Building the perfect all-time NBA point guard is not an easy task. A player with the skills of Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, Gary Payton, and other legends would dominate the NBA in any era.
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Throughout NBA history, some of the greatest players that have ever graced the hardwood have been from the point guard position. Point guards are a priceless part of any successful team. The point guard is to a basketball team what a quarterback is to a football team. The entire pace of play and tempo of the game begins and ends with how a point guard controls these parts of the game. While point guards can control an offense, they can also be the first line of defense on the other end. Some point guards have this in their arsenal while clothes stick to the offensive side of things.
Today, we will be using the strengths of the best point guards in NBA history to build the ultimate and unstoppable floor general. The point guard we build today will be able to do everything that is asked of a point guard to do and more. There is no skill that will be attributed to our player that isn’t on an elite level or come from an elite-level point guard throughout NBA history. When we think of the all-time greats at the point guard position, we think of names like Magic, Curry, Oscar, and Stockton. How many of these guards and their skills will be represented here today?
This is the perfectly built point guard using players throughout NBA history.
Scoring - Stephen Curry
I cannot believe I have to repeat this time and time again but, Stephen Curry is more than just a shooter. Sure, Curry is easily the greatest shooter that the game has ever seen and 3 points are worth more than 2. There have been no better players in NBA history who gets more than half of their points from the 3-point lines so yes, Curry’s shooting is a big reason why we have taken his overall scoring. However, it is not the only reason and it certainly isn’t the only way that Curry puts the ball in the basket.
The first reason we have taken Curry for his scoring is his off-ball movement. Sure, we can attribute this skill to his playmaking but it is also the way that Curry gets up most of his shots. Moving around screens and moving without the ball are an immense part of Curry’s scoring and perhaps the most important part. The other factor is Curry’s ability to realize when defenders are trying to cheat toward the perimeter to take away his shot. One quick fake and dribble and Curry is already around them and headed to the basket. I guess if you want to go with pure scoring, Oscar Robertson could have been a nice choice here as well.
Passing - Magic Johnson
The greatest passer and playmaker in NBA history is Magic Johnson. Chances are if you shared the floor with Magic Johnson, you were bound to have the best numbers of your career. Magic’s impact when he was running the offense holds no comparison when you look back on NBA history. He could control the tempo in set offenses and find his open teammates like he had eyes in the back of his head. As far as penetrating defenses and finding his teammates off the ball, nobody did it better or as smoothly as Magic.
Where Johnson made his most prevalent impact was on fast breaks and in transition. Off of rebounds or turnovers, the goal was to get the ball to Magic and let him do the rest. He was just as fast with the ball in his hands as he was without. The way Magic pushed the pace of games and dominated fast breaks still hasn’t been replicated by any one player. As a point guard, Johnson directly impacted success that led to NBA championships and MVP awards with the way he handled the ball and set up his teammates for easy opportunities.
Handles - Kyrie Irving
When building the perfect point guard, having the best ball-handling skills possible is imperative to achieving greatness. No other point guard in NBA history possesses better handles than Kyrie Irving. What makes Irving’s handles so difficult for defenders is the combination of speed and control he uses to confuse them. Kyrie is able to lose defenders even as he moves side to side and forces them to bite on his moves. With Irving, his handles have a purpose and it isn’t all about flash or looking good.
What exactly is that purpose? Well, there are a few. First, the way that he is able to create his own shot off of the dribble. Irving seems to time his dribble perfectly in sync with his shooting motion if he intends to shoot an outside or mid-range shot. Kyrie is able to shoot the ball efficiently because of his ability to create high-percentage shots from the inside and from the outside. Irving’s handle also allows him to get to the next level on offense. With The attributes we already have with Magic and Curry, this creates a dangerous player we are building.
Hustle - John Stockton
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It should be noted that if we went with Isiah Thomas and the heart and hustle he showed on the floor, that wouldn’t have been a horrible choice. We decided to go a different route with John Stockton and his playstyle that was on display for nearly 2 decades. Both physically and mentally, Stockton exhausted himself every night on the floor. He made the game look easy and effortless on both ends of the floor and for that reason, he is our choice for hustle.
On defense, Stockton went 100 percent full speed whether he was on or off the ball. He could jump passing lanes and make an opponent’s night overly difficult with the way he jumped and attacked the ball. On offense, it was Stockton’s effort that made it flow so smoothly. The way he hit the screens on pick and rolls with Karl Malone was equally as important to the Jazz’s success as Malone’s ability to finish the play. Stockton’s effort and hustle were never questioned during his lengthy NBA career and we won’t start now.
Mentality - Magic Johnson
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One’s mentality and thought process as a basketball player is arguably a point guard’s most important trait. Magic’s mentality on the floor was all about his teammates and the ultimate goal of winning. It didn’t matter how much his scoring numbers may have taken a dip, Magic was happy with facilitating his way to an NBA championship. He was willing to do whatever it takes to take his team to the top and that kind of mentality is a diamond in the rough when compared to the rest of the point guards in NBA history.
Now, you may be asking yourself what a player’s mentality has to do with being successful on the court. In this case, when we combine Magic’s mentality with the on-court skills we have used from others, there is no way that failure is an option. A point guard that will be willing to put his personal success aside that is rounded out by so many strengths will only further the greatest of the build we have.
Basketball IQ - Magic Johnson
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Remember that thing I said about Magic Johnson having eyes in the back of his head? That has everything to do with his basketball IQ and how smart he was at reading an opposing team. This goes for both ends of the court. As an offensive player, no player was better at reading a defense. On fast breaks, Johnson was as lethal as it gets with pinpoint accuracy on passes due to his knowledge of exactly where a teammate was going to be and when he was going to be there. This also goes with his awareness of a specific set and knowing when to penetrate and when to swing the ball.
Having the awareness and intelligence of Magic Johnson will work wonders for the all-time point guard we built today. Knowing the difference between when to attack and how to attack is immensely important for a point guard. Being able to decipher defenses and make split-second decisions on the fly can be the difference between a win and a loss. For the sheer importance that basketball IQ is to a point guard, Magic Johnson is both the safest and smartest pick.
Shooting - Stephen Curry
Easily the most obvious attribute that we are giving our all-time point guard is Stephen Curry’s shooting. So far we have given this player immaculate scoring, passing, and ball handling. When you make that kind of player a 42.8% career 3-point shooter on historic volume, he could turn out to be the greatest player that ever lived. As we all know, shooting isn't only about having unlimited range. From every other range inside three-point land, Curry is at least a 44.0% shooter so those bases are covered as well.
The beauty of Stephen Curry's shooting is his ability to create these shots. He is a very good shooter off the dribble and creates for himself in a variety of ways with the ball in his hand. His bread and butter, however, is his movement off the ball to get his shots off. Whether it be moving off screens or simple and subtle changes of direction, Curry’s shooting is the ultimate weapon that this player possesses.
Defense - Gary Payton
As a perimeter defender from the point guard position, nobody ever did it better than Gary Payton. At just 6’4’’, Payton made some of the most prolific scorers in the league look average on any given night and made nothing easy for whoever stood across from him. His tenacity and energy on the defensive end sparked energy in his teammates who fed off of him on big runs. He wasn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and put everything on the line to make a stop.
There were levels to the defensive efforts of Gary Payton. His footwork was second to none from the point guard position and rarely allowed anyone to get past him on the perimeter. His quick hands were an added bonus and whether off the ball or on the ball, there was never an easy pass to be made with Gary Payton on defense. When you combine all of that with the world's biggest heart and passionate toughness, Gary Payton is the only point guard that can be chosen for his defense.
Finishing - Russell Westbrook
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The next two categories go hand in hand and thus, will be chosen as attributes from the same person. As far as finishing goes, we consider this to be the ability to flush down dunks and easy layups at the basket. In his prime, Russell Westbrook was unstoppable coming down the lane and threw down the type of athletic flushes that made you question if he was really a point guard. If there is any point guard throughout NBA history that I want with a chance to put one down at the rim, prime Russell Westbrook is the easy choice.
So we decided to combine Kyrie’s handles, Stephen Curry’s shooting, and Westbrook’s ability to finish at the rim. The creativity and ability of our all-time point guard are simply unmatched as an offensive player. Westbrook’s ability to finish gives our point guard a distinct advantage of being able to control the game from all three levels. With Kyrie’s handles, the ability to get by defenders is already high. Adding in Westbrook’s finishing is only going to make for more than a fair share of viral highlights.
Athleticism - Russell Westbrook
In a few years, we may be talking about Ja Morant’s athletic abilities as the best from a point guard in NBA history. For now, we will stick with what we know lasted and made for a successful tenure in Russell Westbrook’s athleticism. As far as bounce and vertical leap go, Ja Morant already takes that from Westbrook. Speed, control, and stamina also go into athleticism and all of those things go to Russ for now.
On top of everything we have added to this player already, we have now given him a motor that never runs out of juice and the ability to throw down at the rim with the best of them. Strength is another attribute that falls in Westbrook’s favor with Morant being one of the lightest players in the game. Finishing through the contact rather than around it will play a huge factor as well which also goes for Westbrook. With Westbrook’s athleticism, there is just one final piece to add to pour point guard to make him the greatest ever built.
Clutch - Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard has wowed audiences over the years with his propensity to hit big shots and never fold in big moments. Lillard;’s most famous of these moments was pulling up from no man's land against the Thunder in the playoffs and waving by as the ball fell through the net. This is what he has done every chance that he gets in a clutch situation though and should no longer be a surprise to anyone paying attention over the years.
Clutch moments are defined as any basket that occurs with under 5 minutes to go in the game with the score within 5 points. No one over the past decade has scored more on better efficiency than Damian Lillard. Clutch ability is also defined as being smart with the ball and not allowing the other team to gain any momentum. With Lillard’s clutch, not only will our player be able to control the entire tempo of the game but will be the guy that everyone turns to in the big moments.
How Would This Player Perform On The Court?
The player we have built today is most definitely the best point guard we can possibly build using the best point guards in NBA history. We have taken the best attributes of the greatest players from the position to make the ultimate all-around weapon. On offense, there are no weaknesses in his game. He will thrive as a scorer with the shooting and scoring of Stephen Curry combined with the athleticism of Rusell Westbrook and the handles of Kyrie Irving. His playmaking will be off the charts with all of his main attributes as a facilitator coming from Magic Johnson.
On defenses, this player provides m, more than enough to be considered one of the better two-way players to ever play the game. Primarily, this player’s defense will come from the immaculate abilities of Gary Payton. With the hustle of John Stockton and the athleticism of Russell Westbrook, this player will cause nightmares for those that stand across from him. Overall, this point guard has the chance to significantly shatter NBA records. We are looking at the first 50.0 PPG scorer since Wilt and the first 20.0 APG passer in NBA history.
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