Playing point guard takes more skills than any other position on the basketball court. Despite being small, they are often the most innovative and agile athletes in the game. Point guards manage their teammates, take over the scoring load when necessary, and serve as an extension of the coach. As the decades have passed, point guards have gradually been encouraged to be their team’s primary source of offense rather than just a facilitator. This blurs the positional lines and makes it unclear whether someone is a point guard, a point forward, or a point center.
Without further ado, these are the 22 best point guards in NBA history!
1. Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson revolutionized the point guard position with his size and skills, primarily through his personality and leadership. The Lakers weren’t lacking in talent so much as they were charisma when Johnson joined them in 1979. Johnson’s magnetic smile underlined his fierce competitive drive, and Magic did everything it took to turn the Lakers into the best team of the 1980s.
2. Stephen Curry
Steph Curry breaks the geometric capabilities of basketball on a nightly basis. His off-ball movement, shooting range, vision, and gravity allow the Warriors to run an offense nobody can replicate. Steph is the most complete offensive weapon at the point guard position ever. With four championships to his name, he’s so close to climbing to the top of this list.
3. Oscar Robertson
The Big O often gets disrespected by younger fans of basketball, defined only by his triple-doubles and cool nickname. Robertson was impossible to stop in the 1960s because he was a big guard, standing 6’5”, with a plethora of ball skills and intangibles. If teleported to the 2020s, Robertson would remain a sight to behold, dicing up defenses and getting whatever he wants from his opponents.
4. Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas’ abridged career prevents him from moving further up this list, but the leader of the Bad Boy Pistons during the 1980s crashed the Magic Johnson/Larry Bird party in unexpected ways. Standing only 6’1” tall, Thomas showed that short players can have more heart and pride than peers towering over a foot taller than him. Zeke’s four seasons averaging over 20 points per game and ten assists per game ranks second all-time behind Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
5. Steve Nash
Steven Nash’s jaw-dropping wizardry as a passer overshadowed his prodigious shooting exploits. With more freedom and a different era serving as a backdrop to his career, Nash’s time in the league would have resembled Steph Curry’s more. The Canadian always tried to make the right play, but Phoenix became almost impossible to beat when he asserted himself as a scorer. Nash is the only player to be part of the 50-40-90 club four times in his career.
6. Chris Paul
Chris Paul’s longevity at the point guard position is unmatched. No player has operated so many team offenses at a high level as CP3 has, improving the likes of the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, and more. A lack of championship hardware exacerbates his antics on the court, including elbowing, flopping, and constant complaining to the referees.
7. John Stockton
John Stockton’s assist numbers were slightly inflated playing in Utah with Karl Malone, but the record books don’t care about qualifiers. Stockton remains the textbook definition of what coaches and fans want out of their floor general, constantly looking to make the right play on both ends. He should also be commended for his durability and loyalty to the Jazz franchise.
8. Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd may be more known for supporting Dirk Nowitzki in the Dallas Mavericks’ title run in 2011. Still, his ability to carry the New Jersey Nets with undermanned rosters in the 2000s should more than speak to his abilities. Kidd’s extra height and weight allowed him to make outlet passes and inbound plays others couldn’t fathom, and when he decided to become a better shooter at the end of his career, it showed his willingness to adapt.
9. Gary Payton
The Glove had impeccable hands, lightning-quick reflexes, and sturdy physicality, allowing him to stop any player under 6’7”, even giving Michael Jordan fits in the 1996 NBA Finals. Payton’s mouth always backed up his game, and the Seattle SuperSonics became a Western Conference powerhouse during his tenure in the Pacific Northwest. A title with the Miami Heat in 2006 topped his resume.
10. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook may be the most controversial player on this list. Unlike other point guards, it doesn’t feel like Westbrook always makes his team better. Gaudy statistics underly a stubbornness to adapt, but his time propelling the Thunder after Kevin Durant’s departure demonstrates his raw power on the basketball court. A twilight with the Clippers as a role player is starting to change his reputation.
11. Walt Frazier
Frazier’s style carves out his legacy, but his high level of play for the New York Knicks in the 1970s should always be recognized. Frazier combined speed, size, intelligence, and teamwork to provide the steady hand that the Knicks haven’t had in half a century. He remains one of the best defenders in NBA history and was named to seven All-Defensive First Teams.
12. Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy’s offensive skills in the 1950s and 1960s carried the Boston Celtics just as much as Bill Russell’s defensive skills. He may not translate as well in a faster, more talented NBA, but we can only evaluate players against their own eras. Cousy’s flash put butts in seats, and his vision puts rings on the fingers of his teammates.
13. Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving’s place in history would be higher if he had just stayed content next to LeBron James. Requesting a trade to the Boston Celtics put him under a microscope he wasn’t able to handle, and therefore his career has sputtered in many ways for half a decade. More than just the most talented ball handler in basketball lore, Irving’s shot over Steph Curry in the 2016 NBA Finals changed the scope of the league in the 2010s.
14. Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard feels a lot like Steph Curry-lite. Lillard has deep range and a multitude of skills around the perimeter and the rim, but he’s never gone to the NBA Finals, and his porous defense shrouds his offensive skills to a degree. Lillard may not be in Portland much longer, so depending on his team’s success with a new franchise, he could move up the list.
15. Tony Parker
Tony Parker’s precise floater and insane speed infused the San Antonio offense with bolts of excitement that balanced out the defensive-minded coaching of Gregg Popovich. Parker and Manu Ginobili’s chemistry in the backcourt made the Spurs dynasty unstoppable when combined with Tim Duncan’s front-line domination. An NBA Finals MVP in 2007 sealed his place in the hierarchy of point guards, becoming one of the only players at the position to win the honor.
16. Nate Archibald
Tiny Archibald epitomized turning lemons into lemonade. He leveraged his small stature into an unstoppable attack around the basket, dishing and driving at will past the hulking defenders of the 1970s. The only thing holding Archibald back in the scheme of point guard rankings was his relative lack of playoff success. He teamed with Larry Bird to win his lone ring in 1981 with the Boston Celtics.
17. Dave Bing
Dave Bing was a score-first point guard who blazed a trail for future like-minded players such as Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving in the 2010s. Bing was a seven-time NBA All-Star and an All-Star game MVP. His ability to play with only one good eye made him even more incredible, as a childhood accident caused him to go blind in one of them.
18. Dennis Johnson
Dennis Johnson did absolutely everything needed to win championships. Whether that was carrying the offensive load for the Seattle SuperSonics, or taking on role-player duties next to the Big Three in Boston, it’s hard to think of a point guard who resembled a chameleon more than Johnson. Larry Bird once said DJ was the best player he ever had the privilege to play alongside.
19. Penny Hardaway
Penny Hardaway symbolizes one of basketball’s great “what-ifs.” Hardaway’s length and lanky explosiveness brought shades of Magic Johnson to the court but with even more speed and shiftiness. Hardaway seemed to be ushering in a new way to play point guard until his career careened south with knee injuries in the mid-1990s.
20. Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson’s prime was brief, but his impact was wide. KJ averaged over 20 PPG and 10 APG on three different occasions, and he even raised his game to 26.6 PPG in the 1994 playoffs. Charles Barkley and Johnson made for a devastating duo in the desert when the Suns nearly dethroned the Chicago Bulls in the 1993 NBA Finals.
21. Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose seemed destined to break records and collect accolades throughout the 2010s after winning the 2011 MVP. Knee injuries turned him into a role player for the rest of his career, but Chicago rejoiced at the sight of Rose after toiling for a decade after Michael Jordan’s defection to Washington. D-Rose was an athlete like no other, and he played point guard like a middle linebacker.
22. Chauncey
Chauncey Billups was a coach’s dream. He brought steady production, timely buckets, and outstanding leadership to his teams, especially the Detroit Pistons of 2004 that defeated the Lakers in the Finals. Billups seemed to mesh well with a number of co-stars, including Carmelo Anthony in Denver, but he worked well as the star actor of an ensemble just the same.
