Byron Scott had been a coach in the NBA for 13 full seasons (being fired midseason in 2004 and 2009), as teams clearly value his playing experience, especially with the Showtime Lakers. Throughout his coaching tenure, he has been fortunate to coach three of the best point guards the league has ever seen, from Jason Kidd, to Chris Paul, to Kyrie Irving. But if Scott had to choose who the ‘most talented' point guard he's ever coached is, it's not any of those three aforementioned Hall of Fame-caliber point guards.
Speaking on his podcast, Byron Scott declared that the most talented point guard he's ever coached is Baron Davis, the explosive scoring point guard whose most memorable achievement in the league was leading the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors to an unbelievable upset against the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in 2007.
“I’ve coached some great point guards in my day. Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving. But, I tell people this a lot. [Baron Davis] was the most talented point guard I’ve ever coached,” Scott said.
Longtime fans of the NBA will not be surprised at how glowingly Scott speaks of Davis, but still, to choose him over Jason Kidd, who literally led the then-New Jersey Nets back in 2002 and 2003 to the NBA Finals during Scott's tenure, or Chris Paul, who led the then-New Orleans Hornets to a 56-26 record in 2008, is very perplexing. This is especially the case after Baron Davis was traded to the Warriors during Scott's debut season with the Hornets for spare parts in Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis.
No one will doubt that Scott is correct in thinking that Baron Davis is a really talented point guard. Davis' career was unfortunately cut short by injuries at age 32, however. Nevertheless, on an objective level, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, and even the mercurial Kyrie Irving have done more in their careers, winning championships and racking up more accolades than Davis.
Still, talent does not equal achievements. Perhaps Baron Davis is another cautionary tale of immense talent whose potential was left unrealized primarily due to injuries, and perhaps Byron Scott has a point. One thing's for sure, if Davis' career wasn't marred by injury problems, he certainly would have left a better legacy in the NBA.
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