New Golden State Warriors Coach Mark Jackson claimed that his new player, Monta Ellis, is right behind Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade as the third best shooting guard in the NBA.
First, I’m not even so sure Monta Ellis is the best shooting guard on his own team. Compare Ellis to Stephen Curry. Last year, Curry put up 18.6 ppg, 5.9 apg, while getting 1.7 spg and shooting 48% from the field (44% from 3-pt). Ellis posted 24.1 ppg, 5.6 apg, while snatching away 2.1 spg and shooting 45.1% (36% from 3-pt). On the surface, you might say Ellis is better, but Ellis shoots more and plays more minutes than Curry. All things being equal, it’s pretty much a wash between these two.
Okay, now let’s really look at this. Is Monta Ellis the 3rd best shooting guard in the league behind Bryant and Wade? If so, who are some of the obvious SG talents that you’d be surprised are left out by Jackson?
Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Manu Ginobili, Kevin Martin, Stephen Jackson to name a few…
Didn’t Ray Allen set an NBA Finals record for 3-point field goals just last year (2010 Finals)? Wasn’t Joe Johnson scorching hot during the 2011 playoffs?
Johnson’s amazing Game 1 performance v the Chicago Bulls:
If Ellis makes a name for himself in the playoffs, he could very well deserve this kind of clamoring. If the Warriors can make the playoffs, as Jackson predicts they will, it should make for a good opportunity for Ellis to demonstrate he’s worthy of this kind of accolade.
Rob S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
