Rick Pitino has seen a lot of basketball.
He clearly loves the sport, or he wouldn't still be coaching St. John's, with the Red Storm coming off their best season in a quarter-century.
And so when Pitino talks ball, people listen.
In his most recent media appearance, Pitino made a bold proclamation: Point guards are dead.
"There are no point guards anymore," Pitino told reporters.
He was asked about Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
"He's 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."
He went on:
"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."
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There's plenty of truth to Pitino's words.
Teams still need leaders on the floor, a floor general, if you will.
But he's right that even the NBA's best "point guards" are looking to score a heck of a lot. Guys like Brunson, or a point-forward like Luka Doncic, or the Hawks' Trae Young? They all get a lot of buckets.
The best basketball players in the world recognize the need to find the open guy, create the best matchup and play winning basketball. Sometimes, that means passing.
But traditional point guards, like Stockton? Pitino is right. They're gone.
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