So here is, as promised, part 2 of my top 10-by position- lists. Look at me, actually delivering what I say I will. I feel all high and mighty.
Top 10 Shooting Guards
1. Kobe Bryant
There is no argument against this and I will not hear anything anyone tells me. The best player on the planet should understandably be the best player at his position.
2. Dwyane Wade
He is like Kobe lite. He plays in a similar way that KB plays, especially in his younger days, and he has a habit of putting points in your face.
A lot of people have compared Flash to Michael Jordan but I think he is more athletic and more talented Scottie Pippen. As in, the guy has proven he can win without being the big banana. They have also shown some skills in being the starring role as well, Pippen when MJ first “retired” (actually leading the Bulls to a 2 point increase) and Wade when Shaq was kicked exiled to the Suns last season. (Even though it was understated that by then Wade had been the leader for a while, Shaq was still the face, as well as the morbidly obese body, of the franchise)
Wade has some knocks on him, his jumper is creaky, his body has taken so much damage already that he could literally explode any second and he is old for a 7 year veteran… by today’s standards. But the fact remains that he is clutch as hell.
Argue all you want against him, there is no way DWade is not number 2 on this list.
3. Manu Ginobili
Yeah he is likely to get injured over the span of a season, and he has lost some of his edge due to age. But if you were offered Manu Ginobili straight up for any shooting guard not named Kobe or Dwyane, how could you refuse.
You know what you’re getting with the man whose bald spot is slowly but surely taking over his entire body. Not only is Manu an accomplished scorer as well as a proven winner, but he is a likable guy (odd I know, I mean he plays for the Devil’s team). He has come off the bench for the past 5 or so years, even though he might be the best player on his team when healthy, and has not said a damn thing about it. It says a lot in a league that is all about style and swagger that a guy would give up countless all star appearances and all NBA selections for the good of his team. That is what Manu has done for the Spurs.
Not only is he a great glue guy, he’s no slouch on the court either. Manu can knock it down from anywhere on the court, has pretty good court vision and even with his wobbly body, he can still take it to the lane and finish it off inside. An agile leaper in his younger days, Manu is still quite an athlete to face up against and he can strike fear opponents hearts.
If he returns back to form, Ginobili is the only guy I can envision who will be able to challenge DWade for that 1st princess behind the eternal ruler.
4. Joe Johnson
After Manu, it gets kind of tricky. It’s not that the talent levels off but more so, it gets hard to judge the next 6 positions with many guys being close to one another in skill.
I figured Joe earned this spot, not necessarily for his numbers but for the role he plays with the Hawks.
First and foremost, Joe is a scorer. He will never be confused with Steve Nash or Bruce Bowen. He is good at most things on the court, but he is there for one primary reason, to win his team some games with his touch. Some days, Joe fails completely in this area as he can be colder than a 75 year old nun. Then other games he will be scorching hot and will dominate the match from beginning to end. You never really know what you get what Joe (that rhymes too, so you know it’s true. That also rhymed, I am now scaring myself).
With that inconsistency in mind, it’s hard to argue that he has done a good job ever since he joined the Hawks. Granted he has had some help in the form of good young players, but before Joe joined Atlanta, they were a perennial laughing stock in the league. His addition made the team credible and suddenly the Hawks started winning games they had no business being in. Two seasons ago, with Johnson at the helm, they pushed the eventual NBA champions to seven games and gave an entire city flashbacks of another seemingly perfect team that lost to the eventual underdog (*cough* 18-1 *cough*). Of course Boston eventually won, but the outcome mattered little for the Hawks and their chucker of a leader.
The Hawks built on the success of the previous year and turned into their first playoff series win in what seemed like a lifetime. Of course they were swept by the Cavs in the following round, but that mattered little. The point I am trying to get to is that while Joe Johnson may not always deliver with the game on the line, he has done so more often than not and he seemingly proved he deserves to be considered among the elite shooting guards of the league.
Just think how the entire landscape of the NBA might be different if Sarver wasn’t such a cheap bastard.
5. Brandon Roy
I am indifferent towards him. But I can’t deny that he has played a gigantic role in Portland’s rise back to relevance after years being the butt of the league’s jokes.
Explaining Roy’s skill set is odd, he is by no means fast, but his acceleration in his crossovers isn’t rivalled in the league. He isn’t the greatest dribbler but he can break anybody’s ankles at any times. He wouldn’t be considered a superb jump shooter but with time running down, there is no one on his team you’d rather have taking a long distance three. His passing ability is nothing to get excited about yet he always seems to hit the open man.
In essence, Brandon is a series of contradictions. If one ponders too long or hard about it, he may go crazy.
All we need to know is that opponents respect the hell out of him, teammates praise him as a great leader as well as an amazing baller and he is still only learning his way around the league. He can end up being a very scary opponent if all goes according to plan. (Not that he wouldn’t be scary to play against now).
6. Monta Ellis
Another tough decision and this one may be admittedly affected by my personal bias. I love this man.
It makes no sense that small fry like Ellis (who is generously listed as 6-3 but is closer to 6-1) would experience any kind of success in a league such as the NBA. This is why Ellis’ exploits are out of the ordinary.
Yeah, he had a tough season, losing most of it to one of the wimpiest injuries in the history of sports, (seriously, who above the age of 15 drives a moped?) and then struggling to get back to his game shape. But by the end of the season, we saw a Monta that seemed to have regained the previous season’s form and that means we can expect to see a topnotch season by Montey next year.
To add, he also had the added difficulty of having to balance between being the Warrior’s point guard and shooting guard. The team is full of players that can create their own shots but very few of them can make things happen for their companions. Ellis demonstrated an ability to pass the ball, even if at times he seemed to struggle with some of the decision making. With Stephen Curry’s arrival, it will lessen the load that Ellis had to carry last year and should translate into some more scoring.
In 2007-08, Ellis was one of the most efficient scoring, even going an entire month averaging over.600 from the field, which for most players would be outstanding but from a shooting guard is unbelievably impressive. When Monta once again finds that form, which I strongly believe will happen this year, he will make the leap from a very good player top possibly being top 15 in the league. And since he is a super fun guy to watch, I am excited for his ascension.
Oh, and he’s only 23.
7. Jason Terry
The reigning 6th man of the year, the Jet has gotten a bit old in the past few years. However, coming off the bench for the Mavs, he is able to provide some quick scoring punch as well as being able to spell Jason Kidd whenever he needs to do so. Maybe Terry isn’t that passing wizard that Kidd is, but he is still able to hold his own directing an offense, since he did the bulk of that before Jason arrived in Dallas.
His shortcomings are pretty easy to spot. He is overconfident and has a tendency to take shots he should never even think about attempting, especially in crunch time. He plays a bit too fast at times, by which I mean he isn’t always in control of his own body. His ability to score is much better than his ability to make others score so he is sometimes easy to shut down on defense.
All in all, Terry is a good, if flawed, option on offense for the Mavs and his shot making skills have often come in handy when Dirk has, at times, folded in the crunch.
8. Andre Iguodala
Andre “Don’t call me Iggy” Iguodala has proven with his play in the past couple of years that he is not suited to be a number 1 option on offense. His inability to connect on his jumpers as well as his tendency to shoot his teams out of games can seriously hamper his employers.
But there is two sides to every story and ‘Dre’s (as he prefers to be called) is no different. With a semi-broken jumper, Iguodala has still managed to average close to 20 points per game. Though he has been shut down at times when it matters, his quickness and athletic ability has perfectly suited the system that the 76ers have put in place. In a running system, the other AI has proven to be an electrifying, crowd pleasing phenomenon.
His defense is also nothing to scoff at. He is a tough on the ball defender and is also very good at roaming an pouncing on loose balls.
As far as shooting guards come, ‘Dala (I am running out of nicknames to use that aren’t Iggy) is as well rounded as they come. He is one of the better rebounding and half court passing guards. His handle is good enough that it is safe to trust him with the ball in his hands when the game comes down to it and his shot has shown a bit of an improvement that suggests that we haven’t seen the best of this kid yet.
9. Kevin Martin
The classic, great stats/bad team guy. Martin has only been a great scorer for as long as the Kings have sucked (and sucked badly might I add). It remains to be seen whether he will be the guard’s equivalent to Shareef Abdur-Rahim but he has plenty of action left in him to dispel the notion.
Kevin’s jump shot is ugly, it’s broken and if he’s open… it goes in 100% of the time. I don’t know how and I don’t know why. I have spent years working on my form (shooting being the only part of my game that I would consider better than most) and there are shots he hits with that ugly thing he calls a jump shot that I would never make in my life. How it keeps going in is one of those great mysteries of life (along with, why pies taste so deliciously amazing and why Mario has kept that porn star moustache all these years).
I have to admit I haven’t seen all that much of Martin seen he blossomed into a prime time sniper. I try to avoid watching any Kings games, his game is kind of bland and he is injured more often than he should be. So providing an accurate analysis of the rest of his game is tough, which is why it’s odd I even have him on this list. But I know he is a special talent in this league, guys who make all their open shots are becoming more and more of a rarity.
He is also still pretty young, at 26, and is about to entire his prime. Odds are he will never be an all time great, but if he can get the Kings in the playoffs and past a couple of rounds, he will avoid being one of those guys that is only productive on bad teams. And that has to account for something… right?
10. Ray Allen
So the guy has gotten a little older. He isn’t as fast as he used to be and his hops have kind of left the building. But tell me this… is there anybody in the league who has a more natural and beautiful shot release?
His shot isn’t something that he has honed, it is god given. Yeah Jesus Shuttleworth has spent hours upon hours practicing his form, but its natural beauty and eloquence is something that cannot have been created by man. His shot is so perfect, that if he is ever left alone, scorers will add the points to the scoreboard before the shot even swishes through the net. And most times they won’t have to take the points off. You can almost hear his opponents going “Oh Shit!” when they realize that they have left him open for the three.
Other facets of his game have started to deteriorate, but as long as he can heave up that shot, Ray will be a top ten Shooting Guard in the NBA. Much in the same way Reggie Miller was great way past his prime.
Why some people aren’t on the list:
Vince Carter: Doctors should investigate him, because I am pretty sure he is the first man to live without a heart
OJ Mayo: Has shown some tremendous upside after one season and if he improves on his stellar rookie campaign, look for him on the list next year.
Michael Redd: Nothing more than a glorified jump shooter. Homeless man’s Ray Allen.
Richard Jefferson: It’s hard to give him credit when all he has done in the past decade is run through 15 screens to hit open shots.
Tracy MacGrady: Vince’s cousin not only lost his heart, his body is seemingly imploding before our eyes.
Jason Richardson: Athletic for sure, but has done nothing more during his tenure in the league to make us believe that he is anything more than an above average player with a ridiculous vertical.
Eric Gordon: See: OJ Mayo.
Top 10 Shooting Guards
1. Kobe Bryant
There is no argument against this and I will not hear anything anyone tells me. The best player on the planet should understandably be the best player at his position.
2. Dwyane Wade
He is like Kobe lite. He plays in a similar way that KB plays, especially in his younger days, and he has a habit of putting points in your face.
A lot of people have compared Flash to Michael Jordan but I think he is more athletic and more talented Scottie Pippen. As in, the guy has proven he can win without being the big banana. They have also shown some skills in being the starring role as well, Pippen when MJ first “retired” (actually leading the Bulls to a 2 point increase) and Wade when Shaq was kicked exiled to the Suns last season. (Even though it was understated that by then Wade had been the leader for a while, Shaq was still the face, as well as the morbidly obese body, of the franchise)
Wade has some knocks on him, his jumper is creaky, his body has taken so much damage already that he could literally explode any second and he is old for a 7 year veteran… by today’s standards. But the fact remains that he is clutch as hell.
Argue all you want against him, there is no way DWade is not number 2 on this list.
3. Manu Ginobili
Yeah he is likely to get injured over the span of a season, and he has lost some of his edge due to age. But if you were offered Manu Ginobili straight up for any shooting guard not named Kobe or Dwyane, how could you refuse.
You know what you’re getting with the man whose bald spot is slowly but surely taking over his entire body. Not only is Manu an accomplished scorer as well as a proven winner, but he is a likable guy (odd I know, I mean he plays for the Devil’s team). He has come off the bench for the past 5 or so years, even though he might be the best player on his team when healthy, and has not said a damn thing about it. It says a lot in a league that is all about style and swagger that a guy would give up countless all star appearances and all NBA selections for the good of his team. That is what Manu has done for the Spurs.
Not only is he a great glue guy, he’s no slouch on the court either. Manu can knock it down from anywhere on the court, has pretty good court vision and even with his wobbly body, he can still take it to the lane and finish it off inside. An agile leaper in his younger days, Manu is still quite an athlete to face up against and he can strike fear opponents hearts.
If he returns back to form, Ginobili is the only guy I can envision who will be able to challenge DWade for that 1st princess behind the eternal ruler.
4. Joe Johnson
After Manu, it gets kind of tricky. It’s not that the talent levels off but more so, it gets hard to judge the next 6 positions with many guys being close to one another in skill.
I figured Joe earned this spot, not necessarily for his numbers but for the role he plays with the Hawks.
First and foremost, Joe is a scorer. He will never be confused with Steve Nash or Bruce Bowen. He is good at most things on the court, but he is there for one primary reason, to win his team some games with his touch. Some days, Joe fails completely in this area as he can be colder than a 75 year old nun. Then other games he will be scorching hot and will dominate the match from beginning to end. You never really know what you get what Joe (that rhymes too, so you know it’s true. That also rhymed, I am now scaring myself).
With that inconsistency in mind, it’s hard to argue that he has done a good job ever since he joined the Hawks. Granted he has had some help in the form of good young players, but before Joe joined Atlanta, they were a perennial laughing stock in the league. His addition made the team credible and suddenly the Hawks started winning games they had no business being in. Two seasons ago, with Johnson at the helm, they pushed the eventual NBA champions to seven games and gave an entire city flashbacks of another seemingly perfect team that lost to the eventual underdog (*cough* 18-1 *cough*). Of course Boston eventually won, but the outcome mattered little for the Hawks and their chucker of a leader.
The Hawks built on the success of the previous year and turned into their first playoff series win in what seemed like a lifetime. Of course they were swept by the Cavs in the following round, but that mattered little. The point I am trying to get to is that while Joe Johnson may not always deliver with the game on the line, he has done so more often than not and he seemingly proved he deserves to be considered among the elite shooting guards of the league.
Just think how the entire landscape of the NBA might be different if Sarver wasn’t such a cheap bastard.
5. Brandon Roy
I am indifferent towards him. But I can’t deny that he has played a gigantic role in Portland’s rise back to relevance after years being the butt of the league’s jokes.
Explaining Roy’s skill set is odd, he is by no means fast, but his acceleration in his crossovers isn’t rivalled in the league. He isn’t the greatest dribbler but he can break anybody’s ankles at any times. He wouldn’t be considered a superb jump shooter but with time running down, there is no one on his team you’d rather have taking a long distance three. His passing ability is nothing to get excited about yet he always seems to hit the open man.
In essence, Brandon is a series of contradictions. If one ponders too long or hard about it, he may go crazy.
All we need to know is that opponents respect the hell out of him, teammates praise him as a great leader as well as an amazing baller and he is still only learning his way around the league. He can end up being a very scary opponent if all goes according to plan. (Not that he wouldn’t be scary to play against now).
6. Monta Ellis
Another tough decision and this one may be admittedly affected by my personal bias. I love this man.
It makes no sense that small fry like Ellis (who is generously listed as 6-3 but is closer to 6-1) would experience any kind of success in a league such as the NBA. This is why Ellis’ exploits are out of the ordinary.
Yeah, he had a tough season, losing most of it to one of the wimpiest injuries in the history of sports, (seriously, who above the age of 15 drives a moped?) and then struggling to get back to his game shape. But by the end of the season, we saw a Monta that seemed to have regained the previous season’s form and that means we can expect to see a topnotch season by Montey next year.
To add, he also had the added difficulty of having to balance between being the Warrior’s point guard and shooting guard. The team is full of players that can create their own shots but very few of them can make things happen for their companions. Ellis demonstrated an ability to pass the ball, even if at times he seemed to struggle with some of the decision making. With Stephen Curry’s arrival, it will lessen the load that Ellis had to carry last year and should translate into some more scoring.
In 2007-08, Ellis was one of the most efficient scoring, even going an entire month averaging over.600 from the field, which for most players would be outstanding but from a shooting guard is unbelievably impressive. When Monta once again finds that form, which I strongly believe will happen this year, he will make the leap from a very good player top possibly being top 15 in the league. And since he is a super fun guy to watch, I am excited for his ascension.
Oh, and he’s only 23.
7. Jason Terry
The reigning 6th man of the year, the Jet has gotten a bit old in the past few years. However, coming off the bench for the Mavs, he is able to provide some quick scoring punch as well as being able to spell Jason Kidd whenever he needs to do so. Maybe Terry isn’t that passing wizard that Kidd is, but he is still able to hold his own directing an offense, since he did the bulk of that before Jason arrived in Dallas.
His shortcomings are pretty easy to spot. He is overconfident and has a tendency to take shots he should never even think about attempting, especially in crunch time. He plays a bit too fast at times, by which I mean he isn’t always in control of his own body. His ability to score is much better than his ability to make others score so he is sometimes easy to shut down on defense.
All in all, Terry is a good, if flawed, option on offense for the Mavs and his shot making skills have often come in handy when Dirk has, at times, folded in the crunch.
8. Andre Iguodala
Andre “Don’t call me Iggy” Iguodala has proven with his play in the past couple of years that he is not suited to be a number 1 option on offense. His inability to connect on his jumpers as well as his tendency to shoot his teams out of games can seriously hamper his employers.
But there is two sides to every story and ‘Dre’s (as he prefers to be called) is no different. With a semi-broken jumper, Iguodala has still managed to average close to 20 points per game. Though he has been shut down at times when it matters, his quickness and athletic ability has perfectly suited the system that the 76ers have put in place. In a running system, the other AI has proven to be an electrifying, crowd pleasing phenomenon.
His defense is also nothing to scoff at. He is a tough on the ball defender and is also very good at roaming an pouncing on loose balls.
As far as shooting guards come, ‘Dala (I am running out of nicknames to use that aren’t Iggy) is as well rounded as they come. He is one of the better rebounding and half court passing guards. His handle is good enough that it is safe to trust him with the ball in his hands when the game comes down to it and his shot has shown a bit of an improvement that suggests that we haven’t seen the best of this kid yet.
9. Kevin Martin
The classic, great stats/bad team guy. Martin has only been a great scorer for as long as the Kings have sucked (and sucked badly might I add). It remains to be seen whether he will be the guard’s equivalent to Shareef Abdur-Rahim but he has plenty of action left in him to dispel the notion.
Kevin’s jump shot is ugly, it’s broken and if he’s open… it goes in 100% of the time. I don’t know how and I don’t know why. I have spent years working on my form (shooting being the only part of my game that I would consider better than most) and there are shots he hits with that ugly thing he calls a jump shot that I would never make in my life. How it keeps going in is one of those great mysteries of life (along with, why pies taste so deliciously amazing and why Mario has kept that porn star moustache all these years).
I have to admit I haven’t seen all that much of Martin seen he blossomed into a prime time sniper. I try to avoid watching any Kings games, his game is kind of bland and he is injured more often than he should be. So providing an accurate analysis of the rest of his game is tough, which is why it’s odd I even have him on this list. But I know he is a special talent in this league, guys who make all their open shots are becoming more and more of a rarity.
He is also still pretty young, at 26, and is about to entire his prime. Odds are he will never be an all time great, but if he can get the Kings in the playoffs and past a couple of rounds, he will avoid being one of those guys that is only productive on bad teams. And that has to account for something… right?
10. Ray Allen
So the guy has gotten a little older. He isn’t as fast as he used to be and his hops have kind of left the building. But tell me this… is there anybody in the league who has a more natural and beautiful shot release?
His shot isn’t something that he has honed, it is god given. Yeah Jesus Shuttleworth has spent hours upon hours practicing his form, but its natural beauty and eloquence is something that cannot have been created by man. His shot is so perfect, that if he is ever left alone, scorers will add the points to the scoreboard before the shot even swishes through the net. And most times they won’t have to take the points off. You can almost hear his opponents going “Oh Shit!” when they realize that they have left him open for the three.
Other facets of his game have started to deteriorate, but as long as he can heave up that shot, Ray will be a top ten Shooting Guard in the NBA. Much in the same way Reggie Miller was great way past his prime.
Why some people aren’t on the list:
Vince Carter: Doctors should investigate him, because I am pretty sure he is the first man to live without a heart
OJ Mayo: Has shown some tremendous upside after one season and if he improves on his stellar rookie campaign, look for him on the list next year.
Michael Redd: Nothing more than a glorified jump shooter. Homeless man’s Ray Allen.
Richard Jefferson: It’s hard to give him credit when all he has done in the past decade is run through 15 screens to hit open shots.
Tracy MacGrady: Vince’s cousin not only lost his heart, his body is seemingly imploding before our eyes.
Jason Richardson: Athletic for sure, but has done nothing more during his tenure in the league to make us believe that he is anything more than an above average player with a ridiculous vertical.
Eric Gordon: See: OJ Mayo.
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