TOP 10 POINT GUARDS IN THE NBA HISTORY

Welcome Basketball Fans! 

Point Guards are the absolute playmakers of any ball game. The NBA has had some of the greatest point guards to play the game of basketball. I present you my list for the top 10 point guards to in the NBA history. But before I reveal their names, Here are some of the players that barely missed my list. 

MISSED THE LIST

1. WALT FRAZIER

2. BOB COUSY

3. GARY PAYTON

That being said I move onto the actual list for which my precious readers are excited for! But before scrolling down ensure that you haven't forgot to follow @hoop.hustle on Instagram and switch on post notifications there. Here we Go! 

TOP 10 POINT GUARDS IN THE NBA HISTORY

10. RUSSELL WESTBROOK

Some people would say that Russ doesn't belong in this list, However Russell Westbrook is an exceptional point guard. He may be the most athletic and ruthless point guard to ever play in league. Despite his shooting, rebounding and play making abilities averaging a triple double for an entire season and setting the records for most triple doubles in a single campaign are historic achievements. Westbrook has the potential to be a top 5 PG of all time but it may be difficult to crack as his efficiency and poor decision making at times prevent him from being mentioned with the top 5 PG's in this list. But every thing is temporary. 

9. JASON KIDD

Jason Kidd was a powerful point guard with exceptional court vision, defence and rebounding skills. Also known as the guy who popularized triple doubles, Kidd is one of the most versatile guards in the NBA history to ever grace the game of basketball. He led the Nets to 2 NBA finals and managed to win one of them. However his assists have overshadowed his defensive abilities. He is a underrated defensive guard with 9 ALL-DEFENCE selections. After 19 seasons Kidd was 87th all time in points scored, 10th in threes and second in steals and assists. 

8. CHRIS PAUL

Chris Paul is the perfect definition of a point guard. Paul would've been higher in this list if this list was merely based on advanced stats. But what Paul lacks is a championship. Paul could lock you down on one end, and dominate the offensive end with scoring and passing. He is a 10x All-Stars and has been a part of 8x All-NBA Selection and 9x All-Defensive Team Selection. The only knock on his game was his size, but he made up for it with sublime quickness and explosiveness with his handles. 

7. STEVE NASH

It may be shocking for you too see Steve Nash higher than Chris Paul and Jason Kidd but Steve Nash was a phenomenal scorer with zero offensive weaknesses. Steve Nash was one of the best if not the best Canadian scorer to ever play in the league. A two-time NBA MVP, Nash sits third all time in career assists, and he's one of only five players to accumulate over 10,000 dimes as a pro. Stephen Curry will likely be remembered as the better of the two, but Curry is just an upgraded version of Steve Nash. 

6. ISIAH THOMAS

Isiah Thomas was a superstar and may be one of the most popular point guards to ever play in the league. The poster boy for the Detroit "Bad Boys" Pistons, Thomas was an exceptional leader and one of the most dominant forces in late 80's. Thomas was one of the best post season performers to ever play in the league. He led Detroit to two titles and managed to win the finals MVP once in 1990. Thomas is considered to be a top 3 point guard by some people but the most important reason that puts Thomas at 6th place in my list is his inability to be a top playmaker. Thomas wasn't a great scorer (a good one though) or a playmaker but made up for these inabilities with his leadership skills, strong will and TOUGH-TO-NAIL-DOWN attitude. However this is a top 10 point guards list and not a top 10 leaders list. Still 12 All-Star appearances, five All-NBA selections, two titles and a Finals MVP are some factors that make Isiah Thomas one of the most unique point guards to ever play in the league. 

5. JHON STOCKTON

Jhon Stockton might as well be called as the "Assit-Man" as he leads all players in assists. Stockton has 15,806 assists and also leads all players in steals. The pick n roll maestro was a phenomenal scorer and a dominating defender having practically zero weaknesses on the court. In his 19 year career Stockton managed to be 10x All-Star and become a part of 11x All-NBA Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection. Stockton even managed to make it to the Hall of Fame. Only if he would've won a championship he would be a top 2 point guard, But he has to settle for the 5th spot on this list. 

4.JERRY WEST

Jerry West is the most underrated player in this entire list period. The NBA logo is actually a sillehoutte of Jerry West himself yet West is overlooked while mentioning the top 10 point guards in the NBA history. West played in the NBA between 1960 to 1974 and manged to be an All-Star in all 14 seasons. West became the first player from a losing team to win the finals MVP in 1969. His 46.3 PPG average for the 1965 Western Division Finals remains a record for a postseason series. Adding to his accolades, West is the second highest scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers ( known as Minneapolis Lakers when West was drafted ) and has also won a championship with them. Jerry West prevails from an era in which guards were just guards, This also makes him one of the most versatile point guards on this list. West could play point guard and become the ultimate playmaker to help out his team and could also become a shooting guard when his team was in need of points. The West-Chamberlain duo was a threat to all the teams back then. I never understood why West is not present in some of the top 10 lists even after being a top class scorer and an exceptional playmaker. Jerry West is a 4th spot on the all time point guards list without any doubt. 

3. OSCAR ROBERTSON

Oscar Robertson was the original triple double threat, Russell Westbrook may be also termed as a reincarnation of Oscar Robertson. Robertson was the first player to average a triple-double over an entire season. "The Big O" actually averaged a triple-double across his first 384 games, a downright ridiculous stat. At 6'5", Robertson had great size for a point guard, especially when compared to others of his time. And like Magic, he collected triple-doubles at a rate we hadn't seen until Westbrook showed up. Robertson played a total of 1,126 games in the regular season and playoffs, and he notched triple-doubles in 16.8 percent of them. Back in 2013 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rated Robertson ahead of both Michael Jordan and LeBron James. The only thing that limits Robertson to be at number 3 is his selfishness making him too turnover-prone in games. Nonetheless Robertson was an absolute legend. 

2. STEPHEN CURRY

If it is any top point guard list the name "Stephen Curry" always pops up. While other players below him revolutionized some specific style of plays, Stephen Curry revolutionized the entire point guard position itself. Some old heads may say that it's a blasphemy and stupid to place Steph so higher but Steph proves them completely wrong. Ten years into his career, Stephen Curry already has an argument as the best point guard in NBA history. Curry is set to become one of the most profilic offensive players to ever come to the league. His 3 point shooting is second best to none which makes him almost completely unguardable from anywhere within 40 feet. In a blind poll that pitted Curry's career numbers up against Magic Johnson's, Magic won comfortably. But when the numbers were limited to six-year peaks, Curry won in a landslide. Curry has the potential to become the greatest point guard in the history of NBA hoping that he doesn't lose his charm in the years to come. However for now Stephen Curry sits at the number 2 spot. 

1. MAGIC JHONSON

Conversations about the GOAT often begin and end with a Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate, which is probably unfair to Earvin "Magic" Johnson. You know that your team is going to win when you have a 6'9" point guard who can pass, score, dribble and defend all at the same time. Johnson could literally play any position, something he proved when the 6-foot-9 guard was asked to feature at center during the 1980 NBA Finals.While some of the numbers might favor Curry, Magic maintains a slight edge in the "best point guard of all time" debate by virtue of legacy points. Magic has five NBA titles compared to Curry's three and three Finals MVPs compared to Curry's zero. Magic's 12 All-Star appearances are twice as many as Curry's six. And Magic's 10 All-NBA selections are ahead of Curry's six.

There's still time for Curry to close the gap, but Magic is hanging on the first spot for now.

This ends my list for the top 10 point guards in the NBA history. Do you agree with my list? Share your opinion in the comments section below. Also be sure to checkout my Instagram handle @hoop.hustle where I post some of the most amazing basketball content. Thank you for reading and have a great day ahead.