NBA Power Rankings: Ranking All 30 Starting Point Guards
By Shane Young
30. Jose Calderon — New York Knicks
Passer Rating: 119.57 (23rd)
Per-36 minutes: 10.8 points, 5.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 2.1 turnovers. 41.5% field goals, 41.5% 3-pointers, 90.6% free throws.
True Shooting Percentage: 51.9% (18th)
Player Efficiency Rating: 11.3 (26th)
Real Plus-Minus: -4.02 (28th)
Wins Above Replacement: -1.28 (27th)
This is difficult and actually nerve-racking, because labeling Jose Calderon as the NBA’s worst starting point guard just doesn’t seem accurate. He’s a part of the “intelligent international minds” group, since his basketball IQ has definitely benefited from being a Spanish player. Since his debut in 2005, Calderon has been yet another example of how international talents understand the fundamentals of basketball a bit more than traditional American players. Kobe Bryant even alluded to this last year as well.
His logic isn’t wrong, since European players are more polished on the offensive end of the floor. They may not be the greatest defensive athletes and have the natural body builds to contain a Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul, but international point guards are typically very smart at surveying the court.
Calderon’s career has matched this as well, having eight seasons of dishing 8+ assists per 36 minutes while also keeping his turnovers under 2.5 per 36 minutes. That’s not an easy accomplishment, considering John Wall hasn’t finished a single season under the 3.5 turnovers-per-36 mark. For Calderon to have eight masterful seasons as a distributor (out of 10 possible years), his career may never be as appreciated as it should be.
Nevertheless, this isn’t a lifelong achievement ranking. This isn’t the same concept as Kobe’s massive contract, which was predicated on past events.
Regarding how he stacks up against current point guards, Calderon’s recent performances in New York have warranted a No. 30 placement.
In the five categories above that include league-rankings (in parenthesis), Calderon’s average rank among starting point guards last year was 24.4. He was dead last in overall Real Plus-Minus, as the -4.02 rating with him on the floor was detrimental for the Knicks. Yes, the already-humiliating Knicks. Calderon didn’t help them any during his 42 games played.
Calderon’s average ranking of 24.4 was even lower than Jarrett Jack’s 23.6, and that’s the most revealing part. Once a lights-out guard that could challenge the 50-40-90 club requirements, Calderon was far from efficient as a point guard last season. He’s still a terrific shooter from long-range with a bright green light, but his percentage from mid-range dipped almost 10% last season.
Even though today’s NBA values the perimeter more than ever, it’s not necessarily a great thing for your point guard to take 77% of his field goals from 16+ feet. He just turned 34, which means the rim-attacking mentality isn’t magically coming back. Calderon is still more than adequate for a role in the triangle offense — because he plays the game correctly, with limited mistakes — but he becomes less and less effective as the NBA gets younger.
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