NBA Power Rankings: Kobe Bryant and the Best Penetrator on Every Team
Right now, we are in the throes of the 2011 NBA Finals with the Miami Heat beating the Dallas Mavericks in the first game of this year's series.
This year's NBA Finals features two of the premier penetrators in the NBA in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, plus the best penetrating big man in the league in Dirk Nowitzki.
Penetration is one of the most important and exciting things in the league, plus it allows for the maximum amount of sexual innuendo, which is always a good thing.
There is nothing more exciting than when you see a premier player in the NBA slowly break down his defender, step up to him and administer a series of head fakes and crossovers to create just enough room for himself to blow past his defender, drive the lane and either put up a shot or set up one of his teammates.
So I've gone and broken down every team in the NBA and picked out the best penetrators on each team in the league for your viewing pleasure.
Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford
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Jamal Crawford is a guy who gets the majority of his offense off the pick-and-roll and one-on-one breakdown of his defender.
Crawford is great at creating space off the screen and can drive with either his right or left hand, willing to go barreling into a defender or willing to pull up for a nice little eight-footer at any time. His hesitation moves and quickness at his age (he's 31 right now) are still as effective as ever.
He plays with Joe Johnson, who at times can be a good penetrator himself, but Crawford is a guy who makes his living driving the lane and putting up points.
Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo
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Rajon Rondo is probably one of the most enjoyable players in the NBA to watch.
Rondo has the ability to drive to the lane easily, as the defense always gives him tons of space with his inability to shoot a consistent jump shot.
When he starts his drive, the defense will start to step up, but it's already too late. Rondo can drive to the lane and put up a shot with either hand, or he can dump it off to a player down low or dish it out to a guy on the wing.
He is one of the most versatile penetrators in the NBA.
Charlotte Bobcats, Gerald Henderson
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The Bobcats don't have much to offer in terms of penetrators—in fact, they don't have much to offer in terms of good basketball players either.
Henderson is often only able to drive effectively with his right hand, but he has been developing his left hand over the past few years.
He is able to create a high volume of shots on isolation opportunities, draw fouls at a high rate and he can keep control of the ball quite well.
Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose
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If you expected to see anyone else from the Bulls here then please leave the room.
Derrick Rose is one of the two most impressive penetrating point guards in the NBA, and the things he can do with the ball are just insane.
Rose has a lightning-fast first step coupled with a huge amount of athleticism and explosiveness, which leads to him getting to the rim at will or hitting a large number of ridiculous floaters in the lane.
Cleveland Cavaliers, Ramon Sessions
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The Cleveland Cavaliers started polishing this diamond in the rough over the past season, and the team has benefited from it.
Ramon Sessions has a high IQ, as he can drive to the lane while still knowing where the other four people are on the floor, allowing for him to hit the cutting man or open guy on the wing. He can also toss up a floater from any angle and put just enough English on the ball to send it sliding through the hoop.
Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki
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You could make the argument that Jason Terry is a better penetrator than Dirk Nowitzki, but Nowitzki's uniqueness makes his ability to penetrate that much more special.
Dirk is an outside threat, and at 7'0" tall, he draws a big man out of the lane to guard him. Then he unleashes a flurry of head fakes, spin moves and hesitation moves that are nearly impossible for a big man to defend.
If a big on the other team can stay in front of Dirk, then he is usually backpedaling, making it easy for him to drive his body into him and draw the foul.
Denver Nuggets, Ty Lawson
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The Nuggets have two point guards who have shown great abilities to penetrate this year in Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton, but Lawson edges out Felton by a hair.
Lawson is able to drive in a fast-break offense or a half-court offense, with his left hand or right hand, and he can penetrate in isolation situations or when the defense is still setting up.
He is a more versatile driver than Felton, so I have to give him the edge in Denver.
Detroit Pistons, Will Bynum
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Detroit has turned into a barren wasteland for inspired basketball, which means a lack of penetration in the offense.
The Pistons' best penetrators over the past season have been Will Bynum and Rip Hamilton, but Hamilton is aging and depending more on his veteran savvy and strength to get past defenders, which the better defenders can stop, while Bynum uses his quick first step to create space.
Bynum can get out of control at times, but he is able to drive the lane and put up his shot or pick a teammate to pop the ball out to for an open shot.
Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry
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The Stephen Curry-Monta Ellis debate is one that isn't as heated as it should be, but it centralizes heavily on each guard's ability to penetrate.
I'd have to take the Curry side of this debate, as he has better court vision than Ellis, and when he drives to the lane, he is more able to pick out an open man on the perimeter or cutting from the other side to dish the ball to for an open shot or backdoor layup.
Houston Rockets, Kevin Martin
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Kevin Martin is the best offensive option the Rockets have, and it shows both on the stat sheet and when watching them run their offense. He gets a large number of shots, but there is definitely a reason for that.
Martin is elegant and creative with the ball, and he handles the ball like a brand-new BMW. He is a terrific one-on-one offensive player and is possibly even better running the pick-and-roll. He is the biggest reason the Rockets have a successful offense.
Indiana Pacers, Darren Collison
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The Indiana Pacers acquired Darren Collison last August in the hopes that he could be the point guard of the future.
Collison has shown the ability to drive the lane well while still keeping his point guard hat on and keeping an eye on his teammates, always looking for the open man before looking to take the shot himself.
Los Angeles Clippers, Eric Gordon
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In just his third year in the league, Eric Gordon is quickly becoming underrated with his ability to score all around the floor.
Gordon is great in one-on-one situations, as he is a tenacious player who will willingly attack anyone who is in his way and shove the ball right down their throats.
The biggest problem with Gordon, however, is that when he drives to the lane, he is like a horse with blinders on and rarely dishes to the open man.
Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant
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There is little to be said about Kobe Bryant that hasn't already been said about him in the past decade.
He's older and a step slower, but he still consistently beats his man off the dribble, using patience and a variety of head fakes and hesitation moves to catch his defenders off guard.
Kobe Bean can handle the ball as well as any 2-guard in the NBA, and is very capable of setting up his teammates when he drives to the lane.
Memphis Grizzlies, Rudy Gay
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The Memphis Grizzlies didn't seem to miss Rudy Gay much in their upset of the San Antonio Spurs and exciting series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but maybe if they would have had Gay, they would have had the missing piece to beat the Thunder.
Gay is an exceptional penetrator who can get to the lane with his explosiveness and then finish it off by backing down his defender with his strength.
Miami Heat, LeBron James
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The LeBron James-Dwyane Wade debate raged on for years when they were rivals, and very little has changed now that they are teammates.
Wade is primarily a finesse penetrator who can turn on his bulldozer mode at times, and is still one of the five best penetrators in the league, but LeBron outshines him by just a shade.
When James drives to the lane, there is about an 80-percent chance that he will either explode past his man and get an easy layup or dunk, or get into the lane and create enough contact to draw the foul...or both.
Milwaukee Bucks, Brandon Jennings
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Brandon Jennings is a lightning-quick point guard who is extremely shifty and tricky when he is trying to get to the hoop.
Jennings has good court vision for a young player and has great ball-handling skills to go along with a nice ability to drive and dish, although he does turn into quite the ball hog quite often.
Minnesota Timberwolves, Michael Beasley
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The Minnesota Timberwolves don't exhibit much in terms of penetrators, as they have a point guard who is better suited as an outside distributor, a shooting guard who is still developing and two big men who are clumsy with the ball. On the bench, Wayne Ellington is still developing and Johnny Flynn is coming off one of the worst offensive (and defensive, for that matter) seasons in NBA history.
That leaves Beasley.
It doesn't make him a bad penetrator that we picked him through process of elimination, as he is good at creating off the dribble for a guy his size.
New Jersey Nets, Deron Williams
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Deron Williams is one of the new breed of point guards who are both good at classic point guard skills and new point guard skills, such as being the biggest offensive threat on a team.
Williams can change speeds to create separation, starting off at a methodical pace taking it up the court and then kicking it into another gear when he gets to the top of the key, driving by his man. Once in the lane, he can score in a multitude of ways with either hand, or he can dish it to a big down low or out to an open man on the wing.
New Orleans Hornets, Chris Paul
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Chris Paul has gone from being a driving point guard to more of a distributing point guard in the past few years, but he can still get into the lane as well as most of the guards in the NBA.
Paul is one of the best ball-handlers in the league, and he has a reputation of being such a good scorer that it is making him a better point guard, as he gets swarmed in the lane, leaving his teammates open all around the floor for wide-open shots.
New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony
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Carmelo Anthony may be the best one-on-one player in the league, and that includes his ability to get to the rim at will.
He is most effective going left, which makes him a rare player in the league and that much harder to guard.
Watching him start to size up his defender is like watching a lion watch a gazelle from far away trying to plot his every move. He will fake left, then fake right, but you still have no clue which way he's planning on going. Just while you're wondering which way he might go, he lowers his shoulder and blows right past.
Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook
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Russell Westbrook is right up there with Derrick Rose as the most athletic and best penetrating point guards in the NBA.
Westbrook has the athleticism of a small forward and the speed of a point guard, which leads to one of the most explosive first steps you will ever see and one of the most ferocious, lightning-quick drives to the lane in the league.
He isn't just a put-your-head-down-and-go type driver, either, as he can easily find his open teammates once he gets into the lane (although Kevin Durant might beg to differ after this year's playoffs).
Orlando Magic, Jameer Nelson
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The Orlando Magic offense is made up of Dwight Howard down low, a bunch of shooters and Jameer Nelson.
Nelson is the only player on the Magic with multiple facets to his game (J-Rich is a mediocre penetrator at this point), as he can attack the rim or put up a pretty good jump shot.
Nelson can get his teammates involved when he takes the ball into the lane and, at times, show off a good pull-up jumper from about a dozen-feet out.
Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Iguodala
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Andre Iguodala was once the plaything of Allen Iverson, going up for ridiculous alley-oops as Iverson drove to the lane or stood on the outside distracting the defense. Now he is the guy driving to the lane and wowing people by himself.
He still has the huge leaping ability that he's always had, but now he has the veteran savvy and court vision that allow for him to get the rest of his team involved while he drives to the lane.
Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash
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Steve Nash, though nearly 40 years old, is still one of the most exciting offensive players in the league.
Nash's first step is ridiculously deceptive, as he looks like he is going left, but somehow ends up going left. He then displays quickness that he should have lost years ago and the ability to control his body and stay balanced with the most insane movements and shifts.
Steve Nash driving to the lane is almost a work of art, and should be put on display in the Smithsonian.
Portland Trail Blazers, Andre Miller
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Like Steve Nash, Andre Miller is getting up there in years. And with Brandon Roy not having cartilage in his knees anymore, I had to give the nod to Miller.
Miller is quite deceptive like Nash, plus he has a quick crossover that easily makes up for his slow foot speed. He has great size and strength for a point guard that allows him to throw his body into his defenders.
He is primarily a passer and uses his ability to get into the lane as a distraction to the defense. He will get into the paint and dish the ball out to the open man on the three-point line or the big man for backdoor layups.
Sacramento Kings, Tyreke Evans
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Tyreke Evans has started to be supplanted in Sacramento by Marcus Thornton, but he is still the best at getting into the lane on their team.
Evans is lightning-quick and a ball-dominant player who is also a perimeter threat, so when a defender over-guards him, he can use his first step to blow by and get into the lane. Once there, he is usually one to put up his own shot before he looks for his teammates.
San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili
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There will be 30 more Dwyane Wades and a dozen more Kobe Bryants before we see another Manu Ginobili.
Ginobili is both a tremendous ball-handler and a creative passer. He shouldn't be as quick as he is, and he shouldn't be as fast as he is...but he is.
He will go right into the chest of a center or he will outsmart a point guard to get whatever shot he wants to get and put up a shot that seems downright silly, and then he'll make it.
Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan
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DeMar DeRozan gets very little love in the NBA these days, especially after the dunk contest when he refused to play up to the gimmicks and just did some extremely impressive and ultra-athletic dunks.
DeRozan has the right mix of strength, speed and athleticism to get past some of the best defenders in the NBA, and he can finish ferociously at the rim. However, he does have a tendency to stay away from contact.
Utah Jazz, Devin Harris
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Devin Harris has fallen down in production since his career year in 2008-09, but he is still very good at getting into the lane and creating offense.
Almost all of Harris' offensive production comes off the pick-and-roll and in isolation situations, so he is almost constantly driving to the lane. Once in the lane, he is pretty good at both scoring and looking out for his teammates on the wings and open for mid-range shots, but he isn't exceptional at either.
Washington Wizards, John Wall
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We saw glimpses of just what John Wall could be in the time he spent on the floor this season. He showed that he can do the basic drive-and-dish that every point guard in the league needs to know how to do these days, but he has done so much more as well.
He is a modern-day point guard who can take over the scoring load when his team needs it, and when he does take over, he does it mainly as a shot-creator off the dribble in isolation situations.
