The NBA is nothing more than a world-class candy store anymore. You walk in each October, with your attention drawn to your favorite type. Caramel, taffy, peanut butter, truffles … everyone has their own preference, and not everyone has the same taste.
This era of point guards is a direct, steady comparison to a candy store. In this role, we’re the kids that get to roam the aisles. We get to rummage through the goodies, with our voices screaming over which type we want to take home.
We get to decide which style of point guard is the most valuable and effective in today’s game, as well as which is most fit to lead a team to a championship.
This isn’t the 1980’s and early 90’s, where point guards seemed to be taking a backseat to the dominant centers and forwards emerging through the league. There’s an abundance of floor generals operating in different classes these days. It’s reached the point where we have a handful of different point guard breeds. They all play for the same goal, but their approach varies based on their style.
Categories are surfacing, as it helps separate these gifted players. Four of my own point guard classifications are necessary now more than ever:
“Explosive Shooting Style”
“Distributor Style”
“Mixture Style”
- Chris Paul
- Tony Parker
- Ty Lawson
- Jrue Holiday
- Mike Conley
- Jeff Teague
- Kyle Lowry
- Eric Bledsoe
- Goran Dragic
- Brandon Knight
“Kill Everything, Attack Mode Style”
- Russell Westbrook
- Derrick Rose when healthy (if ever)
Since we’re discussing the league’s best, I chose to only categorize 20 point guards and not every one currently in the league. Also, since offense is the only aspect this is gauging, understand that there could be some point guards in multiple categories. For instance, Mike Conley is one of the top defensive guards in the West, and he would definitely fit into a “defensive specialist” tag. Patrick Beverley of Houston would also be placed in there, but he isn’t elite enough on the offensive end (or even relied on much) to fit an offensive category.
It doesn’t exactly do Stephen Curry or Kyrie Irving justice by labeling them as just “shooters,” because that’s not what their overall skill-set comes down to. Curry has proven to be a superhuman passer once he gets into the lane, and he attacks the rim better than any “pure shooter” would be expected to. Curry connects on 55.1 percent of his 5.9 drives per game, which is more efficient in the lane than the likes of Goran Dragic and Tony Parker, John Wall, and Chris Paul.
However, Curry’s most dangerous weapon to ruin your life is always going to be the 3-point shot, and the eight attempts he takes per night from outside. Never in NBA history has a player (not just a point guard) attempted eight 3-pointers per game and finished with 42 percent efficiency. Curry has one month left, but he’s set to be the first. That, to me, is enough to give him that particular identity.
You notice why there could be 10+ point guards that fit into the “mixture” area. They can do a little bit of everything. Most of them are knockdown shooters from beyond 15 feet, and they all have the special ability to facilitate and keep an offense flowing. The key indicator to fit into this group is that one area (scoring or distributing) doesn’t necessarily out-weigh the other.
Leading this pack is none other than Chris Paul, who remains the most efficacious point guard in today’s NBA.
It’s fun to get caught in the moment of outrageous point guard events this year.
We sit back, jaws dropped and eyes larger than basketballs, admiring Russell Westbrook’s six triple-doubles in eight games. We scream like we’ve won the lottery when Kyrie Irving ignites for 57 points on 20-of-32 shooting. We sit on the edge of our seat when the Trail Blazers are fighting back in the final minutes, because it’s obviously time for Damian Lillard to start chucking triples like they’re layups.
It’s easy to be a prisoner of the moment in this league. Yet, it’s exactly why we forget how sensational of a point guard Chris Paul has been for 10 years.
Since being drafted fourth overall by New Orleans in 2005, Paul has grown each year into the NBA’s fiercest competitor, which always raises the intensity of any game. There’s such an enormous spirit built inside a small body (just a 6-foot, 175-pound frame), that he makes it feel like a war during every matchup. Things are rarely personal with his battles, but he can sure make it feel personal.
The league is so drenched with stars that Paul’s 2014-15 season has flew under the radar. Perhaps it’s because he hasn’t eclipsed 40 points in one game this year, hasn’t connected on more than five 3’s in a game, or nearly tore the rim down on a coast-to-coast dunk. Maybe that’s why.
Somewhere along the way, being consistent at a tremendous level lost its value.
Paul has been the paragon of consistency since November, even with the shakeup Los Angeles had to go through by losing Blake Griffin (Paul’s best sidekick that takes attention away).
Through the first half of March, Paul has shot 49.6 percent from the floor with an Assist-to-Turnover ratio of 3.04. Russell Westbrook’s crazy March has resulted in 44.4 percent shooting with an Assist-to-Turnover ratio of 1.48. Tony Parker has been the only floor general more efficient than Paul mid-way through March, as the Spurs’ soul is shooting 59.4 percent from the field with an Assist-to-Turnover ratio of 4.38. That’s unheard of, even for the four-time champion.
Knowing that Griffin was going to miss 10-15 games with a staph infection, Paul put the offensive duties on his shoulders without going out of character. Without Paul there to direct traffic and lead the best halfcourt offense in the league, it’s fair to say Griffin and DeAndre Jordan wouldn’t find as many easy looks.
That athletic frontcourt, which is definitely a scary sight in full-speed transition, would still be able to score without Paul. Athletes that run the floor and aren’t afraid to be physical always find ways to make an impact. However, the molding of Griffin and Jordan likely would have been much slower without Paul’s veteran IQ in the backcourt.
Of Griffin’s 17.4 field goal attempts per game, 9.7 of them come after receiving passes from …. Chris Paul. That’s 32.3 passes per game that Griffin is receiving from the maestro, and over half of his opportunities being created by Paul. On those 9.7 shots per game, Griffin has been 48.6 percent efficient from the floor — very close to his season total of 50 percent.
It’s not impossible to find a faster guard with quicker handles than Paul. It’s not impossible to find a brawnier point guard that wants to drive every possession and get whistles.
Nevertheless, it is impossible to find a better passing guard, and one that understands how to minimize mistakes. It’s impossible to find one more aware of what his team needs, at any specific moment in a game.
Paul’s decision making rarely jeopardizes his team’s chances at victory, because he’s usually keeping control and playing shrewdly:
(Click on the image to view the full chart)
It should be recognized that “Assist Ratio” is defined as the percentage of a player’s possessions that ends in an assist.
Paul is behind a guy that passes a trillion times per game because he can’t shoot (Rondo) and a surging point guard from a losing team (Lawson). Out of the guys we usually deem as “superstar point guards,” however, there is nobody that looks for his teammates more than Paul.
Now, the other side of the story is extremely crucial as well. It’s perhaps the most important category for a point guard: Turnover Ratio.
Similar to assists, “Turnover Ratio” is the percentage of a player’s possessions that end in a turnover.
If you’re a detailed, comprehensive reader, you surely noticed the massive drop from first to last. Rajon Rondo leads this particular group in assist ratio, but also leads in turnover ratio. Not a great combination to have. Actually, it’s just a weird one.
Paul, nonetheless, is purely unreal at keeping possessions. Yes, he’s averaged 3.5 turnovers per game in March, but he never had one month over 2.6 prior to this one. To always have the ball in his hands when crunch-time hits and still lead all superstar point guards in (lowest) turnover ratio … is remarkable.
When it comes to measuring his efficiency as a floor leader, one of the best factors is to subtract a player’s turnover ratio from his assist ratio. As you should have guessed, Paul still sits comfortably near the top:
As you notice Lawson dominating alongside Paul, also take into consideration that CP3’s assist-to-turnover ratio is slightly higher this season. None of the dynamic point guards we’ve raved about for the last week (or whole season) even come close to a +4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Not the likely MVP, Curry. Not the maniac Westbrook. Not the prolific shooter, Kyrie. Certainly not the struggling Derrick Rose before his meniscus tear.
But, let’s be extremely clear about something. In no way does this metric alone determine that Westbrook, Curry, or Irving aren’t on Paul’s level.
They absolutely are, and there’s some moments where other instincts of their game kick in, and make them better players. Westbrook’s high turnover ratio–as well as his 6.7 turnovers per game through March–are attributed to his sky-high usage rating. Only two players in NBA history have played over 50 games in a season and finished with a usage rating of 38 percent or more. Those were Michael Jordan (1986-87) and Kobe Bryant (2005-06). Westbrook is on pace to be the third player to do it, if Durant doesn’t steal a lot of his buddy’s shine when he returns to the lineup.
On the other hand, though, Paul is just the exemplary point guard to have your student-athletes imitate. Most humans aren’t going to have the gifts that Westbrook was built with. Most players aren’t going to be the faultless shooters like Stephen Curry, where they can chase the all-time 3-point record. Those are unique presents from God, and you can’t always expect to be blessed with those styles.
As Paul’s difference in Assist Ratio and Turnover Ratio is 26.9 this season, it’s psychotic that we forget about his previous seasons. Last year, his difference reached 28.3 before the season ended. In 2012-13, it was 28.2. During his final year in New Orleans (2010-11), he finished with a difference of 29.4 (!).
His yearly performances are taken for granted, more than any other player in the league. Not just any point guard …. any player. Now, it becomes more understandable why they drill the State Farm “assisting” commercials into your brain.
To many, Paul has been the most complete and consistent NBA point guard since Magic Johnson walked away in 1991. I wouldn’t disagree. Not immediately, anyway.
The playoff success (on a team level) is currently holding him back. But it’s also holding back any other point guard not named “Tony Parker.” So, there shouldn’t be any credence in the playoff argument. Point guards don’t single-handedly march a team to the Finals. Not in this league anymore.
But, with Paul’s leadership and such a similar attitude as his head coach, it’s probably time for Los Angeles to break through the door.
Maybe then he will be appreciated, and not forgotten.