The NBA PG Debate

A week into the NBA season, the debate has already begun on who is the best Point Guard in the league. The game has changed since the days (well that I'm old enough for) of Magic Johnson, John Stockton and even Mark Jackson, who had the mindset of making their teammates better, which is the typical model for a PG. Today's game revolves around athletes who are lightening quick, have highlight type handles and they just may possibly drop a nice pass to an open teammate that's cutting or coming off a double screen. With that said, I'm going to give my two cents in this debate and let you know who I think is best. Let's get into it...

The prisoner of the moment choice is Rajon Rondo, who currently leads the league averaging 16.4 assists and breaking an NBA record with 82 assists through 5 games. The good about Rondo's game is that he is a scrappy player who plays defense, gets steals and is pretty deadly in the open court. Rondo is also the current master of making the obvious pass. Why you ask? He has 4 Hall of Famers that spread the floor and allow him to do so. In any situation on the floor Rondo has an option to pass to whether it's a lob pass to Shaq, a pass to the wing to arguably the best shooter in the game in Ray Allen, a dynamic scorer in Paul Pierce and 6'11 Kevin Garnett can make jumpshots. That is a PG's dream and Rajon Rondo is living it up. The bad about his game is that if he isn't making a layup, it's likely that he won't hurt you scoring. Shooting is not a strong point, which makes me question what he would do on another team. I don't think Rajon Rondo would be as effective without the space he has to operate. I'll give him Top 5 though...

Next up is Derrick Rose. Rose fits the lightening quick, highlight handles, get where he wants at all times on the floor PG. The best thing about Rose is that he can get to the basket no matter what defense is thrown at him. Playing with Team USA over the summer and under new coach Tom Thibodeau, Rose is getting the value of defense which helps his game exponentially. In his current situation, Rose has to dominate the ball and make plays for his team, which is no easy feat, but he still finds his teammates when they are open averaging 6.2 assists a game. Here is the problem for Rose. First, his teammates aren't the most gifted of scorers, but they can make open shots. Secondly, his job is to score the majority of the points for the Bulls, or at least until Carlos Boozer is healthy. This will put a damper on the assist total, but keeps him in the running as best in the league at his position. - Top 5

Chris Paul is one of 4 players in the NBA that actually makes his teammates better. The New Orleans Hornets, on paper, do not seem like they would make much noise this season. CP3 is the catalyst that gets the Hornets to another level. Paul is a crafty player and has total control of the basketball, whether it's dribbling or passing. He helped Tyson Chandler and now Emeka Okafor look better than they are, he has made Marcus Thorton relevant and is also saving the career of Peja Stojakovic. He can also score in the paint, in the 15ft area and hit a 3ball or 2. You do have to question these rumors of CP3 wanting the bigger market and a potential formation of another super team in the Big Apple, but that's a conversation for another day. The argument of top PG has to include Chris Paul, and actually could really be a matter of choice. - Top 2

Deron Williams is another of the four that makes people better. D Will plays in the Jerry Sloan Pick N Roll offense, which makes it easy to rack up assists. When play breaks down D Will has the gift of vision and can find anyone of his teammates at anytime. The key here is that when D Will hits you with a pass, you are in a position to score, which is what a scorer wants. What separates Williams is that he can shoot fairly efficiently anywhere on the floor. I think the only thing holding D Will down is being too pass first. If he was slightly more aggressive, I think the Jazz can sneak up and surprise people. Evidence is his performance against the Raptors on 11/03/2010 which he shot 7-14 for 22pts, had 14 assists and 8 rebounds. The key in that game was a point where D Will yelled, "This is my court...". If that attitude can carry, it would be trouble... - Top 2, my choice as THE BEST.

Honorable mention go to Steve Nash and Jason Kidd who are the other 2 that make their teammates better. Honorable mention also goes to the future of PG's, Stephen Curry, Mike Conley, John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Brandon Jennings to name a few