Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook Destroying Notion of 'Traditional' Point Guard
Traditional labels have a way of overstaying their welcome, particularly in the constantly evolving world of the NBA.
If basketball elders don't see Stephen Curry or Russell Westbrook as being "pure" point guards, that speaks to a problem with the definition, not with the players themselves.
The NBA game has gone contemporary, yet archaic views still warp some of the perceptions surrounding it. Placing today's players into one of five boxes based on their oversimplified position designations is an exercise in futility.
This is no longer a league occupied by only point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers. Now we have things like scoring point guards, combo guards, point forwards, stretch forwards, rim protectors, perimeter stoppers and "three-and-D" wings—classifications that show how someone plays instead of simply listing what space he occupies on the floor.
Fans and analysts have been willing to adjust to new trends, but only to an extent. For some reason, there is still a distinct expectation for how a point guard should approach the hardwood. There is a premium placed on passing, as if points created for teammates are somehow more valuable than those put up by the point guard himself.
It's an outdated view, and one that never made much sense.
"Frankly, the concept of a 'pure point guard' is a strange one because it implies that putting the ball in the basket yourself (known otherwise as the entire point of basketball) is somehow a detriment," wrote Caleb Nordgren of Hardwood Paroxysm.
Yet certain people want point guards to play a specific style. When that doesn't happen, they attack the players for not meshing with that image.
"We don't really have point guards in the NBA now," Hall of Famer Gary Payton said in 2013, per The Republican's Tom King. "We really have (shooting) guards—and that's a fact."
But what makes Curry a shooting guard, as opposed to a point guard who can shoot? The fact that he keeps a three-point launcher on his hip? Why is that a bad thing?
Isn't good production just good production no matter where it comes from? Or should we keep pretending that there's a problem with Westbrook pacing himself to become only the seventh player in NBA history to average at least 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds over an entire season?
Maybe Westbrook will never win an assists crown. Guess what—he doesn't have to. His and Curry's greatness amounts to so much more than being table-setters.
And here's an interesting tidbit for the discussion: Each averages at least as many career assists per 36 minutes as Payton did (7.4 for Westbrook, 6.9 for Curry and Payton).
There is no model for a great point guard. Were Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas the same player? Of course not, and neither were Oscar Robertson, Jason Kidd, Bob Cousy or any of history's other top point guards.
There is, however, one common link between all floor generals: They have to be able to lead. And despite what some critics may believe, that actually strengthens the cases of Curry and Westbrook.
Neither one ranks among the top four in assists. Curry sits fifth with 8.0 per game, while Westbrook would be tied for 10th if he had played enough games to qualify.
That being said, the top four distributors don't have the same offensive impact as Curry and Westbrook. By combining points scored with those created by assists, it's easy to see the massive mark both players make on the box score:
| Russell Westbrook | 26.2 | 16.1 | 42.3 |
| Stephen Curry | 23.3 | 18.5 | 41.8 |
| John Wall | 17.4 | 23.7 | 41.1 |
| Ty Lawson | 17.0 | 23.7 | 40.7 |
| Chris Paul | 18.1 | 22.0 | 40.1 |
| Kyle Lowry | 20.3 | 18.4 | 38.7 |
| Jeff Teague | 17.5 | 17.3 | 34.8 |
| Rajon Rondo | 9.6 | 23.1 | 32.7 |
Both Curry and Westbrook are revolutionizing the position in their own way, and each has carved a place somewhere near the top of the point guard hierarchy.
Damian Lillard, soon-to-be two-time All-Star point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers, recently spoke with ESPN Radio's Dan Le Batard about the state of the position (via ForwardCenter.net's Casey Holdahl.) Guess which two players he singled out as being at the top of their craft.
"The best point guard in the league right now I'd probably say is Steph Curry," Lillard said.
Then Lillard was asked who his toughest defensive assignment is. His answer? "I'd have to say Russ Westbrook."
Both of Lillard's responses are easy to defend.
Curry, viewed by many as the MVP front-runner, is playing at a higher level than anyone at the position. He is the only player with top-10 rankings in points (23.3 per game, sixth), assists (8.0, fifth), threes (112, third) and steals (2.1, second). He sits third in player efficiency rating (27.6), fifth in true shooting percentage (63.5) and first in win shares per 48 minutes (.292).
ESPN.com's all-encompassing real plus-minus has Curry at 8.27. Lillard is second at 6.33 and one of only four other players above 6.00.
Curry also happens to be quarterbacking the 31-5 Golden State Warriors, the NBA's only team with top-five efficiency rankings on both sides of the ball. And his court presence to the Dubs has meant the difference of an astronomical 22.0 points per 100 possessions.
"Curry's name belongs among the NBA's elite," wrote Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson II. "Others are better than him in specific areas. But when you're naming the total packages in the league, you can't do so without naming Curry."
The sharpshooter threatens defenses first with a three-point cannon responsible for the fourth-best career perimeter success rate in NBA history. But it's his ability to supplement those shooting skills that has launched him up the superstar rankings.
Curry is connecting on career-high percentages from within three feet (72.7) and three-to-10 feet (52.5), so defenses can't sell out on running him off the arc. He has a 39-plus assist percentage for the second straight season after having a sub-33 mark each of his first four years. His personal-best 7.9 rebound percentage is better than the likes of Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson and top pick/freak athlete Andrew Wiggins.
The Warriors point guard is doing it all, a process that may as well be known as "Westbrooking."
The Oklahoma City Thunder's floor general stuffs a stat sheet like few others ever have. He could withstand some regression and still wrap up his third consecutive season of at least 20 points, five assists and five rebounds. Johnson and fellow Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen each had four such seasons in their entire careers.
"You never know what type of Russ you're going to get one night," Kevin Durant said, per ESPN.com's Royce Young. "You might get the 40-point Russ or the 16 assists or a triple-double or just totally taking out the other point guard. It's kind of hard to really put a pinpoint on one single thing that he does because he can do it all."
Critics would agree with the first part of that quote—that Westbrook is unpredictable. They'll concede that he has his good nights, but they'll spin back the broken records that have followed him throughout his career. He shoots too much. He's a black hole on offense, too selfish to be a leader and too inconsistent to be a key cog.
It's time to bury those myths for good.
Westbrook currently owns a 29.5 player efficiency rating, which stands second to only Anthony Davis. Here's the complete list of players who have finished a season with a PER above 29.5: Wade, Durant, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, Chris Paul and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
That's the type of statistical company Westbrook is keeping. So much for the jabs at his efficiency.
But here's the real mythbuster: Westbrook leads the entire league with a 48.0 assist percentage. Only eight point guards have ever topped that number: Johnson, Paul, John Stockton, Rajon Rondo, Steve Nash, Mark Jackson, Andre Miller and Brevin Knight. Not really a group of unabashed gunners, is it?
Yes, Westbrook takes his fair share of shots. Most guys who put up 26 points a night do. (By the way, most guys can't go for 26 per game.)
Look at his role in this offense. The Thunder need his passing, but they aren't looking to take shots out of his hands and put them in Reggie Jackson's or Dion Waiters'. Westbrook is too much of an offensive force for that to happen. The guy is 10th overall in made free throws despite having missed 14 games and only seeing 31.0 minutes of action when he's played.
Westbrook's motor never quits, and in case you haven't noticed, it's been running much smoother on the defensive end. His 101 defensive rating is second only to Curry's 99 among point guards.
"I told myself in the summer time that I really needed to lock back in defensively and try to be the best defensive player in the league," Westbrook told USA Today's Sam Amick. "I think if you're going to be one of the best players, to do it in this game you've got to be able to do it on both ends."
With his length, quickness and explosive athleticism, Westbrook has more than enough to be an elite defender.
For both him and Curry, this year has been about maximizing strengths and addressing limitations. Each is emerging as an all-around force, the type of leader any team would want filling the point guard spot.
Curry and Westbrook are two of the best at what they do: dominating their position and highlighting its evolution.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
