Details view: NBA Power Rankings: Ranking All 30 Point Guards

NBA Power Rankings: Ranking All 30 Point Guards Resolution1 #137143 A ranking of the NBA's best point guards 30-1.
The NBA has seen a dramatic rise in point guard play over the past few seasons with the emergence of young talent like Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Boston's Rajon Rondo. This next generation of gifted floor generals has combined with the already prominent faces of players such as Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups to make the shift of point guard power that much smoother. Every team needs one, but not every team has one. A dominant point guard can often make the difference between being a consistent lottery team, or winning 60+ plus games and earning a conference finals berth despite lacking any other superstar talent (Derrick Rose). Join Bleacher Report as we break down every potential starting point guard next season and rank all 30 heading into the 2011-2012 season. No. 12: Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) Statistically, Jason Kidd ranks towards the bottom of the pack in nearly every important point guard category. Despite Kidd's low scoring production for the Mavericks last season, his veteran leadership and invaluable playoff experience was critical for Dallas in winning the 2011 NBA Championship. The 38-year-old will likely be back next season with the team that first drafted him way back in 1994, attempting to defend the title he's finally earned, "NBA champion." No. 13: John Wall (Washington Wizards) The No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, John Wall, was thrown directly into the fire with the Wizards last season. Despite being a rookie, Wall averaged a Rookie of the Year worthy (though L.A.'s Blake Griffin won the award) 16.4 PPG and 8.3 APG. Unfortunately Wall's impressive numbers were padded because of his dismal shooting percentages. Wall shot just 41 percent from the field in 2010-2011, as well as just 29.6 percent from beyond the arc. No. 8: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) Golden State's Stephen Curry was the third highest-scoring point guard during the 2010-2011 regular season, averaging 18.6 points per game for the Warriors. Curry also did an excellent job of getting his teammates involved on most nights, dropping nearly six dimes per game in 74 appearances. Surprisingly, Curry has played just two full seasons in the NBA, and is already averaging 18.0 PPG and 5.9 APG for his career. No. 7: Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) Spurs' point guard Tony Parker's many talents are often overlooked because of his team's constant success. Even at age 29 Parker is still one of the league's most gifted and unique guards. Parker can get to the rim and finish at the rim better than 99 percent of players in the league. The Frenchman averaged 17.5 points per game last season in 78 regular season games with San Antonio. Parker stayed true to his position as well, averaging nearly seven assists per contest in 2010-2011. No. 6: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) Oklahoma City's hard-headed point guard has enough athleticism to get by any defender but sometimes falls in love with it so much he forgets to finish. Though at this point it seems as if Westbrook is more of a shooting guard than a point guard, he is still young and has time to develop his passing skills. Westbrook managed to average 8.2 assists per game last season, which is somewhat surprising considering he turned the ball over more than any player on this list (316 turnovers). Young Russell's scoring output seemed to blanket his facilitating struggles last season though, as he averaged nearly 22 points per contest, second among point guards in 2010-2011. No. 5: Deron Williams (New Jersey Nets) Despite being traded mid-season in 2010-2011 and playing in only four of the Nets last 15 games of the regular season, Deron Williams remains a top five point guard in today's NBA. Williams controls the pace of the game as well as any point guard out there, and averaged 10.3 assists per game last season while playing for both the Utah Jazz and New Jersey Nets. Williams is also one of the best scoring point guards in the league, he averaged over 20 points per game last season even while struggling from beyond the arc (33 percent 3PT%). The 26-year-old should be healthy next season and make waves in his first full season with the Nets. No. 4: Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) Rajon Rondo joined Steve Nash and Deron Williams as one of only three point guards to average a double-double for the season in 2010-2011. Rondo finished second behind only Steve Nash for the regular season assist title, averaging a whopping 11.2 assists per game. Rondo had a slightly better assist to turnover ration than Nash (3.25 and 3.23 respectively), while only playing in 68 games for the Celtics last season. Boston's do-it-all floor general also reeled in over four rebounds per game and shot better than 47 percent from the field on the way to averaging 10.6 points per game. Rondo's struggles from beyond the arc and at the free throw line have held him back from reaching his full potential, however. The All-Star point guard shot just 23 percent from distance in 2010-2011 and nearly 57 percent from the foul line. But if you still doubt Rondo at No. 4 on this list, just go watch Game 3 of Boston's 2011 Eastern Conference Semi-Final series against the Miami Heat. No. 3: Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) Chris Paul is arguably one of the most efficient point guards in the league. Paul led all NBA point guards in assist to turnover ratio (4.42), on his way to dropping nearly 10 dimes per contest with the New Orleans Hornets. Paul's 177 turnovers in 80 games played in 2010-2011 stand out as one of the best arguments one can make for him cracking the top four on this list. Despite his limited size, Paul has excellent court vision and a strong ability to score the ball, averaging a shade under 16 points per game in 2010-2011 while shooting 46 percent from the field. Paul's 2.4 steals per game led all point guards last season and he had 188 total during the regular season. No. 2: Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) The 37-year-old Steve Nash led the NBA in assists (11.4 APG) for the second consecutive season in 2010-2011. Nash also led all point guards in most double-doubles for the second season in as many years, racking up 41 in only 75 games played. Deron Williams was the closest point guard to Nash in double-doubles last season, with just 34. The Canadian point guard also averaged 14.7 PPG and shot better than 49 percent from the field, the fourth highest field goal percentage of any point guard in 2010-2011. Nash ranked tenth in 3-point percentage among all point guards and third behind only Stephen Curry and Chauncey Billups at the free throw line. Factor in Nash's age and his consistent play over the course of an 82-game season, and you quickly discover that Nash is one of the best to ever do it at the point guard position. As far as pure point guards are concerned, Nash is still the blueprint heading into 2011-2012. No. 1: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) Chicago's own, Derrick Rose, won 2010-2011 Most Valuable Player honors—and rightfully so. The No. 1 overall pick in 2008 delivered all season long, scoring and facilitating for the league-leading Bulls en route to the team's first Eastern Conference Finals berth since 1998. Rose led all point guards in scoring (25.0 PPG) while playing a superb amount of minutes (37.4 MPG). Rose is as tough as they come as well, playing in a total of 81 of Chicago's 82 regular season games. The biggest weakness in Rose's game, however, is that he isn't a consistent knock-down shooter. Rose only made 33 percent of his 3-point shots last season, and shot only 44.5 percent from the field during the regular season. Still, an MVP award speaks for itself and Rose's accomplishments in such a short time in the league cannot be denied.

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NBA Power Rankings: Ranking All 30 Point Guards

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