2018 Basketball Hall of Fame: Steve Nash's influence on the current generation of point guards

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In honour of Steve Nash being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, we're rolling out Nash Week! Each day we'll be celebrating his finest moments and looking back at what makes him one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game.

Today, we're taking a look at Nash's impact on the current generation of point guards.

Even though it's been three years since he called it quits, Steve Nash's imprint is still all over the NBA. Whether it's a veteran like Chris Paul or an up-and-comer like Trae Young, some of the best point guards in the league have modeled their game after or borrowed a thing or two from the greatest basketball player to ever emerge from Canada.

Not convinced? Just check out what they've all had to say about the Hall of Famer in recent years...

Chris Paul — No. 4 pick in 2005 NBA Draft

"I couldn't sleep the night before [my first game against Nash]," Paul told James Corden in 2017. "This was the pinnacle of point guards. I remember, for me, we played in Baton Rouge because the hurricane had hit — I was in New Orleans at the time — and I couldn't sleep the night before the game because I wanted to kill him because he was how you measure yourself."

Kyle Lowry — 26th pick in the 2006 Draft

"[Nash] changed the game to what the game is now with the uptempo and keeping your dribble alive," Lowry told reporters in 2018. "He wasn't as athletic, but he could get around you and he knew once he got in the paint, he got everybody collapsing, he could kick it out."

James Harden — No. 3 pick in 2009 NBA Draft

"I got a little bit of Nash in me," Harden told ESPN in 2016. "He had his own pace to the game; that's what I took out of that. You could never speed him up, you could never make him do anything he didn't want to do. That's what separated him from any other point guard at the time, which led to two MVPs."

Stephen Curry — No. 7 pick in 2009 NBA Draft

"Steve Nash and Reggie Miller were my two favorite guys to watch [growing up]," Curry told reporters in 2016. "I thought I could play like them and add what they did to my game, and merge the two. I always enjoyed Steve Nash's creativity and Reggie's clutchness and competitiveness."

John Wall — No. 1 pick in 2010 NBA Draft

"I went to the Steve Nash camp in high school, and they were all doing [Nash's signature off-foot layup] because that's what he was doing the year he won MVP," Wall told BBallBreakdown in 2017. "I was like 'That's not my game; I can't get used to it.' But coming into the NBA against great shot blockers, you want to just get an opportunity to get it on the glass quicker than what the defender can try to time your shot and block it, so I use that a lot going to the paint."

Kyrie Irving — No. 1 pick in 2011 NBA Draft

“The things I got from [Nash], I utilize in my game now — just little nuances that he did to cope," Irving told ESPN in 2015. "He didn’t have the athleticism and may not be that quick, but he was unbelievably smart and he could shoot the p— out of the ball, and it’s just great to watch him."

Damian Lillard — No. 6 pick in 2012 NBA Draft

"[Nash has] always been an inspiration," Lillard told The Oregonian in 2016. "I was always a fan. I'm from the Bay Area, so I knew of him at Santa Clara."

Fred VanVleet — Undrafted in 2016

"[Nash] was always looking for the best play and the right play and keeping the defence honest," VanVleet told Michael Grange of SportsNet in 2018. "If you don’t have a high percentage shot to throw it up, you dribble it back out and you’ll get something good. He was probably the best I’ve seen at it. I have studied a lot of his film to see where he picked his spots.”

Trae Young — No. 5 pick in 2018 NBA Draft

"Steve Nash is my favorite player of all time,’’ Young told Magic.com in the lead-up to the 2018 NBA Draft. "With his size and my size, we’re very similar. He’s very cerebral, he can score from all three levels, he knows how to get his teammates involved and he’s a winner. I feel like a lot of his characteristics are similar to mine."

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Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News