The Ringer’s Bill Simmons shared his list of the top 10 point guards of all time on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. There always tend to be selections and placements that raise eyebrows in such lists, and that was the case here as well.
“I mentioned my top five, which is Magic [Johnson] and [Stephen Curry] and Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy and Isiah Thomas,” Simmons said. “… Next five, I have Chris Paul, John Stockton, just a hair behind him. Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, just a hair behind him. And then Walt Frazier, if he counts as a point guard, which I think he does.
“Frazier is the one that got lost to history a little bit,” Simmons continued. “He has the Game 7 in ’69. It is one of the great individual games in the history of the league, and wins them a title. He wins two titles. He is probably the best defensive guard of his entire generation.
“Was a famous, famous big game guy and had good stats,” Simmons added. “And his career went about as long as it should have gone in that era where they’re flying coach, and they’re playing on Converses.”
Let’s start from the top.
Magic Johnson is still regarded by many to be the greatest point guard of all time. Johnson won five NBA titles, three Finals MVPs, three MVPs, and four assist titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. His career averages of 11.2 assists per game in the regular season and 12.3 in the playoffs are both NBA records that are unlikely to ever be broken.
Part of the reason why that is the case is that point guards no longer play the way Johnson did. There is a greater focus on scoring, and the man who is second on Simmons’ list is a great example of that.
Stephen Curry has won four NBA titles, one Finals MVP, two MVPs, and two scoring titles in his career. He is the greatest shooter we have ever seen and has put together a strong case to be regarded as the best at the position. The complete difference in style compared to Johnson makes it difficult to pick between them, but they are now widely regarded as the top two.
Oscar Robertson came in next at third, and he won an NBA title, an MVP, and six assist titles in his career. Robertson was the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, accomplishing that feat in 1961-62.
While there wouldn’t have been too many arguments against that top three, Simmons, a Boston Celtics fan, certainly could be accused of some bias when he went with Bob Cousy at four.
Cousy won six NBA titles, an MVP, and eight assist titles in his career. He was part of that Celtics team that dominated the NBA in the 1950s and 1960s. Not many would put Cousy this high, but the likes of Simmons can always point to that resume.
Isiah Thomas followed Cousy, and he won two NBA titles, a Finals MVP, and an assists title. Thomas would have had a more decorated career had he not played in the same era as Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan. It’s quite impressive that he achieved what he did, considering the behemoths he was going up against.
Chris Paul, who recently announced he’ll retire after this season, missed out on the top five. Paul doesn’t have an NBA title or an MVP on his resume, but he did win five assist titles. He also made 12 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams. Paul was an excellent two-way guard and certainly deserves to be in the top 10.
Simmons had John Stockton come in at seven after Paul, and this was an interesting placement. Like Paul, Stockton didn’t win an NBA title or an MVP award. He did win a record nine assist titles, though, and is the NBA’s all-time leader in assists with 15,806.
Paul is second on the list with 12,546 assists, and he doesn’t think anyone will catch Stockton. You usually find the Utah Jazz icon in the top five in these lists, but Simmons doesn’t think he was that great despite racking up a jaw-dropping number of assists.
Steve Nash was next at eighth, and he won two MVPs and five assist titles in his career. Nash would have had a good case to be higher up this list had he won a championship, but playing in the brutal Western Conference in the 2000s meant he never even made it to the NBA Finals. He is the only player in this top 10 to have never played in the Finals.
Jason Kidd just lost out to Nash for that eighth spot, and he won an NBA title and five assist titles. Like Paul, Kidd was an elite two-way guard who made 10 All-Star, six All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
Lastly, we get to Walt Frazier, who is indeed somewhat of a forgotten man in these conversations. Frazier won two NBA titles and an assists title in his career. As Simmons mentioned, he had one of the greatest Game 7 performances in league history.
Frazier recorded 36 points, seven rebounds, and 19 assists in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to lead the New York Knicks to a 113-99 win over the Lakers. Some would argue he should have won Finals MVP, but the award went to Willis Reed instead.
All in all, these are all great point guards. There are some others you can make a case for, too, though. Gary Payton, who won DPOY in 1996, is certainly the name that comes to mind first. Some would argue Russell Westbrook definitely belongs here, as he has won an MVP, three assist titles, and two scoring titles.
