NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Shooting Guards

15.  Kyle Korver — Atlanta Hawks

I’d die — or at least forfeit my citizenship — to have Korver back in Tom Thibodeau’s hands with Chicago.  With the roster the Bulls have assembled in the past few months, and gaining Rose back at full strength, there’s no better place Korver could be.

They’d be on top of the Eastern Conference once again (although they probably already are).  Yes, it means I don’t trust Cleveland right away to figure things out with the mixture of experience and youth.

When you read the following line, let it settle before you react, and don’t take any sips of liquid before reading:  Korver just set a career-high in outside shooting, being 47.2 percent effective from 3-point range.  Done having your seizure?  I can still feel the effects of mine from the Winter.

Of any shooting guard that played 30 or more minutes per game, it wasn’t even close.  Arron Afflalo would be in second, shooting 42.7 percent from deep.  It’s a huge gap, and you just can’t fathom a shooter attempting 5.5 triples per game and nailing about half of them.  If you can, you must have a habit of dreaming of video games.

Korver benefited a ton from Mike Budenholzer’s offensive flair, hitting huge shots out of plays we’ve never seen before and making it look simple.  Seriously, they make you rewind the film at least four times before you understand what’s happening.

He’s also grown into a distinguished passer on the move, being able to catch the ball on the run and immediately getting it to a rolling teammate in a split second.  It’s rare in a shooting guard, but that’s just the basketball IQ Korver has gained from Philadelphia, Utah, and Chicago.

Defensively, is he heavy and stocky enough to slow down the scoring onslaughts this league has?  Not exactly.  However, he has exceptional footwork that can mitigate the bleeding, and Atlanta sure loved that in their first round matchup vs. Indiana.  Quick lateral movements can go a long way, and they helped Korver cover multiple areas at once.  He could help in the paint on a driving guard, and switch back over to the perimeter instantaneously.

Korver is reaching 34 years old, which makes you wonder how long he can keep up the full-speed activity a shooter has to have in today’s game.  He’s probably underrated here, but he’s no stranger to that concept.  Ask him.