15. Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson was an explosive point guard during his time in the NBA. He began his career in Cleveland, but he was traded midway through his second season and became the best point guard to ever play for Phoenix not named Steve Nash. Johnson was a scoring point guard and was extremely efficient as a scorer. He did not shoot many three pointers, but he had one season where he shot 202 three pointers. His other highest three point attempt season was 57. During the 96-97 season he shot 202 three pointers and shot 44% from three. It seems like it could have been a bigger part of his game, but without the three point shot he was a devastating scorer. He had a great three year stretch from 1988-1991, where he helped the Suns to the Conference Finals twice. During that stretch he put up over 20 points and 10 assists per game, while shooting over 49% from the field. That has been done seven times in the history of the league and three of them were done by Kevin Johnson. The other four were Magic Johnson twice, Oscar Robertson, and Chris Paul. Kevin Johnson was a very good player. Johnson made the All-NBA team five times, including the 2nd team four times. He cracked the top 10 in MVP voting twice. He is often left out of conversations about some of the best point guards to ever play and that is a shame.
14. Rajon Rondo
I wrote an entire article about why Rondo should be here. You can check it out here. Let me be honest with you. When it comes to Rondo I may have a little bit of a bias because I watched so much of his career. The case to me for Rondo is that he made his teammates better. He did not care about scoring and he did what his team needed him to do to win. He played on some great Celtics teams where the players relied heavily on Rondo to get them shots. He may not have the resume that some of the other players on this list have, but he is one of the 20 best.
13. Tony Parker
Tony Parker is a winning point guard. He is not the quickest or the most athletic. He is not the best shooter or the best passer. He is not the best defender, but he is a winner. He contributed in a big way to four championship teams and became the perfect point guard for the San Antonio Spurs. He scored big when they needed it and he showed such improvement in his feel for the game from his rookie season as a 19 year old to being the veteran that he is now. Some will say that Tony Parker was not good, but he just played in a system with Tim Duncan. That is ridiculous. Tony Parker could have put up much better numbers, but his team did not need him to and he wanted to win. It is that simple. Tony Parker is so crafty as a scorer. He shot floaters in the lane, he took layups off of the wrong foot, he somehow would pull spin moves with no space and get the shot up or hit open teammates. He is a great basketball player. He won the 2007 Finals MVP, has finished in the top 10 four times for the MVP award, and has been named to the All-NBA team four times. Parker has had a phenomenal career and will go down as the best French player to ever play and one of the best point guards too.
12. Chauncey Billups
Playing point guard is about leading your team and putting them in positions to win. Chauncey Billups never averaged 20 points per game. He never even averaged 9 assists per game, but he is one of the best point guards to ever play. Chauncey Billups started his career with the Celtics, but only appeared in 50 games before they traded him to Toronto. Billups' career seemed to be that of a point guard that was never going to meet expectations, until he was signed by the Detroit Pistons and united with a group that would have one of the best runs of any team in the history of the league including multiple trips to the Conference Finals and one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals History. Chauncey Billups was the Finals MVP in 2004 as he led the Pistons to an upset of the Kobe and Shaq Lakers. He would have great success with those Pistons teams, but nothing lasts forever and in 2008, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. He would lead the Nuggets to the Conference Finals, the only time they have gone that far in the playoffs. Billups finished in the top 10 in MVP voting twice and made the All-NBA team three times. Billups could have put up better stats, but in the interest of his team he focused on getting them where they needed to be. He is a true point guard.
11. Chris Paul
This is harder for me to write than the ranking for Westbrook. I have a confession, I do not like Chris Paul. As a basketball player, he is the ultimate point guard. He gets to his spots on the floor, is willing to manage the game, and plays some of the best defense that the position has ever seen. But, he always struck me as a dirty player that was willing to do whatever underhanded tactic he could to win and I do not agree with that. It's no wonder that the player willing to do whatever it takes to win, has not won much in his career. Despite his lack of postseason success, there has not been many point guards better than Chris Paul and he will likely move up this list before his time is over. He has had some of the most efficient seasons ever for a point guard and has struck the balance between getting buckets and getting teammates involved. Chris Paul's nickname is the Point God and that may be accurate. Paul should be higher on this list, but I cannot put him in the top 10 because it seems like it may not be fun to play with him and he has been unable to get his teams to the Conference Finals.