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The point guard position is, in my mind, the most important in basketball. He is the coach on the floor and is responsible for being a leader at all times. There have been many great point guards throughout the history of the NBA, from Cousy to Isaiah and from Magic to Kidd. I'm going to focus on who the eight best in the League are.

1. Chris Paul- This year's MVP runner-up comes in at #1. This season he averaged 21 points, 12 assists, 3 steals, and 4 rebounds while leading his team to the second seed in the Western Conference. Without him, the Hornets may not have even made the playoffs. Whether it be on a perfect bounce pass to a teammate on a fastbreak or a dump-off to David West off a pick-and-roll, CP3 is the one making it all happen out on the court. He's also a very good defender.

2. Deron Williams- Putting D-Will at #2 was a tough call since there are many point guards that you could make a case for at this spot. However, Williams's poise and leadership is what got him here. This season, he averaged 19 points, 11 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting 40% from deep. He has also been consistent and injury-free. In the postseason, the defense has been cutting off his passing lanes out of the pick-and-roll. This is the reason for his better scoring average and shooting percentages.

3. Steve Nash- Just two years removed from an MVP season, Nash averaged 17 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds. The reason he has fallen from my #1 ranking at the beginning of the year is simple: the young guns (Williams and Paul) have elevated their games while Nash has not. He is also a defensive liability unlike the first two on this list. Nonetheless, he still creates for his teammates and leads the fastbreak like no one else in the NBA.

4. Tony Parker- Last year's Finals MVP seems to step up his play in the playoffs. He is averaging 26 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds in the first two rounds. Not surprisingly, all are better than his regular season numbers. Parker has also been playing very well against my #1 point guard, Chris Paul, in his series with the Hornets. He is vital if San Antonio even wants to come close to repeating as champions.

5. Baron Davis- Davis scored 22 points, dished out 8 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds, and recorded 2 steals per game. For him to not make this list just because his team didn't make the playoffs is ridiculous since the Warriors won 48 games but, surprisingly, missed out on making the postseason. Without him, Golden State would have been much worse off. He is, undoubtedly, one of the most clutch players in the NBA today.

6. Chauncey Billups- He averaged 17 points and 7 assists this season all the while leading his team to the second-best record in the entire league. Billups has been relied upon to take big shot after big shot this season and, although injured right now, has been key in Detroit's postseason success right now.

7. Jason Kidd- Kidd started this season at #2, but has taken a mighty fall after being traded and not putting up the numbers he did the last couple years. At any rate, he still averaged 11 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. He would have been higher had the Mavericks made it out of the first round and had he not been outplayed by Chris Paul.

8. Jose Calderon- Calderon is one of the NBA's most underrated players. He averages 11 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds, and also boasts a very good assist-to-turnover ratio, one of the best in the League. Not to mention he shoots a good percentage: 52% from the field, 43% from long range, and 91% from the line.

Learn more about this author, Pete Mcmullen.
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