NBA 2016-17 Season News and Player Rankings: 5 Best Shooting Guards for Next Season; James Harden and Klay Thompson Top the List
In today's NBA game, guards are more athletic, shoot more threes, and are capable of playing a variety of positions. NBA used to be dominated by the big men, and the best post players positioned themselves in the front court to play one-one-one against other big men. Now, NBA teams are leaning towards fast-paced, small ball play, and while big men are still important, one can argue that shooting guards have a much bigger offensive role now than in the past.
Here's a look at the 5 best shooting guards as we are nearing the 2016-17 NBA season.
1. James Harden
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What James Harden of the Houston Rockets lacks in defensive ability, he makes up for an uncanny ability to shoot the ball. Harden averaged a massive 29.0 points, 6.1' rebounds and 7.5 assists per game last season. These are his best point, assist and rebound averages in his seven-year career.
In this upcoming regular season, Patrick Beverley expressed his faith in Harden to lead the Rockets. He said, James Harden will be "MVP and leading us to the finals. Simple."
2. Klay Thompson
The other half of the splash brothers makes three-point shooting look like layups, especially if he heats up like a microwave. But Thompson is more than just an offensive threat; he can play incredible defense as well. In fact, according to Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the Team USA Basketball Olympic team which won gold in Rio, Klay is "more than a shooter. He's an outstanding offensive player who loves to play defense and really never seems to get tired."
It helps that Thompson is a 6'7" guard who is quick enough to keep up with guards smaller than him. Indeed, Thompson is one of the best, if not the best, two-way player in the league today.
Klay Thompson averaged 22.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Those are his best shooting and rebounding averages in his five-year NBA career.
3. DeMar Derozan
DeRozan averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, on 44.6 percent FG shooting, 34 percent from three, last season. His offensive efficiency may leave a lot to be desired, but he is the Toronto Raptors' most effective player.
With DeRozan's efforts, the Raptors made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. This is the first time the Canadian-based team made it that far through the playoffs. DeRozan is still 27 years old, and he has room to improve on the other aspects of his game like his three-point shooting percentage.
4. Jimmy Butler
Butler used to be known as a defensive anchor in the early stages of his career. Then, he expanded his game to become an effective offensive threat as well.
Jimmy Butler's offensive skills thrived in lieu of the spate of injuries Derrick Rose has had to face over these past few years. Butler knew he had to step up on the offensive end, which he did with flying colors.
Jimmy Butler averaged 20.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game last season.
Butler needs to work on making his jump shot more reliable, but he has proven his ability to evolve as a skilled player, and he is just 26 years old. Father time is on his side.
5. J.J. Redick
J.J. Redick of the Los Angeles Clippers is a 10-year veteran who is one of the league's best three-point shooters. Last season, he averaged 16.3 points on 47.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Redick is one of the best catch-and-shoot guys in the league today. He can run around the court, off screens and cuts to find an open space, get a great pass from Clippers point guard Chris Paul, and immediately jump off the ground to shoot the ball.
Aside from his reliable catch-and-shoot game, Redick is also a great defender.
