The Smoking Cuban
FanSided

The NBA Midseason Rankings- Shooting Guards

By Kohl Rast

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 20: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 20, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 20: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 20, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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SACRAMENTO, CA – JANUARY 17: Justin Jackson #25 and Garrett Temple #17 of the Sacramento Kings talk prior to the game against the Utah Jazz on January 17, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA – JANUARY 17: Justin Jackson #25 and Garrett Temple #17 of the Sacramento Kings talk prior to the game against the Utah Jazz on January 17, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

30. Garrett Temple (SAC)

stats: 7.7 ppg, 1.8 qpg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 spg, 1.2 tov

Garrett Temple was forced into the role of starting shooting guard, simply because the Kings had no other options. Fox was not able to start alongside George Hill and Bogdanovic was not ready to start early on in the season, so Temple won the spot by default. And he has pretty well looked like a default option.

29. Andre Roberson (OKC)

stats: 5.0 ppg, 1.2 apg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 spg, 0.8 tov

Everyone knows what Roberson’s thing is. He is here to play defense and that is it. Although it is nice to have a defensive stopper, most of the good defenders in the NBA can at least put the ball through the hoop at a semi-decent rate. Andre Roberson is not one of those people. One-sided basketball is rarely a good thing, especially when that one side is defense.

CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 15: JR Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers protests a call during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena on January 15, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 15: JR Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers protests a call during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena on January 15, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

28. JR Smith (CLE)

stats: 7.6 ppg, 2.1 apg, 2.9 rpg, 0.9 spg, 1.0 tov

LeBron’s sidekick can still catch fire every once and awhile, and when he does it is still shockingly impressive. That said, his fiery moments have become more and more spaced out and he is becoming even more of a liability on the court. Not hard to put Smith near the bottom here.

27. Tony Snell (MIL)

stats: 8.0 ppg, 1.3 apg, 2.1 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.5 tov

Tony Snell is surrounded by a bunch of players that are supremely talented and it makes him sit on the back burner a little bit. He is not unskilled and can often times make a difference on both ends of the court, but his play continues to leave us wanting/expecting more from him.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 17: Allen Crabbe #33 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Barclays Center on January 17, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 17: Allen Crabbe #33 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Barclays Center on January 17, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images) /

26. Allen Crabbe (BKN)

stats: 11.9 ppg, 1.8 apg, 4.4 rpg, 0.6 spg, 1.2 tov

One of the worst contracts in recent NBA history, Allen Crabbe turned one decent shooting season into a 4-year, $74 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Since putting pen to paper, Crabbe has been horribly underwhelming, still scoring at an average clip, but with a worse shooting percentage and still no help on the defensive end.

25. Danny Green (SAS)

stats: 8.6 ppg, 1.8 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.3 tov

Much like Andre Roberson, Green was signed essentially to play defense. He was considered a better scorer than Roberson going into it, and has shown that in his time in San Antonio, but this year he has been less than stellar. His defense is still pretty good, but his offense is nowhere near where it should be with Kawhi Leonard out of the picture.

DENVER, CO – JANUARY 10: Kent Bazemore #24 of the Atlanta Hawks flexes after a foul call against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on January 10, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 10: Kent Bazemore #24 of the Atlanta Hawks flexes after a foul call against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on January 10, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

24. Kent Bazemore (ATL)

stats: 12.7 ppg, 3.7 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 spg, 2.5 tov

The Atlanta Hawks are not having the best season so far and it is taking a toll on the players. Kent Bazemore is not having a terrible season, but it is being heavily overshadowed by the first year of the Hawks rebuild. Bazemore could easily move up in the rankings here as he is shooting the ball fairly well and is still a decent defender, but as of now he is near the bottom.

23. Nicolas Batum (CHA)

stats: 10.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.2 rpg, 0.9 spg, 2.1 tov

Batum sat for most of the first quarter of the season, but did get to enough games to qualify for the ranking. That said, he has been nowhere near as effective as he normally is. His defense is still pretty solid but his scoring definitely needs some help this year. Charlotte looks like they are about ready to implode anyways so it may not be a big surprise.

DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 22: Courtney Lee #5 of the New York Knicks talks with head coach Jeff Hornacek while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 22, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 22: Courtney Lee #5 of the New York Knicks talks with head coach Jeff Hornacek while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 22, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 104-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

22. Courtney Lee (NYK)

stats: 13.5 ppg, 2.7 apg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 spg, 1.3 tov

The Knicks shooting guard has been around the block a few times in his 9 year career, but he does seem to be comfortable in New York. He has been a bit of an overachiever for a large part of his career and that does not appear to be changing this season. Still, there are so many good shooting guards.

21. Dion Waiters (MIA)

stats: 14.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.6 rpg, 0.8 spg, 2.3 tov

Miami has been a very interesting team this year, winning a lot of games despite some confusion on the direction of the team. Waiters has been an inconsistent player both from his play and his time on the court, but he can still score in a hurry if you let him. The threat of Waiters beating you is definitely still there.

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