NBA Power Rankings: LeBron James and Player from Each Team with the Best Vision
LeBron James' ability to see the floor and react to whatever is in front of him has been one of the keys to Miami's success all year long.
Every great team has to have a player with great court vision. It's an ability that improves a player's chances not only to break down the defense and find the open man, but to score as well.
Here is the player from each team who possesses the best court vision...
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Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson
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Joe Johnson is a solid scorer, and an underrated facilitator. At 18.2 points and 4.7 assists a game, Johnson led the Hawks in those two critical categories.
He sees the floor well and generally makes the right decision on whether he should look to score or pass.
Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo
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Rondo's vision is obviously the best on the Celtics. In fact, some might argue it's the best in the league.
He always seems to know exactly where each of the other four players on the floor are.
He can break down almost any defensive scheme in front of him, and makes great decisions in getting the ball to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
Rondo was second in the league in assists per game this past season with 11.2.
Charlotte Bobcats: D.J. Augustin
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D.J. Augustin led the Bobcats in assists at 6.1 a game and was second on the team in scoring after the departure of Gerald Wallace.
Shaun Livingston has solid court vision as well, but he isn't really on the floor enough to prove that his vision is better than Augustin's.
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose
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Rose's court vision has been a critical component of Chicago's success over the course of this season and playoffs.
He needs to improve his decision-making (he averaged 3.4 turnovers a game), but his vision is a gift that could help him become legendary.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Baron Davis
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Baron Davis took a lot of criticism this past season, but he quietly had a pretty strong year for a 32-year-old point guard.
He averaged 13.1 points and 6.7 assists a game and had a knack for finding Blake Griffin around the rim when he played for Los Angeles.
Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd
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Jason Kidd is third all-time in three-pointers made, third all-time in steals, second all-time in assists and seventh all-time in assists per game.
He led the league in assists during five different seasons and is third all-time in career triple-doubles.
You don't pile up those kind of accolades without having great court vision.
Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson
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After Denver acquired Raymond Felton, the Nuggets had a pretty formidable point guard combo that actually spent quite a bit of time on the court together.
In those situations, Lawson always seemed to see more of the floor than Felton.
As teammates, Lawson averaged 6.9 assists a game compared to Felton's 6.5 (and Felton actually played a few more minutes than Lawson).
The younger North Carolina alum not only found open teammates more, but scored more as well.
Lawson has shown great promise as a 23-year-old point guard. His speed, intensity and court vision will help him develop into a fantastic facilitator.
Detroit Pistons: Tracy McGrady
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Rodney Stuckey led the team in assists at 5.2 a game this past season, but McGrady seemed to see the floor better during that stretch when Jon Kuester made him the team's starting point guard.
McGrady averaged nearly five assists while playing just 27 minutes a game as a starter this past season.
He may be able to engineer a very interesting end to his career if he switches to point guard permanently.
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry
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This one is obviously between Curry and Monta Ellis. While some may think it's a close call, I say Curry is clearly better in this regard.
He's the more efficient player, averaging more assists and shooting a better percentage from everywhere while playing fewer minutes than Ellis.
Houston Rockets: Kyle Lowry
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Kyle Lowry stepped up big time during this down season for former Rockets' point guard Aaron Brooks.
He averaged 6.7 assists a game this year (including 7.3 after the All-Star break). He did a great job, especially down the stretch, of seeing his teammates and getting them involved.
Indiana Pacers: Darren Collison
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Darren Collison averaged 19 points and nine assists a game as a starter for the Hornets, but put up just 13 and five this season with the Pacers.
He performed well below expectations in his first season with the Pacers, but he still has the best court vision of any player on this team.
Los Angeles Clippers: Mo Williams
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Mo Williams did a pretty good job as the Clippers starting point guard after he came to Hollywood in exchange for Baron Davis.
He averaged 15.2 points and 5.6 assists in 22 games with Los Angeles. Like Baron Davis, he always seemed to have his eyes peeled for Blake Griffin and often delivered the ball to him in the right spot.
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant
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Kobe averaged 25.3 points and 4.7 assists a game for the Lakers this past season. His great court vision helped him to post those impressive numbers.
He not only sees the floor well, but he instantly analyzes what's going on around him as well.
Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley
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In his fourth season in the league, Mike Conley averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 assists a game.
He was a great floor general for the Grizzlies and a huge part of their stunning playoff run this year.
Without his vision and leadership, it's hard to imagine them beating the Spurs.
Miami Heat: LeBron James
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LeBron James may be in the top five in the entire NBA in terms of court vision. No forward in the league sees the floor and distributes the basketball as well as LeBron.
He averaged 26.7 points and seven assists a game this past season and found a way to keep the other two-thirds of the Big Three engaged in almost every game.
Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings
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Brandon Jennings may be seeing the floor in a different uniform soon, as recent trade rumors have surfaced about the young point guard.
Jennings' career started with a bang, but many feel he actually took a slight step back in his second year. His minutes went up while his assists and three-point percentage went down.
He sees the floor better than any other Bucks player, but he really needs to improve his decision-making and shot selection.
I still think he has the potential to be a great point guard, and giving up on him this soon doesn't seem to be the right move for Milwaukee.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love
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Kevin Love is on the list for a different reason than anyone else. He saw the floor in a way that allowed him to always find the perfect spot for a rebound.
It also helped him to know how to eliminate opponents going for the same board.
That vision led to his leading the league in rebounding at 15.2 a game.
New Jersey Nets: Deron Williams
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Talk about a no-brainer. On the year, Williams averaged right around 20 points and 10 assists a game. With the Nets, he averaged 15 points and 12.8 assists over 12 games.
His court vision helped to set up Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries over and over and made the entire team look much better.
New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul
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Most of us kind of forgot about Chris Paul this year. During the playoffs, he reminded all of us just how dominant he can be.
He averaged 22 points and 11.5 assists a game against the Lakers, and pretty much single-handedly earned two postseason wins for the Hornets.
Like Brandon Jennings, Paul could be seeing the floor in a different uniform soon.
New York Knicks: Chauncey Billups
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Chauncey Billups has never been known as a distributor, but that doesn't mean he's without great court vision.
He's one of the best leaders in the NBA and sees and understands the game in a way that most players should envy.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant
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Russell Westbrook averaged over eight assists a game this past season, but that had a lot more to do with how much he had the ball than his court vision.
In fact, Westbrook has demonstrated that he is seriously lacking even solid court vision. He's constantly throwing the ball away and taking awful shots.
Kevin Durant, on the other hand, sees the floor exceptionally well. On top of that, he can analyze what he sees very quickly and knows exactly how to attack almost any defense in front of him.
His back-to-back scoring titles have as much to do with intangibles as traditional talents.
Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard
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So far, this slideshow has mostly been about offense (with Kevin Love's rebounding as the exception).
Dwight Howard sees the floor well on offense, but I gave him the nod on this slide because of his vision on the other end and the way he attacks what he sees on defense.
Philadelphia 76ers: Andre Iguodala
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Andre Iguodala may be the most underrated facilitator in the NBA. The 6'6" wing led the 76ers in assists at 5.8 a game this past season.
His court vision is great on both ends of the floor as he may also be the league's best perimeter defender.
Adding his vision and defense to the Warriors would put them in the playoffs next year. A straight swap of Iguodala and Monta Ellis would benefit both teams. Read more about this trade HERE.
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash
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Steve Nash's statistics over the last seven seasons have been remarkable, especially when you consider the fact that he's rapidly approaching 40.
He's led the league in assists in five of the last seven years, and his superb court vision has a lot to do with his dominance in that category.
Portland Trail Blazers: Andre Miller
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Despite trade rumors and a laundry list of injuries to teammates, Andre Miller has managed to play fairly well as a member of the Trail Blazers.
This past season, he averaged 12.7 points and a team-leading seven assists a game.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the NBA in converted alley-oops this year and Miller started a lot of those.
Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans
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Tyreke Evans had a fantastic rookie season, averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds a game.
This year, his numbers dipped across the board.
There's still no doubt that he has the best court vision of any Sacramento King.
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker
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As recently as last year, I probably would've given Manu Ginobili the edge on this one.
But Tony Parker just posted the second-highest assist average of his career (6.6) and seemed to see the floor and his teammates very well all season long.
Toronto Raptors: Jose Calderon
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I feel Jose Calderon is actually one of the most underrated distributors in the league.
This past season, he averaged 8.9 a game and for his career, he averaged nine assists per 36 minutes.
Utah Jazz: Devin Harris
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Devin Harris missed some games due to injury after the Jazz acquired him, but he played OK basketball when he was in the lineup.
He averaged 15.8 points and 5.4 assists a game in Utah. Obviously, he's nowhere near former Jazz point guard Deron Williams' level, and this team may look to replace Harris in this year's draft.
Washington Wizards: John Wall
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Blake Griffin had an incredible rookie season, and it cost John Wall the credit he deserved for his year.
In most seasons, a rookie who averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 assists would have received significantly more hype than Wall did.
His court vision is excellent for a 20-year old rookie. He could be one of the best point guards in the league in a year or two.
More on the NBA
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You can follow Andy Bailey on Twitter @_Andy_Bailey
