Every NBA team’s greatest point guard of all time

Indiana Pacers — Mark Jackson

1994-2000
8.4 points per game
8.1 assists per game
3.8 rebounds per game

The Indiana Pacers don’t really have the best history at the point guard position. We’re looking at the accomplishments of NBA point guards, so the great run by Freddie Lewis isn’t really counted on this list since most of his contributions were done in the ABA. If they did count, he would be the easy choice here. Outside of Lewis, it’s a rough go at the point guard position. Somehow, we land on Mark Jackson as the best point guard during the Pacers’ time in the NBA.

Mark Jackson was the quintessential team player. He did exactly what the Pacers needed to do to win, and the Pacers won a lot with him leading them down the court. The Pacers made the Eastern Conference Finals four times with Jackson in the backcourt, and they knew he was surrounded by great players who he needed to get the ball. When you’re surrounded by the likes of Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, and the best season out of Jalen Rose, it’s best to make sure you’re the compliment to all that.

Jackson played the point guard position as they did in the years prior to his arrival. He made sure he was getting the ball to the open man with a quickness to make things look great. The Pacers had confidence in Jackson to make sure the Pacers’ offense was moving in the right direction.

Jackson was actually traded in the middle of his tenure in the deal that brought Rose to Indiana, but they traded back for him when the Pacers got off to a slow start. They knew Jackson was a more important part of this team than the stat line showed.