The NBA’s 30 best go-to players (#14: Steve Nash)
Who do you want your offense to run through with everything on the line? Counting down 30th to 1st (one per team), I’ve ranked the League’s go-to guys…
*** *** ***
First, for those thinking Amar’e Stoudemire would/should be holding this spot, an explanation for why Nash gets the nod: To ID Phoenix’s go-to guy, I had to go back to the football analogy I often used when the Suns were at their running, gunning, coulda-been-great peak. Shawn Marion was the offensive line, the underappreciated one who made everything run smoothly, who if his game wasn’t on-point, the whole operation could collapse; Amar’e, then and now, is the running back/receiver, a.k.a. the finisher; and Nash is the quarterback. Not some Kyle Orton “Don’t lose the game for us” QB, but a Peyton Manning “Everything here is under my control” signal-caller. The Suns’ offense truly runs through Nash, even if it consistently runs to Amar’e.
Second, let’s get the “He’s a system player” argument out of the way. Yes, Nash is a system player. No, he wouldn’t be as lethal if he played for the slower-moving Blazers or Spurs or Hawks. But this isn’t one of those times where playing hypothetical rounds of putting Nash on another team and in another system applies. On this team, in this system, at this time, Nash gets the job done better than all but select few point guards in the world.
Third, why does Nash belong in the top half of the League’s go-to players? Of anyone already on this list or who will appear later, Nash bears the least resemblance to a “takeover” scorer. While Chris Paul or Deron Williams can and will drop 30 and sometimes 40 points when the situation dictates, that’s not Nash’s game. A scoring explosion for him counts as about 25 points, but he compensates with creating buckets for teammates in crunch time and controlling the tempo of a game better than just about anyone.
Although the Suns missed the playoffs in ‘09, Nash wasn’t as far off from his MVP seasons as some would believe, averaging 15.7 points and 9.7 assists (3rd in the NBA). In a year of transition, Nash was the strongest tie that bound the Suns to the 46 wins they did reach. But with Amar’e gone for half the season, two coaching changes, two philosophy changes, and an early-season roster makeover via the Diaw/Raja/J-Rich trade, it was too much for one lead guard to fix.
This season should be better, or at least less chaotic. Alvin Gentry is in full-time as head coach, and these Suns know they’re running from Day One. Amar’e is back with goggles over his eyes and redemption on his mind. Leandro Barbosa made it through an arduous stretch of his personal life in ‘08-09 and looked like his prime self at the FIBA Americas tournament this summer. As a team, the Suns still have red flags that may add up to another Lottery spot, but their leader still garners that healthy, grown-man kind of fear from opposing coaches and defenders.
The numbers don’t lie in Nash’s case. He is one of the game’s few 50-45-90 shooters. In “clutch time” last season (4th quarter/OT, 5 mins or less left, 5 pts or less margin), he scored 28.2 points per 48 minutes, better than Tim Duncan, Michael Redd, Kevin Martin, Ray Allen and, yes, Amar’e Stoudemire. He also racked up 11.6 assists in the clutch, third behind LeBron and Deron.
Pound-for-pound, considering every aspect of a basketball game, there are about 5-6 point guards I’d personally take ahead of Nash — Paul, Parker, Williams, Rose, Kidd and Billups among them. But in the game’s most critical moments, Nash has fewer peers at his position.
*** *** ***
15. Kevin Durant
16. Gilbert Arenas
17. Derrick Rose
18. Chris Bosh
19. Andre Iguodala
20. Tracy McGrady
21. Baron Davis
22. Michael Redd
23. Devin Harris
24. Kevin Martin
25. Al Jefferson
26. O.J. Mayo
27. Stephen Jackson
28. Nate Robinson
29. Boris Diaw
30. Rip Hamilton
* Follow Austin Burton on Twitter: @AustinatDIMEmag
* Follow Dime on Twitter: @DIMEMag
* Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE
October 8th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Phung says:
Nash is God!
October 8th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Heckler says:
until this guy takes some pride in defense, the suns aint gonna win shit with steve nash. i like naash, i do; but i dont see any team with him on it getting to the finals and winning.
i just dont. think how people talk about steph marbury — in regards to teams getting better when he leaves. have you noticed the same is true about steve nash?
teams get better and go further when they no longer have him. when he first left phoenix to go to dallas, phoenix was better the next two years.
when he left dallas to sign as a FA with phoenix, dallas was immediately better. they went to the finals and then won 67 regular season games (5th BEST ALL TIME!) 2yrs later.
October 8th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Ian says:
nash isnt a system player he is the system. wouldnt mind seein him higher. other than ray allen hes my pick for a last second three.
btw i wouldnt take kidd or rose over nash right now.
October 8th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Chaos says:
Ian, you are right about that. there arent too many players that you can put in that system and they automatically suceed. and when hes not in the game, the offense breaks down because they doint have a backup capable of making it run.
October 8th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Heckler says:
ANY point guard can run that “7 seconds or less” bullshit offense!
hence, you see steve nash, a non athletic , can’t run, can’t jump point guard running it. he is smart, but ANY other smart point guard can run that system.
baron beefy b-diddy davis can run it. devin skinny ass harris can run it. jason slow ass kidd can run it. mike bibby (the bum) can run it. hell, even steph marbury can run it.
what was steve nash before he got into that offensive system?
….i’m waiting…. exactly, he wasnt shit! average to good point guard. nothing more.
he aint make that system. system helped make him. take him off the suns and put him on the pacers and tell me you’ll get the same results
October 8th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
ldawg3323 says:
Does he dish those dopey dimes, or eat the glass???
October 8th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Ian says:
heckler
stop that hate bs
what were the suns before nash when they had kidd and then marbury?? they were shit my friend in comes the non athletic white dude and boom deep playoff runs. dont give me that they didnt win bs because before nash and kidd came in they were getting destroyed in the first round.
if kidd could shoot just half as good as nash he prob bethe best pg ever if marbury could run a team like nash he would be a top ten pg ever. u mentioned nash and marbury in the same sentence thats enough to prove that u r just hating.
the only diff of nash in dallas and nash in phoenix are 2 assists per game if thats an avg pg (17 and
well damn.
October 8th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Ian says:
lol thats 17 and 8
October 8th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
M Intellect says:
You named 6 players better then him dude
October 8th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
ldawg3323 says:
The Suns only went one round deeper with Nash ONCE, than they ever did with Starbury….Every other time, they went 2nd round and thats it, Steph was able to do that, with the same set of players, BUT YOUNGER
October 8th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Rizwan says:
Austin, I’ve lost all respect for you! You cannot name Derrick Rose below Steve Nash then say you would take him over Nash. You mentioned in this system fewer are better(I personally think no one is better than Nash in this system). Big fan of Derrick Rose but who is to say he is gonna be better than Nash was at his peak? He certainly isnt gonna win two MVP’s!
Also Chauncey is second tier PG while Nash is behind only CP3, Deron, and TP. I would take him over J Kidd and Billups right now. Each has differing qualities obviously but for my team, I’d want Nash to run it.
PS: This list is beginning to suck!
October 8th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Ian says:
idawg
check your facts they played back to back wcfs one loss to the spurs the other to dallas and trust me there is a big diff in first round and second round. remember this isnt the mlb more than half the teams in the league make the playoffs the last 2-3 seeds usually arent even that good.
now isnt it better to google shit up before posting marbury missed the playoffs twice in phoenix and made it once as the 8th seed. does that even sound close to what nash did??
kidd did a little better but only made the second round once and that was because duncan didnt play in that first round series?? again cant compare to what nash did.
October 8th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Ian
all truth…I actually agree with you this time lol
@ Heckler - it seems like every couple months I come on dimemag.com and find somebody throwin out that bs about dallas gettin better since Nash was LET GO by the mavs. Please cut the crap. I obviously need to cut and paste this cuz I’m gettin sick of writin it. The dallas team that Nash was on was nowhere as good nor as well coached as the team Avery and Dirk took to the finals. Replacin Nash, Shawn Bradley, and a done Antoine Walker with Stack, Terry, Dampier and a rookie Dev Harris made them team much more versatile and way better defensively. Then factorin in that 2nd year players Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels improved greatly over their rookie years and the installation of Avery Johnson as the head coach gave this squad defensive intensity.
It wasn’t just like Nash left and the team just automatically improved. get your facts straight, review your shit before you keep postin that drivel. I’m a laker fan and I gives a phuck about what Phoenix or Dallas do cuz they can’t even see us, but I’ll step up when I see this bs about Dallas got better by gettin rid of a dude who went on to cop two mvps and damn near a third. When it comes to Nash, haters always throw out that trash about him bein a “system player” No shit. Ever hear of Magic Johnson? Ever hear of Showtime? That was a system. Nobody ever says Magic was only good cuz of the system, but Nash gets a couple mvps and now, he’s a system qb. How about for a 3 year span, he was just the best shootin, best passin point guard in the game? Stall that shit
@ Rizwan - list suckin for you cuz you missin the point.
It’s not who’s got the brighter future or even who you’d want runnin your squad, it’s who’s the best of the go-to-guys and nobody in their right mind would ever pick Rose over Nash at crunchtime, but if I was startin a squad, ain’t no way I’m takin a 35 yr old over a 21 year old…
October 8th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Rizwan says:
@ K Dizzle
I get the point of the list. The point I was making was that this wasnt a list about the future. You cant make a statement that Rose is better, implying now and then have ranked lower then the player that he was supposed to better then! Obviously Rose is a talent.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Ian says:
actually lakeshow we agree a lot when we are not talking spurs/lakers.
and you are right how did dallas get better?? they stayed if anything kinda the same and they needed like 5 GOOD players to replace nash and finley. wasnt amare out the second time nash got them to the conference finals and went crazy on the mavs. how many guys can carry teams without their second best player that far?
October 8th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
arisloco says:
Why is Nash being hated so much? Yes, he doesn’t do well on defense. But we’re talking about go-to-players right here, and not the future. How could you compare Nash’s shooting compared to D-Rose, D-Will, TP, CP3, and other point guards right now? Even after winning 2 straight MVP’s and almost the 3rd one, he still doesn’t get the respect he deserves. So much hatin’ happening here. Let’s just concentrate on his strong points and not his weaknesses. We are here to compliment the article and not hate the player it talks about.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
arisloco says:
And are we talking about the go-to-players only on crunch time or the whole game long?
October 8th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Ian says:
arisloco
hes great the whole game and great in crunch time.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Rizwan says:
@ arisloco and ian
the voices of reason!!!
Someone understands the value of Steve Nash.
October 8th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Da_Griff says:
Heckler, what’s your problem?
Starbury tried and failed to run D’Antoni’s offence and got his ass traded. Hell, Steph is barely able to run a webcam let alone a fast break offence that requires passing to make it work.
Baron is not capable of learning lots of complex plays. He can’t run that offence.
Kidd can’t run that offense any more.
Bibby can’t, and couldn’t be a pass first PG if he tried and neither can Devin Harris.
Stop drinking the Mav’s coolaide and come back down to earth.
Nash is one of the few good pass first PG’s in the league. They are a dying breed. Enjoy his last three seasons. He’ll be gone soon.
October 9th, 2009 at 12:08 am
watchingandhi says:
1. Let’s get real. Steve Nash is the best shooter of the past decade, hands down. Canada’s finest is the only player in the league that consistently posts 90-50-40 over the course of an entire season. Ray doesn’t do that, Peja didn’t do that. No one does that. So, he’s the best shooter of the 21st century. If you need a three, or need someone to knock down clutch freebies (not exactly uncommon at the end of a game) there’s no one better.
2. He will not turn the ball over or do something stupid.
3. He does not have an ego about taking the “hero” shot. A contested pull-up two-pointer is the lowest percentage shot in basketball, but for some reason, many of the league’s best players (Kobe, Lebron, even Pierce) will take the least efficient shot if the game’s on the line or if they’re trying to make up a deficit. Nash will never do that.
Yes he’s ancient, but this position is totally justified.
October 9th, 2009 at 4:02 am
dagwaller says:
Frankly, I’m surprised Nash isn’t higher up on this list. For all the reasons watchingandhi listed.
October 9th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
SagJism says:
GTFOH with the BS, Nash aint shiyat, he cant check no one and he cant win unless he got some thorobred to throw the ball 2, any point in the league can do what he does. must be that AB BS again, next you will have him and LBJ as the only thing that kept the NBA going. LOL fool.
October 10th, 2009 at 2:31 am
skywarp says:
yea why isnt nash a little higher i mean nash defence sucks but where talking about offense here right?.. if any1 can remembered that bloody nash where he went a little lights out
October 10th, 2009 at 10:31 am
doc says:
Nash belongs here most def to me.I dont know what yall been watching since like 03 but he been holding the fort down in Phoenix.He dont got good d but he tries and he wins games.Thats a good go to guy.Only reason they fell off was that cheap ass owner who was selling first round picks like crackrocks.I’ll take D Rose over him too if Im starting a team because of his CEILING.But he got a lot to learn to be on a vet like Nash level for a full 82 plus whatever.That dont mean he wont embarrass Nash when they play eachother either though.