Now that the Centers, Power Forwards and Small Forwards have been ranked it is time to see where the shooting guards line up. I feel like the shooting guard ranking was all over the place before tallying up the votes there were a few that just missed the cut, let us know how you feel about the list.
Our contributors again are (Me, Ron, Martel, Nate, Tyler and Rohit). Tyler is a contributor over at FWO365 and Rohit is the EIC over at MettaChronicals. Check out their sites and show them some love we appreciate them helping us rank the players this year.
Note: We are putting the player name, team, points and what their rank was last year. (Maximum about of points that can be earned is 60)
10. DeMar Derozan, Toronto Raptors, 9 pts (NR)- Derozan is probably the best athlete at the position and probably has the most highlight plays. He has steadily improved his outside game and other parts of his game every year in the league but needs to put it all together if he wants to rise up the list. Martel
9. J.R. Smith, New York Knicks, 11 pts (NR)- J.R. Swish had his best season as a pro this past season winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Smith who had a John Starks like playoffs fell off the wagon when the Knicks needed him most. Smith, who is fresh off of a new contract will have to meet the expectations of the previous year. As long as J.R. Smith is focused he can ball and score with the best of them. Memo to J.R: Stay away from Rhianna, and everything will be okay. Ron
8. Eric Gordon, New Orleans Pelicans, 17 pts (5th)- If “Air Gordon” can stay healthy he could move up this list. The Pelicans will be a dangerous team if Gordon can play the majority of the season. He is very good on defense and can get his shot off anywhere on the court. JT
6T. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors, 18 pts (NR)- In the regular season last year, Klay Thompson averaged 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals while nailing 2.6 treys on better than 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc. In the playoffs, he put up 15.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and shot better than 43 percent from distance. Simply put, the kid can shoot the lights out. He’s 6’7″, 205, and has enough size to hold his ground through pesky defense and rigid screens. Best of all, at least for a team that cringes at the phrase ‘if healthy’, Thompson is durable. He played all 82 games last year, averaging more than 35 minutes per game. In the playoffs, he averaged over 41 minutes. Some of the heavy minutes had to do with the Warriors choosing to play lineups with Thompson at the 3 (Jack at the 1, Curry at the 2). This year, however, the Warriors have more depth at the wings with the addition of Iguodala. We’ll often see lineups of Curry, Thompson, Iggy, Barnes, and either Lee or Bogut. There’s no doubt the Warriors will go small, and even less doubt that fans will complain. The team’s depth at the wings will make a slight dent in Thompson’s minutes per game, but not necessarily the impact he has on the team. Iguodala gives Golden State different options on offense, but there is absolutely no one who wants him shooting the ball over Thompson. Thompson’s shooting ability, both off the dribble and on a catch-and-shoot, is much-needed. With Klay getting the chance to practice with Team USA, maybe we’ll even see a whole new dimension to his game. Rohit
6T. O.J. Mayo, Milwaukee Bucks, 18 pts (NR)- OJ Mayo’s time in Dallas was good but not what it should’ve been. With the Bucks he’ll be one of the vets counted on to help run a consistent offense and assist in the development of Brandon Knight. Nate
5. Monta Ellis, Dallas Mavericks, 27 pts (6th)- Monta helped lead the lowly Bucks to the playoffs now it is turn to help Dirk carry heavyweight in Dallas. Maybe this will be the first time he can make the All-Star team? JT
4. Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets, 28 pts (4th)- Johnson has always been one of the smoothest guards in the league. He shoots the ball from the outside very well and he uses his size to dominate in the post at times. Johnson is getting older but he still remains one of the top two guards in the league. Martel
3. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, 40 pts (2nd)- D-Wade’s knees and jump shot may have not been the same since getting with Gabrielle Union, but all jokes aside Wade is still a problem when healthy. Wade has to pick and choose his spots due to his health and playing with LeBron James. He cannot dominate the ball or game as he has done in years past. As we’ve seen this past season Wade is still one of the most efficient players in the NBA despite being injured. Ron
1. James Harden, Houston Rockets, 55 pts (6th)- Given Kobe’s age and injury, James Harden is clearly the best SG in the league right now. He handles the ball well, has good court vision, and can score in a variety of ways. How he played, the Rockets played – the team finished the season attempting the second-most threes and fourth-most free-throws. Dwight Howard will take a good portion of the defense’s attention away from Harden, almost guaranteeing an even better season from Harden in 2013-2014. Rohit
