Steve Nash Playing Strengths

Nash is seen as one of the premier point guards in the NBA. He is one of the most creative and intelligent players, averaging double digits in assists while maintaining a low turnover rate. He is a natural floor leader (demonstrated by the fact that his addition was partially responsible for turning the mediocre Phoenix Suns into a contender) and arguably the best fastbreak passer in the NBA. Because of his basketball intelligence, Nash is very effective playing the pick and roll with former Dallas teammate Dirk Nowitzki and later with Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. His ballhandling is superb as seen in the 2005 NBA All-Star Skills Contest, which he won. In addition, he is an excellent shooter as he shoots more then 50% from the field, which is a rare occurance among guards, he is also a top 10 three-point shooter and is the best free throw shooter in NBA history. Nash has also developed into a clutch player, often taking and making the last shot for his team.

Nash's play makes him one of the most challenging point guards to play against. His playing style is unorthodox compared to other modern point guards and he is sometimes referred to as one of the "dying-breed" of pure point men. His old-fashioned mentality of "pass-first-shoot-second" is displayed rarely in the modern NBA. His style is constantly compared to the likes of Jason Kidd, John Stockton, and even Bob Cousy.