Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade: Top Five Shooting Guards in the present era – NBA Feature
5. Manu Ginobili:
Age might not be on his side, but ask anyone who was there at London 2012 and instantly Manu Ginobili will spring up in the mind as someone still having enough firepower to hit the opposition hard.
One of his disappointments might be that he has been injury prone in the last few seasons. In the last one as well, he managed to take part in only 34 games and got 12.9 points on average. However he is player with a pedigree,
especially in the playoffs, and is still an essential cog of the San Antonio Spurs.
4. Jason Terry:
Just when his position at Dallas Mavericks camp was coming under a bit of a doubt, Jason Terry’s move to Boston has reinvigorated his career.
His ability to hit out threes on consistent basis and to catch a few steals every time he takes the court makes him an effective option for the Celtics, especially as an impact player off the bench. While he may not be as good
as he was in 2009 when he won the sixth man of the year award, Jet is sure to create a few ripples in the 2013 season.
3. James Harden:
At a relatively young age of 23, James Harden has made a mark for himself as one of the best shooting guards in the league.
Being the reigning sixth man of the year, Harden’s impact has been reflected in the Thunder’s performances in the last couple of seasons.
Putting up points, rebounds, assists and steals is one thing, but the thing which differentiates the man from the rest is his commitment to the franchise. Harden can be a starting shooting guard on many elite teams in NBA, but
wilfully comes off the bench for OKC to boost up the reserve lineup.
2. Dwayne Wade:
LeBron James might have dominated Miami Heat’s road to the championship but that does not undermine the fact that Dwayne Wade is one of the best shooting guards in the game today.
With a points average of 22.5 last season, Wade shows moments of brilliance with his speed and the ability to penetrate even the best of defenses. And scoring points is not the only thing Wade should be credited for.
Each season, he shows an increased improvement in his shot blocking ability, making him an incredibly valuable player on the defense as well. As much as he gets overshadowed by the other big gun in the Heat camp, the role Wade
has played for the side in their recent successes cannot be denied.
1. Kobe Bryant:
It can be argued that his dog days are over and he lacks the athleticism of yesteryears but Kobe Bryant can still provide moments of brilliance which no other player in the NBA can.
For starters carrying the pressure of comparison with Michael Jordan in itself is a huge task and then to keep up to his own reputation, Bryant has indeed proved over and over again what he is capable of.
If there was one player to do it all for a team, Bryant is that. The Black Mamba sets the standards which other guards try to achieve and after the arrival of Steve Nash in the Lakers back court he is only going to more dangerous.
Kobe was nearly the scoring champ ions last season and at 34, he has proved that an ageing body and an injured knee cannot stop him from being the best.
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