NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Shooting Guards
By Shane Young
24. Jodie Meeks — Detroit Pistons
One player we all can’t enough of is Jodie “Gets Buckets” Meeks. Coined by a former teammate of his, the nickname holds true. Already playing for three different teams, Detroit will be Meeks’ fourth franchise in six seasons.
Ever wonder how a shooter who broke Kentucky’s single-game scoring record can’t hold a job without being traded? Well, Meeks was involved in the inevitable trade the Lakers made for Dwight Howard, so of course he was going along in the package.
He just experienced his best season by wearing purple and gold, mainly because Mike D’Antoni played him five more minutes than his previous career-high in minutes (Philadelphia).
Having a chance to evaluate Meeks’ year-by-year improvement since his freshmen season in college has been a luxury, and it was also enough for Stan Van Gundy to throw tons of dough his way this offseason.
When Meeks entered the league, he still struggled with the key of consistency, since shooting against college defenders is much different and juvenile than trying to get perfect shot opportunities against professionals, and grown men.
Meeks is the first on the list that truly owns a real shooting guard body and fit; 6’4″, stocky, quick on his feet, and a lights out shooter.
Ironically, the best thing that could’ve happened for Meeks was playing in D’Antoni’s ridiculous system, where shot launching was praised and defense was ignored. Hysterically enough, this actually benefited Meeks’ defensive prowess. Not having a single guard on the Lakers being committed to playing stiff defense, Meeks had to be the one to step into the role and tightly guard his matchups each night.
Since D’Antoni seemed to allow 3-point green lights 24/7 in rush hour traffic, Meeks didn’t have hesitation. That’s exactly why he couldn’t string together solid performances during his earlier years, because he had everything to lose. In Los Angeles, there was nothing you could’ve possibly done to worsen the situation they had upon themselves.
Meeks primarily loved to fire off the dribble (in transition), but there was hardly anyone better off the catch last season. Of all guards that attempted at least four catch-and-shoot looks from deep, Meeks ranked 7th in percentage, nailing 43 percent of his triples.
Scorching Oklahoma City for a career-high 42 points at Staples Center will probably always be second on his list of All-Time favorite moments, but I’m not certain that he gets the large paycheck without that performance. It placed Meeks on the map of scouting report threats, as if he wasn’t already.
Quick baseline cuts to the basket have been added to his arsenal since joining the Lakers, and there’s some fear as to whether Brandon Jennings is going to be willing to create for his new backcourt teammate in Detroit.
Jennings and Josh Smith need abusive beatings if they keep hindering the offense with questionable shot selection, but does a man with Van Gundy’s nagging voice allow those mishaps? It’s Detroit, so we aren’t allowed to expect anything without being cautious.