Position by Position: Point Guard

To say the summer of 2004 was good to the Phoenix Suns would be a major understatement. The franchise welcomed back All-Star point guard Steve Nash, who’ll be counted on nightly to run the offense and provide veteran leadership to the NBA’s youngest roster a season ago. His addition also makes instant contenders out of the Suns in the Pacific Division. Backing up Nash, Suns Summer League teammates Leandro Barbosa and Yuta Tabuse also look to vie for minutes.

Steve Nash

The Suns were looking for a point guard to take them to the next level, and they got one of the game’s best in the form of Nash. Coming off a season where he posted a career-best 8.8 assists a night, the guard is one of only four players to rank in the top 10 in assists in each of his last three seasons. Nash is also one of the most accurate free-throw and three-point shooters in NBA history. He's averaged 12.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 6.0 apg in eight NBA seasons.

The Suns are also counting on their new playmaker to raise the collective game of his teammates. The Suns got a preview of what to expect from Nash by watching him during informal workouts. The guard impressed fellow players and the coaching staff with both his work ethic and his definition of team play in the form of those laser-accurate passes to set up scoring opportunities.

“I don’t think we can understate the value of Steve Nash and what he brings in terms of leadership on the court, off the court and, more than anything, by example,” assistant coach Phil Weber said. “Teams that win championships have their best player as their hardest worker. You can go down the list… Michael Jordan, Magic, Hakeem, those guys were hard workers, and Steve’s been the consummate professional. There’s a reason he’s the best shooting guard in the league. He just works so hard. The standard he sets for himself is so high, and what we believe that will do will make everyone else raise their level. You can’t say enough about that.”

Referred to as the “quintessential quarterback” by assistant coach Marc Iavaroni and “one of the best creators in the game” by new teammate Amaré Stoudemire, Nash has already established himself as someone who’ll help other players and he will be counted on to do just that in the coming months. Just look at Nash's preseason numbers ( 12 ppg, 6.2 apg ) for a preview of what's to come.

“I don’t have all the answers and I haven’t done it all,” Nash said, “but I think I’ve done quite a bit in the last four years that I can share with these guys. Hopefully for me, I know I can score and I know I can pass, but the biggest thing for me is to just try to make these guys feel good about themselves, and help them become better players.”

Fellow guard Casey Jacobsen added, “With him, everybody on our team is going to get easier shots because he’s on the floor. He’s going to be a leader for us. One thing we lacked last year was an on-court leader. So we’re only going to go up.”

Leandro Barbosa

Leandro Barbosa opened a lot of people’s eyes as a rookie last season. Originally slated to play back-up point guard, the young Brazilian got a mid-season promotion after a January trade sent starter Stephon Marbury to the Knicks. And Barbosa made the most of the opportunity. In his first start, he dropped 27 points on the Bulls en route to finishing the season ranked first in three-point field goal percentage for rookies (.395), second in three pointers made (83) and tied for third in steals per game (1.3).

“He proved he has the physical ability to play in this league,” Iavaroni said. “He proved he’s tough on defense, and he proved that he still has a lot to learn about the game. We understand that and we’re encouraged because he wasn’t used to playing in such a high level, and yet he was able to step in to a high level and hold his own."

For anyone who thought he was being rushed along with taking over at the point last season, the move got the Brazilian a ton of valuable experience. That experience, not to mention his Summer Suns-leading 17.8 ppg and 4.0 in his second Rocky Mountain Revue, makes Leandro the primary candidate to back up Nash this year.

“Leandro is a tough, long-armed three-point shooter who shows a lot of finesse around the basket,” Iavaroni said. “He’s a nice complement to Steve Nash. He really is.”

The youngster averaged 7.1 ppg and 2.1 apg in preseason exhibition play.

Yuta Tabuse

Even though Tabuse has yet to make his pro debut in a regular-season game, anticipation follows the former Japanese league rookie of the year at whatever level he plays. Possibly becoming the NBA’s first Japanese-born player, Tabuse now has the chance to show Suns fans the playmaking skills that convinced the front office to sign the 23-year-old Brigham Young-Hawaii product who went on to average 1.3 assists and rebounds this preseason.

“I liked his energy,” Iavaroni said. “I liked his courage. The kid isn’t the biggest kid in the world, but he doesn’t back down from anybody. He’s willing to put his body on the line. He’s very respectful, very cordial, wanting to do the right thing, very coachable player. Those are the things that stand out to not only me, but a lot of people.”

Tabuse played alongside Barbosa in the Suns' Summer League, where the Suns got a preview of the two sharing the same court in game situations.

“They switched off at point and they also played together,” Iavaroni said. “That gave us a different look. At the Summer League level they were very productive, but we’ll have to see how it all shapes up.”

Tabuse averaged 4.2 points, 2.3 assists and 2.2 boards in nine games for the Summer Suns.

Other Contributors

When injuries mounted for the Suns last season, Joe Johnson got the chance to prove he was a capable backup at the point. Further cementing JJ's ability to effortlessly slide into various positions on the court, look for him to respond when needed at playmaker again in 2004-05.