Is John Wall the best two-way point guard in the NBA?

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(Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

John Wall has taken the league by storm ever since he came into the league in 2010 as the no. 1 overall pick out of Kentucky. John Wall has climbed a legitimate ladder of career success in his seven NBA seasons.

Wall has shown us that with his combination of athleticism, speed, and agility, he can get by virtually anyone who is in front of him. With this stellar ability to drive to the basket, it creates the opportunity for him to dish to other teammates in passing lanes. His career average of assists per game sits at 9.2 with a career offensive rating of 104 (via Basketball Reference). In turn, it shows his ability to be the main scoring option, while creating for others is where he is strongest.

Wall was working out with fellow Eastern Conference member LeBron James at the Univ. of Miami and was confident in saying that he has all of the abilities of a two-way point guard.

He believes he is “the best two-way point guard in the league”.

John Wall has easily been one of the league’s top point guards. But it is tough to say that he is the best two-way point guard with his offensive game not being as complete as others. His limited shooting range is something he’s been looking to improve since he entered the league. Considered a streaky shooter to some, he has only averaged 32.1% from three point land in his career. With his highest being a solid 35%, his consistency there has to improve. At the same token, he had his best statistical offensive year averaging 23 points and almost 11 assists.

Check out our highlights of John Wall from the 2016-17 season:

Some will say that he lacked on defense last year, but he sacrificed so much on the offensive side of the ball, that his defense was bound to lack slightly. John Wall’s Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) was .2 meaning he was .2 points better than an average player over 100 possessions.

With Wall’s comments raising the question as to who is the best two-way point guard, here are some other options to consider:

Chris Paul

(Photo by: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

With Paul now being on the Rockets, you can expect some of his offensive production to decrease, but last year he produced an offensive rating of a staggering 126 and a defensive rating of 106 per 100 possessions. His Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) was a 1.1, so he definitively has excelled more than Wall in that category. It will be interesting to see how Paul’s stack up to Wall’s this season because Paul will have a better player by his side in James Harden, but less overall scoring options.

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

It would be so hard not to mention Westbrook in this best two-way point guard discussion. He had the best statistical season in NBA history last year, averaging a triple-double for the season. No more needs to be said there. What people did not really take into account is how much effort he was giving on the defensive side of the ball. He averaged a DBPM of 4.7 and was top 5 in steals, which is at an All-NBA level. To just give some context, he did not average over 2.4 coming into this past season. It is a great argument between him and Wall. When it comes to on-ball defense, it may lean towards Wall.

Kyle Lowry

(Photo by: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)

Kyle Lowry is a very solid option when it comes to a two-way point guard. Last year he had an Offensive Rating of 123 per 100 possessions with a Defensive Rating of 109 per 100 possessions. He had his best statistical season for Toronto last year averaging 22 points and 7 assists. With his ability to create, shoot at consistent outside shot (41% from three in ’16-’17), and lock down, he has shown his abilities on both ends of the floor.

We can only see what happens this season to find out who is really the best two-way option at point guard. Until then, you have to love the confidence in Wall leading into the season.

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