Check Point: The three rising point guards in the NBA - voila! sport

Towards the quarter of a regular season, the trend that continues to be the most interesting is that of the change of generations.

The top MVP candidates are all under 30, including some under 25.

The position where the change of generations is especially noticeable is the position of the coordinator.

While Chris Paul, James Harden and Damian Lillard are suffering from injuries, a new generation of point guards is emerging.

After last year's Jah Morant, Dejontae Murray and Darius Garland made a leap and became All-Stars, again this year three centers made a very significant leap, look like players you can build a good team around and have a good chance to participate in the All-Star Game in February (although in the West, As usual, the competition is very tough).

It's time to give them the stage.

The secret to his success in penetration is that he can change pace and direction several times per move.

Gilges Alexander (Photo: Reuters)

Shea Gilges-Alexander (SHA)

Last year the development of the Oklahoma City quarterback seemed to have stalled.

A lot because of his team.

OKC has started a long and extreme building process, years of not trying to win, which is not the right place for a young star to grow up.

It was obvious that GA needed a different kind of energy. So he didn't wait for an outside party and simply found these energies himself. He attacked this season, came to it with the goal of proving that he belongs in the big league. He ranks fifth in the scoring table with 31 points per game, In a good place between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. He scores his points at 50.6 percent from the field and 91.9 percent from the free throw line. These are the numbers of a senior scorer.

At the professional level, he has always been a very complete player, one who is good at everything: his stats are good (guard 1.98 m tall with a 2.11 m limb span), he runs a good game, is a good scorer, guards well at several positions, scores well enough from outside , can function as both a primary and secondary ball carrier.

The question was if there would also be something that he would be excellent at and not just good, the element that would upgrade him to the level of a superstar that teams build around him.

This year it is already clear that this element is the ability to penetrate, an ability that has been upgraded over the years.

In the last three years, Ja ranked first in the league in the amount of penetration per game, this year he is also first in the amount of points he gets from penetrations (16.5). He ranks fourth in the league in points in the paint with 15.5 points per game, ahead of only Yanis, Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis. This means that he is the guard who scores the most points in the paint this year, ahead of Jah and Luca. He is also fourth in the number of free throws with 9.3 per game, another statistic that indicates a player who often gets to the paint and creates an advantage there. Over the years he has included the ability to reach the ring, and this year it can be seriously argued that he is not This falls short of any guard in the league, despite very tough competition.

Ja is not as quick and athletic as Ja, nor does he have the combination of sophistication and strength of Luka. The secret to his success in penetration is that he can change pace and direction several times per move, until he creates the small advantage he needs. Most of his baskets are in the color Look tough, with a close guard, but he's strong enough not to get excited by contact and uses his long arms to finish very effectively in the crowd. Occasionally he'll spice it up with a shot from half distance or three, mostly to make it clear to the guard that you can't ignore his shooting and wait for him in the paint. He looks This year is like a superhero who has learned how to control his special abilities and use them with maximum efficiency. There are more spectacular superheroes around the league, but Shaga's abilities are no less effective.

Now mainly the question of the group remains.

Josh Giddy and Lou Durrett round out a good trio of outfielders, but there is still nothing consistent about the infielders. Alexey Pukoshevsky and rookie Jaylen Williams are showing flashes, but still not steady enough. Maybe if Chet Holmgren wasn't Injured, this was already a competitive team, without him it's still one of the league's underdogs, only this year they have someone who looks like one of the best players in the league. This must be the last year before Sam Presti builds a playoff-worthy roster, including some quality veterans. After his star made a leap stepped up and became an all-star, it would be disrespectful to continue to prevent him from leading a serious team.

Upgrade your shooting from any range.

Thearon Fox (Photo: GettyImages, Thearon W. Henderson)

Diaron Fox

Fox's story, in a way, is the exact opposite of Shaga's. He's always been considered one of the best penetrators in the league, a player with a deadly first step who gets past guards with ease, and once he creates an initial lead he knows how to finish effectively in the paint, thanks in large part to a great floater, or to find a free friend. The problem was that in other areas he did not develop. His outside shooting remained mediocre or below, his defense was one of the weakest in the league and he did not look like a leader, like someone who would know how to lead a team to success.

This year, a significant improvement is evident in most areas that were weak.

First of all, he upgraded his shooting from every range, including the close ranges where he was strong beforehand.

He scores his 24 points per game on 52.6 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from three and 82.3 free throw percentages, all career highs by a significant margin from the previous record.

In a wider division into ranges it is even more impressive, Fox is very efficient from all ranges: he hits 74.2 percent below the basket (compared to 65.1 percent last year), 53.8 percent in the far part of the paint (the floater range, compared to 46.2 last year), in -46.7 percent from half distance (45.6 last year) and 39.3 percent in threes from the arc (30.8 last year).

These are the numbers of a player who will punish the defense in any way it allows him.

Even in defense it is possible to point to an improvement.

Not always and not dramatic, but an improvement.

Diaron is still a weak first line guard, still very easy to pass him, but there are more minutes where he works in defense and focus.

The accumulated experience helps him to make more correct decisions than before, to make fewer gross mistakes, to lead his player to the less good option, to the more difficult shot.

He talks more defensively, especially with Domantas Sabonis who is his main pick n' roll defense partner.

The Kings' defense is still one of the weakest in the league, ranked 26th, but the top five is less bad than expected given the defensive limitations of the senior center and center.

In the minutes Fox plays, the defensive rating is slightly less bad, and for the first time in his career, the players he guards are scoring at slightly lower percentages than expected.

Even in the case of Fox, he cannot be separated from the team in which he stars.

Sacramento is the worst managed team in the league in the last 15 years (and the competition is not easy), and the current version also leaves question marks.

The combination of Fox and Sabonis looks great for episodes, a pick n' roll duo in which both sides know how to create shooting situations for themselves and others, when they are surrounded by three outside shooters that are not easy to deal with.

Of those shooters, Kevin Harter is having a breakout season hitting 3.2 3-pointers per game on 45.1 percent shooting.

But Mike Brown's staff does not have enough players who are able to contribute on both sides to build a truly quality team.

Fox is not the player who will lead and make others better, and it is still difficult to build a decent defense around him.

But this year, more than ever, the feeling is that the limitations of his failed club cannot be brought down on him, this year it is easier to imagine him leading a truly quality team.

Used to exceed expectations.

Halliburton (Photo: Reuters)

Tyrese Halliburton

Until a year ago, Fox and Halliburton shared Sacramento's back line.

The parting in the trade that brought Sabonis to the Kings was good for both of them, but much more for Halliburton, who got the keys to his own team.

Indiana is an unassuming young team, but with a senior coach like Rick Carlisle, a defensive anchor like Myles Turner, a fearless rookie like Benedict Mathurin and a host of versatile players of all types and positions, it may just need a senior quarterback to become a legitimate team. already this year.

Before the start of the season, it was not clear if Halliburton, in his third season in the league and his first as the leading player, was ready to be this senior center, after a month and a half there is no doubt that he is ready, and even surpasses most expectations.

Halliburton is used to exceeding expectations.

He was selected 12th in the draft, and there are at least 9 teams that surely regret giving him up.

From his first moment in the league, he looked more mature than expected and proved that his strange style, with shots from the hip and passes at unexpected angles and timings, translates well to the NBA.

The passing ability is his main quality, he consistently sees one step ahead of the defense, and sometimes sees things that the defense didn't even imagine existed.

He creates more and more free throws for his friends.

And compared to other delivery artists of his type, he is also almost never wrong.

His career average is 7.5 assists per 2.2 turnovers, and this year he has improved to a ratio of 11.2 assists per 2.6 turnovers, numbers by the standards of Chris Paul at his peak.

This week he became the first in history to record three consecutive games of more than 10 assists without a single loss.

One of Halliburton's goals this year was to function more as a scorer, to find more opportunities to take over the game, to bring to light the qualities he has in this area as well.

His most important quality as a scorer is the increase to three-pointers off the dribble, he throws 4.8 such shots this year and hits them at 38.9 percent.

Of the 20 players who shoot at least 4 3-pointers off the dribble in a game, only Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell, Desmond Bain and Tyler Hero shoot at a higher percentage.

He feels less comfortable in the paint, certainly compared to SHA and Fox, he gets to the ring mainly when he recognizes an open lane and rarely squeezes fouls (throws three free throws per game).

It is not certain that Halliburton has the tools to be the leading scorer in a big team, the one who will know how to create something against tough defenses that make automatic substitutions.

But he is only 22 and has time to develop.

In any case, he will have no problem playing next to a dominant scorer, and he would probably also prefer to do so (Indiana hopes that Mathurin will develop into a senior scorer of this type).

He knows how to play without the ball, moves on the three-point line to clear the shot and initiates the attack when the ball reaches him.

He likes to activate other players, create small advantages for them.

In defense he is big enough to maintain three positions, he is a good personal guard and excels especially in the help work, timing his movement and interventions very well on this side as well.

In short, this is a complete and versatile player who will know how to adapt to whatever the team needs from him.

This year he needs to be a senior superstar, so he fits himself for that as well.

• sport

• NBA

Tags

• Shea Gilges Alexander

• Diaron Fox

• Tyrese Halliburton