Top 5 NBA Point Guards

[wadesworld]

With the trade talk about Rajon Rondo (which I think would be a horrible move for the Celtics...if they want to trade players it should be some of the veterans who are way past their peak...those guys aren't good enough/are too old to be the nucleus of a championship team, so why are you going to trade away your "future" - he's already their present as well - to put pieces around guys who won't win a title anyway?  Trade the old guys and once the big 3 in Miami break up you take over with Rondo as the centerpiece of your franchise) I got to thinking about who the top 5 point guards are in the NBA.  It's pretty insane how many really good point guards there are in the NBA right now.  You can make a case for a ton of guys based on all different things.  So as of today (you're not building a franchise around these guys), who are the best/most productive point guards in the NBA?  To me, I want a guy who first can and will distribute the ball, get the offense flowing, and get others involved, but also has the ability to take over offensively if he needs to.  I would go:

1. Derrick Rose - I think he's the one guy who anybody and everybody would put in the top 5, no matter what you're looking for in a point guard.
2. Rajon Rondo - Does everything.  Distributing point guard first, but his offensive game has, and will continue to, improved immensely.  Also maybe the best defensive point guard in the NBA.
3. Chris Paul - As long as he is healthy, he's about as good as anybody in the league.
4. Steve Nash - Obviously not a guy you are trying to build a franchise around at this point, but the guy gets it done and is so fun to watch.
5. Deron Williams - For some reason I really don't like him and didn't want to put him in the top 5, but he is extremely good.  Will be interesting to see where he winds up and what he does with talent around him.

Guys who I think you can make a strong argument for being in the top 5 include Ty Lawson, Russell Westbrook, whoever plays point guard between Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry for the Warriors, John Wall, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, and Tony Parker.  To me, out of this group, I would say Tony Parker and Ty Lawson are the two closest to being in the top 5.  They seem to get their teammates involved better and look for others more than they do themselves.  Guys like Westbrook, Evans, Wall, Jennings, and the Warrior teammates look for their own shot too much for my liking in a point guard, but they're all extremely talented and I could see how people would put them into their top 5.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

He's been overhyped some, but don't forget about Rubio.

Take away the highlights, he still is putting up some nice numbers.

Probably 2 years away from being top 5 candidate, but he's top 10 already.

Good numbers for a rookie who can't shoot. A little like JKidd, Ricky will have to learn to shoot just well enough to be effective.

Very complete numbers for a skinny kid, though. A lot of upside there if he can keep working on his jumper.

Season  RPG   APG    SPG    PPG
11-12   4.5     8.7    2.5     10.9

[reinko]

1. Rose
2. Westbrook
3. Paul
4. Deron
5. Nash


Huge questions, are current 5 you would want to run your squad.  Not in the future, then someone like Nash, who probably only another 1 or 2 years at an elite, or near elite would be worth a lot less.

Think you value Rondo waaayyy to high.  In Boston where I live, folks are tired of his wet cat attitude, and the fact he can't hit jumper outside 12 feet.

[MU B2002]

2. Westbrook

This one is a difficult player for me to judge.  Obviously has an amzing talent and skill set, but seems to forget his role at times, and that his teammate is Kevin Durant. 

[wadesworld]

1. Rose
2. Westbrook
3. Paul
4. Deron
5. Nash


Huge questions, are current 5 you would want to run your squad.  Not in the future, then someone like Nash, who probably only another 1 or 2 years at an elite, or near elite would be worth a lot less.

Think you value Rondo waaayyy to high.  In Boston where I live, folks are tired of his wet cat attitude, and the fact he can't hit jumper outside 12 feet.

That's what makes this such a hard list to make.  To me, Rondo is similar to Nash in that he would rather distribute than score and that he can get anywhere on the court at any time with the dribble.  Makes good decisions and doesn't turn the ball over.  I just think his defense is head and shoulders above Nash's, while Nash is more of a scoring threat, especially from the outside.

This one is a difficult player for me to judge.  Obviously has an amzing talent and skill set, but seems to forget his role at times, and that his teammate is Kevin Durant. 

Agreed with this.  If we're going purely on talent I would put him at number 2 behind Rose.  But he is a me-first player with the best offensive player in the NBA on his team.  To me, that is a problem.  I would love to see a Rondo or Nash play next to Durant.

[MUBurrow]

1. Rose
2. Paul
3. Westbrook
4. Williams
5. Rondo
6. Parker

I think Paul is insanely good and really underrated as a passer/floor general. I think he gives his team a calm, confident presence that the younger guys like Westbrook and Rondo don't really impart yet. Its also tough for me to boost Rondo beyond 5. He's a great individual talent, but his absolute inability to hit a jump shot goes a long way to counteract his driving/passing abilities.  Finally I wanted to put Parker on the list because he's having a really great season without Ginobili and with an aging Duncan, singlehandedly getting that team to 19-9.

[ringout]

Jeremy Lin baby !!!

[Ari Gold]

Jeremy Lin baby !!!

Catch Lin-Sanity!

[Bocephys]

Catch Lin-Sanity!

He's Lin-sational!!

[martyconlonontherun]

There's something amiss with Rondo. For how talented he is, it seems like teams want nothing to do with him. With Boston's aging core you would think he would be untouchable yet he is always discussed first in trades.

[wadesworld]

There's something amiss with Rondo. For how talented he is, it seems like teams want nothing to do with him. With Boston's aging core you would think he would be untouchable yet he is always discussed first in trades.

Yeah it is weird.  From day 1 he's been blamed for failures or talked about in trade rumors.  That's why I originally began liking him.  His rookie year he was the goat for pulling down the Big 3.  Then they won the Championship and since then he has become the key player on that team.  As he goes, the Celtics go.  Without him, their offense would be awful.  I just enjoy watching him because everything seems to come easy to him (besides a jump shot).  He can do what he wants with the ball when he wants to.  And on the defensive end he gets after it.  I also loved that he was trying to sneak into the Heat's huddle during a non-timeout (not illegal at all), and I've always loved the picture of him in his defensive stance going up to LeBron's waist basically, peaking around him at the ball.

I just love watching players who are smooth, make difficult things look easy.  Guys like Rondo and Nash who dribble in circles around defenders, Durant and Steph Curry who score at will, etc.