The Evolution of the Point Guard

I remember the situation clearly; sitting in a boiling hot living room on a summers evening as I managed to gulp down the remaining drops of my sweet peach iced tea. I turned to my Grandfather and asked him a simple question. “Who were the three best point guards of your life time,” I asked. Without hesitation my Grandfather responded, “Walt Frazier, Bob Cousy, and John Stockton.”

Now I don’t know much about these players as I had never experienced watching them live, however through following the game I know what all of these players had in common. They were true point guards. They understood the game like no one else, were unselfish, and acted as the team’s floor general directing the flow of the offense and having the ability to make their teammates better. It did not matter the size, speed or physical ability of these players. What mattered was that they knew how to play the game.

Today, when you look at basketball, the role of the point guard has changed immensely. It now truly does not matter whether a point guard can understand the game, or act as the floor general. Every great point guard today is at least 6 feet tall and has unbelievable athletic ability. When you think about some of the great point guards around the league, such as Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Steph Curry, every point guard is looking to score first and put themselves before others. Despite this, there are glimpses of the old fashioned floor general in today’s modern game when one watches players like Steve Nash, Tony Parker and Chris Paul. These players continue to look for the hot hand or slow down the offense when the other team’s defense is speeding up the tempo or push the ball when the other team has numbers. Things which every point guard should have the ability to do.

               As the game continues to change, the style of the point guard continues to become more about scoring and one’s overall athleticism. The evolution of basketball continues to move away from the John Stocktons, Bob Cousys and Walt Fraziers; People who at one time had a great impact on basketball, and people who basketball will always miss.