Points guards are the Mother Teresas of the fantasy basketball world, as they like to give. Shooting guards are….the cavemen. See ball, shoot ball, take ball, then shoot ball. Rinse and repeat. These are obviously generalizations, but shooters shoot, and that’s what this post is all about. I kid, kind of. The elite at this position are across-the-board contributers, while the rest are indeed cavemen.
To see my per-game value projections for each player, click HERE. In the “Pos” box (which stands for position, not the other thing you were thinking), type in “sg” and the table will sort by just shooting guards.
1) James Harden (Houston Rockets)
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then why does that video leave me speechless? Too good. The turnovers are high and the addition of Russell Westbrook may siphon off some usage, but James will keep us Harden excited.
2) Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
The Beal was cooked so well last season that I want more damnit! There’s been chatter that his minutes and usage may go down, which makes sense in theory, but then I survey the roster and return to reality. One of the more well-rounded shooting guards, as he will contribute in every cat.
3) Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
The new alpha on what should be an exciting Miami Heat squad. I can’t wait until Dion Waiters tries to be the boss and Butler turns him into Tattoo from Fantasy Island. Butler does it all. The only concern is age and injury history, as I have his games played projection for 66.
4) Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans)
I like Jrue, I do. He provides across-the-board production and plays on a team that will operate at a super fast pace. My only issue with him is that the Pelicans are kind of stacked with a ton of guys who will soak up usage. For example, he averaged 7.7 dimes per game. I don’t see that replicating, especially with Lonzo Ball in the mix.
5) Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
The Shooter McGavin of the NBA, Booker has highs of 46, 59, and 70 points scored in a game. He’s a true professional getter of buckets, but what most impresses me about his game is the improvement in dimes every season: 2.6 to 3.4 to 4.7 to 6.8 last season. His issue is that he doesn’t provide the D. Maybe we should change his name to Kevin.
6) Buddy Hield (Sacramento Kings)
My Buddy was 10th in tres attempted per game and 5th in tres made per game. He was also 27th in total field goals attempted at 16.6 per game. Shooters shoot. You will get some boards, but not much else, but he’s only missed two games in his three-year career. Playing is half the battle. Yo, Joe!
7) Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Ever since the Summer League before his rookie season, he’s been Dog Mitchell for me. The tenacity on D really stood out to me, but he’s just as ruthless on the offensive side of the ball. Now, the efficiency isn’t great, but there’s some upside this season as the floor should be more spread out this season. Plus, he does chip in a decent amount of dimes and steals.
8) C. J. McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
Like Steve Urkel, McCollum gets no respect! Fine, he does, as he’s the 49th overall player according to FantasyPros. Some argue that he gets too much respect, as he doesn’t provide the D, but the percentages are good, he chips in some dimes and tres, and the 20+ points per game are no laughing matter. He does have one 50-burger to his name and two games in the 40s.
9) DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs)
No D or tres, but 5 dimes and 20+ ppg are DeLovely.
10) Jeremy Lamb (Indiana Pacers)
Lambs get slaughtered without protection, so it makes sense that Jeremy doesn’t provide the D. He will score, provide tres, and derives a lot of value from decent percentages and razor thin turnover rate. Lamb should see an uptick early in the season when Victor Oladipo is out, but could cede usage and playing time when he comes back. I did try and account for that in my projection.
11) Josh Richardson (Philadelphia 76ers)
My RichardSON!!! We drafted him for the steals and blocks last season, so there was disappointment from that aspect. But……he provided more tres and dimes, so all is forgiven. My RichardSON took on more offensive responsibility last season, so the efficiency declined as well as the D stats. Now, he’s in Philly, where he will be the fourth or fifth option? As a result, the efficiency should bounce back up and hopefully the decreased offensive emphasis will bring a renaissance to the D stats.
12) Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
LaVine’s athleticism is off-the-charts and I was impressed with how he bounced back from injury. His game has been developing, as he’s increased the boards and dimes. I like seeing that. If he can improve upon the D stats, then he could be a top 25 player.
13) Lou Williams (Los Angeles Clippers)
Sweet Lou is the modern day Vinny Johnson, popping in points left and right. With the additions of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers, the usage and shot attempts will decrease, so don’t expect that madness from last season. With that said, he will still provide a handful of dimes, plenty of points, and tres.
14) Danny Green (Los Angeles Lakers)
One of the better 3-and-D players for fantasy, as he provides excellent block numbers from the guard position. The steals aren’t Tony the Tiger but he will notch over 1 per game. He’s going to play a ton of minutes and will drain plenty of tres, especially being on the court with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
15) Terrence Ross (Orlando Magic)
One of the better 3-without-the-D players, Ross can light up the scoreboard on any given night. He does have a fifty burger to his name, way back in 2013, and put up 35 in a game last year.
16) Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Los Angeles Lakers)
I acknowledge that I may be completely off on KCP and the Lakers rotation in general. Many sites have Rajon Rondo starting at point guard. As a Lakers fan, I hope that doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t makes sense to have Rondo playing alongside LeBron and AD. The way I see it, LeBron will play the point, AD at power forward, JaVale McGee at center, Danny Green at small forward, and KCP or Avery Bradley at shooting guard. Now, Bradley could well be the guy at shooting guard, which is well within the range of outcomes, but I’m following Klutch here and slotting KCP in at SG. If he gets the 28 mpg that I have him projected for, he can be a source of tres and steals.
17) Gary Harris (Denver Nuggets)
Injuries nuked Harris’ season last year, as he missed 25 games and wasn’t right when he played. The shooting percentage from the field suffered the most, so I do expect a nice bounceback this year. The problem is that he played 67, 57, 76, and 55 games the four seasons before last, so there’s risk.
18) Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sacramento Kings)
Bog is my dog, as I love the fearlessness that he plays with. He will provide tres, dimes, and steals. Unfortunately, the Kings are stacked on the wings, so playing time may be an issue.
19) J. J. Redick (New Orleans Pelicans)
J. J. may truly be Redick this season, as the Pelicans will play at a hyper pace and he should get plenty of open looks. He doesn’t provide much else, though.
20) Landry Shamet (Los Angeles Clippers)
Shamet is going to start at shooting guard for the Clippers and should get plenty of open looks. He shot 45% from downtown last season so…..the Landry will be clean and smell nice all year long.
21) Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
The free throw shooting stinks for some reason. Maybe he needs some fresh Landry as well. What Brown can do for you, though, is provide points, boards, tres, and some steals. He should play a ton of minutes and there’s upside, since he’s so athletic, but I need to see it before I get back on the Kawhi 2.0 train.
22) Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
He’s gotten better as a shooter, as he shot 36% from downtown last season. The prior three years, he shot 30%, 28%, and 25% from behind the arc. So, you’ll get some tres while the dimes and steals will make up for the lack of points.
23) Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets)
Shooters shoot and Gordon is definitely a professional one. He literally does nothing else, but the trifecta of tres mitigates some of the issues with the one-dimensionality.
24) Malik Monk (Charlotte Hornets)
He put on 20 pounds of muscle!!! I guess that’s cool if he’s wanting to go up in weight classes for the next UFC fight. I kid. Getting stronger and putting on weight is a good thing, to deal with the physical nature of the NBA and grind of the 82-game schedule. With that said, I don’t give a F unless it helps with his shooting efficiency! I have him down for 41% on a volume adjusted basis which is…..#notgood.
25) Jordan Clarkson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Shoot your shot. I’m sure Clarkson has that tatooed somewhere on his body.
26) Kevin Huerter (Atlanta Hawks)
Huerter is one of my favorite late round targets. I’d take him ahead of everyone up to Redick. That’s where I’d have a debate with myself, which I always win of course, but I’d seriously consider Huerter even then. I do let the numbers do the talking, as he provides nothing in blocks and some of the other players provide more tres and points, but Huerter dishes out dimes and plays in a prime fantasy environment in Hotlanta.
27) Will Barton (Denver Nuggets)
Like teammate, Gary Harris, Barton succumbed to injury last season. I expect a bounceback this season, maybe not to the number 52 player he ended as in 2017, but better than the 211 he finished last year. I’m always a sucker for Barton because Malone loves him due to his defensive versatility. As a result, his playing time is secure. He provides tres, boards, and dimes.
28) Luke Kennard (Detroit Pistons)
I just can’t stop writing it:
2017 NBA Draft
#12 Luke Kennard
#13 Donovan Mitchell
#14 Bam Adebayo
Kennard is actually a good shooter (career 40% shooter from downtown) and should soak up most of the minutes at shooting guard for the Pistons. Checks win total for the Pistons. 38 at the Westgate. Yup.
29) Evan Fournier (Orlando Magic)
Fournier is one of the better sources of points this low on the ladder. He may not provide as many tres as others, but delivers a healthy amount of dimes (3.1 apg).
30) Nicolas Batum (Charlotte Hornets)
Some think that Batum may have an elevated role due to the construction of the roster. That’s definitely possible, but I go the other way. The Hornets are going to be bad, so they will likely give their young players as much run as possible and hope to get lucky in the Lottery. At the expense of Batum.
31) Kent Bazemore (Portland Trail Blazers)
Bazemore is one of the better late-round options, as he provides tres, points, and defensive stats. He should also get plenty of run. I have him projected for 28 minutes. The one big bugaboo is the poor shooting efficiency.
32) Caris LeVert (Brooklyn Nets)
I’m a fan of real-life LeVert, as his game is tight. For fantasy, though, the scoring and dimes that he provides are nice, but the ceiling is limited by the amount of minutes he will likely play and the injury concerns have his games played projection low.
33) Lonnie Walker IV (San Antonio Spurs)
Is Walker the Spurs next Kawhi Leonard? It’s possible, as he’s uber athletic, plays good defense, and has developed his offensive repertoire. Me thinks that he cracks the rotation and makes an impact. With that said, it’s well within the range of outcomes that he spends another season in the G-League, as the Spurs rotation could be set. High risk/high reward. If you draft him, may the Force be with you.
34) Rodney Hood (Portland Trail Blazers)
You’re going to this Hood to score. Nothing more. Nothing less. Get in. Get out.
35) Wesley Matthews (Milwaukee Bucks)
Matthews finds himself in the ideal situation, as the team wants to surround Giannis with shooters. Matthews is a career 38% from downtown and should get plenty of open looks.
36) Bryn Forbes (San Antonio Spurs)
Forbes was $$$ and filled in capably when all the injuries struck the Spurs last season. This season, the team looks to be at full strength, so the playing will be dimished, but Forbes should still get around 20 mpg and contributes tres.
37) Seth Curry (Dallas Mavericks)
Curry is a career 43.9% shooter from downtown. His more esteemed brother? 43.6%. Psssshhhhhhh. Scrub. I have Curry down for 20 minutes, but there’s upside for more, as he could take minutes from Tim Hardaway Jr. as the season progresses.
38) Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
When it comes to injuries, I go all the way to the right, even though Beyonce said “to the left.” Dudes don’t just magically return to peak form. It takes time. Often, they never return completely. So, I don’t care how many videos I see of them moving, shooting, and dunking, I will let others reach for them. If they fall, sure, I’ll think about it, but that doesn’t usually happen. With Oladipo, he’s likely to miss at least the first two months. Then, there will be rust. Finally, that top 10 season from two years ago may be an outlier, but it’s one that everyone has ingrained into their brains.
39) Langston Galloway (Detroit Pistons)
Galloway will provide some tres. That’s it. Currently, I have the Pistons starting lineup as Reggie Jackson, Galloway, Luke Kennard, Blake Griffin, and Andre Drummond. It’s possible that Bruce Brown and Tony Snell start at shooting guard and small forward. Regardless, I have Galloway down for 20 mpg.
40) Garrett Temple (Brooklyn Nets)
You won’t be bringing virgin sacrifices to this Temple, but he should be a useful 3-and-D player. The Nets are stacked in the backcourt and wings, so playing time could be an issue, but I have him down for 24 minutes.
41) Allonzo Trier (New York Knicks)
Iso Zo will get buckets. Unfortunately, I have no idea how the Knicks are going to divy up minutes, so he’s projected for 20 minutes. Could be less, could be more, or the Knicks could just start five power forwards and call it a night.
42) Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
Klay is targeting a return in February or March. We know what he can do when healthy, but there is just so much unknown with his situation.
43) Tim Hardaway Jr. (Dallas Mavericks)
I love hard way bets on the craps table. Actually, I love all bets at the craps table. Hmmm, I just love craps. Hard way bets provide upside, but are more often than not losing propositions. Same goes for Hardaway Jr. When he’s on the court, THJ is going to jack up shots. He just may not get many minutes this season, though. There is a chance he gets traded, but even if he gets elevated minutes, you’re getting a low efficiency hucker and chucker.
44) Malik Beasley (Denver Nuggets)
Playing time will be tough to come by, as the Nuggets are healthy….at least for now. He will provide tres when he plays.
45) Kyle Korver (Milwaukee Bucks)
Korver ends up in the perfect situation, as he will space the floor for Giannis. Korver won’t get much run, but when he’s on the court, he’s going to make it rain from downtown, as he’s a career 43% shooter from that distance.
46) Marco Belinelli (San Antonio Spurs)
Belinelli is a hitman for the fantasy mafia. Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Nothing else. Unfortunatley, he isn’t sent out too often on missions, but is effective when called upon.
47) Danuel House (Houston Rockets)
This House isn’t fancy with all the bells and whistles, but at least it does not consist of bricks.
48) Terrance Ferguson (Oklahoma City Thunder)
A starter last season, Ferguson should see his playing time reduced due to the return of Andre Roberson to the rotation.
49) Allen Crabbe (Atlanta Hawks)
Crabbe is still recovering from right knee arthroscopy in April. He was also just charged with a DUI in Los Angeles. Is it finally time to throw Crabbe back into the ocean? We’ve tried many of times, yet he always returns and provides buckets. We shall see if the Hawks are finally the ones to kill him.
50) Josh Okogie (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Okogie played well last season as a rookie. He was a high effort player who played good defense, but the shooting is suspect. He garnered playing time due to injuries to Robert Covington and Andrew Wiggins, but both are healthy for this year. Playing time will be an issue for Okogie, which is why I have him projected for 12 mpg.
51) Tony Snell (Detroit Pistons)
P. U. What’s that Snell? There’s been some indications that Snell could start. I have his minutes projection only at 10 mpg, so I could be way off. If he starts or gets more playing time, then he will be higher.
52) Dion Waiters (Miami Heat)
Waiters should be higher based on playing time alone, but the percentages aren’t good and the turnovers are higher. Remember, my rankings are based on overall value. He should be taken higher based on volume, but understand that he does get dinged significantly in more than one category.
53) Avery Bradley (Los Angeles Lakers)
There’s a chance Bradley plays more than the 16 minutes I have him projected for. He’s a good defender and can shoot from downtown. I have KCP ahead of him on the depth chart, but it’s within the range of outcomes that Bradley is the one higher on the depth chart and/or both Bradley and KCP play in the backcourt together. There is unknown when it comes to the backcourt rotation for the Lakers.
54) Pat Connaughton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Playing time will be sparse, as the Bucks made numerous additions to the backcourt.
55) Alec Burks (Golden State Warriors)
Burks is in the mix for playing time, especially since Klay Thompson will miss a significant portion of the season. With that said, he also has to compete with Jacob Evans, Glenn Robinson III, and rookie Jordan Poole. He’s a career 35% from downtown, is athletic, and can go on scoring binges.
56) Bruce Brown Jr. (Detroit Pistons)
What can Brown do for you? Well, he was the second person in Las Vegas Summer League history to mess around! Brown can fill the stat sheet, even on D, but the shooting was atrocious last season. He was a rookie, so development should be expected. I just don’t know how many minutes he will get though, as the shooting guard and small forward positions are muddled for the Pistons.
57) Gerald Green (Houston Rockets)
Green is the modern day Shannon Brown. Both are/were human fleas. Too bad both are/were more show than go.
58) Andre Roberson (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Roberson has been decimated by injuries the past few years. One of the best D-without-the-3 players, how many games will Roberson realistically play this season?
59) Josh Hart (New Orleans Pelicans)
Minutes are going to be tough to come by for Hart in New Orleans, as Jrue Holiday and J. J. Redick will soak up most of the shooting guard minutes.
60) Glenn Robinson III (Golden State Warriors)
Has a chance to carve out a role with Klay Thompson out. Robinson is a career 36% shooter from downtown.
61) Wayne Ellington (New York Knicks)
A career 38% shooter from downtown, Ellington can flat out shoot. Unfortunately, he’s on the Knicks, a team will probably play five power forwards to start games.
62) Justin Holiday (Indiana Pacers)
It’s time for Justin to take a permanent Holiday. I kid, he will school 99% of the people out there in hoops, but in the NBA, he kind of sucks. A high volume, low efficiency shooter, Holiday won’t see much time on the court. I wish I could put him lower, but projections are projections.
63) Sterling Brown (Milwaukee Bucks)
I’m intrigued with Brown. He’s athletic and could fill the stat sheet. Needs to develop a better shot, though, and there are a ton of guys vying for playing time at shooting guard for the Bucks. If he can’t shoot, he won’t play much because the Bucks are all about surrounding G with shooters.
64) Patrick McCaw (Toronto Raptors)
McCaw has been in the league for three years. He’s a three-time NBA champion! Even with Kawhi gone, we have to put the mortgage on the Raptors to repeat, right? McCaw wasn’t a significant contributer for any of those runs, and the same should be expected this season. He can contribute in steals, but the shooting isn’t great. I have him projected for 12 mpg.
65) Alex Caruso (Los Angeles Lakers)
I love Caruso. He’s a cult hero here in Los Angeles. He looks like some dude at the YMCA, but does this….
He can spot up shoot, navigate the pick and roll, and play good defense. There are concerns about playing time, though. The Lakers are going to stupidly play Rajon Rondo me thinks and I can envision lineups with Avery Bradley and KCP alongside LeBron, Danny Green, and AD. The floor is low, but the ceiling is high. I traded him away in a 30-team dynasty league and I’m still sad about it.
66) Donte DiVincenzo (Milwaukee Bucks)
I loved watching DiVincenzo at Villanova and thought he’d make a good pro. Injuries derailed his rookie season, though, and the depth chart looks full ahead of him. Playing time will be hard to come by.
67) Sindarius Thornwell (Los Angeles Clippers)
Thornwell is not a great shooter, but can contribute in D stats. Playing time will be an issue, though.
68) Hamidou Diallo (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Diallo is uber athletic and will throw down some vicious dunks. Too bad he can’t dunk from 20 feet away, as his shot is suspect. Playing time could open up if Chris Paul gets traded, but he still has to contend with Roberson and Ferguson.
69) Troy Daniels (Los Angeles Lakers)
The Lakers did a nice job constructing the roster around LeBron and AD this season, as they acquired a bevy of shooters. Daniels is a career 40% shooter from downtown. He probably won’t see the court often, though.
70) Rodney McGruder (Los Angeles Clippers)
Can’t see him getting much run, if any at all for the Clippers. Not a great shooter, especially from the free throw line, McGruder is a career 35% shooter from downtown.
71) Jacob Evans (Golden State Warriors)
Evans was selected in the first round of the NBA draft last season, so the team believes and has high hopes for him. There’s upside, as the depth chart is unsettled at shooting guard. Kerr mentioned that he views Evans as a point guard, so there’s that. Not a great shooter, but Kerr did say the team expects him to make a contribution this season.
72) Tyler Herro (Miami Heat)
My buddy used to always tell me, “Don’t be a hero. They all die expect in movies.” I wish he knew Tyler because he could respond, “But I am a Herro and will always be one!” He balled out during the Summer League, displaying offensive aggressiveness and range from downtown. Herro with the Heat. Has a nice ring to it. Now, he’s a rookie and Jimmy Butler and Dion Waiters will likely soak up most of the shooting guard minutes, so playing time will be sparse, but there is potential for the long term or if injury strikes.
73) Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia 76ers)
Thybulle has been deemed as NBA ready, as he played four years in college and is a maven on defense. The shooting isn’t great, though, and how many minutes will he actually play? I have him down for 10 mpg, as Tobias Harris will play 30+ at small forward.
74) Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors)
Doubt Poole sees the court much, if at all his rookie season.
75) Zhaire Smith (Philadelphi 76ers)
Smith is young (only 20 years old) and is still transitioning from playing more as a big man in college to a guard in the NBA. He’s a good shooter, will rebound, and is willing to distribute the ball. Don’t expect much in the defensive cats, though, and playing time will be sparse.
76) Grayson Allen (Memphis Grizzlies)
He was good in college. When he flies on a plane, do airline companies charge him extra for all the excess baggage he has? There’s a good chance he’s not on the Grizzlies roster after the preseason.
77) Ryan Broekhoff (Dallas Mavericks)
The rookie shot 41% from downtown last season in 42 games on 2.2 attempts per game.
78) Anfernee Simons (Portland Trail Blazers)
There is so much buzz about Simons coming into this season, and for good reason, as he showed that he belongs in the league at the end of last season. He shot 44% from the floor, 34% from downtown, and dished out dimes. The free throw shooting was abysmal, though, and he didn’t contribute much else. I like his potential and he’s probably way too low here, but how many minutes will he play? Especially with the acquisition of Kent Bazemore.
79) Khyri Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
A terrible shooter, Thomas is all about the D. End of the bench guy.
80) Jerome Robinson (Los Angeles Clippers)
Robinson was a prolific scorer and shooter in college. He had his moments in the NBA last season, but was inconsistent on the offensive end and non-existent on defense. Minutes will be tough to come by this season.
81) Gary Trent Jr. (Portland Trail Blazers)
Trent shot 40% from downtown in college. That didn’t translate to the NBA, though, as he only converted 23%. Granted, that was only with 7.4 mpg in 15 games. Trent probably won’t see much of the court, especially since Simons looks to be ahead of him on the depth chart.
82) Romeo Langford (Boston Celtics)
Langord is the first round pick of the Celtics from Indiana. Tom Westerholm of Masslive.com believes Langford cracks the rotation. He’s 6′ 6″ slasher and finisher. The shooting isn’t great, though. So, Jaylen Brown 2.0? Even if he does crack the rotation, I don’t see Langford getting too much run.
