
Teams: Warriors
Stats: 20.3 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Accomplishments: 1-time NBA All-Star, 1-time All-NBA
When you think about a traditional point guard, you probably don't think about someone like Curry. He shoots the ball a lot for the Warriors and often times shoots from well beyond the three-point line. It's why his scoring average has increased dramatically over the course of his NBA career—and why he's probably going to transform himself into an MVP candidate sometime soon. But along with an increase in points, Curry has also become more of a distributor in recent years. Last season saw him average a career-high 8.5 APG and that average should continue to rise as the Warriors improve as a team. He might not fit the mold of what a point guard is supposed to be, but he's setting a new standard for what a point guard can do on the court.
16.Mark Jackson
Career: 1987-2004
Teams: Knicks, Clippers, Pacers, Nuggets, Raptors, Jazz, Rockets
Stats: 9.6 PPG, 8.0 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG
Accomplishments: 1-time NBA All-Star, 1-time NBA Assists Leader
The stats listed above definitely aren't going to blow anyone away. Less than 10 PPG? Less than 10 APG? Does Action Jackson really deserve to be on this list? Easy answer: Yes. His career numbers are lower than just about everyone else listed here because he played for 17 long seasons in the NBA, and towards the end of his career, he didn't put up great stats. But he managed to dish the ball out with the best of them during his playing days and currently sits in fourth place overall for career assists. He racked up more than guys like Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas, and Gary Payton. And he played a key role on a number of Knicks and Pacers teams that went deep into the playoffs.
15.Rod Strickland
Career: 1988-2005
Teams: Knicks, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Wizards, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Raptors, Rockets
Stats: 13.2 PPG, 7.3 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.5 SPG
Accomplishments: 1-time All-NBA, 1-time NBA Assists Leader
Strickland's claim to fame might be getting a shout-out from Raekwon on the Wu-Tang Clan's classic single, "Triumph." But that's not the only thing that people should remember him for. Although he never made an NBA All-Star team during his career, the New York City native used his big frame to drive the lane at will and was also good for at least seven or eight assists every game. Currently, he sits at tenth overall on the NBA's all-time assists leaders list.
14.Deron Williams
Career: 2005-Present
Teams: Jazz, Nets
Stats: 17.4 PPG, 8.7 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.1 SPG
Accomplishments: 3-time NBA All-Star, 2-time All-NBA
If we had put this list together a year or two ago, we probably would have thought about putting D-Will higher on it. But his last couple of seasons—and last season, in particular—were underwhelming, to say the least. In the grand scheme of things, though, he's been one of the best point guards in the NBA in the last decade. During five of his 10 seasons, he's averaged more than 10 APG, including 12.8 APG during the 2010-11 season. He's also proven that he can score the ball by averaging double figures in points during every season he's played. And now that his balky ankles seem to be feeling better, we fully expect him to make a comeback on the court this season and regain his status as one of the league's premier point guards.
13.Mark Price
Career: 1986-1998
Teams: Cavaliers, Bullets, Warriors, Magic
Stats: 15.2 PPG, 6.7 APG, 2.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG
Accomplishments: 4-time NBA All-Star, 4-time All-NBA, 2-time NBA Three-Point Shootout Champion
The former Cavaliers floor general was a hell of a free throw shooter. He made more than 90 percent of the free throws that he took during his career. But obviously, he did more than just that in order to land on this list. He also shot more than 50 percent from the field during his career and 40 percent from behind the three-point line. It made him almost impossible to cover on the court and presented a nightmare for opposing point guards.
12.Derrick Rose
Career: 2008-Present
Teams: Bulls
Stats: 20.8 PPG, 6.8 APG, 3.8 RPG, 0.9 SPG
Accomplishments: 3-time NBA All-Star, 1-time NBA MVP, 1-time All-NBA
"What if…?" That question applies to D-Rose's career in so many ways. What if he hadn't suffered a series of devastating knee injuries over the last few years? What if he had been healthy enough to lead the Bulls in the playoffs last season? What if…well, you get the point. Unfortunately, we'll never know the answer to those questions. But we do have one "What if…?" that we might get to answer this season: What if Rose is 100 percent for the entire year? Despite his injuries, he's still one of the best and most exciting point guards in the league, so we look forward to seeing him try to answer that question.
11.Rajon Rondo
Career: 2006-Present
Teams: Celtics
Stats: 11.1 PPG, 8.4 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG
Accomplishments: 4-time NBA All-Star, 1-time All-NBA, 1-time NBA Champion
Remember Rondo's first years in the NBA? He got thrown onto a team that included Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen and was expected to excel. And that's exactly what he did, helping the Celtics win a title in 2008. He also learned a lot along the way and continues to succeed in Boston, even though times have gotten tough since the "Big 3" moved on. Rondo still doesn't have a reliable jump shot and, at times, he's been criticized for being a little bit too selfish with the ball. But despite some injuries in recent seasons, he's still one of the best point guards in the business due to his ability to drive the ball to the bucket and find open teammates.
10.Russell Westbrook
Career: 2008-Present
Teams: Thunder
Stats: 20.1 PPG, 6.9 APG, 4.9 RPG, 01.6 SPG
Accomplishments: 3-time NBA All-Star, 3-time All-NBA
The knock on Westbrook is that, at times, he shoots way too much for a point guard. Last season, he took an average of 17.2 shots per game, which was the 10th highest average in the entire NBA. He took just 3.6 shots less than the NBA's scoring leader Kevin Durant took per game. But in addition to taking a lot of shots, Westbrook also brings a ton of energy to his team every single time he steps on the court. It's an intangible that makes him invaluable to the Thunder—just take a look at how they've fared in the playoffs without Westbrook in the past—and it has made him an integral part of what they've done in Oklahoma City. He's a lightning rod on both ends of the court for the Thunder.
9.Chauncey Billups
Career: 1997-2014
Teams: Celtics, Raptors, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pistons, Nuggets, Knicks, Clippers
Stats: 15.2 PPG, 5.4 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 SPG
Accomplishments: 5-time NBA All-Star, 3-time All-NBA, 1-time NBA Champion
At the beginning of his career, NBA teams weren't quite sure where to put Billups on the court. So he struggled mightily during his first few years in the league. But when he joined Larry Brown and the Pistons in Detroit, he thrived at the point guard position. He was the driving force behind the Pistons team that won the NBA title in 2004 and he earned the nickname Mr. Big Shot by hitting just about every single big shot that Detroit needed him to make. He retired recently, but up until the very end, his basketball IQ and his ability to find open teammates made him invaluable to all of the teams that he played for.
8.Kevin Johnson
Career: 1987-2000
Teams: Cavaliers, Suns
Stats: 17.9 PPG, 9.1 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG
Accomplishments: 3-time NBA All-Star, 5-time All-NBA
Very few former NBA players can say that they ever dunked on Hakeem Olajuwon. Johnson—who is now the mayor of Sacramento—did just, though, during a game back in 1994. KJ was a fiery competitor who could drive the ball to the basket whenever he wanted. But he could also shoot the ball at a very high rate and shot 50 percent from the field during his career. Couple that with the fact that he averaged more than 10 assists four times in his career and you had a very well-rounded point guard. The only thing that slowed him down were nagging injuries. Otherwise, the guy was one of the most complete PGs of his era.
7.Tim Hardaway
Career: 1989-2003
Teams: Warriors, Heat, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pacers
Stats: 17.7 PPG, 8.2 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG
Accomplishments: 5-time NBA All-Star, 5-time All-NBA
If Hardaway played today, YouTube would be filled with clips of him hitting guys off with his patented UTEP two-step crossover. He didn't necessarily look like a guy who could break defenders down and blaze past them, but he did it by using a stutter-step that left them reaching for nothing but air. And that's not all he was capable of doing. He also shot the ball pretty well—for his career, he shot about 35 percent from behind the three-point line—and he was also known for playing good, solid defense. But his killer crossover is what we'll always remember most about him.
6.Tony Parker
Career: 2001-Present
Teams: Spurs
Stats: 17.1 PPG, 6.0 APG, 3.0 RPG, 0.9 SPG
Accomplishments: 6-time NBA All-Star, 4-time All-NBA, 4-time NBA Champion
Because he plays alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and because he's not necessarily the flashiest guy in the league, the Spurs PG often gets overlooked when the "best point guard in the NBA" discussion comes up. But for more than a decade now, Parker has been a big reason for all of San Antonio's success. Outside of distributing the ball to his teammates, he's also become a reliable scorer who can take over late in games and, as a result, the Spurs have continued to make deep playoff runs despite their aging roster. It remains to be seen how much longer Parker can be an effective point guard, but as he proved last year, he's still got something left in the tank.
5.Chris Paul
Career: 2005-Present
Teams: Hornets, Clippers
Stats: 18.6 PPG, 9.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.4 SPG
Accomplishments: 7-time NBA All-Star, 6-time All-NBA, 7-time NBA All-Defense
When it's all said and done, CP3 might just go down as the best point guard of all time. He still has a ways to go before he can claim that title—he needs to lead a team to a ring to truly be considered the G.O.A.T.—but he's a guy who can literally do it all on the court. He can put up points if his teams need him to. He can dish out dimes (and alley-oops) if other guys are scoring. He can lock down opposing guards. And during the NBA Playoffs last season, he even shut down, er, slowed down Kevin Durant during a game. Oh, and on top of all that, he's a natural-born leader and a guy who has turned himself into one of the most popular players in the entire league. Now all he needs is a 'chip to solidify his greatness.
4.Steve Nash
Career: 1996-Present
Teams: Suns, Mavericks, Lakers
Stats: 14.3 PPG, 8.5 APG, 3.0 RPG, 0.7 SPG
Accomplishments: 8-time NBA All-Star, 7-time All-NBA, 2-time NBA MVP
In recent years, injuries have hampered the Lakers point guard and limited his minutes on the court. But since breaking into the league back in '96 as a first-round draft pick of the Suns, Nash has scored and passed his way right to the top of a number of the NBA's all-time leader lists. He's currently No. 3 overall in career assists with 10,335. He's No. 76 overall in career points with 17,387. And he's the best free-throw shooter in NBA history with a career average of just over 90 percent. As we mentioned, he's not quite the player he used to be anymore because of his age. But at one point in time, he helped revolutionize the point guard position by guiding the Suns' uptempo offense to perfection.
3.Gary Payton
Career: 1990-2007
Teams: Supersonics, Bucks, Lakers, Heat
Stats: 16.3 PPG, 6.7 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG
Accomplishments: 9-time NBA All-Star, 9-time All-NBA, 1-time NBA Champion, Hall of Fame Member
"The Glove." Payton was given that nickname or, rather, he earned that nickname after sticking Suns guard Kevin Johnson in the 1993 Western Conference Finals. Payton did his fair share of scoring for the Sonics and then, later, for the Bucks, Lakers, and Heat. But he made a name for himself—literally—by playing good, hard defense on opposing players. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team on nine different occasions and also won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year away in 1996. He has more steals than almost anyone else in the history of the league—he sits at No. 4 on the all-time steals list—and deserved to be put into the Hall of Fame a few years ago.
2.Jason Kidd
Career: 1994-2013
Teams: Mavericks, Suns, Nets, Knicks
Stats: 12.6 PPG, 8.7 APG, 6.3 RPG, 1.9 SPG
Accomplishments: 10-time NBA All-Star, 6-time All-NBA, 1-time NBA Champion
In his prime, J-Kidd couldn't shoot the ball at all. His jump shot was ugly and, if he was left open, he wasn't really a threat to knock down his shots. But guess what? Despite that, he was still the best point guard in the NBA. He threw passes that no one else could. He crossed guys over and then hit layups that would be impossible for anyone else to make. And he threw alley-oops to his teammates that most defenders didn't even see coming. Bottom line: He did what he wanted with the ball when he wanted to do it and there was very little that anyone could do to stop him. As a result, he's second overall in career assists and career steals. And at the end of his career, he finally got around to shooting threes and added that element to his game as well. So there wasn't anything that he couldn't do.
1.John Stockton
Career: 1984-2003
Teams: Jazz
Stats: 13.1 PPG, 10.5 APG, 2.7 RPG, 2.2 SPG
Accomplishments: 10-time NBA All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, 9-time NBA Assist Leader, Hall of Fame Member
Stockton dominated both sides of the basketball. When he was on defense, he was a gritty, tough-nosed, occasionally dirty player who did everything—and we do mean everything—in his power to steal the ball. That led to him recording more than 3,200 steals in his career, which is about 600 more steals than anyone else recorded in NBA history. When he was on offense, he ran the pick and roll to perfection with Karl Malone and amassed more than 15,800 assists, which is about 3,700 more assists than anyone else recorded in NBA history. And while he wasn't necessarily known for scoring the basketball, he did that, too. He was the best in the business during his era—and one of the best point guards of all time.