NBA's Top Five Point Guards
Nash and Kidd Battle for Top Spot on List
The point guard position is considered the toughest position to learn in the NBA. These players have mastered the craft.
Though the NBA is filled with rising stars at the point guard position, the real battle for top point guard is between New Jersey Nets' Jason Kidd and Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash. Many might disagree with this list purely because of the placement of these two players.
On the one hand, Steve Nash is a more potent scorer and may be one of the most efficient scorers in the league. He shot 53% from the field, an insane 46% from beyond the three point arc and 90% from the foul line this season. For those who don't know how to read a stat line, those seem more like the kinds of numbers one would see in a basketball video game rather than in real life. In addition to that, Nash has been the league's best assist man, averaging 10-12 assists per game in each of the last three seasons. On the negative side, Nash is a little bit turnover prone compared to Kidd and is practically a no-show on defense.
On the other hand, Jason Kidd might be more energetic on the basketball court than any player in the NBA. He's all over the place and collects triple-doubles like they were bottle caps, with a career average of 14.5 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game and 9.2 assists per game. He's led his Nets to numerous NBA championship games, something Nash has yet to do once, and is one of the league's best on-ball defenders. On the negative side, Kidd's outside shot, though improved over the years, is still not that great. He has a career field goal percentage of only 40%.
So, which player gets put at the top spot?
Since defense wins games in the NBA, Kidd edges Nash out by a close margin. Nash's lack of defense is a noteable setback to his game, despite his high offensive production. The Suns are lost offensively without Nash, but it might be argued that the Nets, with an inferior supporting cast to the Phoenix Suns, are lost without Kidd.
After Kidd and Nash comes Washington Wizards' star Gilbert Arenas. Though he tends to shoot a low percentage from the field and turns the ball over at a high rate, Arenas is a fierce competitor and a big time scorer. He might be more of a shooting guard than a point guard, but nevertheless, he has star ability which moves him on the list.
Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams comes next. In only his second season, Williams bumps to third after averaging second in the league in assists per game and helping the Jazz advance deep in the playoffs.
Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets fills the fifth spot, but could easily be considered better than Williams. Injuries in his second season slowed his progress down a bit and lack of an outside shot continues to be a problem. Still, his shot is improving (he can certainly make it if given enough time to set his feet) and he should have a strong career.
Some won't like that Detroit Pistons' Chauncey Billups misses the cut. Many might argue that Billups deserves to be put ahead of Williams and Paul, because of what he's done in past playoffs. Yet, Billups sometimes plays more like a shooting guard, so in terms of running an offense as a point guard is called to do, Williams and Paul have the advantage.
After a tremendous season and an impressive playoff run, Golden State Warriors' point guard Baron Davis is mentionable. Also earning honorable mentions are San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker, Chicago Bulls' Kirk Hinrich and Toronto Raptors' T.J. Ford.
To recap, here are the top five point guards in the NBA:
- Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets
- Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
- Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
- Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
- Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Also check out:
"NBA's Top Five Power Forwards"
"NBA's Top Five Small Forwards"
