Central Division’s Shooting Guard Rankings

Yesterday I gave you the top 10 point guards in the Central division. Today I’ll be spittin’ info on the top 10 shooting guards in the aforementioned Central division. This list is going to look barren of any superstars because the Central has no elite shooting guards. The division that was home to Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, and many other all time greats, is now a decrepit wasteland of shooting guard ineptitude. Anyway, let’s get through this.

1. Monta Ellis- Ellis is sometimes listed as a point guard, but given his propensity to jack up shots at a high rate, he’s a shooting guard in my eyes. I’ve never been a huge fan on Ellis, but he can score as well as anyone in the world when he’s in the zone. He has very quick hands, and is a risk taker on the defensive end, so he winds up with a lot of steals. There’s no statistic for poor judgment that leads to a layup, though.
2. Dion Waiters- Sure, he’s just a rookie, but he’s not playing like it. In a few years he may be at the top of this list, but for now he’s got some work to do. He has shown that he can score in the NBA, but he needs to work on his efficiency. 14 point per game looks good, but when you notice he shoots below 40% from the field, you do a double take. For years he’ll benefit from playing alongside Kyrie Irving, so expect him to develop into a true Pacer killer.
3. Rip Hamilton- Yup, he’s still alive and continues to be a direct threat to the Pacers’ supremacy. This year, with the Bulls, he’s had to adjust his game to accommodate his lessened playing time, but has managed to play quite well when given the opportunity. When he steps on the court he has one job—to take, and make, shots. He’s succeeded thus far.
4. Marco Belinelli- The slightly less talented versionHamilton, Belinelli picks up the minutes thatHamilton doesn’t get. He does roughly the same thing as Rip, which doesn’t involve passing or rebounding, but does it slightly worse. He launches more 3’s than Rip, but has a worse FG%.
5. CJ Miles- Cleveland keeps Miles around because he is an absolutely deadly shooter. He averages less than one assist per game, but manages to find time to jack up over 5 3’s per game. Miles has never seen a shot he didn’t like. All good teams need a sharpshooter like this, but the Cav’s problem is that he happens to be their sixth man.
6. Lance Stephenson- Were you starting to wonder if there would be any Pacers on the list? If the answer was yes, you’re an idiot. Anyway, this just shows how little depth the position has in this division. Stephenson gets starters minutes out of position because of necessity. He’s improved more than anyone could have predicted, but he’s still a below average baller.
7. Kyle Singler- I honestly didn’t know he was in the NBA until yesterday. I guess he gets decent playing time up in Detroit. What does that say about Detroit? What does that say about me?
8. Daniel Gibson- We’re digging deep, folks. Gibson is the third shooting guard on the Cavs. He may not be the best guard, but he has the best nickname. Heh, Boobie.

No other shooting guards have managed to play in 50% of their team’s games, so I don’t think they deserve to be included. Let’s hope the small forwards have a better showing.