Who is the NBA's Best Starting Shooting Guard?

The shooting guard position was once chock-full of the game's greats; Michael Jordan, Sam Jones, Earl Monroe, George Gervin, Clyde Drexler... I could go on forever.  Up until recently it was the leagues deepest position, today it has become one of, if not the weakest in the entire league.  Who is the worst?  Who is the best?

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
30	Elliot Williams	28	30	29.7

He should be happy that the 76ers are rebuilding like this because this might be his only chance to start in the league with out the words, "is injured" in front of the reason why he was starting.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
29	Courtney Lee	25	29	26.8

A few years ago I thought you would have been crazy to put Lee this low, but he never really developed the way some thought he would.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
28	Alec Burks	18	29	26.4

Not sure how long this lasts with Dante Exum waiting in the wings.  Trey Burke and Exum are the backcourt of the future in Utah.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
27	Rodney Stuckey	19	29	25.3

Really happy that the Eastern Washington product was able to land with Indiana, but he doesn't come close to filling the shoes of Lance Stephenson.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
26	Jodie Meeks	14	30	24.4

Meeks just broke his back as the time of writing this.  So not sure exactly how much playing time he'll see this season.  They say out eight weeks, but you can never trust a back injury.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
25	Ben McLemore	18	30	24.3

This is his ranking now, but I really don't think he'll be here by the end of the season.  Expecting a bit of a jump from him.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
24	Jeremy Lamb	21	29	24.3

With Kevin Durant being out for the first two months of the season we are going to see if Lamb has the skills to become a solid starter in the league.  He definitely has a chance.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
23	O.J. Mayo	17	27	21.6

I personally feel that Mayo should have been a bit further down the list.  He has all the talent and ability in the world, but has never been able to mentally adjust to the NBA.  Definitely a wasted talent.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
22	Evan Fournier	15	26	21.4

This could end up being Victor Oladipo, but we kept hearing Fournier so that is who we went with.  Fournier is a nice player, don't think he ever found his footing in Denver, but he should have more than enough minutes to prove himself.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
21	Danny Green	19	26	21.3

Green might be an under valued 3&D player in the league -- make no mistake in calling him a player in the Bruce Bowen mold.  His defense just isn't as good, but his shot may be better.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
20	Dion Waiters	14	28	20.0

If people are going to start calling him an All-Star (mostly himself), he's going to need better shooting percentage splits than 43-37-69.  He's shooting well in the preseason, but we'll see if that carries into the regular season and into the playoffs.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
19	Avery Bradley	12	28	19.3

Bradley hasn't really developed that much on the offensive end and took a big step back on the defensive end last year as well.  Sure it could have been the nagging injuries, but Boston drafted his replacement in James Young this last draft.  See how long Brad Stevens keeps up with him.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
18	J.R. Smith	13	28	19.2

Smith is best suited as an energy sixth man.  He's a not a threat defensively, and there is a good shot that he won't be engaged in every game this season.  Maybe Phil's mind training will do some wonders with him.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
17	Eric Gordon	12	22	16.7

Health has always been Gordon's issue with taking the next step up.  If he can stay healthy for a full season and avoid any nagging injuries he can be a top 10 player at his position.  The skills are there, but so far the body has not been.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
16	Eric Bledsoe	7	24	15.9

The Suns have paid Bledsoe and he should be 100% recovered from his knee injury last year.  He forms one of the best backcourts in the league and definitely look forward to seeing what he can do in a full season as a shooting guard.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
15	Kevin Martin	13	21	15.5

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
14	Jimmy Butler	11	17	14.3

There probably isn't a better defensive two guard in the league.  The only issue with Butler is that his offensive game notably regressed last season.  It might have been because he was asked to carry a bit more of the scoring load in the backcourt without Rose or Nate Robinson.  Yes, his scoring was up, but his shooting percentages were down across the board.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
13	Kobe Bryant	4	27	13.2

Having "heavy legs" after three preseason games is not a good sign for one of the best to ever play his position.  I have a feeling we'll be wishing he retired come January instead of watching the train wreck these next two years will be.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
T-11	Kyle Korver	5	21	11.8

Watching Mr. Korver shoot the basketball is a thing of pure beauty.  I will say it and I will stand by it.  Kyle Korver is currently the best pure shooter in the NBA.  Yep, it is now in print with my name attached.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
T-11	Joe Johnson	4	29	11.8

Talk about a disparity in votes.  I think reputation carried this a bit.  While he's still an effective two at this late in his career, his defense is almost non-existent.  We've already seen the signs of a downward trend in his two years in Brooklyn.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
10	J.J. Redick	5	18	10.0

When Redick was drafted I thought he would be a major flop.  All he could do was shoot and not much else.  In Orlando we got very limited sample sizes of him early, but he earned more burn -- as a bench player and nothing more.  He didn't get a serious chance to start until last season.  In limited appearances (due to injury) he posted above his average in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the regular season.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
9	Arron Afflalo	7	13	9.7

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
8	Lance Stephenson	6	11	9.0

This was a big get for the Hornets.  They needed someone with personality, swag, and a bit more wing scoring.  They also get a guy who is a rising star, someone who can get a triple-double any night, a fearless defender, and a man who will keep things extremely interesting night in and night out.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
7	Dwyane Wade	2	15	7.7

The heart says yes to this ranking, but his knees and my brain don't really go for it.  Wade was once a superstar who was on a projected level to be one of the ten best at his position of all time.  Wade has a chance to be alpha on his team again, but will he defer to Bosh as he knows he's not physically able to hang at the this level?

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
6	Wesley Matthews	4	10	7.4

Here is probably your best overall two way player at the position.  He's a scorer when you need him to carry the load, a really good three point shooter, and will take on the opponents best offensive wing player.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
5	Monta Ellis	4	11	6.7

There was a time when Monta Ellis only did what Monta Ellis wanted to do.  Then he came to Dallas and Rick Carlisle got him to fit into a team system, keep him there, develop him there, and let him thrive there. He posted his third best season in both offensive and defensive efficiency in his career last season.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
4	Bradley Beal	3	8	4.6

Once again Beal is going to be starting the year on the injured list.  We're going to miss up to two months of him and John Wall.  He improved across the board offensively from his rookie year and appeared ready to take the next step of being a tradition two who could score 25 a night.  I guess we'll have to wait until almost January to see now.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
3	DeMar DeRozan	2	6	3.3

Last season DeRozan made his first ever All-Star game, averaginga career high in points, rebounds, and assists. His usage rate was also his highest ever, while he also set career marks in offensive and defensive efficiency.  He spent the summer with Team USA so expect him to perform even better this year.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
2	Klay Thompson	1	6	2.3

Thompson is part of the best shooting backcourt in the NBA.  Not sure I'm ready to declare them the best backcourt yet, but they make a great case.  Thompson averaged a career high in points last season and made a case to be an All-Star.  We should see him continue to improve this season, hopefully more on the defensive end.

Rank	Player	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank	Average Rank
1	James Harden	1	2	1.3

Speaking of defense, or the lack thereof.  Harden is your current #1 shooting guard in the NBA.  He led the position in points per game and had an outstanding 120 rating on offense.  He'll only miss a few free throws a year, and he had a career high in assists last season too.  If the Rockets are going to be a true contender, Harden needs to take up his defense at least six notches and become slightly below average.