NBA / Sep 11, 2009 / 11:59 am

John Stockton Is The Best Point Guard Of All Time

By

John Stockton

Today, John Stockton receives the highest individual honor a basketball player can get: an induction in the Basketball Hall of Fame. As a Jazz fan growing up, I couldn’t be happier. For 19 years, Stockton gave our boring and bland town something to get excited about. He was a huge reason why the Jazz were a playoff team every year and why they made it to the finals twice. It is almost impossible to be from our neck of the woods and not give him Pope-type status.

To myself and Utah fans, he is the greatest point guard of all time. But even if I wasn’t biased and was a kid that grew up in Florida, I would still say Stockton is deserving of being labeled the best floor general in NBA history. While a lot of you I’m sure will disagree and argue that Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas and even Steve Nash are worthy of this subjective title, but I think that Stockton’s body of work puts him over those guys.

In nearly two decades of running the point for Utah, Stockton averaged a double-double with 13.1 ppg and 10.5 assists. Think how impressive those career averages are considering he played sparingly his first few seasons and was limited to around 30 minutes per game his last five or six seasons. Stockton was one of the most efficient players of all time with his 52 percent career field goal percentage, 38.4 percent three-point percentage and 82.6 percent free throw percentage.

On the offensive end, nobody was a better passer. Stockton is the all-time leader in assists with 15,806 – that’s over 5,000 more than Magic’s total of 10,141. In the 1989-’90 season, he averaged 14.5 assists, which was the highest single season total in league history. Stockton was a 10-time all-star, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time All NBA first team and was voted one of the 50 Greatest NBA Players of all time in 1997.

As great of a player Magic was, he wasn’t a good defender like Stockton was. Stockton is the game’s all-time leader in steals and was voted on the All Defensive second team six times. Whether you thought he was dirty or not, he was aggressive on the defensive end and didn’t back down from anybody, even though he was just 6-1 and 175 pounds.

The one knock on Stockton was he never won a championship. Isiah won two and Magic won five, but that doesn’t mean they could do what Stockton did year after year. Stockton made the playoffs in all of his 19 seasons and reached the finals twice only to lose both times to the MJ’s Bulls – which arguably was the best team of all time.

Stockton’s longevity and consistency is something that no other point guard can match. He was not 6-9, didn’t have much athletic ability or the same caliber supporting casts as Magic and Isiah, but he found a way to get it done. Nobody could do and will ever do what John Stockton accomplished.

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  • johnsacrimoni

    @jon,
    your argument is weak.

  • jtt-esq

    Magic is #1 by far. For the question of who could Magic stay in fron of today because of the speed, Magic played against the following players that were not slow on a nightly basis. Isaiah, Gus Williams, Kevin Johnson, Maurice Cheeks, Stockton, MichaelRay Richardson, Terry Porter, “Fast” Eddie Johnson, Larry Drew, Allan LeavellMark Price, Norm Nixon and Fat Lever. As for those ragging on Isaiah, Isaiah used to take over games, something Stockton could not do. In head to head match ups Isaiah used to destroy Stockton. In 84-85 Isaiah led the league in assists while averaging 21.2 ppg. (Stockton never averaged 20ppg for a season in his entire career.) As for supporting casts, for the majority of his career Stockton had a great shooting guard, (D. Griffith, J. Malone, J. Hornacheck) the best low post scoring forward in the game,(the Mailman)a complimentary rebounding and scoring forward on the other wing (Thurl Bailey, Donyell Marshall) a shot blocking rebounding center (Eaton) and a half court ofensive system designed to exploit the talents of a point guard.(Ricky Green piled up the assists in the same system before Stockton.) He should have impressive assists totals

  • don cannon

    i was readin the comment and it seems like doc and jtt-esq are the only ppl who know bout basketball

  • http://allthatjazzbasketball.blogspot.com/ Amar

    @jtt-esq uh . . . i love you dropping names, but did you know that norm nixon was a laker who essentially shut it down when being traded from them when Magic joined the league? or that “Fast” Eddie Johnson was a wing player who was called “Fast” because of his shot release — and not because he was like Usain Bolt?

    Also stockton did take over games — maybe you should rewatch that game 6 vs. houston — the entire 4th quarter is on youtube. stockton did everything in that close out game (on the road), but all people remember is his last shot.

    Does that make Stockton better than Zeke? They were different players with different mentalities. Both were on strong playoff teams. Isiah and his pistons peaked high and burned away quickly. John’s Jazz never got that high, but were more consistent teams for a way longer period.

    I don’t know why people are arguing about this . . . it’s:

    1. Magic
    2. Nate /Oscar
    4. Isiah / John

    That’s top 5.

    Cousy is 6. Kidd / Nash / Payton are all good, but not quite as good as the rest of those guys. (Kidd’s triple doubles are nice, but he’s a highly inefficient shooter . . .)

  • http://allthatjazzbasketball.blogspot.com/ Amar

    Larry Drew was also a laker . . . michael adams was faster than michael ray, btw, derek harper was a major opponent of magic, but also was not faster than him, etc.

    Magic played against a lot of solid PGs — no doubt. And he owned most all of them nightly. Let’s not forget that a young, non-HIV+ magic was one of the more fit guys in the L. sure, he wasn’t as fast as those little water bugs, but he wasn’t slow either.

  • Jon

    2jonsacrimini 1st off u must not b a real player jus an opionist b-cause u dont hav 2 throw facts out der i talk 2 men old enuff 2 b my dad dat played wen jon stockton was a rookie and real player would know dat wat i said holds wait jus because aint kno talk about stats or rings in it doesbt make it weak

  • Spencers Mom

    Magic, Stock, O are the three names that keep popping up with Zeke slightly trailing. Frankly I dont think any of the three are wrong because they were all in different circumstances. ‘O’ was assaulted every game when fouls were ‘no blood no foul’ era. He had immense stats across the board but virtually no support until Skyhook. Magic had some outstanding team mates that anyone would drool over and he got the rings as well as his own game. Stockton to Malone, but really no one else. There are very few individuals that stand above the rest like Air does. My only point is that all three deserve our respect for what they did on the wood.

  • Mellmeister

    @jon
    Stupid ass comment of yours doesn’t make sense, infact you shouldn’t be writing anything… ‘coz YOU DON’T KNOW CRAP.

    Stats or whateva, greatest PG, Earvin “Magic” Johnson…
    Individual Accolades is one plus Team Success in playing PG for his respective team is already a statement…
    I am not a laker fan but I was a Fan of his game. Some of y’all maybe right in saying that He can be effective in any position he played… but what’s being discussed was being a pure point, he may have played center, he may have played power forward, even small forward or shooting guard, but he flourished as a Point Guard, and is the BEST on that position.

    Stockton was Great and is 3rd on my list, because Jason Kidd comes in mind at 2nd. but isiah? he was a PG on their roster, but wasn’t really a true PG, he’s more of an allen iverson type player, score first. he could’ve played 2 for crying out loud.

    The discussion about Magic playing other positions, and could’ve been like LBJ, who could post as a SF… yeah that’s true, but he chose to play point, ‘coz he’s good at it and won games by means of getting his team involved. not that i’m sayin’ LBJ doesn’t but he also tried playing point back in his rookie season ‘coz he said that fits him… but what happened? he shifted to the position where he fits the most (SF). and he chose it, same as what magic did. so don’t blame him for being 6’9… blame yo momma ‘coz of ya mentality.

    i’m out like isiah from NY.

  • http://www.utjazzblog.com Clint

    Stockton was amazing, and I believe he was the best PG ever. I don’t pretend to be unbiased as a huge Jazz fan and former season ticket holder, but there will never be another player like Stock. I wrote an article with my thoughts on the subject in my Utah Jazz Blog.

  • Geoff

    No way. In fact, his lack of a Championship is a huge stain on his legacy. Thomas had a better cast? How?! He had Malone who is at worst the 2nd best PF of all time. He never averaged 20-10 in a season, and steals alone do not make you a good defender. Don’t get me wrong, he is my favourite player for his approach to the game and his conduct. He played at the same time as Isiah. His longevity is something to be admired, but Magic got cut short due to AIDS, not lack of skill.
    My Top PGs
    1. Johnson
    2. Robertson
    3. Thomas
    4. Stockton
    5. Frazier

  • AVeezie

    hey Id take Stock on my team anyday

  • Matt

    @mellmeister;

    How can you put J-Kidd at second? I’m just curios to your reasoning behind that.

  • Caderade

    Sure, it’s true that Magic’s career was cut short by HIV, but you also have to take into account that Stockton played a full four years in college and came off the bench his first three years in Utah. If he had been starting in the NBA that whole time, he could have easily broken 20,000 career assists. Bottom line, Magic was a better player, Stockton was the best PG of all time.

  • Gary

    The argument is 100% ridiculous. So does point guard just mean passing? If that is the case and if both would have played the same amount of years then Magic would still have more or at the worst be extremely close. Magic also attempted 4 more shots a game than Stockton, and yet Magic still had a higher assist per game average than Stockton. So Magic averaged more per game on a no question more talented team but that also makes it harder to score on that type of team and Magic averaged almost 6 points more per game and was clearly the better rebounder.
    Stock has the edge in steels but not by much Stock 2.1 magic 1.9. Not bad for a guy 6’8. Magic’s playoff per game stats compared to regular season were better while Stockton’s overall stats actually diminished a bit. Magic had a better free throw % and field goal %.

    If the stats don’t say then you have to go to rings. Magic 5, Stockton 0.

  • Dblack

    I’m sorry but for anyone who thinks magic is above Stockton as the best POINT GUARD of all time has to realize that magic isn’t even in the conversation because he is not a TRUE POINT GUARD magic by basketball definiton is a “swingman” if your going to say magic is the best you would then have to consider LeBron just because he averages high assists really come one readers get real Stockton is the best statistically point guard of all time and a true point guard at that I’m Seventeen and could rationally figure this one out easier than most of you

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