The Greatest NBA Point Guard of All Time: Steve Nash

I am not old enough to have witnessed some of the past great point guard talents in the NBA. I have not had the privilege of seeing the Oscar Robersons, the Bob Cousys, or the Walt Fraizers of the NBA. I have, however, seen the Magic Johnsons, the John Stocktons, the Gary Paytons, the Jason Kidds, and the Steve Nashs of the NBA. As a result, I can testify that Steve Nash is the greatest point guard of all time in the post-1980s era of the NBA.

Ever since the tiny little age of seven, I could remember idolizing many great NBA point guards. Magic Johnson was my idol then. I saw him play at the old Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California towards the end of his career on several occasions. Then it was Jason Kidd. I made sure I always had tickets to the Suns versus Lakers and Suns versus Clippers games at the Great Western Forum, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, and later the Staples Center when it opened in 1999 - all to witness Jason Kidd of the Phoenix Suns come to Los Angeles and face the hometeam. The hometeam that I seldom rooted for. Inside these venues, I had also seen Gary Payton and John Stockton.

None of these players, however, can be juxtaposed with Steve Nash nor can they ever compare. Comparing Steve Nash with any one of these players would therefore be an insult to his accomplishments and style of play.

Let's run down the numbers for the top point guards of the post-1980s. The dry and boring stuff. These numbers are rounded and are per game averages spanning the entire career of the player. Magic Johnson: 19 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds. John Stockton: 13 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds. Jason Kidd: 14 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds. Gary Payton: 16 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds. And finally, Steve Nash: 14 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds.

Now the number of NBA championship titles owned by each player: Magic Johnson, 5. John Stockton, 0. Jason Kidd, 0. Gary Payton, 1 (although it can be argued that Gary Payton was merely a backup bench player with severely decreased playing time averaging only 7 points and 3 assists per game when he won the championship in 2006. He was not the focus - offensively nor defensively - on the team). And finally, Steve Nash, 0.

Clearly, if we were to go by statistics and number of championships won, Magic Johnson would win by default. However, the argument runs deeper than sheer statistics.

Taking in account the serviceability and value-status of the player for his team, Steve Nash wins by a long shot and thus why he is the greatest point guard in the NBA. Add to this, Magic Johnson and John Stockton are already retired, while Gary Payton and Jason Kidd, aged 38 and 34 respectively, are towards the last stint in their careers as their numbers are not getting any higher and their productiveness is diminishing.

Meanwhile Nash, who recently turned 33, has another five years under his belt considering he takes care of his body in the most meticulous way possible - far different than anybody else in the league. From his pre-game routines, his stretch exercises, and even the way he lies on the floor rather than sitting on the bench when not in the game because of a certain chronic back problem, Steve Nash has become on of the most conditioned and enduring athletes in all of sports. Steve Kerr, a former NBA player was quoted saying, "Nash does everything so differently from anybody in the league that you can't duplicate the style of play." It is this reason that will allow Nash to add several more years to his career, more than Magic, Kidd, Payton, and Stockton and thus allowing himself a chance to raise his statistics and chances of winning a championship.

But, as mentioned, statistics are a weak indication because there are some intangibles which cannot be numerically stored on the box score each night. For beginners, Steve Nash is a great humble speaker. He is a leader. Even when not playing because of injury, he is quick to point out any flaws the team may have during the game. Nash's sheer presence in itself is a great deal of help to his teammates. It is no surprise as to why Steve Nash won two Most Valuable Player awards back to back for 2005 and 2006.

Which brings us to the main point: Nash is only the second point guard, along with Magic Johnson, to win the MVP award multiple times. One more MVP award would place him in the category for which only the Hall Of Famers can brag about. Three MVPs in a row is unheard of - especially for a mere 6 foot 3 tiny little point guard in a land of giant professional basketball seven footers. One more MVP award would prove the value that Nash is to his team - and this MVP is quite possible for 2007 considering he is again currently the best player in the NBA.

If you have not been sold on Nash being the most valuable to his team, let's note that the season before Nash arrived in 2004, the Suns recorded a 29-53 win-loss record and failed to make the playoffs. With the team virtually unchanged, the Suns signed Steve Nash for the 2005 season and had an NBA-best 62-20 record (a 33-win improvement from the previous season) and a points per game average of 110.4, the highest in a decade. Furthermore, all Steve Nash-led teams in the past 7 seasons (playing with Dallas and later with Phoenix) have recorded highest points per game/ per team averages. Clearly Nash is the greatest catalyst the league has ever seen - far more superb than the current players in Kidd and Payton.

Finally, and arguably most importantly, one must note that Steve Nash's statistical numbers have been growing higher as he ages. It can be argued that the older he gets, the better he plays. Each of the past three seasons have seen a tremendous hike in numbers - numbers that rival Magic Johnson's younger days - as Steve Nash is setting career highs in points, assists, and rebounds. Each of the past three seasons he is averaging more minutes than ever. And they said Nash was aging. So much for that nonsense.

The bottom line is that Steve Nash takes the old "makes players around him better" adage of a point guard to a whole new dimension. Nash the ability to make entire teams play better. He has the ability to have the team adjust to his style of play - a style of play that has revolutionized professional basketball in the past three years with the so-called Run-N-Gun style offense of extreme speed, open court spacing with players positioned along the three point line, and the sharing of the ball.
Steve Nash is the greatest point guard in the post-1980s NBA - and another MVP award and possible championship will reinforce this conclusion.