Ranking: The Top 20 shooting guards in 2023-24 (2024)

2023-24 stats: 26.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.5 bpg, 46.4 FG%, 36.5 3P% in 95 games
Salary ranking: No. 116 ($13,534,817)

In a similar vein toDwyane Wade being on his rookie-scale contract while leading the Miami Heat to the 2006 NBA championship,Anthony Edwards was likewise the best contract in the NBA this campaign as his max extension doesn’t kick in until 2024-25. The Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of that, getting to the Western Conference Finals and knocking off the reigning champion Nuggets in the process behind Edwards’ brilliance.

Edwards went supernova in the first two rounds of the playoffs, averaging 28.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals on 50.4 percent shooting, 39.8 percent from three. Edwards even briefly had people wondering if he was becoming the best player in the world in front of our eyes before he finally came back to Earth against Dallas.

Edwards ended up losing the duel with Doncic in the Western Conference Finals rather handily but even so, he performed like a Top 5 player in 2023-24, became the unquestioned best 2-guard in the league and has many excited about what he and the Wolves’ future will look like over the coming seasons.

2023-24 stats: 23.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.5 apg, 0.6 bpg, 1.2 spg, 50.3 FG%, 34.8 3P% in 89 games
Salary ranking: No. 41 ($31,830,357)

Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is deservingly celebrating his first title along with Jayson Tatum, one in which both were able to shine in their own ways. That has to be particularly satisfying based on how many fans wanted Boston to break the duo up last season when the team lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brown became the first Finals MVP sinceAndre Iguodala to win the award without making any All-NBA team that season, making Brown’s All-NBA snub look even worse in hindsight. All in all, what a campaign for the former Cal standout.

2023-24 stats: 27.1 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 spg, 0.5 bpg, 46.4 FG%, 36.6 3P% in 65 games
Salary ranking: No. 36 ($33,162,030)

Despite merely earning All-Star honors this season, Cleveland Cavaliers 2-guard Donovan Mitchell reminded everyone why he’s so widely respected as a high-level playoff performer in the Cavs’ 2024 postseason run when the former Louisville standout averaged 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 47.6 percent shooting while leading Cleveland to the second round.

Mitchell’s big playoff run came at a great time for him, too, as he’s extension-eligible this summer and will have a lot of eyes on him, as rumors have it that if he bypasses signing an extension with Cleveland, the notion is that the Cavaliers would then pivot to looking for a potential trade for him.

A big summer is ahead for Mitchell, who continued to cement himself as a Top 25 player in the league this year.

2023-24 stats: 27.1 ppg, 6.9 apg, 4.5 rpg, 0.9 spg, 0.4 bpg, 49.2 FG%, 36.3 3P% in 72 games
Salary ranking: No. 24 ($36,016,200)

3rd Team All-NBA in 2023-24,Devin Booker remains one of the best shooting guards in the league but had his spot overtaken as the unquestioned best by Edwards on the campaign, which could be reflected in this upcoming summer’s Olympic Games, with both players on the roster for Team USA.

Booker was supposed to be contending for MVP at this point but that hasn’t really panned out yet. Still, the former Kentucky standout is just 27 years old so he has that upside and maybe as this Suns mishmash continues to develop together, they’ll learn how to to play better to each other’s strengths.

Regardless, with the ability to hit impossible shots on a regular basis from all over the floor as one of the best bucket-getters in the league, Booker remains an elite player, especially on offense.

2023-24 stats: 15.5 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 1.0 spg, 45.9 FG%, 39.8 3P% in 92 games
Salary ranking: No. 87 ($18,357,143)

Despite his counting stats being a bit more humble than the other players on this part of the ranking, Celtics guard Derrick White just had by far the best season of his career, ranking as Top 25 player in VORP, BPM and WS/48 while helping lead the Celtics to a dominant championship run in the playoffs.

A low-profile guard that just makes winning plays on both ends again and again, White is a phenomenal two-way role player with some solid scoring juice off the dribble, as well as decent playmaking and rebounding skills.

Making a massive – and deserved – leap from his aggregate preseason ranking, White is finally starting to gain respect for how good of a player he is, with some in the media even campaigning for him to be an All-Star earlier this year.

The Celtics were so loaded this season, they might have been able to win a title without White but it certainly would not have been anywhere near as easy as they made it look with the 29-year-old guard in the fold.

2023-24 stats: 19.0 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 53.0 FG%, 42.1 3P% in 81 games
Salary ranking: No. 257 ($4,558,680)

A recipient of Most Improved Player and Clutch Player of the Year votes, Oklahoma City’sJalen Williams was an All-Star candidate in 2023-24 who showed true All-NBA-level upside in just his second season. Whether or not he’ll reach that potential eventually might be up for debate but what isn’t is the fact that the Santa Clara product is one of the most promising young players in the league.

A strong forward with good skill as a ball-handler, shooter and pull-up scorer, Williams is also a plus-defender on the other end with good versatility thanks to his strength and quick feet.

Alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren, Williams has helped form one of the best young trios in the league, one with a championship-level upside over the coming years.

2023-24 stats: 22.5 ppg, 6.4 apg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 spg, 0.3 bpg, 45.9 FG%, 36.3 3P% in 78 games
Salary ranking: No. 88 ($18,214,000)

Although the Hawks struggled through a mediocre campaign this season, another bright spot besides Trae Young was the play of Dejounte Murray, who despite not being an All-Star or earning any accolades, might have been the more impactful player in the Atlanta backcourt, especially taking into account defense.

Murray had a 23-game stretch with Young out from late February to early April in which he averaged 24.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 36.4 percent from three, showing the level he possesses when he doesn’t have to share so much of the ball.

Is it clear now why there’s so much smoke about the Hawks potentially breaking up the Young-Murray backcourt, including a report on the matter from our own Michael Scotto?

Maybe young and Murray each deserve their own backcourt – both are too talented and need too much of the ball to truly thrive together.

2023-24 stats: 19.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1.2 spg, 47.5 FG%, 34.1 3P% in 60 games
Salary ranking: No. 186 ($8,008,680)

A do-everything player with the skill of a swingman and length of a big man, Scottie Barnes took a big step forward in his third campaign after a stagnant sophom*ore season, averaging career-highs across the board.

Barnes is a fierce slasher, can hit threes with his feet set and has a tidy short midrange game with great touch around the rim. He’s also a very versatile defender who can guard 1-5 and be a disruptive force jumping passing lanes and blocking shots.

The fact that he’s so versatile and impactful of a defender while also being a good scorer, rebounder and playmaker makes Barnes a truly unique player and someone the Toronto Raptors will be happy to build around over years to come.

2023-24 stats: 15.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.5 bpg, 43.9 FG%, 40.4 3P% in 94 games
Salary ranking: No. 148 ($10,900,000)

Donte DiVincenzo was a fantastic outside shooter in 2023-24 while also providing off-the-dribble scoring and effective pest-like defense, acclimating wonderfully for this Thibodeau-led New York team.

It was also encouraging to see DiVincenzo elevate his level of play in the playoffs, where he upped his scoring average to 17.8 points while hitting 42.5 percent of his threes.

DiVincenzo quietly has one of the best contracts in the league as he’s signed through 2026-27 without a player option, with his salary peaking at $12.5 million that year. That’s an absolute steal for New York based on DiVincenzo’s play last season, and if he manages to improve on it?

Watch out for the Knicks.

2023-24 stats: 15.9 ppg, 5.4 apg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, 48.6 FG%, 36.1 3P% in 87 games
Salary ranking: No. 132 ($12,015,150)

A very heady combo guard who can score from all three levels, get to the foul line at a healthy rate and do some playmaking and rebounding,Austin Reaves had a good 2023-24 season for the Lakers even without getting any individual accolades.

Seeing Reaves’ free-throw rate dip so dramatically (54.1 percent last year to 28.9 percent this year) could be cause for a bit of concern as far as determining what his ultimate ceiling is, as is the fact he’s heading into his age-26 season already, but overall, even if this is what Reaves is, he’s still a good player and a solid starter-level talent, someone we rate as one of the Top 60 players in the league.

2023-24 stats: 19.9 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.4 rpg, 1.0 spg, 0.6 bpg, 45.6 FG%, 42.0 3P% in 70 games
Salary ranking: No. 27 ($35,802,469)

A veteran bucket-getter,CJ McCollum remains basically a 20-point-per-game scorer while also providing some playmaking, not quite at a star level but good enough where he’s still a far above-average starting 2-guard in the league.

Is he performing up to the level of his salary? Maybe not but even so, he’s productive and efficient and remains roughly a Top 60 player in our eyes.

2023-24 stats: 19.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, 42.3 FG%, 33.2 3P% in 82 games
Salary ranking: No. 160 ($9,891,480)

A torrid stretch of play from late February to early April helped former No. 2 overall pickJalen Green rise in this ranking compared to his place in the preseason aggregate and even nearly got the Rockets into the Play-In Tournament after a somewhat slow start to the season.

Over those 17 games, Green averaged 28.0 points on 47.9 percent shooting, 39.4 percent from three (many shot attempts coming of the high-difficulty variety) to go with 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Houston went 13-4 in that stretch with 11 of those victories coming in a row, showing that Green’s marks were far from empty.

If Green is able to carry that 17-game form over to next season, he will undoubtedly see another bump in his ranking league-wide, as the explosive, tough-shot-making 2-guard has a very high ceiling with All-Star-level potential, if not more.

2023-24 stats: 15.4 ppg, 5.1 apg, 2.9 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.5 bpg, 44.3 FG%, 35.0 3P% in 72 games
Salary ranking: No. 158 ($9,945,830)

The second-place finisher for Sixth Man of the Year in 2023-24 and 12th-place finisher for Clutch Player of the Year, Sacramento guard Malik Monk picked a great time to have one of the best seasons of his career considering he was heading into unrestricted free agency this summer.

Monk is an explosive 2-guard who can get hot at a moment’s notice and fill up the score column from three or the midrange, or even perform high-flying finishes around the rim. His defense may not be much to write home about but overall, he’s a positive-impact player, the type you want on your team in the high-scoring modern NBA.

2023-24 stats: 18.7 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.6 rpg, 0.8 spg, 0.2 bpg, 48.7 FG%, 39.4 3P% in 78 games
Salary ranking: No. 93 ($17,325,000)

A bucket-getting lead guard, Utah’sCollin Sexton just enjoyed a very solid 2023-24 thanks to his ability to score from three and the short midrange. Sexton also plays with a ton of energy on both ends of the floor, often laying his body out to make winning plays.

Under contract for two more seasons after this one, it’ll be interesting to see if the Jazz keep him around or shop him this summer, as Sexton’s game probably fits better on a playoff team, perhaps as a high-level sixth man.

2023-24 stats: 22.6 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.6 rpg, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg, 43.0 FG%, 38.5 3P% in 88 games
Salary ranking: No. 60 ($24,107,143)

Explosive guardAnfernee Simons was very good once again for the Portland Trail Blazers, putting up over 22 points and five assists per contest on a tidy 38.5 percent shooting mark from beyond the arc.

Simons has great explosiveness around the basket and the ability to sink shots from deep off the dribble, giving him legitimate three-level scoring ability.

After the Lillard/McCollum era ended, Simons has picked things up quickly for the Blazers, another high-scoring guard on the smaller side who can fill up the scoring column.

2023-24 stats: 20.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.6 apg, 0.1 bpg, 0.7 spg, 43.5 FG%, 39.1 3P% in 47 games
Salary ranking: No. 51 ($27,000,000)

The story ofTyler Herro’s Miami career over recent years has been surrounding his injury troubles, and that didn’t change one iota in 2023-24 as the former Kentucky Wildcat played in just 42 regular-season games for the Heat this year.

When he’s been out there, Herro has been a productive offensive force, a good three-point and midrange scorer with some playmaking and rebounding ability. His defense just remains basically nonexistent and he’s had bad injury luck, preventing him from potentially taking the next step.

He’s also been a playoff underperformer, averaging just 12.9 points on 39.5 percent shooting (28.7 percent from three) over his last 25 postseason games, making it tough to say what the former Sixth Man of the Year’s impact on winning really is.

It is somewhat troubling the Heat entered the 2022-23 playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the East, saw Herro go down with injury in the first game of the first round against the Bucks and then made an impromptu trip to the Finals. Perhaps an ugly talking point but the former Kentucky Wildcat didn’t do much to dispel any negative theories about his impact on winning this year.

Maybe that will change next season.

2023-24 stats: 13.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.6 bpg, 49.6 FG%, 45.8 3P% in 77 games
Salary ranking: No. 176 ($8,925,000)

An undersized 2-guard who did take a leap in 2023-24 was Suns sharpshooter Grayson Allen, (spoiler alert) the second of three Suns shooting guards in this ranking.

Allen was one of the best outside shooters in basketball this season, shooting 45.8 percent from beyond the arc between the regular season and playoffs, leading the NBA in regular-season three-point shooting at 46.1 percent.

Allen also showed off-the-dribble and slashing scoring prowess, having a great first season with the Suns and earning himself a solid extension from Phoenix to keep him around for the foreseeable future.

2023-24 stats: 18.1 ppg, 5.0 apg, 4.3 rpg, 1.0 spg, 0.5 bpg, 50.8 FG%, 43.0 3P% in 57 games
Salary ranking: No. 6 ($46,741,590)

The Suns took a huge risk trading for Bradley Beal and his monster, no-trade-clause-backed contract, and truth be told, it didn’t really pay off, as the the team struggled to acclimate to play around three ball-dominant stars, two of whom play the same position, falling in the first round of the playoffs.

Beal’s mediocre ball-handling meant that Booker had to run lead guard more often for Phoenix and he handled his duties wonderfully, putting up huge numbers and earning All-Star and 3rd Team All-NBA honors.

It was Beal who struggled a bit despite respectable enough averages and certainly struggled compared to his salary, which had him earning the sixth-most money of any player in 2023-24. Injuries have also been an issue for the former Florida Gator, who hasn’t played more than 60 regular-season games since 2018-19.

We’ll see if Beal’s able to regain at least that All-Star form in 2024-25 under new head coachMike Budenholzer. For now, we have him barely ranked among the Top 100 players in the league.

2023-24 stats: 13.5 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 spg, 0.5 bpg, 42.2 FG%, 31.2 3P% in 79 games
Salary ranking: No. 107 ($15,384,616)

A crafty scorer who can look like an All-Star one night and a fringe role player on another, Cavs swingmanCaris LeVert is an overall positive when he’s on the floor for Cleveland thanks to his bucket-getting prowess from the midrange and near the basket.

LeVert has a very hard-to-predict game on offense with slippery moves and counters and ways to get by opponents that are quite unique, making him a tough player to defend. He’s also a solid playmaker and a decent defender on the other end, who can create some havoc jumping passing lanes and picking the pockets of opposing ball-handlers.

2023-24 stats: 19.5 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 spg, 0.3 bpg, 47.2 FG%, 37.2 3P% in 68 games
Salary ranking: No. 225 ($5,887,899)

Outside of Wembanyama, another young bright spot for San Antonio this season was former Florida State standoutDevin Vassell, one of the most underrated guards in the league.

Vassell has a wonderful shooting stroke, allowing him to nail shots from three and the midrange, and quick feet and good length defensively on the other side of the floor, making him an impactful two-way player for the Spurs.

He might not quite have that All-Star potential but Vassell should be at worst an above-average starter for years to come.