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NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Shooting Guards

By Shane Young

January 17, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) guards Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) in the second half of the game at the Staples Center. Heat won 99-90. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
January 17, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) guards Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) in the second half of the game at the Staples Center. Heat won 99-90. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Power Rankings
Jan 24, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic shooting guard Victor Oladipo (5) passes the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 114-105. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

17.  Victor Oladipo — Orlando Magic

Anyone can remember looking back and watching the 2012 Indiana Hoosiers shocking the world, defeating the Kentucky Wildcats and garnering all the national attention heading into the NCAA Tournament.  Never for one second did you believe Oladipo would be a top two pick in the draft had you went back to watched that game a second time.

His third season at Indiana was his spotlight year, as he rose up the ranks in the appalling 2013 draft class, which was weaker than I can ever recall.  Selected second overall (behind Anthony Bennett), Oladipo fell into the hands of Rob Hennigan and the Orlando Magic.

Don’t kid yourself, Oladipo is clearly the most skilled and talented of all the 2013 draft members.  Cleveland just didn’t have a specific need for a guard slot, so they went with the under-performing size in a power forward.  If they could have it back, they’d probably take Oladipo and place him alongside Kyrie Irving, or trade him for anything above the Kwame Brown level that Bennett played at majority of the year.

With Oladipo, you get an undersized two-guard that’s tough as nails, and never backs down from a challenge.  As respectable and polite as he is off the court and in the locker room, you wouldn’t expect a gritty, hellacious player that comes out once it’s time to lace up the shoes.

Things are turning in a positive direction for the Magic, which can only be praised due to the embarrassment Dwight Howard left them when the Dwightmare was taking it’s toll.  Being near the bottom of the East last season with Oladipo and Arron Afflalo only meant a favorable pick in the 2014 draft lottery.  Selecting Aaron Gordon, they now have a defensive blueprint in place for long haul.

In a perfect world, Oladipo is the better long-term option at shooting guard than Afflalo, since the sophomore actually takes pride in defending the top-notch backcourt player each night.  And, Oladipo takes pride in wearing the jersey, regardless of how much work Orlando has ahead of them.

The point guard experiment with Oladipo was tested last season, and it failed miserably.  It’s not his true position, and they tried to stick him there.  Can you really blame head coach Jacque Vaughn?  You have to tweak a few things, mix stuff around, and play with what you got until the right formula is found.

Oladipo turned the ball over mightily, recording a turnover ratio of 15.4 throughout his rookie year.  Only three shooting guards were worse; Archie Goodwin (17.2), Nick Calathes (15.5), and Antetokounmpo (15.7).  Oladipo holds himself to higher standards than that, and the same results won’t be apparent with Elfrid Payton being a ball-dominant guard for the Magic.