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Best Shooting Guard in Sonics History? Look no further than Jesus.

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

jesus-shuttlesworth-screenshot.0.png

Ray Allen Playing "Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee’s 1998 film "He Got Game".

Note: All statistics in this article are courtesy of Basketball Reference.

Who is the best player of all time?

It’s safe to say that the tradition of arguing who the greatest player in one particular sport is, as old as sports itself. This sacred tradition can easily provoke heated debates and disagreements. This debate is not reserved exclusively for fans; often time’s players weigh in as well. Believe that all basketball players agree that M.J. is the best ever? Ask Kareem or Oscar Robertson, and get back to me about how that goes.

For Oscar’s sake, I won’t be penning an article about why M.J. is in fact the best player of all time, but instead will be discussing who the best shooting guard is in Sonics history.

It is important at the outset, to note that comparing players from different eras must come with some caveats. Rule changes and differences in offensive philosophy have to be taken into account as much as possible.

With that said, let’s begin. My pick for best shooting guard in Sonics history is Ray Allen.

Ray Allen spent five seasons in Seattle, and over that period of time he consistently lit up opposing defenses on a nightly basis. Allen averaged 24.7 per game, 4.2 assists per game and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Allen, known for his picture perfect jump shot, is likely the greatest shooter of all time, though Stephen Curry may have something to say about that when it’s all said and done. Allen shot an impressive 38.6% from deep on 7.6 attempts per game. He also shot a sizzling 89.9% from the free-throw line, and also boasts an impressive 56.9% true shooting percentage, which measures player’s three point field goals, free throws, and two point field goals.

Allen’s well deserved title of greatest shooter of all time (or, at the least one of the greatest) slightly overshadows what he did in Seattle. Allen’s 28.0% usage rate, a career high, shows that the Sonics looked to Allen to be their main fixture on offense, and was asked to do far more in Seattle then he ever was in Boston or Miami (where his usage rating was 16.4 and 16.9, respectively). Over this five year period, Allen also sported a decent Player efficiency rating, or PER of 21.8. For those who don’t know, PER measures per minute production, the league average is 15.

Sonics history isn’t overly kind to Allen, mainly because he only spent five seasons in Seattle, until he was traded to Boston in 2008. Allen’s name only appears on six lists for the Sonics. He is fourth on the all-time three point field goals made list, trailing only Rashard Lewis, Gary Payton, and Kevin Durant (damn shared history). He is second all-time in free-throw percentage, third all-time in points per game, second all-time in PER, and eighth in offensive win shares.

There also may be a slight knock on Allen, for not leading any Sonics teams on a deep playoff run. The Sonics made the playoffs only once during Allen’s tenure, winning 52 games in the 2004-2005 season, en route to the franchises’ sixth division title. After a first round victory over the Sacramento Kings, the Sonics were defeated in six games by the San Antonio Spurs, who would go on to win the finals. One playoff appearance in five years is a disappointment, especially considering the fact that the Sonics traded Gary Payton, possibly the greatest player in Sonics history, for the promising young shooting guard. However, I’d argue that Allen did about as much as he could to get the Sonics to the playoffs. Rick Sund and Sam Presti, both of whom were general managers during Allen’s time in Seattle, should be blamed for not putting significant pieces around Allen. As well as owner Clay Bennett, who hoped for the Sonics to do terrible, in order to move the team to Oklahoma City.

The Sonics have an esteemed 41 year history, and during that time have had many other great shooting guards.

"Downtown" Freddie Brown spent his entire 13 year career in Seattle. Brown was a prolific scorer known for filling it up, averaging 14.6 Points per game for his career, and scoring a career high 23.6 points per game in the 1975-76 season. He was a very important player on the 1978-79 team that went on to win the NBA Finals and deliver the city of Seattle its first title. He gained his nickname "Downtown" because of his ability to knock long jump shots. During Brown’s ninth season, the NBA introduced the three point line. Over the last five years of his career, Brown shot a respectable 37.3% from deep, retiring after the 1983-84 season. However, Brown only shot 295 threes over this five year period, to put that number in perspective, Stephen Curry knocked down 272 threes in 2013, setting the NBA single season record. It’s a shame that Freddie wasn’t able to play in an era that appreciated the three point jump shot, because who knows how many threes he would’ve knocked down.

Brown shot 48% from the field, nearly 86% from the free-throw line for his career, and averaged roughly 3.3 assists, all for his career. He also had 20.2% of scoring plays during his career, a PER of 17.7, and a relatively respectable true shooting percentage of 51.8%. Brown also deserves praise for spending his entire career in Seattle, because of this, Brown’s name is littered all over team records. Most notably, he is third in minutes played, second in field goals made and attempted, an third in steals.

Dennis Johnson spent four seasons in Seattle, averaging 22.3 points and 4.7 assists per game. Johnson’s usage rate was 24.3%, which may partly explain his relatively low true shooting percentage of 49.8%, though that may be too generous, considering that he shot a miserable 20.7% from three during his stint in the green and gold. (Johnson and Gus Williams anchored the starting back-court for the Sonics during their championship season. Freddie Brown came off the bench.) Johnson averaged 21.7 points per game during that season, and like Brown, helped lead the Sonics to the title. He shot nearly 44% from the field. However, he does deserve a knock for shooting only an average 73.9% from the charity stripe.

Johnson, Brown and Allen are far from being the only shooting guards who deserve consideration for the title of greatest Sonics shooting guard of all time. I personally believe that Ray Allen deserves the nod, but as i’ve shown, a case can be made for Dennis Johnson and Freddie Brown, as well as others. (I’m looking at you, Mickael Gelebale).

Personally, I just can’t go against Jesus.

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