Total Point Guard Power Rankings: Chris Paul stays on top

Anthony Brown — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 18:04:29 +0000

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Every two weeks, we rank the top 10 point guards using the Total Point Guard Rating. These rankings include the last two weeks of games through Saturday night:

Rank	Prev	Player	Pts	Ast	Reb	Stl	To	DRtg	Win Shares	TPGR	Change
1	1	Chris Paul	15.8	9.8	4.3	2.5	1.8	94	0.292	37.22	0
		CP3 has been dominant this year and hasn’t lost since the last rankings.
2	3	Russell Westbrook	21.2	10.2	5.2	2.2	3.4	105	0.177	32.74	+1
		Westbrook is doing his part on the team with the best record in the NBA.
3	N/A	Jose Calderon	14.2	10.7	4.7	1.2	2.0	106	0.135	29.91	+8
		Calderon’s play has left some questioning Kyle Lowry’s future role with the team.
4	5	Tony Parker	20.6	6.9	3.7	0.7	1.7	111	0.203	27.25	+1
		Parker is scoring and taking care of the ball, which is always a good combination.
5	9	George Hill	16.1	5.4	6.3	1.3	2.0	93	0.165	26.83	+4
		Hill’s rebounds and defensive rating stand out as he climbs four spots.
6	4	Rajon Rondo	14.8	10.7	4.8	2.2	4.7	106	0.139	25.57	-2
		Rondo’s turnovers are holding him and the Celtics back
7	N/A	Damian Lillard	18.2	6.6	3.8	0.6	2.0	104	0.115	24.91	+4
		The rookie continues to impress and has lowered his turnovers over the past two weeks.
8	2	Stephen Curry	21.4	6.3	5.4	1.4	3.3	109	0.148	23.90	-6
		Curry hangs on in the top ten after his surprise number two ranking last time.
9	N/A	Greivis Vasquez	13.1	8.9	5.3	0.8	3.0	110	0.154	23.09	+2
		Nearly nine assists per game over the past two weeks gets Vasquez into the rankings.
10T	N/A	Goran Dragic	13.6	7.2	2.6	0.8	1.6	108	0.142	22.90	+1
		Dragic has had a nice couple of weeks, but not enough to help the struggling Suns.
10T	N/A	Jeremy Lin	16.4	6.7	3.4	1.6	2.6	103	0.084	22.90	+1
		Lin and James Harden are keeping the Rockets relevant.

Jeremy Lin, James Harden push Houston Rockets over New York Knicks in finale of Linsanity

Raj Prashad — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:32:17 +0000

Dec. 17, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) and point guard Jeremy Lin (7) on the court against the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Lin hasn’t been quite the player he was expected to be when he signed a $25 million deal with the Houston Rockets to be the main feature.

But Monday night, when Lin returned to Madison Square Garden, where “Linsanity” was born just one season ago, Lin and his new running mate, James Harden, showed up on one of the biggest stages in professional basketball.

For only the second time this season, both Lin and Harden scored at least 20 points each, as Harden dropped in a team-high 28 points to Lin’s 21 on the night as the Rockets ran past the New York Knicks, 109-96.

On a night where Carmelo Anthony didn’t play for the Knicks, it was Lin who took center stage for what could be considered the swan song of Linsanity.

After averaging 19 points and eight assists per 36 minutes last season, Lin is down to just 12 points and six assists per 36 this year.

He still can’t go to his left and is a shoot-first, pass-second point guard stuck in a system with Harden, who needs the ball in his hands to create. The only night Harden hasn’t appeared in the lineup, Lin dropped 38 in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs, leading many to speculate on whether or not he’d succeed off the bench.

For one night, though, it was Lin who showed his former team, and fans, that he can still get it done.

King James Gospel » Jeremy Lin

Total Point Guard Power Rankings: Chris Paul stays on top

Jeremy Lin, James Harden push Houston Rockets over New York Knicks in finale of Linsanity