Hybrid Point Guards - The Future of the NBA

For years, the most important factors for a quality point guard were his ball handling skills, his court vision, a great all around shot, and speed. These traits are still crucial for today. However, there is a new breed of point guard entering the league. A hybrid point guard combines those aforementioned skills, with power and size. When you mix all these intangibles, you are left with a player that is unguardable.

There have been players in the past and present that possessed most of these traits. Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, has most of these tools, his strongest asset being his ball handling skills. Chris Paul is tough, but is quite short, making it hard for him to see over taller defenders.

In terms of court vision, Jason Kidd is at the top of the list, even though he turns 38 years old tomorrow. He makes passes that most people wouldn’t even dream of making. If you are one of his teammates, you need to be constantly alert because he sees that you are open before you do. Although Kidd has worked tremendously hard on improving his shot, defenders can go under the screen and aren’t too afraid of the outcome.

Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is the best all around shooter when talking about the point guard position. He consistently shoots 50% from the field, over 40% from three-point range, and over 90% from the free throw line. Larry Bird accomplished the 50, 40, and 90 twice. Dirk Nowitzki, Reggie Miller and Mark Price are the only others to have done that. Nash has had four seasons with those lofty percentages.