The ThrAGNOF position! Of all the 5 positions, SG and SF are always the least important to me. Wings pop up all the time on the wire, they’re usually scorers and deep shooters and that’s it, and there’s enough depth with Yahoo’s position eligibility that there’s no need to reach. SG is peppered all through the top 200 for 2014-15 Fantasy Basketball, especially when you consider a lot of the guys in the top 100 aren’t true SG (cough, Batum, cough, Kyrie). Below are this year’s SG broken down into tiers (SG as determined by Yahoo position eligibility since 2014-15 RCL Basketball is on Yahoo), along with my mini-blurb and Slim’s projection:
The “I Really Hope I Have a Top 6 Pick To Get One of the Studs” Tier:
| SG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 1 | 3 | Stephen Curry, GSW | PG, SG | Steady as she blows, big threes and big dimes, with a vault in the latter in 13-14. Kerr as the new coach shouldn’t change anything and Curry still has ThrAGNOF king Klay Thompson to camp for treys. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.900/3.5/24.0/4.1/8.7/1.7/0.2/3.6 :38 | |||
| 2 | 6 | James Harden, HOU | SG, SF | Started a little rough last year, but with an unbelievable post-ASB slash of 27.7/4.7/7.4/1.9/0.3 shooting 47% from the field with three treys a game, ended up duplicating his 12-13 breakout. Only 24, no Jeremy Lin, I see a new career-high in assists and another elite season. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.860/2.5/26.0/4.9/6.4/1.7/0.4/3.7 :38 |
The “Man Am I Glad Yahoo has These Guys Listed as SG!” Tier:
| SG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 3 | 20 | Goran Dragic, PHO | PG, SG | One of my big crushes this year, the FG% from a PG is elite. I see dimes going up and an even better follow-up after his 13-14 breakout. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.770/1.4/18.0/3.1/6.2/1.4/0.3/2.7 :34 | |||
| 4 | 21 | Kyrie Irving, CLE | PG, SG | It’s all postulation, but I think Kyrie can surprise with ratios, get more assists than most (Slim!) expects, but at the expense of a few points. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.860/1.6/18.0/3.4/5.2/1.5/0.3/2.4 :34 | |||
| 5 | 22 | Kawhi Leonard, SAS | SG, SF | I love Kawhi, so fun to watch, but with Pop and Duncan back, I think the rotations and usage will prove frustrating again. Grab him at the turn in 12ers if he’s there, but I’m not reaching earlier. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.810/1.4/15.0/6.8/2.2/1.9/0.8/1.5 :34 | |||
| 6 | 27 | Nicolas Batum, POR | SG, SF | Safe, reliable, multi-cat goodness. Should replicate 13-14 with relative ease. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.820/2.0/13.5/7.2/5.0/1.0/0.8/2.4 :36 |
The “Herbal Blend of Upside and Grandpas With Injury-Issues” Tier:
| SG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 7 | 35 | Victor Oladipo, ORL | PG, SG | I’m hoping to get RainbOladipo on all of my teams – Orlando has cleared out the annoying G vets and given him the keys. Lost 20 pounds and is ready for a big breakout. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.790/1.2/17.5/4.7/4.8/1.8/0.6/3.2 :34 | |||
| 8 | 39 | Monta Ellis, DAL | PG, SG | A rock-solid safety pick, and he should have no problem duplicating 13-14 with maybe even a tad more upside with Dallas’ downgrade at PG. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/775/0.8/19.0/3.7/5.9/1.5/0.2/3.1 :36 | |||
| 9 | 44 | Eric Bledsoe, PHX | PG, SG | I expect to be one of the lowest rankers on E Bled, finished only 52nd in per-game last year, contract dispute seems annoying, injury-risk still there, turned the ball over way too much in his first season as a full-time starter. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.780/1.2/17.5/4.8/5.6/1.6/0.4/3.4 :34 | |||
| 10 | 45 | Kobe Bryant, LAL | PG, SG | Incredibly polarizing – upside is huge, downside is he gets hurt again early on. I feel good with the risk here. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.840/1.3/19.0/4.6/5.0/1.1/0.2/2.0 :34 |
The “Au Shizz, I Need Some Treys From My SG Spot!/I Hope Dwayne Wade Is Taken By Then” Tier:
| SG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 11 | 48 | Wesley Matthews, POR | SG, SF | Definition of a safe pick, has played in every game in 4 of his 5 seasons, microscopic TOs, a perfect compliment to a high volume TO PG who doesn’t make enough 3s. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.830/2.4/16.0/3.4/2.4/1.1/0.2/1.4 :34 | |||
| 12 | 50 | Gordon Hayward, UTA | SG, SF | His shooting from the field has consistently gone down in more minutes, Exum/Burke are not going to help FG% and TOs. Some slumps are going to be tough to bear, but overall slash should be solid. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.820/1.4/18.0/5.2/5.3/1.4/0.5/2.6 :36 | |||
| 13 | 57 | Trevor Ariza, HOU | SG, SF | Big breakout in 13-14 minimized with move to Houston, but 3s with low-TOs should yield another solid season. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.770/1.9/13.0/6.1/2.4/1.6/0.3/1.7 :34 | |||
| 14 | 58 | DeMar DeRozan, TOR | SG, SF | For as high-volume a scorer he is, TOs very manageable. Improved his multi-catness (well, former lack thereof) by adding a trey and getting up to 4 dimes a game last year. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.820/0.5/23.0/4.1/3.9/0.9/0.3/2.1 :36 | |||
| 15 | 60 | Klay Thompson, GSW | SG, SF | Poster boy of ThrAGNOF – don’t overpay for high-volume threes and low TOs while he does nothing else special. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .445/.800/2.7/18.0/3.1/2.1/0.9/0.4/1.6 :36 | |||
| 16 | 66 | Brandon Knight, MIL | PG, SG | Numbers were stellar once he was fully back from the early hammy issues, playmakers like Parker and Giannis along with Kidd at the helm give him further breakout upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .425/.790/1.6/19.0/3.6/5.1/1.0/0.2/2.7 :34 | |||
| 17 | 67 | Jimmy Butler, CHI | SG, SF | Shot under 40% last year and should see lower scoring with Rose back. Love his real-life game, 13-14 numbers slightly inflated by 38:39 MPG which is likely to go down a bit. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.770/1.3/14.0/5.2/2.7/2.0/0.6/1.5 :36 | |||
| 18 | 70 | Dwyane Wade, MIA | PG, SG | DNPs, injuries, minutes restrictions, oh my! Wicked witch of having bad knees… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .495/.740/0.3/20.0/4.5/4.8/1.4/0.5/2.9 :32 | |||
| 19 | 71 | Bradley Beal, WAS | SG | Fairly empty stat line with a bad FG%, he’s a better real-life asset. Others will reach. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.800/1.9/18.0/3.8/3.5/1.0/0.2/1.8 :36 | |||
| 20 | 76 | Kyle Korver, ATL | SG, SF | Not reaching for the ThrAGNOF, but another year of big minutes, big treys, and no TOs are in store. Plus he’s got sharp, oh so sharp talons. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .470/.920/2.6/12.0/4.0/3.0/0.9/0.3/1.5 :34 |
The “I’m Getting Giannis Antetokounmpo On All Teams” Tier:
| SG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 21 | 79 | Tyreke Evans, NOP | SG, SF | While his post-ASB play was astounding, a lot had to do with Jrue Holiday being hurt. He still should be back into a big role as the starting 3. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.770/0.5/17.0/4.8/4.4/1.3/0.4/2.6 :30 | |||
| 22 | 80 | Kevin Martin, MIN | SG, SF | No more Love makes K-Mart the main offensive threat and should hit a bajillion treys. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.890/1.7/19.0/3.0/1.8/1.0/0.1/1.7 :32 | |||
| 23 | 81 | Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL | SG | 1.7:1.7 AST:TO pre-ASB to 2.3:1.5 post showed huge improvement with the ball, going to get a huge starting role, offers upside in all 9 cats. A huge Razzball favorite. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.740/1.0/13.5/6.2/2.4/1.0/1.0/2.2 :32 |
The “I Guess I Need To Be Sure and Get One More SG Eligible Player Late” Tier:
| SG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 24 | 87 | Jeremy Lin, LAL | PG, SG | Low-upside, but Kobe to take the pressure off and a change of scenery could make him sneaky value. Don’t discount those steals! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.790/1.2/14.0/2.8/6.2/1.3/0.4/2.7 :30 | |||
| 25 | 88 | George Hill, IND | PG, SG | Again low-upside, but could get back to 12-13 numbers with Paul George being out. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.800/1.3/12.0/3.7/4.4/1.0/0.3/1.5 :32 | |||
| 26 | 90 | Arron Afflalo, DEN | SG, SF | Never been a fan, but the Nuggets needed a more consistent wing last year and he’ll be playing with the best PG he’s ever been paired with. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .455/.820/1.7/16.5/3.4/3.3/0.6/0.2/1.9 :34 | |||
| 27 | 94 | Patrick Beverley, HOU | PG, SG | More minutes with Lin gone, his metric-friendly 3s/low TOs should carry over with good steals. Nothing too exciting, but value will add up. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.810/1.8/12.5/3.8/3.1/1.5/0.5/1.4 :34 | |||
| 28 | 95 | Lance Stephenson, CHA | SG, SF | TOs should go down, but so should the boards. Like PBev, nothing exciting but sheer volume should accrue value. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .475/.710/1.2/14.5/7.2/4.2/0.8/0.1/2.6 :36 | |||
| 29 | 97 | Reggie Jackson, OKC | PG, SG | Solid as a starter last year, and while most of those starts were without Westbrook, sheer volume of minutes as the probable starting 2 should add up nice numbers. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.880/1.2/14.5/4.4/4.6/1.2/0.2/2.0 :30 | |||
| 30 | 98 | Jodie Meeks, DET | SG | Great %s from a high-volume 3-shooter, should rack up steals in Stan Van’s D, I think he’ll come somewhere close to what he did in 13-14 which was a top-50 overall. KCP looming for minutes does scare me though. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.870/2.1/12.5/2.0/1.6/1.1/0.1/1.3 :32 | |||
| 31 | 99 | Corey Brewer, MIN | SG, SF | Elite steals guy, knows his game and should start again. I think he’s a great athlete and can surprise with nice boards as well with Love gone. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.710/0.6/11.5/2.6/1.6/1.7/0.4/1.3 :30 | |||
| 32 | 100 | Alec Burks, UTA | PG, SG | Upside and opportunity, he could be a very sneaky late source of points. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.760/0.8/16.5/3.8/3.0/1.1/0.3/2.1 :32 | |||
| 33 | 103 | J.J. Redick, LAC | SG | In an injury-riddled campaign, was actually 67th in per-game last year. A great fit in the Clips O for sneaky value. Plus, he’s on the positive end of ThrAGNOF! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.900/2.2/15.0/2.3/2.4/0.7/0.1/1.2 :30 | |||
| 34 | 105 | Joe Johnson, BKN | SG, SF | Had some big spikes when D-Will got hurt, but D-Will will have some injury stretches again… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.820/1.8/14.5/3.3/2.9/0.6/0.1/1.6 :32 | |||
| 35 | 112 | Rodney Stuckey, IND | PG, SG | George Hill isn’t a passer and Stuckey might be the main offensive catalyst. While on an offensively-challenged team, still think he can surprise. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .425/.830/0.5/15.5/3.2/3.8/0.9/0.2/2.1 :32 |
The “I’m Desperate and Need to Pick One of the Last Available SG With My Last Pick” Tier:
| SG RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 36 | 119 | Danny Green, SAS | SG, SF | Took off after the ASB, shooting 6% better and upping treys from 1.5 to 2.6. Pop will make him frustrating, but will end up a value. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.800/2.1/10.0/3.3/1.6/0.9/0.8/1.2 :26 | |||
| 37 | 120 | Jamal Crawford, LAC | PG, SG | Spiked in dimes while CP3 was hurt, minutes and points to regress and late nagging injuries last year scare me. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.870/2.0/16.0/1.9/2.7/0.8/0.1/1.8 :28 | |||
| 38 | 121 | Andre Iguodala, GSW | SG, SF | I think he’s going to lead the second unit, losing the starting job to Draymond, then still has to fend off Barnes for minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.660/0.9/10.0/4.4/3.9/1.3/0.3/1.5 :30 | |||
| 39 | 124 | Jeff Green, BOS | SG, SF | One of the “busts of the year” for 13-14, really nothing indicates he’ll be any better in 14-15. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .425/.800/1.4/15.0/4.5/1.5/0.6/0.6/1.9 :32 | |||
| 40 | 127 | Manu Ginobili, SAS | SG, SF | Finished 98th in under 23 minutes a game last year, should come close to repeat but game-to-game will be maddening to own. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.840/1.4/12.5/3.1/4.1/0.9/0.2/2.0 :24 | |||
| 41 | 128 | P.J. Tucker, PHO | SG, SF | A little regression in value and minutes likely, already missing three games to suspension and isn’t exactly a special player. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.770/1.0/10.0/6.6/1.7/1.3/0.3/1.3 :30 | |||
| 42 | 130 | J.R. Smith, NYK | SG, SF | Career-high assists last year with horrible Felton at PG, those will go down, treys to regress, never been a JR fan. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.720/2.5/15.5/3.8/2.6/1.0/0.2/1.5 :32 | |||
| 43 | 132 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET | SG | My boyfriend! StanVan loves his D from KCP with no TO. It’s like a Sesame Street episode! Needs to carry over season finale game/Summer League play into the season, but worth the upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.770/1.3/11.5/2.7/1.1/1.4/0.2/1.0 :26 | |||
| 44 | 133 | Gerald Green, PHO | SG, SF | I just don’t see the minutes, and pre-ranks of him top 100 are outrageous. Should hit some treys for you, but not a guy you’ll have on your roster all year. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.830/1.8/12.0/2.4/0.8/0.6/0.2/1.4 :22 | |||
| 45 | 138 | Nik Stauskas, SAC | SG | I see him taking McLemore’s job and being a surprise source of assists with low TOs, along with the given treys and good %s. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.830/1.6/11.0/2.2/2.3/0.4/0.1/1.0 :26 | |||
| 46 | 140 | Terrence Ross, TOR | SG, SF | Young with upside like the ridiculous 51-pointer, but still raw and lacks in most cats right now. Worth the lottery pick at this point. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.810/2.3/13.0/3.4/1.2/1.0/0.4/1.4 :30 | |||
| 47 | 141 | Eric Gordon, NOP | SG | Yet another offseason knee surgery, played in 115/246 games the past three years. Not touching him. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.800/1.4/15.0/2.2/3.1/1.0/0.2/1.9 :30 | |||
| 48 | 144 | Avery Bradley, BOS | PG, SG | Brings you some scoring and out-of-position boards, but not too much upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.790/1.6/15.5/3.7/1.6/1.1/0.1/1.8 :32 | |||
| 49 | 145 | Marco Belinelli, SAS | SG, SF | A roster filler with no upside, does offer low TOs with more than a trey to fill out your minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.830/1.4/10.5/2.7/2.2/0.6/0.1/1.1 :24 | |||
| 50 | 147 | C.J. Miles, IND | SG, SF | Deep source of treys and steals, especially if he wins the starting 3 role over Solomon Hill. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.810/1.5/12.5/2.7/1.9/1.0/0.3/1.2 :28 | |||
| 51 | 151 | Wilson Chandler, DEN | SG, SF | Wasted a big opportunity last year, Gallinari to take a ton of minutes away. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.760/1.6/12.5/4.6/1.7/0.7/0.6/1.2 :28 | |||
| 52 | 152 | Dion Waiters, CLE | SG | Super-duper ThrAGNOF with lower offensive volume with LeBron in town. Should find himself a lot of wide open treys though… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.720/1.5/13.5/2.6/2.8/0.9/0.2/1.9 :28 | |||
| 53 | 153 | Jarrett Jack, BKN | PG, SG | Will fill in admirably in the Shaun Livingston role, doing nothing exceptional but being useful. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.840/0.9/11.5/3.1/4.3/0.7/0.2/1.8 :30 | |||
| 54 | 156 | Vince Carter, MEM | SG, SF | Three year deal shows commitment, easily could start and play 30 minutes at the 3. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.820/1.7/11.0/3.3/2.4/0.7/0.4/1.3 :24 | |||
| 55 | 157 | Tim Hardaway Jr., NYK | SG | One of the many reasons you ThrAGNOF! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.820/2.0/13.0/1.7/0.9/0.7/0.1/0.7 :28 | |||
| 56 | 161 | Nick Young, LAL | SG, SF | Sure he was 93rd last year, but hits treys with not too bad TOs (=metrics-friendly) and will get a lot less shots with Kobe back. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.830/1.4/12.5/2.2/1.2/0.6/0.2/1.2 :24 | |||
| 57 | 163 | C.J. McCollum, POR | PG, SG | Really if he was anywhere else he could be a major sleeper, still should see productive minutes as main backup G. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.810/1.6/13.5/3.6/2.7/1.2/0.2/1.9 :26 | |||
| 58 | 176 | Tony Snell, CHI | SG, SF | Like Dieng, one of the select few that I’ll rank high without a decent minutes outlook. I like the talent too much. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.790/1.3/9.0/3.1/2.0/0.7/0.3/0.7 :22 | |||
| 59 | 177 | Shaun Livingston, GSW | PG, SG | Toe surgery to keep him out right until opening tip, but big PG/SG backup minutes await with no one else there. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .470/.820/0/7.5/2.6/3.1/0.8/0.3/1.2 :20 | |||
| 60 | 180 | Randy Foye, DEN | PG, SG | Had a huge year last year, but a greatly reduced role behind Lawson and Afflalo in 14-15. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.850/1.3/10.0/2.1/2.5/0.6/0.2/1.2 :22 | |||
| 61 | 182 | Evan Turner, BOS | SG, SF | In a minutes crunch on a crowded rotations-based team, but could do something useful. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.760/0.3/7.5/3.1/2.2/0.4/0.1/1.3 :20 | |||
| 62 | 186 | Tony Allen, MEM | SG, SF | A late source of steals and that’s about it, a no-upside deep league play. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.720/0.2/9.5/3.9/1.6/1.4/0.4/1.3 :26 | |||
| 63 | 189 | Iman Shumpert, NYK | SG, SF | Offers you a steal and a trey, and that’s about it. Tough compeition for minutes against emerging Timmay J. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .400/.760/1.1/9.0/3.8/2.3/1.4/0.2/1.1 :28 | |||
| 64 | 190 | Mike Dunleavy, CHI | SG, SF | McDermott (probably) stealing the starting role hurts, as does how good I think Snell is going to be. A role player with no upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.820/1.4/10.5/4.1/2.0/0.7/0.4/1.2 :28 | |||
| 65 | 195 | O.J. Mayo, MIL | PG, SG | Not touching him in any leagues, going to really struggle for minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .410/.820/1.3/10.0/2.2/2.0/0.5/0.2/1.5 :20 | |||
| 66 | 198 | Wes Johnson, LAL | SG, SF | Minutes crunch to take a major toll on his 13-14 breakout numbers. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .420/.780/1.1/8.5/4.1/1.4/0.9/0.8/1.0 :26 |
So my immediate thoughts… As with almost any other season, I don’t focus on SG through the draft. There’s so many guys with SG eligibility and wings pop up throughout the year for streaming more than any other position. Plus it’s the best position to ThrAGNOF! I hope you like how we did the position breakdown this year, as always shoot your thoughts below and happy SG hunting!
