NBA Basketball Ranks: Top Shooting Guards of 2010-2011

With a fresh and what appears to be an exciting NBA season looming, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers look to repeat once again as NBA world champions. Of course, it will definitely not be an easy task for the reigning champs. The following rankings are based on the shooting guard's statistics in scoring, passing, and defensive categories. NBA fans will be biased based on who they believe the top shooting guards currently are, but after rigorous research, you will be surprised at who landed at the top of the list.

At number one, Kobe Bryant was the best overall shooting guard in the National Basketball Association. His superb scoring average of 27 points per game also puts him at number one among guards. Kobe's defensive abilities easily placed him in the NBA's all defensive first team. Because of this achievement, Kobe Bryant is easily the most balanced player in the league. He is the only player in the last ten years to be comparable to the legendary Michael Jordan.

The player who took the title as the second best shooting guard in the NBA was none other than Dwyane Wade. Wade nearly averaged 27 points throughout the NBA regular season with only 36 minutes played per game. Very few shooting guards have been able to pull off such a feat in such little playing time. Players who average that many points per game typically play over 40minutes during a game. Wades defensive capabilities are rather above average. At only 6' 4", Wade became the shortest NBA player to average over one block a game. Wade is basically a smaller version of NBA superstar LeBron James due to his ability to fill out his stat sheet effortlessly. Due to league's shortage of dominating shooting guards, selecting Wade as the second best shooting guard in the league was no hassle.

The third best shooting guard in the NBA may come as a shock to many basketball fans due to the player's lack of popularity. This is possibly due to the fact that the city he plays for has a weak basketball market. The player is none other than Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs. Ginobili's style of play is something the league has never seen before. Ginobili plays with more heart than the likes of Kobe Bryant. In the past seven years, Ginobili managed to win three NBA championships and an Olympic gold medal for his native Argentina. The Latin American superstar is considered a god in both Latin American and European basketball. This past season he averaged an impressive 17 points per game in only 28 minutes of play. What is also surprising about Ginobili is that he is actually a reserve for his squad. If Ginobili were a starter for the San Antonio Spurs, he would have scored more than 23 points per game!