Steve Nash Combines Six Players To Build The GOAT Of Point Guards: Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, And More

Steve Nash gives his opinion on what skills he would pick from different players if he were to build the greatest point guard of all time.

4 Min Read

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The debate of who is the greatest point guard of all time has been an evergreen element in the NBA. Between Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, and even Chris Paul, one could list multiple point guards who deserve to be in this debate. 

Across several generations in the NBA, one consistent factor has been the pivotal importance given to the point guard position. The point guard in most teams is the primary ball-handler and needs to have a certain set of skills to be the best in that position. According to Steve Nash, he would combine several individual skills from different players if he were to build the greatest point guard of all time. 

In a recent segment with the ‘Mind The Game’ podcast, Nash picked out which players he would combine to build the greatest point guard in NBA history. He was asked in order of individual skills: handles, shooting, finishing, defense, vision, and having the clutch gene. He combined six players (other than himself) in his response. 

“Am I allowed to say myself? I think I’m in the conversation.”

“I’d say Kyrie, he’s the best ball-handler of all time. If Steph Curry is a point guard, he’s the greatest shooter of any position at any time. I think Kyrie and maybe his uncle, Rod Strickland. Incredible finishers. [For defense] I’m going to give this to two guys in my era, Gary Payton and Jason Kidd. Magic Johnson inspired me to pass the ball.” 

While his responses were direct for other categories, Nash was a bit flustered to decide the most clutch point guard of all time. 

“A lot of clutch PGs out there, hopefully people think I was a clutch player, Tyrese Haliburton has been really clutch in these Playoffs.” 

While he couldn’t initially decide on clutchness, he eventually settled on an answer.

“I don’t know if I have to pick one, Magic Johnson, because I think about him throwing in that skyhook to win the NBA Playoffs in Boston. Incredible clutch player too.”

Therefore, his greatest point guard would have Kyrie Irving’s handles and finishing, Stephen Curry’s shooting, Rod Strickland’s finishing, Gary Payton and Jason Kidd’s defensive prowess, and Magic Johnson’s clutch gene. 


Some Notable Names Steve Nash Left Out

For ball handling and shooting, his responses were indisputable. However, for passing vision, he missed out on key names like Chris Paul and John Stockton, who have the most assists in NBA history. Meanwhile, for finishing, he skipped out on the explosive athleticism of Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose in their prime years. 

Just because these players never won a championship does not mean their individual skills can not be in the conversation for the greatest of all time. Additionally, he also skipped on Isiah Thomas, who dominated the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird to win his two NBA championships with the Pistons. 

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Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA Analyst and Columnist at Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. He fell in love with basketball in 2018 after seeing James Harden in his prime. He joined the sports journalism world in 2021, one year before finishing his law school in 2022. He attended Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat, India, where his favorite subject was also Sports Law.He transitioned from law to journalism after realizing his true passion for sports and basketball in particular. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he openly admits he is biased towards the Houston Rockets and Arsenal. But that intersection of in-depth analysis and passion helps him simplify the fine print and complex language for his readers.His goal in life is to open his own sports management agency one day and represent athletes. He wants to ensure he can help bridge the gap in equal opportunity for athletes across various sports and different genders playing the same sport.
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