The point guard has always been an important role in the success (or not) of a team, but gradually this position is becoming the most critical player on the court, and a new generation of lead guards is using its flair, composure and talent to take the NBA by storm. Undeniably, the “star” position is currently the small forward, with players such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George being the leaders of their team’s offense. That, however, is rapidly changing among younger players, and no doubt in a few years time MVP talks will mostly involve point guards. But what has this new generation got to make them so special?
Scoring
A decade ago, the defined role of the point guard was to pass the ball, and be the catalyst to a team’s offense. Even All-Star point guards constantly had high assist ratios, and relatively low scoring compared to the rest of the team. For example, Magic Johnson, one of the greatest point guards of all time, averaged 11.2 assists per game in his career, dropping below 10 assists per game only three times, with one of those seasons being his rookie year in 1979. Now, the Lead Guard is much more than just a play maker; 15 Point Guards are averaging over 15 points a game this season, where as only 10 Small Forwards fall into this category. Steph Curry (25-years-old), leads the pack with 24.1 ppg. The three-point marksman scores in bunches, yet still manages to distribute 8.8 assists per game. Nowadays, PGs score a lot more, and do so very efficiently, with 37 of them shooting better than 40% from the field.
Passing
Despite this increase in scoring, assists averages have not dropped. That is what I found very impressive, it just feels like the point guard just does more when he’s on the court these days. Chris Paul leads the league in assists with a staggering 11.2 per game, and though you may argue he is 28-years-old, CP3 is undeniably part of the point guard revolution. Lesser known players are also leading the way, with the Lakers’ Kendall Marshall averaging 9.4 apg. 11 point guards average over seven assists a game, where as in 2005 only nine were in this category. Therefore, it is wrong to assume that point guards don’t conduct play as well as they did before. That is only an unfair assumption people make due to the fact that they are scoring more. On the other hand, there are some exceptions that indeed do need to increase their assists: Kyrie Irving only averages 6.3 apg, and for a player who is one of the (future) stars of the NBA, that number is simply too low. Overall, however, passing is still an art that point guards master, and arguably they are distributing even better than their predecessors.
Calm and Composure
This new generation contains bags of flair and originality, yet manages to look as though they have been in the NBA for decades. I find it incredible when Damien Lillard steps up and scores the game winning shot when he is in a roster that contains experienced players like Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge. And he’s not the only one. Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, John Wall and many others have all stepped up when it mattered most. Can they perform like that in the playoffs? That remains to be seen, and though it is possible for players like Damien Lillard to not cope with the burden of pressure in the postseason, it is also a liable supposition that they will be perfectly fine with the situation.
Turnovers are something that this new generation needs to work on. Michael Carter-Williams, for example, averages 3.7 turnovers, though it is not uncommon for rookie guards to struggle taking care of the ball. More serious cases, however, are Steph Curry (4 TOs) and Westbrook (3.9 TOs). On the other hand, many young point guards are very good at keeping turnovers low, like Jeremy Lin, Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio who all only average 2.7 turnovers per game. That portrays just how steady and calm this new generation is, and that is what I love about them: They are the (nearly) perfect combination of flair and composure.
Highlight Plays
Point guards are now regulars in highlight reels and Top 10 countdowns. Their athletic ability just seems to keep improving, with the likes of John Wall performing 360° in game dunks and winning the Dunk Contest with a jaw-dropping double clutch reverse dunk… whilst jumping over someone. But Wall is not the only exceptional point guard dunker of the new generation; Damien Lillard also participated in the Dunk Contest, and regularly performs violent in-game dunks, Westbrook is well known for soaring through the air slamming home some impressive dunks, and many players like Deron Williams, Kemba Walker, Will Bynum and Derrick Rose (when healthy) often make the highlight reels for their dunking ability.
But point guards do more than dunk in order to make highlight plays. Another beautiful aspect of this new generation is their incredible ball handling skills. Immediately, Kyrie Irving pops up: His crossovers are mind boggling, literally. The number of broken ankles and dizzy heads this player has caused is unreal. Steph Curry is also famous for his handling ability. The step back, the spin move and the crossover are moves we have seen him perform many a time. These world class moves from the young point guards usually lead to an acrobatic lay up, a thunderous dunk or a sneaky assist.
Speaking of assists, passing has become an art in modern basketball. I am still trying to find the second pair of eyes that Ricky Rubio has hidden on the back of his head, meanwhile trying to understand how Chris Paul can make his alley-oop passes so constantly perfect. The number of times we see slick passing land a point guard in highlight videos is massive, and personally I find that very refreshing and enjoyable to see.
What Next?
Realistically, until the generation of small forwards who are in their late 20s have moved out of the way, it’s unlikely to see any of these new point guards win an MVP, although Rose did manage it a few years back. But once Lebron and KD have slowed down, the stage will be set for players like Kyrie Irving or John Wall to dominate the NBA, along with great players such as Lillard, Carter Williams and Rubio. Irving and Wall have already proved they are world class material with Kyrie winning the All-Star Game MVP and John Wall winning the Dunk Contest. In brief? Look out for the point guards.
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