The Top Ranked Point Guards for the 2011 NBA Season

The NBA is currently loaded with talented point guards who are skillful on both ends of the court. The western conference has at least five legitimate point guards who are capable of taking their teams to the postseason. Unlike the Western Conference, the Eastern conference has fewer talented point guards. One talented point guard from the east was able to carry an injury plagued squad to the NBA Finals. Unlike my previous player ranking articles, this one will analyze the top five players who play the point guard position. During the 1990s, the NBA was loaded with talented point guards who were keen on playmaking. Players such as John Stockton, Gary Payton, Mookie Blaylock, and Tim Hardaway were ranked high during the 90s due to their defensive statistics and excellent assist-to-turnover ratios. To view an interesting set of rankings regarding point guards from the 1990s, check out http://nbahoopsonline.com/Articles/90pg10.html.

Starting at number five is Dallas Mavericks all-star Jason Kidd who has played in the NBA for over fifteen years. Kidd has proven that he has enough gas left in the tank to play at a high level. Kidd is still one of the most successful defensive point guards in the league. He still ranks top five in both assists and steals per game which is very impressive for a thirty seven year old point guard. Kidd's leadership abilities helped the Dallas Mavericks rake in over 55 wins last season. The Mavericks became serious championship contenders until the faced the surging San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately, Jason Kidd was the only player on the Mavericks with an aggressive defensive game. For a point guard, Kidd is a very large player. At six foot and four inches tall, Kidd is one of the biggest point guards in the league according to www.nba.com/mavericks/.

The fourth most efficient point guard in the league would be Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets. Paul has shown why he is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to his playmaking abilities. The 3x NBA All-Star immediately made his presence felt right after his very first game in the NBA. The Hornets were seen as playoff contenders for the first time since 2003. Unfortunately, Paul could not lead the Hornets to the postseason for the first time since 2007. Injuries have plagued the superstar this past season, but that does not mean that his value will go down. As always, Paul will look for a way to get back on top. Expect Chris Paul to make some noise this 2011 season by becoming the second best point guard in the league.

As for number three, I had a tough time with because he has played aggressively throughout the 2010 NBA season, but it really all comes down on far you take your team to the postseason. Deron Williams is easily considered as a top three point guard who can outmuscle his opponents any given day. Williams was one of three point guards who averaged over ten assists per game. The great thing about Deron Williams is that his success started early on in his career. After the 2006 season, the Utah Jazz became playoff contenders for four consecutive seasons under Williams as their point guard. He has at least seven successful years ahead of him and will surely lead the Utah Jazz to a fifth consecutive playoff appearance. Williams will face difficult obstacles to get there since the Jazz traded Carlos Boozer to the Chicago Bulls.

Steve Nash has proven that he can still lead a team to the postseason beyond his prime which is why he is ranked second. That is a major achievement for Nash since he turned 36 last March. Ever since Nash joined Phoenix in 2005, the Suns managed to win over three hundred games. Nash has been the NBA leader in the assists category four out of six times since he joined the Suns. Not only did Nash prove he's an excellent playmaker on the court, but he has also shown that he's a terrific scorer in nail biting situations. Now that Amare Stoudemire left Phoenix to play for the New York Knicks, Nash will be facing major obstacles. He will now lead a smaller Suns roster to the postseason once again without a prolific scorer. Nash is expected to be a top five point guard once again, but his value will fall due to his age after next season. Expect Steve Nash to have a higher scoring average next season since his go-to guy has found a new home in New York.

The number one point guard in the NBA may shock some basketball fans, but don't worry, these are not official rankings. The best point guard of the league title belongs to Boston's Rajon Rondo. Rondo has proven that he could withstand pressure from the best teams in the league and he did that by taking the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals. Rondo is extremely young for a very successful point guard at the age of 24. His numbers may be a bit low, but that is because he is teammates with three future Hall of Famers who all average double figures in points. Rondo is the perfect point guard, but his statistics must rise if he wants to become the number one ranked point guard in the entire league. It is worth mentioning that he is an amazing defender with lightening quick speed.

Information regarding Steve Nash was retrieved at http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/player/profile?playerId=592

For more of Chris Paul's statistical data, go to www.nba.com/playefile/chris_paul/.