Picking the best NBA player from each state
By Brad Rowland
California – Gary Payton
As you may expect, California is one of the more loaded states when it comes to NBA talent. making an inherently tough decision even more difficult. Those players include Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Reggie Miller, Reggie Theus, Gail Goodrich, Dennis Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes, Kevin Johnson, and others from years gone by, and that doesn’t even take into account current stars such as Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Love.
Needless to say, this was a tough call, but I’m going with Gary Payton.
“The Glove” holds the distinction as being perhaps the best defensive point guard of all-time, and that is the most significant reason for his inclusion. Payton was named as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1995-1996 while earning nine All-Star nods and nine All-Defense honors, and he ranks fourth on the all-time steal list with 2,445 over a 17-year career.
Offensively, Payton was no slouch, putting up career averages of 16.3 points and 6.7 assists per game, to go along with a nine-year peak in which he averaged 21.4 points and 8.1 assists per contest (from 1995 through 2003). The 6-foot-4 guard is often knocked for his lack of efficiency as a scorer, and that is certainly warranted, but in contrast with Kidd, Allen, Pierce, and Miller, the defensive value pushes Payton’s candidacy over the top.
This pick should generate discussion, but one thing is certain: Gary Payton was a bad man.
Next: Colorado