The Southeast is a strange division for point guards. First, there is a whole lot of 'em, but none are spectacular. Washington, for example has three: John Wall, Gilbert Arenas and Kirk Hinrich. Yet two of those three don't really deserve to be on this list. Arenas used to be an all-world talent, but hasn't played more than 33 games in a season since 2007 due to injuries and suspension; Hinrich, meanwhile, is solid, but will probably spend more time at shooting guard while Wall learns the point.
The rest of these average guards have one thing in common: due to roster makeup, most of them don't need to be point guards at all, spending most of their time off the ball and spotting up from beyond the arc.
Think about it.
In Atlanta, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford initiate a majority of the offense, and Mike Bibby creates space with his jumper. Jameer Nelson will use the pick-and-roll with Dwight Howard, but is also assigned to sit on the perimeter in case Howard gets double teamed. Even in Charlotte, where Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace like the ball in their hands, DJ Augustin gets many of his points from spot-up jumpers.
This is magnified in Miami; the more time spent with Mario Chalmers dribbling the ball equals less action for the team's two mega-stars, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
A bi-product of the light demand on the Southeast's point guards is that they don't see the court very much when compared to their peers in other divisions. Let's exclude Washington for a minute - Wall has yet to play an NBA game, Arenas spends too much time at the doctor's office and Hinrich is a backup. But between the Magic, Hawks, Bobcats and Heat, not a single starting point guard played more than 30 minutes per game in 2009-10. The only exception is Raymond Felton, who played 33 minutes a night in Charlotte - but he has relocated to New York, thus ineligible for the Southeast's rankings.
This isn't meant to rip any of these players; they are in the NBA for good reason. But rather point out that playmaking responsibility for point guards in the Southeast is much less than everywhere else in the league.
With that being said, these rankings will be short and sweet, and fairly inconclusive.
1. Jameer Nelson, Orlando
Nelson gets the benefit of the doubt over Wall because he has made an All-Star team and is largely credited with keeping a potentially-explosive locker room from crumbling to the ground. Although Orlando has been a recent staple of the postseason, Nelson has dealt with injuries for the past two years.
2. John Wall, Washington
Wall was as good as advertised in the Las Vegas Summer League and is the current frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. With occasional tutelage from Kirk Hinrich and not much talent around him, Wall should have the ball in his hands from day one. He will have every opportunity to be the best in this division.
3. Mike Bibby, Atlanta
The arrival of Jamal Crawford and the Hawks' penchant of running isolation offense through Joe Johnson led to the worst statistical season of Bibby's career. For the first time in his 12 years as a pro, Bibby averaged single-digits in scoring and less than 30 minutes per game. He does shoot with some accuracy, however.
4 and 5. DJ Augustin, Charlotte/Mario Chalmers, Miami
Call it a cop-out, but I couldn't make up my mind; Augustin and Chalmers tie for fourth, or last, depending on how you look at it. For his career, Augustin shoots the 3-pointer at 42%, giving a distinct edge over Chalmers' 34%. With Raymond Felton out of town, more playmaking duties will be given to the Texas alum. He can run the pick-and-roll, but will more often than not use it to finish around the rim.
Chalmers' strong suit is defense. He is speedy and has a nose for the ball, which leads to his 1.2 steals per game. However, with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Mike Miller now in Miami, Chalmers could be in line for a pretty ineffective year offensively. The presence of Carlos Arroyo doesn't help either.
