NBA Rankings: Five of the Most Underrated Point Guards in History

When it comes to NBA point guards, everybody knows who Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and John Stockton are.

And if you're a newer fan, you're well aware of Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Derrick Rose.

But what about guys like Kevin Johnson and Mark Price?

Who?

Here is a list—in chronological order—of five floor generals who had a lot of game, but don't get the credit they deserve.

Let's begin.

Kevin Porter

Porter spent 10 seasons in the league with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets.

The Chicago native and former Saint Francis University star led the league in assists four times (1975, 1978, 1979, and 1981).

Porter's best season as a pro came in 1978-79 when he averaged 15.4 points and a remarkable 13.4 assists per game. Amazingly, he was left off the All-Star team that year.

Well, in fact, he never made an All-Star team.

Porter made history in 1978 by dishing out 29 assists in a game, a record that stood until Scott Skiles recorded 30 in 1990.

Mark Price

Price is one of the NBA's top non-first-round draft picks of all time.

The six-foot long-range bomber wasn't selected in the 1986 draft until the second-round, mainly because "experts" believed he was too slow for the NBA game.

Price wasn't the fastest player, but his deadly shooting and leadership skills made him an All-Star point guard.

During his 12-year career, mostly with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Price was named an All-Star four times and earned All-NBA First Team honors in 1992-1993.

He was a three-time member of the All-NBA Third Team as well.

Price is one of only five players in history—Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki—are the others—to shoot at least 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc, 50 percent from the field, and 90 percent from the free throw-line in a season.

In addition, Price is currently the league's all-time free throw percentage leader with 90.4 percent.

Kevin Johnson

Before Steve Nash was leading the way for the Phoenix Suns, a point guard by the name of Kevin Johnson was doing his thing in the Valley of the Sun.

"K.J." was one of the game's top floor general in the late 1980s and 1990s.

The 1989 Most Improved Player Award winner was an All-Star three times during his career (1990, 1991, and 1994) and was a five-time member of the All-NBA Team: four on the Second Team and three on the Third.

In 1990-91, Johnson joined Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only the only players in history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists per game for three straight seasons.

Johnson teamed with Charles Barkley to lead the Suns to the the 1993 NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls in six games.

He is currently the mayor of Sacramento.

Mark Jackson

After being drafted by the New York Knicks 18th overall in 1987, Jackson played 17 seasons in the NBA with the Knicks (twice), Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers (twice), Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets.

He may have bounced around the league quite a bit, but he was still a solid lead guard.

Jackson currently ranks third all-time in assists behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd, and 23rd in steals.

He won Rookie of the Year honors in 1988 and was an All-Star in 1989.

Jackson also helped the Pacers reach the Finals in 2000, where they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rod Strickland

Strickland backed up Jackson during his first season and a half with the Knicks. But after that, he emerged as one of the league's best point guards of the '90s.

Strickland averaged at least 17 points and eight assists per game for five consecutive seasons (1994-1998).

His best season came in 1997-98, when he put up 17.8 points and a career-high 10.5 assists per contest. He undoubtedly should've been an All-Star that year, but was left off the team just like he was throughout his whole 17-year career.

Strickland is widely considered one of the league's best players to never make an All-Star team.