The subject of Hall of Famer John Stockton came up this past week. Well, not specifically. But the subject of point guards did.
The story starts in Philly.
It was there, near the court, on Monday, that three men stood after the Nuggets and Sixers had finished playing and were talking about dynamic point guards. Namely, how Philadelphia was in need of one of those, and, eventually breaking down Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray’s chances of developing into one.
That brings us to T.J. McConnell.
He’s described by his head coach, Bret Brown, like this: “He’s tough. He’s team. …He’s blue-collar, all over the place. And so he wears his heart on his sleeve. He does those things that represent energy and hustle and toughness and teammate-ship. I think he’s become a lot more mature point guard.”
And that brings us to John Stockton. No, McConnell is no Stockton. About the only things they have in common is size and a pass-first mentality. Stockton is in the Hall of Fame, he’s one of the 50 Greatest Players in league history, he’s the NBA’s all-time assist leader — and he’d never get a meaningful chance to do any of those things if he came out of college now and played in today’s NBA.
The rules for the type of point guard even considered has changed.
— Six-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo is a point guard.
— Former shooting guard James Harden is a point guard.
— Three-point shooter extraordinaire Stephen Curry is a point guard.
— Hyper-athletic Russell Westbrook is a point guard.
— Tough guy Draymond Green brings the ball up court and plays point guard in big chunks of games.
Point guards come in all shapes and sizes now. But they don’t come like Stockton, who stood all of 6-foot-1 and weighed 175 pounds. Those dimensions barely get anyone playing the position in the door these days. They definitely don’t get you the keys to a team. Ask Demetrius Jackson. Ask Isaiah Caanan. Ask T.J. McConnell, who, no matter what he does in a couple of months will be the Sixers’ third point guard at best when they hand the ball to versatile 6-foot-10 rookie Ben Simmons, the top pick in this year’s draft, to be the point guard.
“The league has changed so much with point guards being able to go for 30 any given night, or average 30, throughout the league now,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who was a point guard himself in the league. “Itap a guard-oriented league and you have to be able to guard your man. Itap hard.”
Positional size is the buzz phrase now. Dynamic is the new heady. Pick-and-roll wizard? Grit? Toughness? They’re not out of style, but they’ve been pushed down the list. Way down, depending on what general manager is calling the shots.
When the next generation of players arrives there is inevitably a question comparing them to a great of the past. But with rare exceptions, the time of the small point guard is generally over. No one will ever be compared to the best passer of all-time because they’ll be tossed aside before their career even truly starts. Eventually thatap going to mean a player who could have blossomed into something special won’t get that chance.
And thatap a shame.
Spotlight on: The Reeling Minnesota Timberwolves
Whatap up: The Minnesota Timberwolves, who were supposed to be one of this season’s most improved teams, have instead struggled, entering the weekend with the third-worst record in the NBA.
Background: Finally, Ricky Rubio, Minnesota’s starting point guard, couldn’t hold his disappointment any longer. Detroitap easy-looking 117-90 victory over the Timberwolves on Friday extended an unexpected miserable start. “We can accept making mistakes and (when we) don’t make shots,” Rubio told reporters after the game. “Playing with no heart, with no desire, it’s just awful. Right now, it’s just bad. And it seems like we didn’t care.”
How surprising is it? The Minnesota Timberwolves were the eighth most-wagered on team to win the NBA title before the season, according to Bovada sportsbook. They started the season tied with Portland, which was in the second round of the playoffs last season, with the 12th-best odds to win the NBA title. Thatap how much most thought of Minnesota, which won just 29 games last season. But now they’re 6-17, haven’t won a home game since Nov. 17, and are staring at a date with the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Dempsey’s take: The combination of last season’s rookie of the year, Karl-Anthony Towns; the high-flying two-time slam dunk champion, Zach LaVine; uber-athletic Andrew Wiggins, and reinvigorated coach Tom Thibodeau was an equation that was supposed to equal wins and the playoffs. But the start has been rough. Keeping it together will be tough. Frustration has already set in, and with young players throughout the team, keeping them bought in to the message is crucial. The Timberwolves are one of the season’s bigger disappointments right now, and there isn’t any obvious light ending this tunnel.
