NBA Positional Rankings – Shooting Guard

Today the NBA is more talented than it’s even been, since I started watching in 2001.  This is the main reason why the beginning of this lockout season, which has been very sloppy, has been so enjoyable to watch.  Throughout my lifetime, shooting guard has been the deepest and most talented position in the NBA.  Just think back to the early to mid-2000’s (not a fond memory because the league as a whole was as unsuccessful and talent starved as ever) but at shooting guard we had Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Ray Allen as legitimate superstars, and then guys like Michael Redd, Jerry Stackhouse, Allan Houston, Michael Finley, Jason Richardson, Richard Hamilton, Stephen Jackson holding their own as well. I think you see the point, but to further prove this; in the 2001-2002 season there were 16 shooting guards averaging over 16 PPG.  Now?  6.  I think it also says something that numbers three and four on this list have been out almost the entire year.  Enough rambling, now the part you are waiting for.

Before I get there, I want to mention the criteria for these rankings.  I am looking at who I would want on my team for this season and this season only.  I factored in the past two seasons as a measuring stick to compare how the player is performing this year.  Or in special cases for a guy like Eric Gordon, who has been injured most of this season.

1. Dwyane Wade – I’m really struggling to defend this with words, but if you watch Wade play, he is simply incredible.  When he’s struggling offensively he doesn’t keep forcing the issue, he trusts his teammates.  Another thing that I’ve loved from him this year is he is only shooting one three every two games (career 29%.)  Similarly, the way he busts his ass on defense is astonishing.  The Heat have become one of the league’s, if not the best, defensive teams and because of this they are the most devastating force in transition the league has seen in some time.  Like I said, I’m not really sure how to explain this as I’m sure you’ve realized by now.
   

   The only two we should care about

2. Kobe Bryant – Kobe obviously brings a whole lot to the table with his scoring ability, he also leads all shooting guards in rebounding at 5.8 per game and is second in assists at 4.9 but as Bill Simmons said in a recent column “Kobe has been as selfish as ever and you can hear him counting his career points in his head.”  I know, I know, “but he leads the league in scoring!!!”  He has been seriously forcing the issue shooting just 43.9%, the worst since 04-05 for him, taking almost five threes a game despite shooting a meager 29%, the worst since 01-02, and finally he is averaging 4.0 turnovers per game, only other time he was over 3.2 is 04-05 at 4.1.  This is all with possibly the best center in the league
   playing the best offense of his career, who has attempted less shots than Kobe has missed.  Finally, Kobe just doesn’t put in the effort on the defensive end.  Countless times he is busy arguing with the official before getting back on defense, and then he seems to be lacking a considerable amount of effort on that end.  I’ve always been told you should spend around 90% of your energy on defense and get it back on offense, but it’s pretty obvious that’s not how Kobe feels anymore.  If it sounds like all I’m doing is dumping on Kobe, it’s because I need to prove why he is not number one as opposed to why he is the number two player, if that makes sense.
3. Manu Ginobili – As much as I dislike the Spurs, Manu is one of the best play-makers the league has to offer. He busts his ass in every phase of the game, therefore, I can’t hate on him.
4. Eric Gordon – If you couldn’t tell by the intro, there is a SIGNIFICANT drop-off here and an even more significant lack of high-end depth.  A guy that has played 2 games this season is here more because I don’t feel like anyone else deserves to be this high than because he has earned it.  That said, Gordon is a very solid talent who is surprisingly athletic.  I certainly wouldn’t call him a superstar, and he’s likely to disappear in New Orleans because they are horrid, but he is a solid player with an excellent offensive skill set.  Quick side-note while I’m here:  New Orleans currently is using a starting lineup of Greivis Vasquez, Marco Belinelli, Trevor Ariza, Gustavo Ayon and Chris Kaman… WHO!?
5. Monta Ellis – Simply put, Ellis is a captivating offensive player who can fill it up but has serious deficiencies on defense.  Probably a guy who will never be a major piece on a really good team, but somebody who you always want to pay attention to/watch.
6. Joe Johnson – Another guy having a down year on a mediocre team.  I really only have two things to say here:  You can’t have your “superstar” shooting 42% and did you know that Joe Johnson is 6′ 7″, 240?
7. James Harden – Harden is tough to rank, I considered putting him at 5, but Johnson has to deal with defenses prepared to stop him.  Harden however is incredibly good…at home.  Here are the splits: (home first, road second) PPG – 19.3 vs 14.7, FG% – 55.5% vs 40.2%, 3P% – 46.4% vs 29.8%.  If he could be more consistent on the road watch for him to shoot up the list, and keep an eye on this during the playoffs.

That’s as far as I’m going to go for this position because guys like Kevin Martin, Demar DeRozan, Nick Young, and Marcus Thornton (likely the next four in order) are very mediocre, and really don’t justify a lengthy break-down.

Scorers

1. Kobe Bryant
2. Monta Ellis
3. Dwayne Wade
4. James Harden
5. Eric Gorden

Defenders

1. Tony Allen
2. Dwayne Wade
3. Thabo Sefolosha
4. Avery Bradley
5. Ronnie Brewer

Stay tuned for the exciting Small Forward rankings next. And if you missed the Point Guard rankings don’t forget to check them out.