Aside from Brandon Roy in Portland, I cant really think of any shooting guards that have the potential to be truly special that have come out of the last few drafts. It seems like we have a ton of promising you PG talent but not so much in regards to the SG position. The only two young guards that I can think of with any real long term All-Star potential are Eric Gordon and OJ Mayo and to me they're both tweeners. I really like Mayo's game but as a 6'4" SG I dont think he's athletic enough to really take over games in the way that a super-athlete like D.Wade or even Agent Zero can. I think he'd be incredible as a Chauncey Billups type of point guard. And Eric Gordan strikes me as a Ben Gordan on 'roids, great for clutch scoring but not much else. Aside from these two who's left?
The position, IMO, is virtually nonexistent just like the Small Forward in terms of having a specific position. Nowadays, there are many players that are hybrid players and can be a scorer and a point guard. Also, with more teams going with smaller lineups (i.e. quicker lineups), having a shooting guard that can only do one thing (shoot/score), hurts a team on the defensive end IMO.
I used to think Jamal Crawford would be a beast, but it hasn't turned out that way. I think the league has become more dominant in the small forward position more than any other. There aren't many pure point guards anymore. Instead, there are infinite athletic swingman who can play both positions.
While I agree that the SG/SF positions have been pretty interchangeable in terms of scoring, I think ball handling sets apart a SG from a SF. I'll be a little more specific in regards to the skill set that I'm thinking about. 6'5" - 6'7" with good (not necessarily great) handles and the ability to score without being set up. The only young player I can think of (besides B. Roy) is JR Smith. Iggy's pretty young but he's a vet to me he's been paying since 04 i think. Is that DeRozan guy in Toronto any good?
that's because he is...they tried to force him to be a pg, which is stupid because he's a naturally gifted 2 guard.
Iggy, Joe Johnson, Kevin Martin, Eric Gordon, JR Smith (If he had a brain), Ronnie Brewer. I really like Ronnie Brewer. I think he's a bit underrated IMO and he could do a lot more if given the opportunity.
I never realized Iggy was only 25, always thought he was 28/29...He's definitely one of the top young SG's
I don't think joe johnson could be considered young any more. eric gordon could be good, but playing for the clipps may have made him look better than what he is. Kmart and j.R are shooters that play no defense and are a bit too one dimensional, they are better used as sixthmans than starters. Andre is probably the best young SG that isn't a swingman or a combo guard.
a lot of good young PG, more hybrid guards though. chris paul deron williams brooks jennings rose rondo stuckey flynn ellis curry westbrook harris
Joe Johnson at 28 isn't young any more but he's certainly not old. More importantly he's never had any serious operations on the knees or ankles I can think of. Plus he's never relied upon his athleticism so he can play well for a good 4-5 more years. On that note.... D-wade is still only 27 so he's going to keep doin his thing on an elite level for a good 4-5 more years as well. Although he relies more upon his athleticism and quickness.... he's still got the handles and craft to be very good in his 30's when he starts losing his athleticism.
