Few would argue that Kobe Bryant is the NBA's best scoring guard, but beyond him is a collection of stars to pick from.
The NBA has evolved into a guard's league and many complain that NBA referees pamper shooting guards too much. Still, there's no questioning the talent of many NBA two guards. In actuality, there are many NBA point guards who might be better catagorized as undersized shooting guards who handle the ball a lot. Washington Wizards' guard Gilbert Arenas comes to mind. However, for the purpose of this article, point guards in that catagory will be considered point guards and not shooting guards.
The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is the best scoring guard in the NBA right now. Though sometimes often considered a ball hog, Bryant does what he wants on the court. In reality, he has matured immensely over the years and has become more of a team player. While at one point he was accused of breaking plays that were meant for teammates in order to get more shots opportunities in, now he scores more of his points within the designed offense (which is, admittedly, designed around him). What most fans don't realize is that a player should not be judged as a "ball hog" based on how much he scores per game. Much of scoring is based on circumstance. If forward Dirk Nowitzki was on a crummy offensive team, he might average 30-35 points per game like Bryant does. In order to assess whether or not a player is a ball hog, one has to look at field goal percentage and turnovers. If a player averages near 30 points per game, but shoots 40% from the field to accomplish that, it means he's not getting his points within the flow of the offense, isn't taking high percentage shots, and is forcing things. Kobe's average has improved to the mid forty percent range, which is very good for a scoring guard, especially one who commands so much attention by the defense. A player with high turnovers means one of two things. Either the player simply isn't gifted at taking care of the ball and makes careless passes, or the player is forcing things or a combination of the two. If a scorer turns the ball over a lot and has a low field goal percentage, it often means the player has a propensity to force the offense, which can sometimes take teammates out of the offense. Bryant may still need improvement in getting teammates involved, but he's not as bad as some think and he's improved in that department immensely over the years.
In close second is Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade, who plays a lot of minutes at point guard, as well. Wade is highly turnover prone, but that does not mean he's a ball hog. Because he plays so many minutes at point guard, he's forced to run the offense more than he may be comfortable with, which may be a major factor in him turning the ball over so often. Still, Wade is fearless and attacks the basket as well as anyone in the league. With an NBA title already under his belt, Wade has many years of stardom to look forward to. He does need to improve his lackluster perimeter shooting, but he did look much better at that in his third season.
Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets is the league's third best two guard. He has unfairly been criticized for not being able to get out of the second round of the playoffs. Yet, before this season, he's never had a team good enough to be able to do that. He still has a lot to prove, but his skill and ability to get others involved is astonishing.
Denver Nuggets' guard Allen Iverson may be the toughest player in the NBA, and he's only 6-0 tall. Iverson uses quickness and superior ball handling to attack the basket, as well as a solid outside shot to create space between him and the defender. Iverson's known for playing hard and scoring a lot of points. Though, he's had to adjust his game a bit to fit in with his new teammate Carmelo Anthony after being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers. A case could be made for putting Iverson above McGrady on this list.
At this point, it's up in the air. Most fans would put New Jersey Nets' Vince Carter or Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce at the fifth spot. However, Ray Allen has been more efficient on offense throughout his career and is more adept at making teammates better. Carter is impressive when he's motivated, but sometimes he doesn't seem to leave it all out on the court. Paul Pierce is a fierce competitor, but is highly turnover prone and the league's second worst record isn't reflective of the talent on the Boston Celtics, even without Pierce. For these reasons, Ray Allen gets the fifth spot.
Other noteworthy scoring guards who didn't make the list are Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks, Richard Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons, Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls and Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs.
To recap, here are the top five shooting guards in the NBA:
- Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
- Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat
- Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
- Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
- Ray Allen, Seattle Supersonics
Also check out:
"NBA's Top Five Power Forwards"
"NBA's Top Five Small Forwards"
