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Can David Stockton be an NBA Point Guard?

By Ti Windisch

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David Stockton probably won’t see much time in the NBA this season, but I don’t think that provides the answer to the question that this article needs. He’s most likely not going to make the Sacramento Kings roster only because there are three point guards who’re seen as more established than he is at the moment.

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Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison are obviously getting the edge over Stockton, and I bet Seth Curry will too–his shooting numbers are jaw-dropping and despite Curry not being very tall for a point guard (6’2″) he’s still got a solid three inches on Stockton.

Which brings me to the aforementioned question this article will (hopefully) answer–does David Stockton have a career in the NBA as a point guard? The numbers from his D-League stint certainly seem to point to yes.

SeasonGSMPFGAFG%3PA3P%FTAFT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
2014-153830.515.4.4615.8.3984.4.8244.29.42.50.13.43.420.1
Career3830.515.4.4615.8.3984.4.8244.29.42.50.13.43.420.1

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/15/2015.

In just 30 minutes a game Stockton managed to average 20 points, 9.4 assists and 2.5 steals. That’s really good stuff–and also rather reminiscent of David’s father, John Stockton. John averaged 13.1 points, 10.5 assists and 2.2 steals over an astounding 19 NBA seasons.

Of course NBA numbers mean a hell of a lot more than D-League ones, but still. David definitely takes after his father’s game. He’s also a rather good shooter, managing to convert 46.1 percent of his attempts from the field and just under 40 percent from long-range.

So if his statistics are so great, how could Stockton not have a real shot at making it big in the Association? Well, the problem is that he’s just not very big himself.

This isn’t a mathematically proven stat, but I’d guess most point guards find themselves in the 6’1″ to 6’4″ range. Any taller than 6’4″ is a damn tall point guard–any shorter is a noticeably short one.

There aren’t too many short point guards around, and most of the notable exceptions (Isaiah Thomas, Nate Robinson) are relegated to bench positions at least in part due to their height.

There are some shorter guards that have found success starting in the NBA, though. Ty Lawson is the biggest/smallest example of that–the 5’11” point guard has had his share of off-the-court problems in the last year, but he still managed to average 15 points and nearly 10 assists per game last season.

Ty Lawson has made it this far thanks to three skills he shares with David Stockton–capable shooting, great passing and blazing speed. Although Stockton may not look like the fastest guy (yes, because he’s white) he’s certainly no slouch on fast breaks–this highlight clip from a game he had in the D-League last season shows that off.

There are times when Stockton just turns on the jets and blows by everybody on the floor. He’s a unique and interesting player because where most guys with that speed like to use it to score, Stockton almost seems to prefer to make holes for his teammates with his speed.

So maybe it’s not such a lock that he ends up on the Reno Bighorns for another year. I really do believe that there’s something more than just another undersized point guard here–David Stockton has a chance to be the next Ty Lawson, at least on the court. I’m not saying it’s a sure thing, but there’s definitely a chance.

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