Shooting Guards
1. James Harden: It’s okay to admit that James Harden, formerly one of the NBA’s most one-dimensional players, is now suddenly a serious MVP threat. Yes, even a well-rounded star. Through two months, the “Bearded One” has manufactured numbers that are hard to dispute, such as averaging 37.8 points,15.9 assists and 10.9 rebounds per 100 possessions.
Not to mention, Harden has tallied 29 double-doubles (most in NBA) and nine triple-doubles (2nd most). In the process, Harden is profiting within head coach Mike D’Antoni’s offensive-friendly atmosphere, currently navigating the Houston Rockets to the Western Conference’s third best record at 28-9.
2. DeMar DeRozan: Quiet, consistent, efficient. All three of these words can best describe DeMar DeRozan’s play throughout this season’s first half. The presumable All-Star is thriving as an exceptionally high-usage player for the Raptors, issuing a 34.3 USG% (No. 1 among qualified shooting guards per Hollinger).
Along the way, DeRozan is amidst his best season offensively, generating 27.5 points while also adding in five rebounds per game. It’s also worth mentioning that DeRozan has 16 registered 30+ point performances already, which is the second most at his position.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo: There are many positions that fit comfortably into Antetokounmpo’s repertoire. Some nights he is Milwaukee’s most efficient point guard, assisting on 28.6 percent of the team’s field goals. Other nights he can step in as a shooter and drain 53.7 percent of his shots. And when need be, he will man the 4 position and anchor the Bucks’ frontcourt, gobbling up 13.4 rebounds per 100 possessions.
In a sense, there really isn’t a true label to give Antetokounmpo, his 6-foot-11 size and sheer versatility makes him one of the league’s very few “position-less” players. But considering that 64 percent of his playing time has been spent at the SG position, this is exactly where I’ll categorize him as.
For the record, Antekoumpo is currently the only player in the NBA this season that’s leading his team in points (23.9 per game), rebounds (9.1), assists (5.8), steals (2) and blocks (1.9). With numbers like that, the “Greek Freak” deserves nomination as the league’s most productive player.