All-NBA Depth Chart: The Top Five Point Guards in the League

The one guard.

The playmaker.

The ball-handler.

While there have been many names over the years for what is now known as the point guard, little has changed in the role of the point guard. Handling the ball, scoring, setting teammates up to score, and keeping the defense off balance.

The league has seen many incredible point guards over the years in Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Oscar Robertson, and appears to be entering another period of point guard renaissance with point guards like Chris Paul and Deron Williams dominating and youngsters like Derrick Rose and John Wall on their way to stardom.

There is a belief that the NBA is a coach's league, but it's evident that the point guard position is just as important.

Four of the top five point guards here led their teams to the playoffs, and the one that did not make the playoffs was injured for much of the year, illustrating the need for a great playmaker to make everyone on the court better.

5. Derrick Rose

While there have been comments that he may be the league's best point guard, there is no doubt that Derrick Rose has established himself as one of the league's best offensive point guards just two years into his career.

Drafted number one overall with the expectation that he would take the reins of the Bulls quickly with his hyper-athleticism and scoring power, Rose won the Rookie of the Year award and never looked back, improving in virtually every category, cementing himself as the leader of the Bulls' squad, and leading the Bulls to a playoff bid despite inferior talent.

However, if he wants to become one of the top two or three point guards in the league, he must improve his defense significantly, as contributing on one side of the floor limits a player's effectiveness. He is not good at chasing shooters around screens, is a poor double-teamer, and needs to work on pressuring the ball stronger if he wants to become a great defender. Pure athleticism only has gotten him so far.

Still, few players have played the point guard position this effectively this early in their careers, and the sky is the limit for for Rose.

4. Steve Nash

Steve Nash is like a fine wine, only getting better with age. Despite being 36 years old and having a bad back, Nash managed to create yet another impressive season with numbers even better than they were six to 10 years ago.

He is one of the best pick-and-roll players to ever play on the NBA hardwood because of his diverse offensive game.

He can take a jump shot moving to his right, can thread a pass to a barely open big man, or penetrate the offense and pull off his mastery in the paint, making him nearly un-guardable when he is at his best.

While his defense is not his calling card, it is far better than he gets credit for. He is helped by the defensive schemes the Suns draw up, allowing him to avoid guarding top scorers.

He may not be the strongest guy on the court, but he is tough and draws a lot of charges, allowing his defense to be more than adequate.

We'll see if he can keep up his remarkable streak of longevity without his favorite pick-and-roll target, Amare Stoudemire, and lead the Suns to the playoffs once again. At 36 years of age, who knows?

3. Rajon Rondo

Arguably the best player on an NBA Finals team, Rajon Rondo made tremendous strides in the last year as he went from trade bait to the cornerstone of a franchise that now looks to have a bright future.

With the speed of a roadrunner, Rondo excels at penetrating to the hoop and creating for his teammates. When he doesn't pass he often employs a devastating move in which he fakes a behind-the-back pass and this often leads to an open layup.

Additionally, he is probably the league's top defensive point guard. With a ridiculous wingspan, he manages to get his hands on the ball often, and for this same reason is a tremendous rebounder for a guard.

So why is this guy not the league's best point guard?

The simple answer is that he is one of the worst shooters in the league. He shot 62 percent from the free throw line and 21 percent from three-point territory, allowing teams to back off him and stop him from penetrating at times.

However, most of the time, he just blows by his defender anyway.

If he can remedy his shooting woes, he could be as good as anyone in the league, but for now, top three is where he should be.

2. Deron Williams

Before this season, one of the most polarizing debates among basketball fans was who was better, Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

Until this year, while Williams had had a tremendous career, the numbers didn't even come close to supporting those in the camp with Williams.

However, after a year in which Paul slumped with injuries and poor teammates, the argument is getting a bit more reasonable. While Paul puts up better numbers, Williams is the superior defender. While he is nowhere near as quick as Paul is, he is large and is capable of guarding players much bigger than himself.

Additionally, while most of the other top point guards get to the rim because of overwhelming speed, Williams' ability to utilize dribble moves to move past his defender and go to the rim with a head of steam allows him to score in the paint with the best of them.

He will likely have to improve his shooting to an elite level if he ever wants to challenge a healthy Chris Paul for the top ranking as a point guard, as Paul has a clear speed advantage, but he can take solace in still being one of the two best point guards in the league.

1. Chris Paul

While this selection may be a bit controversial due to his injury history over the past year, it is clear that Chris Paul is still the best point guard in the NBA.

Utilizing a deadly first step coupled with tremendous court vision, Paul has the ability to go to the basket on anyone and either create for himself or his teammates.

In fact, before last year's disappointing injury-riddled season, he was tearing through the record books among point guards in the modern era, earning this comment from John Hollinger:

If you want to compare him to another point guard in his first four pro seasons, you have only one choice: Magic Johnson. That's it. Everyone else pales in comparison. In terms of PER, Paul's past two seasons are the two best ever by a point guard since the league began tracking individual turnovers in 1973-74.

Hollinger has it right when he discusses how truly incredible Paul's first four seasons in the league were. Few young players show the ability to play the point guard position so well so quickly, but Paul did, and unfortunately his true value as such an incredible player has been muted among the dysfunction that is the New Orleans Hornets.

If he can get healthy in time for next season, he will surely return to rewriting the record books like he had been doing for the previous four years.