Power ranking NBA Western Conference shooting guards

1. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

The best shooting guard in the Western Conference (and possibly the entire NBA) has a shoe deal with a Chinese company named Anta Sports. Let that sink in, and it’ll tell you a lot of what you need to know about Klay Thompson.

Thompson has always been about taking what he’s given, striving for improvement, and deferring celebration to others. The shoe deal is a microcosm of his existence in the spectrum of NBA stardom.

On a Golden State superteam, Thompson has supposedly slowed down. Except that in every major category except 3-point shooting, he’s remained stationary statistically. In fact, his free-throw shooting is better this year, as is his efficiency on 2-pointers. As Kevin Durant has occupied more space on offense, Thompson has further managed to make the most of his looks.

The Warriors still play quickly, and the attention drawn by Durant and Stephen Curry open things up underneath quite a bit. Thompson has taken advantage this year by being aggressive in transition and attacking closeouts whenever possible. The 3-point shot will come. It always has.

Next: Power ranking Eastern Conference shooting guards

More importantly, Thompson will be a big part of the Warriors’ eventual positive regression on the defensive end. He is currently off to the worst start of his career on the defensive end, per several advanced metrics. A -3.3 Defensive Box Plus-Minus and a 110 Defensive Rating would both be the lowest since his rookie year. If Golden State can find big man defense from some crevice of its own roster or the trade market, Thompson’s life will be made easier, and his defensive stats will return to career norms.

Either way, when a “down” year means 21 points and three made 3-pointers per game, you have a clear step up on the rest of the league. When improvement is expected, it means you’re the best off-guard in the entire darned conference.