[fito91Participant]

There are so many great point guards in the NBA right now and I want to hear who you guys think are the top 5.

Here’s mine:

1. Derrick Rose

2. Chris Paul

3. Deron Williams

4. Rajon Rondo

5. Russell Westbrook

I hate myself for leaving Tony Parker and Nash off the list haha.

[LawDeeZeeParticipant]

this is nearly impossible to evaluate because people identify with different traits … i think the way we classify players and pigeon hole them into a pg or sg or any other position is becoming more and more outdated as we have so many players in the league who play multiple positions

 

… out of your top 5, derron williams was taken off the ball last night and operated primarily out of the classical 2 guard spot in the 2nd half … derrick rose played most of the 4th quarter alongside CJ Watson and both took turns handling the ball … people argue relentlessly whether russel westbrook is really a 2 guard or a point – it’s just tough to classify guys these days because of the versatility of many of them – they’re all great though

[ProudGrandpaParticipant]

1. Derrick Rose

2. Chris Paul

3. Deron Williams

4. Russell Westbrook

5. Jeremy Lin. JK, its Steve Nash 

[No Props NeededParticipant]

 1. Chris paul

2. D Rose

3. Deron Williams

4. Russell Westbrook

5. Rajon Rondo/ Steve Nash

I couldn’t leave my boy Nash out of the convo he still leading the league in assist and has phx balling at a high level with a bunch of bums on his team 

[orangeshadow83Participant]

1. Rose

2. Paul

3. Deron

4. Westbrook

5. Rondo

Chose Rondo over Nash because of defese soley. I think if he was on a better team Williams would be in the discussion of the top PG in the game again…its a shame he has to do it all himself in NJ.  As of right now Paul and Rose have sepreated themselves from the rest but if Williams gets Dwight to join him in NJ or he goes to Dallas with Dirk and possibly Dwight he will be right there with Rose and Paul.

[HaleParticipant]

 Same list I had before.

1. Rose

2. Paul

3. Williams

4. Rondo

5. Nash

Westbrook is close to passing Nash though.

[WälseParticipant]

1. Rose

2. Williams

3. Paul

4. Westbrook

5. Parker

 

[mjayb77Participant]

My top 5 are:

1. Derrick Rose

2. Chris Paul

3. Deron Williams

4. Russell Westbrook

5. Steve Nash

I think Rondo is a great Point Guard and will replace Nash when he retires, however, Rondo is not a good shooter.  His scoring production is mainly layups.  He is great in an up-tempo, push-the-ball scenario, and I actually love that about him.  His biggest knock is that teams can play off of Rondo at the end of games and force him to put up bricks.  If he develops a consistent jump-shot, Rondo would be unstoppable, but until then, I give Nash a slight nod over Rondo.  I think that Sam Presti pulls the trigger on a deal that would feature a 25-year old Steve Nash for Russell Westbrook, but continually denied Rondo for Westbrook

[FastAndFuriousParticipant]

 1.Rose- Reigning MVP, turned Chicago around, even though they are still a good team without him, they are better with him.

2.Paul- Clippers are a winning team enough said. 

3.Westbrook- He has his faults, but one thing you can’t deny, every year Russ improves so does the Thunder.

4.Rondo-His ability to create,rebound,defend, mixed in with his high bball IQ makes him top 5, and he has a ring.

5.Williams-I’m still high on Deron and think a change of location will put him back in everyones top 5.

 

From a Pure PG stance.

1.Paul

2.Rondo

3.Nash

4.Parker

5.Williams

[NESTO1977Participant]

1. Chris Paul
2. Derrick Rose
3. Steve Nash
4. Rajon Rondo
5. Deron Williams

[KayjayParticipant]

Ahead of Rondo simply because he can’t shoot is kind of disrespectful. A PG’s main prerogative is to create for other teammates. And seeing as how Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Rondo all do this effectively along with Nash and Deron williams. Westbrook should not be considered in the top 5. Although I like Westbrook, any time you’re talking about top 5 at a position, you have to have the positions main focus in mind. 

[mjayb77Participant]

I do agree with you Kayjay, but I also consider clutch ability as a factor in my consideration.  Rondo’s clutch performance will come in by him getting a steal or kicking it to Allen/KG/Pierce.  I think that if time is running out I would rather have the five I mentioned taking a shot to close the game over Rondo.  If I were Westbrook I would leave that responsibility to Durant, even though he clearly hasn’t gotten that yet.

[R-Dot-13Participant]

Paul
Rose
Williams
Westbrook
Rondo

You could say 1a and 1b for the first 2 because its a toss up for most, but this is how I would rank them.

[FastAndFuriousParticipant]

 I still don’t see how Rondo doesn’t make some of you guys top 5 list.

Weird.

[PrecociousNeophyteParticipant]

 I love how when someone asked this question weeks ago Deron Williams was not on most peoples lists, but now after the 57 point game he is on almost everyones now.

[Wavy BagelsParticipant]

Right Now (CURRENT):

1. Rose

2. CP3

3. Rondo

4. D-Will

5. Westbrook

In this Era(2000-Present):

1. Nash

2. Jason Kidd

3. Tony Parker

4. Chauncey Billups

5. CP3

[bjcart53Participant]

1. Rose

2. CP3

3. D-Will

4. Rondo (Inconsistent jumpshot puts him 4th IMO

5. Westbrook(He is the turnover king but the boy can ball)

[Maniac MaciejParticipant]

For those that care about "stats," here are PG ranked by PER this year (more than 30 minutes per game):

1. Paul – 26.16
2. Rose – 25.34
3. Westbrook – 23.43
4. Nash – 21.98
5. Parker – 21.92
6. Deron Williams – 21.82
7. Curry – 21.71
8. Irving – 21.28
9. Lowry – 19.99
10. Lawson – 19.31
11. Rondo – 18.72
12. Wall – 18.50
13. Jennings – 18.28
14. Conley – 17.91
15. Stuckey – 17.87

I’d take Rose over Paul, and I think 3 through 6 are a toss-up.

For anyone who thinks Rondo is a top-5 PG, the dude shoots 62% from the free throw line in his career. He’s top-10, but he’s not really even close to being on the level of those top 6 guys, statistically speaking. I think you’d be absolutely crazy to say that Rondo is a better player than Westbrook.

[David Stern a.k.a. da muthaf@cking leader of da kryptsParticipant]

 PER doesn’t show the lockdown defence Rondo is playing. I can’t think of a better PG defender than Rondo.

[Jlv2012]

1.  Deron Williams (as long as it’s against the Bobcats though)

[PlatypusParticipant]

1. D Rose

2. Paul

3. Deron Williams

4. Westbrook

5-a. Steve Nash

5-b. Rajon Rondo

6. Tony Parker

[Prime_TimeParticipant]

If i were a coach i would want Rondo for his superior; defense, intelligence, toughness, and ring.

Dude is also starting to play with a chip on his shoulder, which is a scary thought. I literally have no idea why people are saying he’s not on the same "statistical" level as some of these other guys, he just does different things. Also Rondo has consistently elevated his game come playoff time and didn’t mind (all be it in a losing effort) taking on Lebron and Dwade last year with one arm.

[tjmartin23Participant]

 1. Rose

2. Paul

3. Rondo’

4. Williams

5. Westbrook

[bobbybParticipant]

I hate this argument now  !!! This is like when  i was in High School , we used to debate…who is hotter, Pamela Anderson or Carmen Electra…

[F_DA_POParticipant]

Deron is my #3 PG but if it wasn’t for his 50+ game, no one would be talking about him. This seems like the worst he’s ever done in his career. He seems lazy and a stat padder. Scoring 50 is impressive, but against the Bobcats, I’m not that impressed.

The only reason I think he’s #3 is I feel if he was on the Thunder or Celtics he would probably do better than Westbrook or Rondo. I think Westbrook will pass him though. Deron certainly couldn’t do what Derrick Rose did with the Bulls last year. I don’t think he could’ve led that Hornets team to the playoffs last year. CP3 is just way more efficient and in control of ball games.

[all-star snubParticipant]

Rose
Deron Williams
Chris Paul
Nash
Tony Parker

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 CTFU @Bobbyb that line is classic i feel you.  I feel like theres one of theses threads every day anymore.  The Rose vs Paul arguments remind me of lunch tables at high school arguing who was better T-Mac or Kobe.

But I think the top 5 PG’s have separated themselves from the pack for a number of different reasons and they are Paul, Rose, Deron, Rondo, and Westbrook.  The only 2 PG’s who even come close to that level is Tony Parker and Steve Nash.  So I’m gonna say the best PG’s have 3 tiers of greatness and they would break down like this in my eyes.

Tier 1:  Chris Paul, Derrick Rose

Tier 2:  Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Russ Westbrook

Tier 2.5: Tony Parker, Steve Nash. (Possibly Kyle Lowry this season)

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

1.  Chris Paul – I think last year’s playoffs proved that.

2.  Derrick Rose – (Very close 2nd) The Bulls still win big without Rose. 7-3 without Rose winning by a margin of 15.7 PPG.

3.  Deron Williams – Not in the conversation for 1st only because he’s losing.  Next season, he’ll be back.

4.  Russell Westbrook – If Durant wasn’t on his team or if he averaged 8 APG along with his 24ppg, he’d be in consideration for #1.

5.  Rajon Rondo – A jumpshot away from being in the conversation for the top 3 or even #1

[Ghost01Participant]

1. Derrick Rose.

He might not be the purest passer on the list, but he is definitely the best scoring point guard I have ever seen. I don’t understand why people see it as a problem he scores. There are 5 positions on the floor, if a teams main scorer is any of the other 4, its never a problem. But if a team’s go to guy is a Point Guard, people freak out. Which is stupid. Lebron James is Miami’s point guard. Just because he’s listed as a small forward, he handles the ball way more than Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole do. And Rose is a good passer. He can distribute when that is needed, but the way Chicago is built he rarely has to.

2. Deron Williams

Williams has been on a tear recently, and although I guess the fact his team isn’t very competitive should dock him here, I am going to look past that because I can’t think of any PG that would be having much success with that team. Hell, he scored 57 points and they only beat the worst team in basketball by 4. He too is more score first, but he is really the complete package at the point.

3. Russell Westbrook

I know his assists are down. He turns the ball over. But he has been on some run lately. He can score in a variety of ways, and his role is underrated. Sure Durant is the leagues best scorer, but Westbrook has to be in the 25-30 range for OKC to win against good team. He needs to take 20+ shots, because that team simply doesn’t have enough weapons.

4. Chris Paul

Some may think its absurd to have Paul this low. But I disagree. He is averaging 8.4 assists per game. Not 11.4. So I don’t think its valid to suggest he is a far superior passer to these first 3 guys. All four of them are good defenders, and the other 3 are more prolific scorers. Paul is deadly in the 4th quarter, but I think he has become a bit overrated due to the Clippers success. Yes, he’s their best player. But that team is loaded with talent, despite their record a year ago. He also is the most injury prown of anyone on this list. And he has been in this league longer than Rose and Westbrook, the same length as Deron, and is the only one who hasn’t made a conference final yet.

5. Tony Parker

Tony is a stud. He is definitely a significant tier down from the first four, but I love how consistant he is, and how he has the Spurs competing despite Manu’s injuries. He has been the best player on a legit Western Conference contender.

 

Why Rondo doesn’t make it: Simple. He had one of his Rondo games yesterday. You know, once a month, when he puts up a ridiculous stat line? When he isn’t whining, or calling out teammates. He is really inconsistant, and has had some legit no shows this year. There is a reason he is on the trading block. He can give you a phenomenal game once in awhile, but he doesn’t do it night-to-night.

[Ghost01Participant]

1. Chris Paul – I think last year’s playoffs proved that.

 

Two good games against a team that is awful at guarding point guards?

[Future_Scout]

"1. paul 2. rose (depending on team)

3. deron williams

4. rondo 5. westbrook (depending on team but this is close, westbrook is arguably the toughest pg on both ends of the floor right now, one of the scariest pg to go against it as a player imo!)"

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Actually, it was 6 games where he averaged 22ppg, 12apg, 7rpg, 2spg, while shooting 54% FG, 47% 3PT, and 80% FT against the 2-time defending champions and favorite to win it all again.  If you watched any of the games, which I’m assuming you did not if you made such a terrible reply/counter-argument, Chris Paul wasn’t just dominating Fisher.  He was taking Kobe off the dribble, taking his two-stops passed Artest, and scoring fantastically in the paint between two 7fters named Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.  Standing at 6′.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Because the PG always has the ball in his hands and is suppose to run the offense and make his teammates look good.  When you got a PG who looks to score more then he looks to pass then the other players on the offense loss their groove and become complacent.  If the other 4 players know they’re not going to get the ball then they will often just stand around cuz whats the point of running a play when you know you’re not gonna get a shot anyway?

If any other position on the floor is a big scorer then knows it’s not a problem because the other 4 positions aren’t the guys with the ball in their hand calling plays and facilitating.  

Basically the PG is suppose to be running plays for the other 4 guys to get open and find them the ball.  That’s kinda how basketball works.  It’s no different from football when you have a running QB and the WR’s don’t run their routes serious enough cuz they feel the QB can’t get them the ball either.

Rose usually does a pretty good job of scoring and passing so it’s not that big of a problem but I have noticed down the stretch a lot Chicago has Watson bring the ball up instead of Rose and they allow him to run off the ball so he can look to score.

So answer me this…If you the best PG in the league why does the team not even have you run PG at the end of games?

And if you think Derrick Rose is the best scoring PG you must of never saw Allen Iverson play.  A.I. was only really a SG during the Larry Brown tenure in Philly.  He came into the league as a PG and averaged 24ppg his rookie year shooting 47%, and that was as a rookie.  By the time he was trade from Philly he was playing PG averaging 31ppg.  

[Ghost01Participant]

19134

Sorry he dominated your team yesterday, so you are going to knock him because Watson (Who rarely plays crunch time) brought up the ball a couple times

Tongue Out:

He averaged 18 PPG in their 4 losses. 30 PPG in their 2 wins. If you still believe Kobe was an elite defender, go ahead and believe that. If you don’t believe that same team got lit up by JJ Barea ("Standing at 5’8”!!!) then you are denying the truth. Also, the so called favorites got swept handily the next round, defending champs or not, that Laker team was no where near title material. Rose has lit him up head to head time after time after time…so don’t call my argument weak.

[HaleParticipant]

 What was so bad about my list? Nash might not be the all around player Westbrook is, but no one in the NBA makes there teammates better then he does.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

"Rose has lit him up head to head time after time after time."

Rose and Paul have matched-up 5 times.  Here are a few stats of Rose "lighting up" Paul.

Derrick Rose

• 17.6 PPG (scored over 24 points in 1 of the 5 games; 29 points)
• 8.6 APG
• 5.2 RPG
• 1.6 SPG
• 3.6 TOPG
• 40% FG

Chris Paul

• 18.4 PPG
• 9.0 APG
• 3.2 RPG
• 2.4 SPG
• 2.0 TOPG
• 51% FG

So when exactly did Rose "light up" Chris Paul?

[HaleParticipant]

The last two times they played Rose destroyed Paul. Paul had some good numbers but he was still dominated. I think he’s beaten him almost every game too.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

The last two times they played, Rose played very well and Paul put up nice numbers too but by no means has Rose "lit him up head to head time after time after time".  Rose has had two good games against Paul while Paul has outplayed Rose in the other three games.

[HaleParticipant]

I’m only defending the past 2 games. I was already proven wrong when I made that statement awhile ago that Rose was always better head to head.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I just think Paul is better than Rose.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely close (I mean, I was the first guy to dub Derrick Rose the 2011 MVP at the beginning of the 10-11 season and everybody said I was insane) but when your team goes 7-3 without you and wins by a margin over 15.7ppg, it’s pretty difficult to say Rose is the only reason they’re winning.  Paul led a terrible Hornets team to the playoffs and gave the Lakers a run for their money.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

The last game they played, Rose made it look easy against Paul.

It was taking Paul 10 dribbles to get past Rose, plus a pick… While Rose was blowing past him with just a few dribbles.

You really can’t go wrong with either player, but I think Rose has a gear Paul no longer has. Paul can’t do what Rose can do for 82 games anymore.

 

[HaleParticipant]

They didn’t exactly play the toughest schedule while he was out. I think they played Charlotte twice and a few other garbage teams, then Boston twice I think.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Yeah, the schedule wasn’t too tough, but you can argue that some of the wins were against teams that may have been more talented than the Bulls without Rose.  Teams like the Celtics, Kings, Suns.  I’m sure if the Clippers lose CP3, they would not go 7-3, even playing against average teams.  Not many teams can go 7-3 when they lose their star player that is relied on so heavily as Rose, even if they’re playing terrible teams.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Well, never to afraid to put out a rankings list. This is definitely objective, in this case from my point of view. Personally, I think that many different PG’s have won championships and it is no guarantee that one is better than the other. I just think these are the guys I like the best at the position right now:

1. Derrick Rose

2. Chris Paul

3. Deron Williams

4. Russell Westbrook

5. Tony Parker

 

For those who claim that Russell Westbrook is not a classic PG and so on, well, their team has the West’s best record right now. Rajon Rondo is 6th for me and I think that 1-3 are close and 4-6 are as well. Rajon’s defense is amazing and he obviously is a fantastic passer, but his offensive weaknesses get exposed. Often. Even the last time the Celtics almost went to the Finals.

I feel Russell is really coming into his own and while he may not be a "classic" PG, he provides offense for his team at a pretty similar rate to Rondo. Plus, he is an aggressive defender and hits the boards with a vengeance, too. I can see why people like Rondo more, but I feel Russell has fewer weaknesses. As far as Tony Parker goes, he looks as great as ever and is just playing excellent basketball. He has carried a solid Spurs team most of the season and he has three rings and a Finals MVP. He is always hard to rank because he also is not a "traditional" PG, but the guy does work.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Chicago played the Wizards, Grizzles, Suns, Cavs, Bobcats twice, Celtics twice Kings, and Nets while Rose was out.

I’d hope they could beat the Wizards, Cavs, Bobctas twice, Kings and Nets without Rose… They upset the Celtics giving them that 7-3 record.

This is just not a very good argument.

[Steven]

 paul

rose

rondo

nash

williams

[Maniac MaciejParticipant]

You also forget that the Bulls WITH Rose are much better than the Clippers WITH Paul, so yeah, you’d think they Bulls without Rose would be better than the Clippers without Paul.

Also, I checked the Paul vs. Rose stats as well, and one thing that I did noticed was the W-L record in those 5 games.

[Maniac MaciejParticipant]

"I have noticed down the stretch a lot Chicago has Watson bring the ball up instead of Rose and they allow him to run off the ball so he can look to score."

That was the only game where I have seen that happen, and it’s only because the Sixers were running two guys at Rose once he crossed halfcourt, and he was forced to pass it off anyway…Thibodeau just wanted to settle the offense down and be able to run a play.

 

[M-DYMESParticipant]

1. CP3- total package
2. Rose- arguably the best player on the list, CP3 is a better PG though
3. Rondo- best defending PG since Payton, boards better than a 7fter named Lopez, great vision, deceptive, amazing passer…#1 if he had a jumper
4. D-Will- put some talent around him asap
5. Westbrook- maybe the best scorer on the list.  A lil too out of control.  Better SG imo than PG.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 @TOL,

I agree and not only did they beat them teams but they were pretty much blowing them off the court.  

The thing I like most about Paul, Rondo, Williams, and Nash is that they make their teammates stats go up by getting them great looks.  Rose as great as he is doesn’t do that.

And when was the last time a team won championships with their PG being their leading scorer?  The Spurs but at the same time they still had Manu and Duncan who could get you 20 ppg.

When you PG is your leading scorer it makes your team so much easier to defend cuz you only have to worry about him really.  When you PG facilitates like Paul and Rondo you got to worry about the 4 other guys on the court more cuz you know he’s working to get them baskets.

Rose is such an unstoppable scorer I’m not sure he wouldn’t be better playing SG because I really wanted to see him take a step forward this year in terms of passing but he’s only getting 7 apg while his shooting seems to be even more dangerous then ever.  It’s getting to the point where he’s either going to become an elite passer or he’s not because the elite passers like Paul, Williams, Nash, and Rondo were elite passers right off the bat. 

Like in comparison Paul was averaging 23 ppg, 11 apg, and 2.8 spg, while shooting 50% from the field his 4th year in the league.  Even last year during his MVP campain Rose was got 25 ppg, 7.7 apg, 1 spg, and shot 45% from the field.  I’m not being biased when I say Paul’s numbers were more impressive at the same stage of his career.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 @Maniac,

Yeah you’re right but still that would never happen with Chris Paul if you run 2 guys at him he’s just going to give somebody an open shot, I know this because when the Clippers came to town the Sixers tried to do the same thing.

I also think that Chicago knows Rose is their best scorer and wanted to run him off a screen to get him open which worked.  I’m not trying to take anything away from Rose because i love Rose and his game and I always have since watching his ballislife mixtapes in high school, then cheering him on at Memphis.  He’s easy to root for and his demeanor is a breath of fresh air in a sport full of diva’s you gotta love that.  

But I’m just pointing out that he’s the reigning MVP and he’s on a team with a lot of talent, like Boozer, Deng, Rip, Noah and all them guys aren’t slouches on offense they know how to score yet Rose has never averaged over 8 apg in his career yet which I find odd, but hopefully he can get his assists numbers up and hit that mark this year.  Because if he wants to go down as one of the greatest PG’s to ever play the game he’s got to get his assists numbers up I don’t think theres anyway around that.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 1. Chris Paul

2. Derrick Rose

3. Deron Williams

4. Russell Westbrook

5. Rajon Rondo

[druneave3Participant]

1. Rose

2. CP3

3. Rondo

4. Irving

5. Holiday

[GrandmamaParticipant]

1. Paul

2. Rose

3. Deron

4. Westbrook

5. Rondo

[drk3351Participant]

 1. Rose

2. Paul

3. Williams

4. Tony Parker

5. Rondo

and nash would be #6

[Ghost01Participant]

 I understand that earlier on Paul played well against Rose. But the Bulls have pretty much always beat Paul, and yes, the last two times Rose has lit him up. 

Don’t tell me the Bulls went 7-3 against average teams. The best team they beat was the only average one, Boston, and it was at home. Name one Eastern Conference playoff team you would be confident the Bulls would beat with out D Rose? 

Paul is amazing, but he gets hyped a little too much because of what he did in 2008. He hasn’t been that type of player since that. Even his season averages don’t blow you away. 

Keep this in mind too…CP3 right now has the better supporting cast (Griffin way better than any other Bull, other than that its similar), and what team has a better shot at the title? I think most people would pick Chicago.

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

 1. Rose

2. Paul

3. DWill

4. Nash

5. Westbrook  

ill say this again, rondo is my boy, but he isnt better than these guys as overall players

rondo is a unique player but im not gna be a prisoner in the moment like some of u guys are being

[Author]

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