The shooting guard position does not have the same flare or depth as the point guard position. But it is still an intriguing position. There are some young players on the rise and a void to fill at the top of the rankings just waiting for the next wave of guys to step up.
There are a lot of guys 10 – 20 range who could end up being top five on next year’s list and a lot of those same guys who might find themselves farther down the list. This isn’t an easy position to predict, but this is the way I am ranking shooting guards for keeper leagues:
- Dwayne Wade – Miami Heat
- Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
- Monta Ellis – Milwaukee Bucks
- James Harden – Oklahoma City Thunder
- Eric Gordon – New Orleans Hornets
- Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks
- Marcus Thornton – Sacramento Kings
- Andre Iguodala – Philadelphia 76ers
- Tyreke Evans – Sacramento Kings
- Paul George – Indiana Pacers
- Klay Thompson – Golden State Warriors
- Kevin Martin – Houston Rockets
- Arron Afflalo – Denver Nuggets
- Jordan Crawford – Washington Wizards
- Marshon Brooks – New Jersey Nets
- Manu Ginobili – San Antonio Spurs
- DeMar DeRozan – Toronto Raptors
- O.J. Mayo – Memphis Grizzlies
- Rodney Stuckey – Detroit Pistons
- Shannon Brown – Phoenix Suns
- Wesley Matthews – Portland Trail Blazers
- Gerald Henderson – Charlotte Bobcats
- Jason Terry – Dallas Mavericks
- Chauncey Billups – Los Angeles Clippers
- Ray Allen – Boston Celtics
- I am aware that these are keeper league rankings and I am aware that Kobe Bryant is 33 years old. But he still has a few good years left and no one seems poised to take the spot from him. I predicted Monta Ellis would do it this year, but Kobe came out guns blazing and Monta’s immediate value has some questions around it. Eric Gordon could be the guy, but he has shown zero ability to stay healthy long enough to have value.
- In the long run it may actually be James Harden who takes over as part of the elite shooting guard group. As was predicted by so many people, including myself, Harden took a big step forward this season and will hopefully take another one next season. Harden got almost 32 minutes this season and should next season if not more. Harden’s biggest issue right now is it’s going to be hard for him to ever get up more than 10 shots per game with Westbrook and Durant around, especially Westbrook who is not a playmaking point guard by nature.
- Maybe it seems like I am a bit bullish on Marcus Thornton, but that’s because I am. Thornton is one of the best pure scorers in this class and that’s not the only thing he brings to the table. Thornton averages close to four rebounds per game, a steal and a half per game and is good for close to or more than two treys per game.
- The biggest wild cards in this list are Klay Thompson and Paul George. Thompson has been absolutely unstoppable ever since Monta Ellis was shipped out of town and while his defense is lacking he is a legitimate top scorer and deadly three point shooter. George has been more inconsistent, but he has proven his upside this season and he has the tools to be the more well-rounded player with points, rebounds, steals and threes being categories he can contribute in heavily.
- Speaking of rookies, I am a huge Marshon Brooks fan and I think he could end up outplaying even where I have him ranked here. Brooks’ numbers this season have been good, but not great, but had he stayed healthy all season I think we’d see something a little different. Brooks room for growth is much higher than most even realize. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brooks at around 16 points per game with four boards and three assists.
- As far as sample sizes go Shannon Brown’s end of season numbers are a very small sample size, but he has shown what he can do as a starter. In 17 starts Brown is averaging 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 threes. This may very well be Grant Hill’s last season and so Brown could and should be given the chance to be an every game starter next season unless something changes.
