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You want an old-school PG? Here's one that didn't get drafted. I don't know if he's quick/athletic enough to play in the NBA, but he can flat-ass run the PnR. I started watching him in the NCAA Tourney his freshman year, and he was tough as nails. He would have taken a partially-guaranteed deal, so it wouldn't have cost the Spurs much to have a look at him. He just signed a deal to play summer ball for Toronto, but I think that means he's still fair game for the season. I don't think he'll turn out like Isiah Thomas did at the last pick of the draft, but I do think he could be a damned good backup PG. If this kid doesn't have a place in today's NBA, maybe the old-school PG is a thing of the past anyway.
If you didn't see him play last year, this is from his Draft Express file, and it's pretty accurate:
"A steady hand at the point guard position, VanVleet has shown he can be a coach on the floor by being the conductor of an efficient offense, while averaging a solid 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists per 40 minutes. He never gets sped up with the ball and doesn't get fazed by ball pressure or double teams. He keeps the offense flowing and his 7.03 pure point rating is fourth best among all prospects in our top 100. He doesn't turn the ball over by trying to make highlight reel passes, but he takes care of the ball and has displayed great vision and feel for the game as a creator for his teammates.
VanVleet is a pick and roll maestro, with 58% of his total possessions logged by Synergy Sports Technology derived from him running the pick and roll. He's an expert at using the ball-screen to create space to get inside the arc to make play, often by looking to get his teammates into space to shoot by delivering accurate, on point passes to the roll man, cutters or spot-up shooters. He turns the ball over on just 5.9% of pick and roll possessions and is never rattled no matter what level of pressure the defense throws at him. With the NBA being such a ball-screen heavy offense, VanVleet certainly has the chops to create some points from this play type while he is on the floor."
You're right. But they can make good backups. You need a guy who can just be steady and not lose ground, and who won't collapse under pressure coming off the bench. A lot of bench PG's are flashy, when everything is going their way, but they go to under pressure. That's why they're backups. But what good are they, if you can't depend on them when you need them most?Pass-first PGs are probably the most overrated players in basketball, stylistically, tbh..only "scoring SF" is worse..
