The shooting guard position has been arguably the best position in basketball since the era of Michael Jordan. With players like Reggie Miller, Kobe Bryant, and even more recently Dwayne Wade, the position has transformed from a player who has the ability to score at any moment on the floor, to one who can be relied upon for the more modern ‘3 and D’ spot. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of top shooting guards in the league.
The 5 Top Shooting Guards in the NBA
- Klay Thompson: Thompson is easily the premier ‘3 and D’ guard in the NBA. When he first came into the league, people knew little of the sharpshooter—other than the fact that he can shoot lights out. He has slowly transformed himself into a perennial All Star and a threat to hit 10 three-pointers any game of the season while next to Steph Curry. He has finished in the top three in total three-pointers made every year since the 2012 season. If it wasn’t for his teammate Curry, the all-time three-point record would easily be his.
- DeMar DeRozan: The heart and soul of the only Canadian team in the NBA, DeRozan has become an elite scorer in the league. For the first month or so of the season he dominated opposing teams in every facet, averaging over 30 points a game. Since then, the scoring has slowed down slightly, currently averaging 27.2 ppg on almost 47% shooting. Demar may never become more than a top five scorer, but that’s not a bad thing to be in today’s NBA.
- Bradley Beal: Since coming into the league in 2013, Bradley Beal has played only more than 70 games once during his career, and that was way back in his second year. He finally appears to have rid himself of the injuries that once plagued him. Still only 23, Beal is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA, averaging an unreal three per game on 41% shooting. With John Wall and Beal leading the Wizards, anything is possible—including beating the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- C.J. McCollum: Since the departure of Lamarcus Aldridge, McCollum was the one who was looked upon to step his game up to the next level, and boy has he done that. Since LA left two years ago, McCollum has flourished as the second scoring option behind Damian “Dame Dolla” Lillard, currently averaging 23 points per game. That is good enough for top 15. Nobody thought a small town kid out of Lehigh University would be a part of possibly the best backcourt in the NBA.
- Devin Booker: Fresh off scoring 70 points, Devin Booker has proven to the NBA that he is the future of the NBA. Since his days at Kentucky, experts and analysts everywhere have said that this young stud reminds them of a young Kobe, and with that scoring outburst, it’s very hard to prove them wrong. Booker is still only 20 years of age. Just think about that—he can’t even legally buy a beer, yet here is dropping 70 on the best basketball players in the world. The future is now.
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