Shooting Guard – Joe Johnson vs. J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert
With every new year comes a clean slate, and so far J.R. wants last year’s slate back.
if we were talking 2012-13, JR Smith would win this for the Knicks in a landslide. But for the season, Smith is averaging a measly 11.2 PPG and recently it has been worse: 10.6 points, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 STL on 34.2 percent shooting on the season. The additions of Bargnani, World Peace and the health of Shumpert have really taken its toll on Smith’s production.
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On the opposite side of town, Johnson has really been Brooklyn’s only constant this season. Williams, Pierce, Garnett and Lopez have all been in and out of the lineup with injuries. Johnson has had to pick up the slack as a result and has been pretty decent from a fantasy perspective. 15.5 points per game is not the old Joe Johnson, but his owners will take 2.0 three-pointers made, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game from a shooting guard.
You’d think 2013’s Sixth Man of the Year might have the upper hand here, but his best asset has been his rebounding from a guard position. I’d rather find my rebounds elsewhere because I want scoring from my shooting guard. Joe Johnson has done so much better than Smith this season, as well as just about every other category, so Johnson gets the nod here pretty easily.
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