Your shooting guard usually accounts for many of your team's points, but there are more important categories that your shooting guard needs to be near the top of the rankings of for your team to have long-term success. Just like Centers and Power Forwards have to dominate FG%, blocks, and rebounds, the Shooting Guard needs to secure 3PM, FT%, and steals for your fantasy team. If your Small Forward is a specialist in one of these categories, you can deviate more from these rules and look for an all around player or elite scorer. From past experience, I tend to let other fantasy owners draft the high scorers while I take advantage by drafting players at the top of the rankings in other categories. You may employ a different strategy depending on who is available to draft at the time.
Without further ado, here is a list of the top ranking fantasy Shooting Guards for the second half of the season.
Top Tier
1. Manu Ginobili, SA Spurs, SG - Ginobili resurrected his career this season after faltering last season. He may not be as good an NBA player as some of the other guys on the list, but he is a fantasy stud. He makes a ton of three pointers, shoots the ball well from the line, grabs rebounds, dishes the ball, and makes steals. I would be worried about his 33 year old legs holding up as the season goes on, but he only plays 31.7 minutes per game. I think he continues to be the best Shooting Guard fantasy player this season.
19.0 ppg, 43.8 FG%, 96 3PM, 87.8 FT%, 4.0 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.79 spg, .4 bpg, 2.48 TO
Ginobili is sort of an exception to my Shooting Guard rule, as he fills up stats across the board. But he definitely fits the mold of making a lot of three pointers and shooting a high percentage from the line.
2. Monta Ellis, GS Warriors, SG/PG - Ellis gets more value since he also plays the Point Guard position. He scores a bunch of points, plays heavy minutes, and shoots a high percentage. Ellis also leads the league in steals. Again, he's not as good a player as some of these other guys, but he has more value to a fantasy NBA team.
25.9 ppg, 47.4 FG%, 71 3PM, 75.5 FT%, 3.4 rpg, 5.6 apg, 2.27 spg, .27 bpg, 3.22 TO
The big problem with Ellis is his FT%. If you draft him, make sure you get a PG, SF, or PF that shoots a high FT%. Otherwise, you'll have to forget about winning that category consistently.
Not Quite Elite
3. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics, SG/SF - Pierce is a warrior. The guy has been a model of consistency throughout his NBA career. He always plays with passion and has such a competitive edge that his production rarely slips. In some leagues, Pierce qualifies for both Small Forward and Shooting Guard. This gives him more value, but either way he's the third best Shooting Guard to choose in your NBA fantasy draft.
19.1 ppg, 51.4 FG%, 85.9 FT%, 59 3PM, 5.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.02 spg, .56 bpg, 1.85 TO
Admittedly, I'd rather draft Pierce as my Small Forward because he doesn't fit what I'm looking for as a SG. But he needs to be at number 3 in Shooting Guards because he'll add more to your team than the next couple guys. Be aware that you need a 3 point shooter at PG or SF/SG to compliment Pierce.
4. Eric Gordon, LA Clippers, SG - Gordon is stepping up his game in his third NBA season. He is in the top ten in scoring in the league and shoots the ball well from the line. He ranks number 4 here because I expect him to have an even bigger second half. As the Clippers continue to play better, and Blake Griffin continues to improve, Gordon should get even better looks and wider lanes.
24.1 ppg, 46.9 FG%, 81.3 FT%, 79 3PM, 3.2 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.25 spg, .35 bpg, 2.7 TO
Gordon's 3 point percentage is actually lower this year than his career average, so the rate at which he makes 3 pointers the rest of the year should increase if he's going to normalize to his career average.
5. Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat, SG - Wade is another SG that doesn't fit my rule. He doesn't make a lot of three pointers and he shoots the ball poorly from the foul line. Wade does so many things well that it compensates for those short comings. I'd probably find both a PG and a SF that shoot threes if I drafted Wade.
25.1 ppg, 48.9 FG%, 74.2 FT%, 37 3PM, 6.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.37 spg, 1.1 bpg, 2.98 TO
Wade rebounds extremely well at the Shooting Guard position. This gives you flexibility in the PF or C you draft if you take Wade.
6. Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, SG - Kobe shows no signs of slowing in his 15th NBA season. While he's not the fantasy stud he once was, he is still a very good draft choice, especially if he falls to the late second or third round. I would not spend a first round pick on Bryant at this point in his career. There are just too many other specialists that will help your rankings better.
25.1 ppg, 45.6 FG%, 81.9 FT%, 58 3PM, 5.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.27 spg, .09 bpg, 2.95 TO
Draft a Small Forward or Point Guard that shoots a lot of three pointers if you do end up drafting Bryant.
Best of the Rest
Here are other players that are worth picking up in your NBA fantasy basketball draft. Look for one of these players in middle to late rounds, where they have real value. You'll have to look up their stats on your own. Remember to look for guys with high 3PM and FT%.
- Ray Allen, Boston Celtics, SG
- Stephen Curry, GS Warriors, SG/PG
- Kevin Martin, Houston Rockets, SG
- Wilson Chandler, NY Knicks, SG/SF
- Wes Matthews, Portland Trailblazers, SG/SF
- Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings, SG/PG
- Stephen Jackson, Charlotte Bobcats, SG/SF
- Arron Afflalo, Denver Nuggets, SG
- Jason Richardson, Orlando Magic, SG
Top Point Guards Here
Join the Conversation