The shooting guard position. Probably the most exciting position in the NBA, and clearly has some of the most talented players. The shooting guard position provides a mix of slashers, shooters, and even combo point guards. In this day in the NBA, the SG position can basically be swapped with the SF position on any play, and who you defend often more defines which position label you get. BUT, you don’t get named the “SHOOTING” guard for nothing as many of the games best scorers come from this backcourt position and that means fantasy gold. Here is my breakdown on the top 15 SG’s in fantasy basketball:
1 - Kobe Bryant -The best scorer in the league since Michael Jordan hands down. You always know there will be “another” player come along, but you almost wish MJ and Kobe could have matched up more often as it would have been a duel. While MJ was better in a team environment, noone can say that Kobe hasn’t overcome obstacles and still dominates the league daily. In fantasy you are going to get his scoring, threes, and a decent number of assists and steals. But the scoring alone is enough to carry your team in that one category. The only asterisk next to Kobe’s name this season is offseason rumblings regarding get me talent or trade me. I do not see Kobe staying off the court or letting it affect his game, but his desire to win is enough to watch this situation closely and that it doesn’t boil over into the regular season beyond just rumblings.
2 - Vince Carter -Almost hurts to put Vince in this spot, but his stats speak for themselves. He seems to have shed his injury tag, and even though you know he could score more on the court if he played like a beast every night, his 25-27 ppg, with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and abundance of threes can’t be ignored. These stats have remained consistent the past two seasons, so it seems Vince has found a home he likes in NJ. With no major player changes this offseason in Net land, expect Vinsanity to be back at these numbers.
3 - Andre Iguodala- A.I the second in Philly is now the man in Philly and the better A.I. fantasy choice. Without Iverson dominating the ball, Iguodala scored more (at a 18 point clip) and had more assists (almost a 6 clip). He is an excellent defender and averages over 2 steals a game. He needs to get more consistent from the arc, but with his steals, if he could get his points in the 23-25 range he would be the second best fantasy SG, and if you want a player less prone to injury take him with that spot.
4 - Ray Allen- 32 years old, ankle surgery and a trade. That normally spells downhill slide, but Allen’s situation is different. He is coming off possibly his best stat season ever and was traded to a team where he has a legitimate chance to win a title. That motivation alone will keep him playing at an extremely high level. Not having to dominate the game on every possession or be faced with double teams every play, will also save his ankles and improve his scoring opps. He has a great opportunity in Boston to be an even better NBA and fantasy player. With Allen he will carry your three point category by himself, will drop 20+ points and should see an increase in assists as he plays more of a playmaker role in Boston.
5 - Dwayne Wade- Easily the #2 SG on this board if he was healthy. It is not the offseason shoulder and knee surgery that scares me, but as I write this reports say Wade will miss at least the first few weeks of the season. That isn’t going to kill your fantasy team, but it puts him behind the players above plain and simple. Games are games and missing part of the season has to be taken into consideration.
6 - Joe Johnson- JJ nearly made the top 5. I was very close to putting him there, and if I had a better report on Wade at this time he may have made it. Johnson has thrived in Atlanta and is now there leader on the floor. He scores at a 25 ppg rate, while providing threes, and 4 assists, 4 rebounds a game. I don’t see a big increase in these numbers, but I don’t see a fall off either. Don’t be concerned about the calf injury from last year. A one-time injury which will be healed before training camps.
7 - Tracy McGrady- TMac could be a fantasy monster if his ailing back would just let him get through one more full season. In Houston where the offensive sets are a little slower and he shares the ball with Ming, his scoring has dropped to the 25-26 range, but with that drop comes an increase in assists and he was above 6 last season. Throw in 5 rebounds, steals and threes and his average stats are as good as anyone above. The big question though is how many games can you get from TMac? I now bank on 70+ and anything above is gravy, and if I get those 70 games then he deserves 7th place.
8 - Allen Iverson- Another player I would love to move up. His stats are more valuable than 8th, as he scores at 25+, and has big numbers in assists and steals, but AI the warrior is starting to miss games every year and his FG% is always questionable. His three production in Denver has also dropped. We hope for an improved second year with Melo and Iverson playing side by side from the start of the season, but the those missed games to injury are still a concern because you know Iverson is going to be diving everywhere on any given play.
9 - Michael Redd- Like Ray Allen, the player he replaced in Milwaukee, Redd defines a shooting guard position. He is a pure scorer with big range. From a fantasy perspective you get 25+ ppg and a ton of threes, but while everyone above him contributes some in other categories, Redd really does not. He does not pass or rebound well at all, and gets few steals. His scoring alone warrants 9th place, but he is not yet ready to topple any above him.
10 - Brandon Roy- With Greg Oden just going down to season ending surgery before his season even began, Roy will be expected to step up even more this season for Portland. Given as a rookie he averaged 16 points with 4+ rebounds and assists and range out to the arc, he is my pick to be the player who moves up, or challenges to move up this list the most by next season. If you like to draft based on upside, verus veterans who often injure themselves, then Brandon Roy is your guy.
11 - Ben Gordon- In his first couple seasons, Gordon was even more two dimensional than Redd, but he seems to finally be rounding out his game to include some other stats. His fame will still come from the points and threes he will provide you each night, but you can now expect averages of 3 rebounds and assists as well. If you happen to track FT% he is excellent from the line. HIs points will come in bunches so don’t get stuck on the starting versus non starting gig, as long as he is getting his 30+ mins of burn. If there was one player who could take the microwave tag title away from old Vinnie Johnson, it has to be Ben Gordon.
12 - Manu Ginobili- Perhaps the most frustrating player on this list. He has a very well rounded fantasy game with 16 ppg, 4+ rebounds and 3+ assists with steals and threes, but why does he only truly excel in the playoffs? Vince Carter gets burned for not stepping up on a daily basis yet Manu is known as a playoff guy. Screw that, the guy should be dropping 20+ a game with better numbers across the board and starting every game. He has that kind of talent. As it is, he is values around 12-15 on the rankings board as you know his stats this season are going to be exactly like last.
13 - Ricky Davis- This pick gets a huge asterisk next to it. If Ricky Davis is still in Minnesota at the start of the season, and is the main option on the floor every night for the Timberwolves he is going to have a field day, which include points, rebounds, steals and assists. But, if Ricky is traded anywhere, where he is not a top scoring option, his value drops to about a 20th ranking. I don’t see how he is in the long term plans for the Wolves with all the trades recently made, but as of now there is little talk of Ricky going anywhere else.
14 - Jason Richardson- In Golden State J-Rich would be projected a few spots above this, as he simply has a better fantasy game across the board than the players immediately above, but with the trade to Charlotte there are more question marks to be answered. While he should be the number one option on offense, how well he gels with an improving Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace and Adam Morrison, could slow him early on and hamper his season averages/ totals. As well, how Charlotte uses its rotations could play a major role in if J-Rich produces Golden State like numbers, or just above average numbers. Watch this situation in preseason and adjust your rankings based on how he appears to be fitting in.
15 - Jason Terry - Terry is a very dependable player, rarely missing games due to injury, and that helps him stay in the top 15. He only scores around 15-17 a game in Dallas, but his assists are up above 5 a game again and his scoring mostly comes from behind the arc for a great source of threes. Has little upside at this stage of his career, but as long as the guard rotations stay the same in Dallas he should continue to contribute these kinds of numbers.
Five Players with potential to be top 15:
1 - Kevin Martin - major scorer and threes
2 - Rip Hamilton - always scores the same, few other categories
3 - Rudy Gay - Was good as a rookie, might be extremely good in year 2
4 - Monta Ellis - J-Rich is gone. The SG position is his, plus he splits time at PG with Baron
5 - Larry Hughes - A couple years ago he was top 10. If he could stay on the court he has fantasy value as a 15/5/5 guy