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The 2015-16 NBA season is getting started next week, and we are pumped. RotoBaller is here to help not only with ranking your fantasy basketball players, but also with key sleepers, busts, and draft strategies.
Today we'll continue our tiered positional rankings with shooting guard. Be sure to check out our point guard rankings, too.
Here we go...
Ranking NBA Shooting Guards
The shooting guard position has been revived of late by young stars taking the place of aging veterans. Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant are on a clear decline but the position has several stars that are 26 or younger and looking to take over the league.
Getting a true sense of "shooting guard" is hard nowadays with so many combo guards being able to dish, shoot, handle, and dominate the game. With these rankings I tried to stick with guys that are mainly listed as SGs but all of them offer diversity in their positions. Guys like Gordon Hayward, Andrew Wiggins, and Khris Middleton sometimes can fill in at SG/SF/PF on the court so nailing them down as classic SGs is difficult. The following guys are ranked based mainly on their PTs, STLs, ASTs and shooting. Youth and opportunity get a bump over more established guys with set roles or injury histories.
Tier 1: Superstars
It's James Harden and then everyone else. The SG rankings begin after Harden the same way the PG rankings begin after Stephen Curry. In fact, there are really only guards in the league and the first tier of them would include Harden and Curry, that's it. Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler are more "fringe superstars" who aren't in the same league as Harden. They are the second options on their teams, and their attitudes suggest that they're okay with their roles as it stands. Their production and talents make it impossible to keep them out of the superstar debate, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if we've seen the ceiling of both or if either player slightly regressed this year. When choosing a "superstar" guard I always lean towards more ball dominant players.
1) James Harden (HOU)
Last year, Harden was unbelievable and not much has to be said about that. This year, Ty Lawson has joined the team, which means Harden will be off the ball a lot more and functioning more as a "true" two guard. Lawson has averaged around nine dimes a game the last two seasons, so Harden might fall in that category. But I fully expect him to lead the league in scoring, drain threes, board, and dish at a rate only Curry and Westbrook can come close to right now.
2) Klay Thompson (GSW)
Klay has gotten better every year in the league. His points, percentages, and total number of threes will help any fantasy team any day of the week. Klay's value as an overall basketball player mainly comes from what he can do on defense and his out of this world shooting. Because of that, he hasn't had to increase his distributing or rebounding to any extent over the past few years. Basically, Klay has gotten better at what he already does best without expanding his game. That makes him valuable for what he is, but I think people have been overrating him for because his team is so good he doesn't need to add new elements to his game.
3) Jimmy Butler (CHI)
Butler has the most upside on this list for the upcoming season. Derrick Rose is a sneeze away from missing half the season. Pau Gasol is getting old. Joakim Noah has been injured a lot and might never be the same player again. Everyone else just seems to be a role player. Butler is going to be the top dog. He got a new contract and will be expected to expand beyond his already impressive 20 PTs, 1.8 STLs, 46% FG, 83% FT from last season. My problem with Butler is that I don't think he has the talent to do it. I am in the minority in this opinion, but my instinct says what Butler did last year might be the best he can do. It's not out of the questions he blows these numbers out of the water and is first team All-NBA this season, but I'll bet against it. Butler plays every night and will be a great fantasy player if you can get him, but whether he deserves to be drafted in the first round as a "superstar" is still up for debate.
Tier 2: All Stars
The second tier of SG sees a lot of younger players looking to take that next step up. Outside of DWade and Kyle Korver, all of these players are 26 years old or younger. Many of them look to get increased roles and bigger minutes on their teams as they take their games to the next level. Most of these young players are the primary or secondary scorers on their team and that's where most of their value will come from. Three pointers, steals, and assists are also categories where they should excel. These guys have the tools and opportunity to be stars in the league the question is figuring out which one will bust out and carry your fantasy team.
4) Kawhi Leonard (SAS)
Leonard is another player that I think is being overrated because the Spurs system just doesn't allow for overwhelming stats. He went up last year in almost every category and based on talent alone, looks ready to take that leap. He also does basically everything well making him a perfect "glue" guy for fantasy teams. But I don't see Leonard being a superstar yet with the additions of LaMarcus Aldridge and David West giving the Spurs even more options to spread the wealth on offense.
He does everything decently well, and should be a solid 21+ points a game scorer. One of the most underrated players in my opinion.
6) Bradley Beal
Looked great in the playoffs last year and might be a prime candidate for most improved player of the year. I really like Beal's upside and potential.
A potential superstar and the leader of an exciting young Utah Jazz squad.
8) Dwyane Wade
The 55 games he plays in will be good. Don't laugh too hard at that -- last year Wade played in 62 games and was still a top 10 shooting guard.
9) Kyle Korver
Might be a little highly rated but his threes and percentages win leagues.
10) Brandon Knight
Should finally be settled in as the second guard in Phoenix and should have a solid season overall as both as a scorer and a distributor.
11) Victor Oladipo
Oladipo falls into the same category as Beal for me. Potential breakout year candidate with all of the skills to really put up solid numbers across the board.
Tier 3: Rising Stars
12) Kobe Bryant
13) Kevin Martin
14) Khris Middleton
15) Danny Green
16) J.J Redick
17) Lou Williams
18) Arron Afflalo
19) Wesley Matthews
Most of these "rising" stars are actually known commodities that don't have a lot of upside but bring stability and consistency. Assuming most of them can stay healthy, this tier of SGs will be the backbone of most teams as they fill in rotation and utility spots. The depth of the point guard position means most of these guys won't be coming off the board until later rounds, but their scoring and three point shooting will make sure your team can stay balanced or just dominate in those categories.
Tier 4: Potential Stars
20) Manu Ginobili
21) Ben McLemore
23) Eric Gordon
24) Jamal Crawford
25) Courtney Lee
26) J.R. Smith
This tier is a mix of veterans and young talent. These guys should be contributors on their teams, but how much and how often isn't quite set yet. As the season goes on, many of these guys should fall out of here and a few will move up to take the place of guys in other tiers. Eric Gordon and Jamal Crawford both seemed to take small steps back in their games last season. These two guys, Manu Ginobili, and J.R. Smith are players who could easily find themselves outperforming other tiered players, but their most recent production has just been too spotty to trust them until we see it. McLemore and Pope are two upside guys that should be monitored in hopes they find consistent roles and production.
