Top 15 Point Guards in the NBA

There isn't shit to do or really talk about in the NBA, and Posting and Toasting has been fairly quiet for awhile. So, like many other basketball websites do during the summer, I thought I'd make a Top 15 for each position. With 30 teams in the league, I figured 15 is a good number to represent the top half. Hopefully these lists piss off some people and spark some debate and get some good discussions going.

First up: Point Guards.

1.) Chris Paul: This is a little tough to do, because frankly, he's had two back-to-back, somewhat underwhelming seasons. However, we all saw what he can do in the playoffs against the Lakers. The dude was insane. Though his scoring and assists have been down, he rebounds phenomenally for a dude that might not even be 5'11", he's a great defender, and he's shot the ball so well for a PG his whole career. When he gets fully healthy and some not shitty teammates, he's gonna return to MVP status.

 

2.) Derrick Rose: Kind of another tough call, because I'm not a fan of his playmaking skills. Nonetheless, this dude was the MVP, surprised everyone this season, and led his team to the best record in the NBA. He's a highlight machine, arguably in the top 5 most athletic players, and one of the best scorers in the league. And while he's not a great playmaker, he still averaged 7.7 apg last season, and is improving his 3pt shooting.

3.) Deron Williams: Personally my favorite PG in the league. D-Will is a good shooter, a great playmaker and passer (maybe the best in the league), a solid defender and another good rebounder. Look who he played with in NJ after he was traded, and then comprehend he averaged just short of 13 apg there. Yeah, he's good. And once healthy and on a winning team, he too competes for the #1 slot.

4.) Steve Nash: Watching Nash play point guard is a thing of beauty. He sees everything on the court; every hole, path, and opening. He could probably average 20ppg if he wanted to, but he doesn't. He runs plays remarkably, and when he's in the zone, he makes the Suns' offense seemingly unstoppable. Yeah, he's old and sucks at defense, but he's just too fun to watch on offense to put him lower.

5.) Rajon Rondo: A lot of people here don't like Rondo, but he's damn good. Definitely a product of playing with such great players, but if anybody watched the Celtics' run to the Finals two years ago, he was a blur on the court. Crafty in every way, and though he can't shoot, he still scores decently, rebounds and passes very well, and has glue on his hands on the defensive end. He too needs to get fully healthy.

6.) Russell Westbrook: An up-and-comer for sure. Insanely athletic and strong. He absolutely needs to improve his playmaking and shooting, and he's not there mentally, but his athletic skills alone make him so dangerous with the ball. He kinda sucks at playmaking, and he still averaged 8 apg. Give the kid 2-3 years and he could be the best.

7.) Jason Kidd: It gets a little foggy here, but he just led a team to an improbably championship at 38 years old. He's capable of scoring well more than I think he even realizes. He's deadly from downtown, and just a great playmaker. Oh, and he guarded Kobe, Westbrook, Durant, Wade, and Lebron and got the best of all of them.

8.) Tony Parker: Getting old, he's injury-prone, kinda soft, inconsistent, and still a winning player. He can still go for 20 points on any given night, and just shot a career high from 3pt range at 35%. He also shot nearly 52% FG, which is great for a PG. And he averaged nearly 7 assists per game. He and the Spurs might still have one more run in them.

9.) Stephen Curry: Based mostly on upside, Curry's a dynamite shooter, who can hit an open teammate, and seemingly play fastbreak basketball and halfcourt basketball. He's not a winning PG yet, but he could be one of the best in years to come.

10.) Chauncey Billups: Chauncey is a big question mark next season. Nobody knows how we'll perform. Immediately after the trade, he lit up NY with some great scoring games and ran the offense so well. But he's old, slow, and injury-prone. If he stays healthy and learns the system, he might prove to be better than he's ranked here.

11.) Raymond Felton: This feels somewhat ironic that he's right after Chauncey. Ray had a great half-season here, at his best averaging 19 ppg, 4 rpg, and 9 apg. He's one of the toughest PGs in the league. His decision-making is questionable as is his shot, but he's shown flashes of All-Star material, especially when he gets adjusted to his team.

12.) Jameer Nelson: Nelson is wildly inconsistent, but he still has times where he can absolutely take over a game (he did it against us). He should average a lot more assists than he does, especially playing with Dwight, but I think despite that, he's still a good playmaker. He can hit the open shot, and when he gets in a groove is one of the best.

13.) John Wall: I might come under fire for this, but playing on a shit team, in his rookie season, Wall averaged 16 points and 8 assists per game. He's so strong and athletic, and from end-to-end, one of the fastest I've seen. Definitely needs to work on his jumpshot, but that's easy enough. Give this kid a few years and a good team, and he could dominate.

14.) Mike Conley: Just signed a fatass extension, and then had his best year yet. H'es quick, not a bad shooter, and a good playmaker. He's only 23, and is on a young team that could be developing into one of the best in the West. I don't think he has potential to be an annual All-Star, but he looks like a leader for the future, and played well when it counted in the playoffs.

15.) Jrue Holiday: This last spot came down to he and Andre Miller. I chose Jrue for his upside and age. He's a young PG on what appears to be another up-and-coming team. He's a good shooter and passes the ball well. He also is a good rebounder at 6'4", and bigger PGs tend to fair well in this league.

Honorable Mentions: Andre Miller, Ty Lawson, Devin Harris, DJ Augustine, Jose' Calderon

That was very tough to do, and I'm still questioning myself about some of the dudes that I left off, but oh well. If you don't like it, comment about it! I'll do the other 4 positions in the upcoming days, though I don't know exactly when.