NBA Point Guard Preview

The season is coming. Fast. As a point guard myself, I like to compare players at that position. Some players that flew up since the beginning of last year are Deron Williams, Baron Davis, and Mo Williams. To start this season I will rank the top eight point guards. All the stats are courtesy of 82games.com. The passing rating is a combination of assists, passing turnovers, and bad passes. The 'hands' rating is a combination of offensive fouls, bad passes, and ball handling turnovers. All clutch stats must be in the last 5 minutes of either the 4th quarter or overtime and the game must be within 5 points either way.

1. Steve Nash - He is the greatest playmaker in the game today. Nash makes everyone around him better. This year he will have three new teammates: Grant Hill, Brian Skinner, and Alando Tucker. Yes, he is getting older but with age comes wisdom. He knows what he's doing out there and can still play the game. This year may be the year for the Phoenix Suns. When Nash was on the floor last year, his team got 119 points every 100 possessions. When he wasn't on the court they were getting 106 points every 100 possessions.
Stats: Passing Rating- 22.3
'Hands' Rating- 41.3
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 36.4
Clutch Passing- 21.2
Clutch 'Hands'- 39.4

2. Jason Kidd - No matter how old this guy gets he'll still be able to make a difference in games. Last year he averaged 13 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds a game. Kidd hit a career high in rebounds last year and is still racking up the triple-doubles (he is third on the all-time list and had 12 this past season). Because of that, he joined the Big O and Magic Johnson as the only players to ever average 9 assists and 8 rebounds in the same season.
Stats: Passing Rating- 15.1
'Hands' Rating- 30.3
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 15.4
Clutch Passing- 14.4
Clutch 'Hands'- 25.4

3. Deron Williams - Last year's breakout star should have another successful season in Utah. Williams raised his assists per game average from 4.5 to 9.3 last year. He also averaged 16.2 points per game. Last season, in clutch situations, he played 94% of all the minutes which is a testament to endurance and fatigue.
Stats: Passing Rating- 14.9
'Hands' Rating- 27.7
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 25.7
Clutch Passing- 20.1
Clutch 'Hands'- 36.8

4. Chauncey Billups - He is the "assists-per-turnover-ratio" king. Billups led that category the past two season. Last year, he averaged close to 4 assists for every turnover of his. Also, he was getting 17 points a night. This year, he will have some young legs to work with in the backcourt with the acquisition of Rodney Stuckey.
Stats: Passing Rating- 12.5
'Hands' Rating- 25.3
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 34.6
Clutch Passing- 13.9
Clutch 'Hands'- 35.2

5. Chris Paul - He should have a good bounceback year after he battled some injuries last year. Paul was the unanimous Rookie of the Year in the 2005-06 season. Playing for the Hornets, he hasn't gotten much help in making it to the postseason though. However, that should change with a healthy Peja Stojakovic and a new backcourt mate, Morris Peterson.
Stats: Passing Rating- 16.1
'Hands' Rating- 30.1
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 26.2
Clutch Passing- 7.7
Clutch 'Hands'- 53.5

6. Tony Parker - He had a breakout Finals appearance but I really don't think he'll be able to sustain the level of play that he was it. If he can, he deserves to be number two or three on this list but that happening is unlikely. Besides, he wasn't outstanding in the regular season last year averaging 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists each game.
Stats: Passing Rating- 8.5
'Hands' Rating- 18.3
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 18.8
Clutch Passing- 4.8
Clutch 'Hands'- 10.2

7. Gilbert Arenas - You're probably thinking, "why the hell does he have this guy so low?" right? Well, I'm wondering if he can actually help his team and win games, or is Gilbert Arenas going to just be a sideshow attraction this year and only score points? He's very concentric and can be a ballhog at times which definitely does not fit the description of a point guard. That's why he is where he is right now.
Stats: Passing Rating- 8.4
'Hands' Rating- 19.6
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 47.8
Clutch Passing- 1.2
Clutch 'Hands'- 9.8

8. Baron Davis - Can he stay healthy? That is the big question lingering around about Baron Davis. It's been a problem of his in the past. We know what he can do when's he healthy (see first round of 2007 playoffs against the Mavs), but can he play 70 or 80 games in a year? Well, he hasn't played in more than 67 games in a season since his third year in the League.
Stats: Passing Rating- 16.7
'Hands' Rating- 32.0
Clutch Scoring per 48 min.- 34.6
Clutch Passing- 13.3
Clutch 'Hands'- 31.6

That's it. I hope you liked it. If you have any questions just leave a comment and I'll be sure to answer. Also, here's a little something from an up-and-coming point guard, Mike Conley:


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