Steve Nash

The Canadian won back-to-back MVPs in Phoenix by turning the pick-and-roll into a constant probe: he would keep his dribble alive under the basket, circle back out and wait for a defender to break. Amar'e Stoudemire and a crew of shooters became an offence that led the league in scoring. Every modern spread pick-and-roll owes something to what Nash made Mike D'Antoni's system look like.