True PG vs Scoring PG

[Rios15]

Would you rather have a point guard who can rack up on the assist column every night (Nash, Rubio, Kidd, Calderon, Rondo) or a point guard that can rack up on the point total every night (Rose, Westbrook)? In what situations is a scoring point guard better than a true PG and vise-versa?



Obviously Rose distributes the ball a bit but he's still looked at as the Bulls #1 option and they're a good spot with him. But any player that can make their team mates better (a true point guard) can truly benefit a team as a whole.

 

[Amare]

True PG is better, with him you can plug in every other player in the team, also they can score when they need to (rondo,kidd,nash)

 

[ZigZag]

It all depends on the supporting cast... early 2000s Kings ran the ball through C Webb and Divac so they needed scoring PGs. wheras a team like the Celtics really benefits from having a true PG in Rondo

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Agree. I think it depends on who's around the PG. If you have an outstanding scoring SG or SF, then you need a true PG. If you're primarily a team that scores in the paint then you need a scoring PG to stretch the floor and bring a 3pt presence to the offense, or w/e.

 

[elcheato]

I'd probably prefer a guy who looks to score a bit more, but only if he's efficient. If your best scorer is a PG, and he's a great player, you never have to worry about him not getting enough touches and he can easily bail out broken plays

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Most definitely a true PG. Never been a big fan of teams who's #1 guy is far and away their PG.

Not saying their easy to take away, because guys like Rose and Westy prove they aren't, but aside from post players PG's are probably the easiest players to take away.

 

[elcheato]

Not to say this finals is an ends all be all, but Westbrook is a scoring PG and to all intents and purposes LeBron is the PG for the Heat, and he's a scorer first as well.

 

[BwareDWare94]

It definitely depends on the team. Are the players around the true PG going to hit the shots he sets them up for?

 

[footballplaya52]

to me rondo is best of both. He carries that team.

 

[bosoxlover12]

A true PG does nothing if you have a bad supporting cast.


Steve Nash is a great True PG, but he couldnt lead his team to the playoffs. The lack of a scorer hurt them.
Russell Westbrook is a great Scoring PG, and he helped OKC reach the Finals. The lack of a True PG did not hurt them

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Because they have Kevin Durant, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, etc. Using Westbrook in any comparison is a bad idea.

 

[Rios15]

A true PG does nothing if you have a bad supporting cast.


Steve Nash is a great True PG, but he couldnt lead his team to the playoffs. The lack of a scorer hurt them.
Russell Westbrook is a great Scoring PG, and he helped OKC reach the Finals. The lack of a True PG did not hurt them

Do you remember how good the Suns were though? The season before Nash came, they were 29-53 (14th in the west), and then they transferred to at a 62-20 record good for 1st in the west. The West was a tough conference to play in too.

 

[bosoxlover12]

To both Nola and Rios, that is exactly my point.


The Thunder had scorers in KD and Harden, but the addition of another scorer and the lack of a true PG dididnt really hurt them.

The Suns had no scorer, and they didnt do well.


Those are the outsides of the debate. The main idea is if you have scorers, giving them a True PG is good. If you dont have scorers, then you need a scoring PG to succeed. Simple as that.

 

[Rios15]

To both Nola and Rios, that is exactly my point.


The Thunder had scorers in KD and Harden, but the addition of another scorer and the lack of a true PG dididnt really hurt them.

The Suns had no scorer, and they didnt do well.


Those are the outsides of the debate. The main idea is if you have scorers, giving them a True PG is good. If you dont have scorers, then you need a scoring PG to succeed. Simple as that.

A true point guard makes their players better anyway. The Suns may have not gone far in the playoffs but they finished top 2 in the West for like 3 seasons ever since Nash came to the Suns, how did they not do well? You can't say their supporting cast was amazing when they were one of the worst teams in the league before Nash.

 

[bosoxlover12]

They havent won since Amare left.


They were great when they had the Matrix-Amare-Nash trio, thats when they were at the peak. Stat-Marion-Johnson-QRich-Nash. They were dirty because they didnt need Steve to shoot, and let him focus on ball distribution. Now take away all the scorers, and they are screwed, aka since Stat left

 

[RipCity32]

Like a couple have said, depends on the supporting cast and the system they play in.
For instance in Miami, a true PG would be more helpful than a scoring one. Scorer would be better in Charlotte.

Personally, I'd rather have a high volume scorer like the Roses of the NBA.

 

[Rios15]

They havent won since Amare left.


They were great when they had the Matrix-Amare-Nash trio, thats when they were at the peak. Stat-Marion-Johnson-QRich-Nash. They were dirty because they didnt need Steve to shoot, and let him focus on ball distribution. Now take away all the scorers, and they are screwed, aka since Stat left

I see what you're saying. Matrix and Amare are good scorers, but they need a true point guard to be at their best ability. And I totally agree with you that Nash didn't need to shoot, but Phoenix did have good scorers with Nash dishing the ball. That Phoenix team wouldn't be as effective with Rose in my opinion, but I can't say that for sure.