"There are no point guards anymore, the days of John Stockton are long gone" – Rick Pitino believes we'll never see a player like John Stockton again originally appeared on Basketball Network .
When talking about the 90s NBA, it's often referred to as the era of the greatest centers in basketball history. There were legends before and after, but no era saw so many great big men playing at the same time like the 90s.
Lately, the general consensus is that we had the golden era of point guards in the 2010s, when the league was dominated by the likes of Stephen Curry , Russell Westbrook , Chris Paul , Kyrie Irving , Damian Lillard , Kyle Lowry , John Wall , Derrick Rose , Rajon Rondo , Kemba Walker , among others.
Still, it's hard not to notice that most of those players were more combo guards than classic floor generals like Paul, Rondo, or Wall. Sure, they racked up assists and could create for their teammates, but their primary role was to score the basketball.
From that standpoint, if we're talking about the strongest era of true point guards, maybe we need to take a step back and think again. From the late 80s to early 90s, arguably the three best floor generals in history walked the league. We're talking, of course, about Magic Johnson, John Stockton , and Isiah Thomas. And we shouldn't forget Gary Payton either.
Those guys were true classic point guards, a nearly extinct breed in today's NBA. We've entered the era of positionless basketball, where the best "point guards" are still guys like Steph and Kyrie. We have Jalen Brunson , Ja Morant , Trae Young , LaMelo Ball , Tyrese Maxey , Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , and Tyrese Haliburton among the younger generation.
Decorated basketball coach Rick Pitino gave his take on today's trends, where player skills have become increasingly interchangeable.
"There are no point guards anymore," Pitino told reporters. "He's (Jalen Brunson) a combo-scoring guard," Pitino said. "I don't think he's looking for the assist. I think he's looking to score. And thank God he is. I said this to the team. Who's the point guard of the Knicks, the Lakers, the Celtics, the world champion (Thunder)? Point guard is totally done in basketball. The days of John Stockton are long gone. There are no more point guards. Chris Paul is probably the last one. You've got to play with everybody handling the basketball, five out, and just create good movement."
Pitino is absolutely right. Haliburton and Young have some old-school point guard traits in their game, but they're also dominant scorers, especially Young. In the 2000s, we still had guys like Steve Nash or Jason Kidd, who were true floor generals, while Paul and Rondo were probably the last of that pure breed. The league has simply shifted into an era where traditional positions barely exist anymore.
Pitino noted that "five out" formations are now the standard, as everyone can switch and shoot threes. Half-court basketball is rarely played anymore; everything is built around fast breaks, transition points and pace, not positional basketball. This has led to the perception that U.S. players are no longer as skillfully distinct as before, with most of them sharing a similar skill set. The AAU system is under heavy criticism lately and there's a growing sense that the rest of the world is catching up.
DeMarcus Cousins also touched on why European players are surpassing U.S. talent .
"I think that's why we're starting to see this turn in young basketball compared to Euro basketball," Cousins said . "It's happening. Their young talent is understanding the game better, they're more fundamental, because like you said, over here in our youth league, it's now become business."
It's hard to disagree with Cousins' take. The league has become more predictable than ever. It's mostly dominated by the fastest, strongest, and most athletic players, while guys like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic thrive despite their physical limitations thanks to their tremendous basketball IQ.
It'll be interesting to see how this trend evolves, and whether Pitino's theory that we'll never see another player like Stockton proves to be true. As things stand, it's looking more and more likely. The era of positionless basketball is in full swing.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
