The perception of the conventional NBA point guard has evolved over time.

But from Bob Cousy and Walt Frazier to John Stockton and Jason Kidd, the point guard position always meant the player that could control the game and run the offense.

That all changed when Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook entered the league. Here were two players that attacked the basket with ferocity and were “scoring” point guards.

There were supreme athletes before those two. The likes of Gary Payton and Steve Francis each had tremendous athleticism. But nobody had the explosiveness that Rose and Westbrook both possessed in their prime. The only question is, who was more athletic: peak Rose or peak Westbrook?

Bounce

If we are talking about pure leaping ability, then Russell Westbrook probably had the upper hand. Make no mistake, Derrick Rose could get up. He proved as much with a number of ridiculous dunks during his MVP season:

Rose had the ability to elevate, especially when he jumped off two feet.

But Westbrook's leaping ability is almost unparalleled at the point guard position.

He was initially measured with a 36.5-inch vertical leap, which is a pretty outstanding number to boot, but his game bounce is way higher than that number. Consider Exhibit A, this absurd alley-oop from 2012:

I mean, his head is above the rim. That is simply ridiculous.

Westbrook's explosive leaping ability is what gave him success as a slasher especially earlier in his career. Rose had more success for a different reason.

Body Control

If body control counts as part of your athleticism (and by all accounts, it does), then Derrick Rose wins this round in overwhelming fashion. In fact, Rose had some of the best body control arguably of any player in NBA history at the beginning of the decade.

He could fit into tight windows and bounce off defenders like it was nothing, creating impossible angles and spinning the ball off the glass for tough buckets. Exhibits A & B:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikc-uM_Ekkc

These two plays are impressive for different reasons.

The first is an example of Rose's feel for the defenders as well as his ability to absorb contact and find the glass. In that second play, Rose shields the ball and is still able to twist and contort his body to get away a clean look. Both are tremendous feats of athleticism.

Westbrook could absolutely take contact, but he did not have the same level of composure at his peak.

Speed & Quickness

This is truly a dead heat between the two, especially because both were so good in distinct facets of quickness.

In terms of end-to-end speed, it might be Russell Westbrook. He can fly down the court in a flash because he also has long strides and that famously high motor:

With Rose, it was all about that first step to set up his attack. He could fly too, but his quickness was more evident in the half-court:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51_8pY6F7cs

Look at that. He leaves Toney Douglas in the dust.

If I had to pick who was more athletic between the two, I would pick Rose, because his athleticism was more all-encompassing than Westbrook.