When examining the Suns' franchise, the question that needs to be asked first is why there so much love thrown at Steve Nash when he isn't even the best point guard in Suns' history?
Who is the best point guard in Suns history? Kevin Johnson—and Nash doesn't even come close.
Kevin Johnson's career average is 17 points per game, with a career high of 22.5 points per game in '89-90.
Nash, on the other hand, is at 11.2 points per game, with a high of 18.8 points per game in '05-06.
Johnson also averaged 8.8 assists per game, with a high of 12.4 in '90-91. Steve Nash's career average with the Suns is 8.2 assists per game, with a high of 11.6 coming in the '06-07 season.
There are several other important categories that need to be addressed. Steve Nash wins in two categories—free-throw shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage, whereas Johnson beats Nash on-field goal percentage.
But here's the difference between the two player, and why Johnson is the best point guard in Suns history: Nash's superior foul shooting and three-point percentage. It doesn't take away from the fact that he is a wimp who tries to avoid contact.
Kevin Johnson was fearless. Career-wise Johnson went to the line twice as often as Nash.
Here are two plays that showcase Johnson's abilities.
Here are a couple of examples of what Nash brings to the table.
See the difference? Nash flops! KJ attacks the rim with reckless abandon. Johnson's ability to drive made him a better passer.
Johnson also played more seasons for the Suns. Yet another knock on Nash is that he didn't develop until he was in Dallas—and even then it took him to his third year in the Mavericks' system to actually become a solid point guard.
Just for kicks, here are a few more clips to remind you of how well KJ played the game. Again, he played fearlessly, and that can't be said about Nash.
12 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
Lucky Riff 7 months ago
Did Steve Nash steal your girlfriend or beat you up as a kid? What is the obsession with going after Steve Nash? You are not a fan and think he is overrated...we get it. And before you tell me not to read it, let me say, I enjoy your opinions because they are the opposite of mine on just about every thread. Believe it or not I usually learn something.
I just think you sell yourself short with the constant anti-Nash campaign. Your better than this...
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Claudio 21 7 months ago
Despite his assist totals, I always felt like KJ played more like a combo guard than Nash. If I had to choose, I'd say Nash as a point. But KJ was definitely a better player historically on the Suns franchise, but not the NBA as a whole.
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Joe Kidd 5 months ago
Kevin Johnson and Magic Johnson are the only players in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 assists, and a .500 field goal percentage in a season, each accomplishing the feat twice. Indeed, K.J. just happened to produce his best statistical seasons at a time when Magic and Jordan, arguably the two greatest guards ever, were sweeping the MVP awards.
Nash is somewhat more traditional as a point guard, but K.J. was a true point guard in his own right, only a more explosive and aggressive scorer. He was more of a point guard than Isiah Thomas, though, let alone real "combo guards" like Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade.
I ultimately opt for K.J. over Nash for three main reasons. First, K. Johnson was a far more formidable defender, especially one-on-one. There were occasions during the 1993 NBA Finals when K.J.'s defense even constituted a challenge to the unstoppable Michael Jordan, whereas it's hard to see a coach ever assigning Nash to guard Jordan.
Second, K.J.'s ability to reach the free throw line gave him another venue through which to keep producing points even in games where many of his shots weren't dropping. Even though Nash is one of the greatest shooters ever, he can suffer off-nights as a shooter, such as his last playoff game where he shot 4-16 in San Antonio, or his 2007 playoff games versus the Spurs where he shot 6-17 and 6-19 (all those games proved to be Phoenix losses). But if a player can reach the foul line prolifically, he can redeem a lesser shooting performance from the field. For instance, in Game Seven of the 1993 Western Conference Finals against Seattle, K.J. only shot 4-11 from the field, but he still scored 22 points by shooting 14-16 from the free throw line to accompany his 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks as Phoenix won the game and thus the West.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199306050PHO.html
Last, but not least, even though Nash can be a trickier or more "magical" passer than K.J., I feel that K. Johnson's passing proved mildly superior in tight spaces, especially in the paint. With his quickness, he could create a little more time and space for himself to slip the ball through nooks and crannies, and even without creating an additional spatial cushion, I believe K.J. could do a little more than Nash with less space. I feel that Johnson's passing in those tight spaces was a bit more precise and that his facilitation in those situations proved a tad sharper and more commanding, whereas Nash's passes in those circumstances (which often occur down the stretches of games, when opposing defenses tighten in the fourth quarter) sometimes fail to find their way through the holes and can be more easily batted away or deflected. At times, I feel that Nash is a little more vulnerable to being flustered in tight spots in the lane down the stretch and somewhat more prone to coughing up the ball or letting his passes trickle away into turnovers or broken plays. K.J., conversely, was akin to Tom Brady in terms of being able to precisely slip the ball into the tightest of corners with sublime rhythm and yet without forcing passes that lacked sufficient daylight to connect.
Of course, Nash is an absolutely amazing playmaker in his own right, more showy and flamboyant than K.J., and I'm really just splitting hairs here and talking about marginal differences between similarly masterful and brilliant basketball quarterbacks. That said, I do prefer K.J.'s passing and precision in tight spaces and I think that he was less prone to forcing passes, attributes that helped him down the stretches of close games. Remember, K.J. wasn't able to play in Mike D'Antoni's offense, which totally spread the court for Nash and spaced the lane beautifully, and he wasn't fortunate enough to play in the era of the defensive three seconds rule. K. Johnson enjoyed less space to work with, and yet he made so much of it.
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Mark Brown 7 months ago
Nash averaged over 19 points a game in 06-07. Also, he was the better shooter and, while Johnson was the more fearless player, I think it really doesn't make up for Nash's shooting. You always bring up career averages, but fail to realize that Nash didn't become productive until later on in his career. I agree with Lucky, you just need to let it go. I mean, do you hate Nash because of who he is, or because you think he is overrated by fans in general?
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Joe Kidd 5 months ago
Nash averaged 18.6 points in '06-'07 and 18.8 points, his career-high, the previous year. He was a better shooter than K.J., especially on threes, but K.J. was no slouch. He was a very dangerous two-point jump-shooter and free throw shooter, and K.J.'s career field goal percentage (.493) is actually slightly higher than Nash's (.485).
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Larry K 7 months ago
I got to see KJ when he joined the team in 1988 throughout his career with the Suns- he was a great all around player and the go-to guy when the game was on the line- he had it all and was not afraid to take the ball to the hoop against anyone. Nash is a good guard and with good floor skills and a decent shot- I believe that KJ was a much better player, he's the guy I want to lead my team as captain, had Cotton Fitzsimmons been the coach in the finals against the Bulls, instead of Paul Westphal, the Suns would have won the championship.
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Hoops4life 7 months ago
I love KJ, dude was great, but so is Nash, if you're going to compare the two, at least make it fair and in-depth, both guys had strenths, both guys had weaknesses, and by the way, you're calling Nash a wimp? Perhaps you should go back and see what he had to put up with in the 07 playoffs
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Jim Neveau 7 months ago
To be honest, I think that Nash and Johnson simply played different styles of basketball, and so comparisons are kind of difficult, but I would give the edge to Johnson simply because he is now the mayor of Sacramento, CA. It's hard to imagine Nash becoming head honcho of a city in Canada. Also, his hair during the last couple of years (before the buzz) was absolutely horrendous. Overall, like I said, it's hard to compare them, they were both good players, but I would agree that Johnson is probably better.
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Jason Oldani 7 months ago
Good article. I enjoyed how you made the comparison fairly and made a case for each player. You did a good job at displaying all the strengths and weaknesses for both guards.
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Ben Thomason 7 months ago
How does Steve Nash avoid contact he sticks his body in the way all the time drawing charges.
Stats aren't everything Steve Nash made the Suns what they are today. He is responsible for Stoudemire, Stoudemire was always destined to be a good player but Nah has helped him become a great player, ab MVP cabdiadate.
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Steven Resnick 7 months ago
Let's see here's how Nash avoids contact how many free throws does he take per game? Not many! How many did Kevin Johnson get per game at least twice the amount of Nash. It wasn't Nash who created Stoudemire or Marion. It was Marion and Stoudemire that created Nash.
Also, the last point guard the Suns had to lead them past the Spurs was the team of Kevin Johnson and Anfernee Hardaway. Nash avoids contact on the offensive end and Nash flops on the defensive end and he's yet to lead the Suns past the Spurs.
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Ben Thomason 7 months ago
Well he'll do this year because the Spurs are having a poor season and when Ginobili comes back they'll be out of sink. Plus Shaq is back.
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