Who Is The Greatest PG Of All Time?
Throughout NBA History, there have been many people who have played the PG position. Some have been bad, good, or great. But, some stand above the rest. Today, I will be giving my opinion on who is the greatest PG in NBA History.
Throughout the course of NBA History, there have been many people to play the PG position. Some are bad, good, or decent. But, some are remembered as the greatest to ever play the position.
Today, I will be giving my opinion on who is the greatest PG in NBA History.
Candidates:
Magic Johnson
Oscar Robertson
Isiah Thomas
John Stockton
And, the greatest PG of all time (in my opinion), is ……..
Magic Johnson
Now, let me tell you why Magic Johnson is the greatest PG of all time.
Play-Style
During the 70s and 80s, point guard were not built like Magic Johnson. They were supposed to pass the ball, but they were not anything special like Magic Johnson.
Johnson was something else. He was 6 foot 9. He played center in high school. But, Johnson was no center. Johnson used his height to his advantage. He could tower over the defense and make perfect passes to teammates. He was nothing like anybody had ever seen. He had the handles and quickness of a guard, and yet he was tall and strong like a forward.
Johnson brought a new style to Lakers basketball in the 80s. Instead of passing the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all the time, Johnson and the other Lakers would run, run, and run some more. After rebounds, Johnson would run the floor and hit teammates with no-look passes, fake left, go right passes, behind the back and head passes. Any sort of fancy pass, Magic Johnson could do it.
Even in the half-court set, Johnson would drive into the lane and throw bullets to teammates down low. His passes were so quick, that it was tough for teammates to adjust too at first.
But, Johnson proved that he was one of he greatest passers ever, using his height and length to pick apart defense with his beautiful passing ability.
Stats/Consistency
Although Johnson is not remembered as one the best scorer ever, the guy knew how to score the rock. Johnson averaged 19.5 points for his career.
We also knew that Johnson was a master as passing. Over his career he averaged 11.2 assists for his whole career. He also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
Johnson shot 52% from the field for his career and 30% from 3.
Johnson never had a season where he averaged under 16 points, except for the 1995-96 season, if that even counts.
Johnson also never averaged less than 7 assists, except for 1995-96. He also had a streak of 9 seasons where he averaged 10+ assists.
Johnson also averaged more than 1 steal per game, except for 1995-96.
Johnson was also very consistent in the playoffs. In the playoffs, Johnson averaged under 17 points, except for 1995-96. He averaged 12.3 assists in the playoffs as well.
So, Johnson was always very consistent in his career. He rarely ever averaged less than his career averages.
Accolades/Winning
Johnson is one of the most decorated NBA playoffs and athletes ever.
In his career, Johnson won a National Championship with Michigan State in 1979. He won the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Award as well.
He won 5 NBA Championships with the Showtime Lakers in the 80s. He was named Finals MVP 3 times.
Johnson was a 3 time Regular Season MVP as well.
Johnson was selected to 12 All Stars over his career, and he won 2 All-Star MVP’s.
Johnson was selected to the All-NBA First Team 9 times, and the All-NBA 2nd Team once.
Johnson led the league in assists 4 times, and he led the league in steals twice.
Johnson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, and the college basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Johnson was apart of the 1992 ‘Dream Team’, in which he won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics.
Johnson’s #32 is retired by the Lakers.
Along with the accolades, Johnson was a winner. Along with the 5 championships, Johnson won a total of 765 regular season games in his career. His career win/loss is 765-301, which gives him a win% of 0.717 or about 72%.
In the playoffs, Johnson has a record of 128-63, which gives him a win% of 67.
What more do I need to tell you? Johnson was ahead of his time with his elegant passing and athletic gifts. Johnson proved that he was a consistent player throughout his career, in both the playoffs and in the regular season. And, Johnson is one of the most decorated players to ever play the game.
Please leave a comment on if you agree with me or not that Magic Johnson is the greatest PG of all time, and if you disagree, who would your pick be?
