New York Knicks point guard Jose Calderon has had a tough start to the 2015-16 season. It has played a hand in where is ranked among the 30 starting point guards in the NBA according to ESPN.
Over at ESPN, they like to release power rankings for just about everything. You can find weekly ones for each sports league, and even some about different jerseys that teams wear. The most recent power ranking that ESPN has released comes from Bradford Doolittle, who breaks down the starting point guards in the NBA 1-30.
This has been a hot topic for the New York Knicks in the early going of the season. Jose Calderon is the starter, and who was ranked by ESPN, but many fans and media alike would like to see a change made. Second year player Langston Galloway or rookie Jerian Grant have brought more to the table thus far this season, yet they remain stuck behind Calderon on the bench.
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There are things Calderon could help the Knicks with, such as running the offense and knocking down three-pointers. Unfortunately, he has been unable to do that, making him a huge liability on the court; he is probably one of the worst defenders in the NBA at the point guard spot on top of it. That has caused many people to clamor for a change, and it would seem that Doolittle would agree.
Of the 30 players that were ranked for this piece, Calderon finished last. You read that correctly; according to Doolittle, Calderon is the worst starting point guard in the NBA. The formula that he uses combines their on-court performance with advanced metrics. The ones he mentions using are wins above replacement player and real plus-minus. Combining all of that, and looking at their season long projections, the list is made.
And that list, it is not a pretty sight if you are a Knicks fan. Despite how poorly he has played, it is hard to imagine Calderon being the worst starting point guard in the NBA, since there are teams like the 76ers that are trying to lose more than they are trying to win. But when looking at the list, it is hard to make an argument to move Calderon up.
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Since this is a list that takes future projections into account, Calderon is behind the eight-ball since he is 34-years old. Of the players ahead of him, a legitimate argument could be made about Calderon being better than No. 29, rookie Raul Neto of the Utah Jazz and No. 27 Isaiah Canaan.
Neto hasn’t shown much yet, as it was a surprise to see Quin Synder name him the starting point guard. Canaan should automatically be last because he has already lost his starting job to T.J. McConnell, as the 76ers made a decision based on basketball talent, not ping pong balls, for seemingly the first time in years.
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For a player the Knicks invested so much into though, and have to pay through next season, this is a huge disappointment. Calderon looks poor this season; what will he look like after another season of wear and tear on his body? The point guard position currently isn’t a nice one to look at for the Knicks, but there is a lot of promise in Galloway and Grant.