For the past decade, one name has sculpted what it means to play Shooting Guard in the NBA, and his name is Kobe Bryant. The “Black Mamba” is arguably the best player in the NBA, but that is definitely no longer the case when it comes to fantasy basketball. The difference between the Kobe Bryant of five years ago and the Kobe Bryant of today is two things: the addition of Pau Gasol and the rest Kobe takes to make sure he is ready for playoff time; both of those points make Kobe a top 10 SG, but not number 1.
Shooting Guard:
1. Monta Ellis- This guy is shooting 52% from the field, he almost has 200 points scored already and has 30 rebounds/30 assists this season. The Warriors score points, it is just the way their team is molded; expect Monta to be behind at least 75% of their scoring on a given night, especially with Stephen Curry back in the lineup.
2. Dwayne Wade- 49 free throws and 45 rebounds to start the season for “Flash,” With LeBron James in South Beach, Wade’s assists numbers will not be there like the previous seasons, but will be there is the rebounds and points for D-Wade all season long.
3. Brandon Roy- The knock on Roy so far has been FG% [39], but with 46 free throws, 162 points and 14 steals Roy makes up it in many other categories.
4. Jason Richardson- This guy has been on fire; 23 3-pointers, shooting 48% from the field and 30 assists [which is a part of J-Rich’s game he usually does not have in his repertoire], Richardson at the moment is having an amazing start to the season.
5. O.J. Mayo- 28 rebounds, 20 assists, 11 steals; enough said here. Mayo is simply doing his job for Memphis along side Rudy Gay.
6. Kobe Bryant- Key statistic here: 31 minutes played a game; 51 free throws, 40 rebounds and 32 assists, it is just what Kobe does. Expect points to be down a bit this year, but just like LeBron, expect all other numbers to rise.
7. Manu Ginobili- His 25 free throws so far can definitely be improved upon, but with 30 assists and 12 steals, Ginobili is up to his sneaky point stuffing numbers for the never aging San Antonio Spurs.
8. Joe Johnson- The numbers so far this season are honestly astounding: 166 points, 37 rebounds and 44 assists; Joe Johnson is simply a product of the Hawks system and will continue to impress as long as Josh Smith and Al Horford take care of their part of the bargain.
9. Kevin Martin- With K-Mart, you should expect a ton of points; but that is about it with him. 13 rebounds and 14 assists to start the year, mixed with 2 steals and 2 blocks, you can understand what type of player you are getting with Kevin Martin on the Rockets.
10. Ben Gordon- Shooting an absurd 55% from the field so far this season, what fantasy owners have to be disappointed about is only 6 3-pointers made so far. In my opinion this is a very good buy low guy, because of his potential the rest of the year scoring the basketball for the Detroit Pistons.
11. Eric Gordon- This former Indiana Hoosier has been single handedly keeping the Clippers statistically afloat [Blake Griffin and Eric Bledsoe]; Gordon has shot 111 times from the field so far this season [so there is no question he is getting the looks and will continue for the rest of the year] with 148 points, 26 rebounds and 33 assists later E.G. looks like a serious NBA player.
12. Ray Allen- What is there really to say here, this guy does it year in and year out; 18 free throws, 18 3-pointers, but what he is doing that he normally does not is 31 rebounds and 19 assists.
13. Jason Terry- 51% from the field, 27 assists and 35 minutes played for Jason Terry, he will continue his success as long as Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd are on the floor taking the attention away from him.
14. Jamal Crawford- In under 30 minutes a game, Crawford is putting up decent numbers; 8 3-pointers, 110 points and 18 assists. In my opinion, if JC got more minutes he would but up a significant amount of more points and 3’s; but it is kind of what the Hawks do.
15. Vince Carter- I also cannot believe he still on this list, but Vincanity is still a relevant player for the Magic and has proved that when healthy. Carter is shooting 54% from the field when given the opportunity this season, as well as filling up the stat book with 21 rebounds and 18 assists.
Notable Shooting Guard Mention- Francisco Garcia, Arron Afflalo, Carlos Delfino, Stephen Jackson and DeMar DeRozan
