20 greatest defensive point guards ever: The HoopsHype list
We have taken our 78 greatest defensive NBA players ever list and split it into five positions: point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers. The players who received some votes but were ultimately left out are now included in the positional rankings, so you can see who nearly made the cut for our Top 78.
Gary Payton aka The Glove is our pick for best defensive point guard ever. Check the full list down below:
1. Gary Payton
Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, nine All-Defensive 1st Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, eight years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 5th in steals, 179th in defensive rebounds
One of just two players listed at point guard to ever win Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Famer Gary Payton took home the award in 1995-96, a season that saw him lead the league in steals with 2.9. Payton finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote two other times in his career.
Without a doubt, Payton is the GOAT when it comes to point-guard defenders, as he had elite lateral quickness, fantastic hands and played with a whole lot of tenacity and swagger on that end of the floor, making defense look cool. He also had a knack for getting in opponents’ heads with his trash-talking prowess.
His defensive aptitude led the Seattle SuperSonics all the way to the Finals in ‘96, a championship series that maybe could have gone differently had Payton been tasked with defending Jordan earlier in the matchup (via Sports Illustrated):
With Payton as his primary defender, Jordan’s numbers fell to 23.7 points on 36.7 percent shooting from the field over Games 4, 5 and 6 combined, two of which were victories for Seattle.
Regardless, Payton was a nine-time All-Defensive player, earning 1st Team honors all nine times, tied for the most ever. All in all, there’s no question he’s the best undersized defender the league has ever seen.
2. Jason Kidd
Top defensive accolades: Nine All-Defensive Team selections, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 2nd in steals, 32nd in defensive rebounds, 321st in blocks
No. 2 all-time in steals, Jason Kidd was a borderline savant on the hardwood, and that extended to both ends of the floor. Kidd had a great ability to read passing lanes and jump them to initiate consistent fastbreaks going the other way. He may not have been the most athletic but he did have great strength and solid lateral quickness, which made the one-time Cal Bear an effective defender.
Even in 2011 in his age-37 season, Kidd earned acclaim in the NBA Finals as a member of the Mavericks for the job he did helping slow down LeBron James, refusing to give up an inch when the much bigger James would try to post him up.
Kidd was a four-time 1st Team All-Defender.
3. Jrue Holiday
Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 59th in steals, 249th in defensive rebounds, 268th in blocks
A three-time 1st Team All-Defender, Jrue Holiday is one of the best defensive players of his era, using his fantastic lateral quickness and strength to remain glued to opposing ball-handlers and his long arms to poke away balls to rack up steals for his teams. Had Holiday just had better size, he surely would have taken home a Defensive Player of the Year award or two, as his peers have always talked very highly about his impact and toughness on the defensive end.
Here's how Holiday's teammate, another great backcourt defender in Derrick White, discussed the former UCLA standout's defending:
Stockton had to make up for his physical limitations somehow. For what it's worth, Dennis Rodman respected Stockton for his questionable methods on the defensive end:
Somewhat quietly, Blaylock was a historically impactful defender for a guard, it may have just gone somewhat unnoticed due to him spending his entire prime on good-but-far-from-great Nets and Hawks teams.
14. Nate McMillan
Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 44th in steals, 433rd in blocks, 462nd in defensive rebounds
Top 50 all-time in steals, Nate McMillan led the league in nightly takeaways in 1993-94 with 3.0. McMillan had five seasons in which he averaged at least 2.0 steals, too.
Better known for his long stints as head coach of the Pacers and Hawls, McMillan was able to carve out a solid 12-year NBA career in large part because of his one-on-one and help defending, as the two-time 2nd Team All-Defender never averaged more than 7.6 points in a campaign.
15. Derek Harper
Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 15th in steals, 492nd in defensive rebounds
Mavericks legend Derek Harper made two 2nd Team All-Defenses in his career and also received Defensive Player of the Year votes three times during his time in the NBA, peaking in 1989-90 with a third-place finish.
Harper enjoyed an eight-year stretch in which he averaged 2.0 steals per game, playing tough and impactful perimeter defense for some very good Dallas teams, including one in '88 that got as far as Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, where they finally eventually fell to the Showtime Lakers.
16. Don Buse
Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive 1st Team selections, one time NBA steals leader
NBA rank: 109th in steals
A very effective playmaker and an even more impactful defender, Don Buse led the NBA in steals per game once (at a ridiculous 3.5 per game mark in ‘77, the second-highest single-season average in NBA history to this day), and the ABA in steals once (at an even crazier 4.1 steals per game rate in ‘76).
Buse’s 1.8 steals per game for his NBA career is the 32nd-best mark ever in the NBA. He was a four-time 1st Team All-Defender as well as a two-time 2nd Team All-Defender. What’s more, in 1978-79, he helped lead the Suns all the way to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals with his steady playmaking and his gutsy defending as the team’s starting point guard.
17. Chauncey Billups
Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, one year receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 157th in steals, 400th in defensive rebounds
A two-time 2nd Team All-Defender, Chauncey Billups was the point-of-attack stopper for some all-time Pistons defenses, with the point guard playing an important role in slowing down backcourt attackers for those elite Detroit defenses. Billups used his strength and lateral quickness on the perimeter very well to be an effective defender.
In 2003-04, the year the Pistons won their most recent championship, Billups was part of a Detroit defense that gave up a very stingy 93.9 points per 100 possessions.
18. Quinn Buckner
Top defensive accolades: Four All-Defensive 2nd Team selections
NBA rank: 74th in steals
He may be best known today for being an analyst on Pacers’ television broadcasts but in his time as a player, Quinn Buckner was an impactful defender, earning 2nd Team All-Defense honors four times, including three years in a row from 1979-80 through 1981-82. After that stretch, Buckner joined the Celtics dynasty, even playing a role on the team’s championship run of 1983-84 with his feisty backcourt defense.
19. Mike Conley
Top defensive accolades: One All-Defensive 2nd Team selection, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 39th in steals
Mike Conley was never a super elite defender but for a player with his size and athleticism, he was quite effective on that end of the floor for a long time, using his lateral quickness well to remain glued to opposing ball-handlers. Conley earned 2nd Team All-Defense honors once in his career and was the point-of-attack defender for some 'Grit and Grind' Grizzlies defenses during his prime. In 2012-13, the Grizzlies’ defense gave up an absurd 89.3 points per game, the best mark in the league that year, with Conley spearheading that defense from the front.
20. Fat Lever
Top defensive accolades: One All-Defensive 2nd Team selection, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes
NBA rank: 27th in steals
13th all-time in career triple-doubles with 43, Fat Lever could do it all on the floor – score, rebound, create and defend. Lever may have just one 2nd Team All-Defense on his resume but he finished Top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting three times in his career, peaking in ‘88 when he finished fifth in the overall vote. Lever had great quickness and fast hands, which helped him rack up nightly steals, as Lever averaged 2.2 takeaways for his career, the fifth-highest rate in NBA history.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: 20 greatest defensive point guards ever: The HoopsHype list
