- Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaylen Brown all rank in the top 10 of our top 25 shooting guards for the 2023-24 season
- Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaylen Brown were all All-Stars in 2022-23
- Devin Booker led the 2022-23 NBA playoffs with 33.7 points per game on 58.5% shooting
Over the last few months, our most accurate formula has been used to settle some of the hottest debates that exist within the NBA. From deciding the greatest center in NBA history to deciding who the best point guard in the NBA is right now, we have used this formula to settle these debates with conviction and certainty.
Another hot topic up for debate that exists in today’s NBA is who the best player is among shooting guards at this very moment. With elite players occupying the position, the debate is as big of a topic as any when it comes to the NBA in 2023-24. We have Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns looking to shake off two embarrassing playoff exits in a row. There is Donovan Mitchell coming off a tremendous first season in Cleveland last year. Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Brown have also entered their name into the conversation with great seasons over the last two years.Â
As we go through 10 different valuable characteristics that an NBA player must have to be considered elite, we will rank each player 1-4 according to those traits. Each player will receive points for their ranking and in the end, an official order will be reached for these four players. While most of these categories are a matter of opinion, the results are going to be as accurate and fair as possible.
Now, it’s time to break down who the best shooting guard in the NBA right now is between Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaylen Brown.
Scoring
1. Devin Booker (4 Points)
2. Donovan Mitchell (3 Points)
3. Anthony Edwards (2 Points)
4. Jaylen Brown (1 Point)
When it comes to strictly scoring among these four great shooting guards, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell stand clear above the rest. Booker is coming off an injury-riddled 2022-23 season that saw him struggle to get things going in the regular season yet still average 27.8 points per game. Once the playoffs arrived, so did Booker with an incredible 33.7 points per game on 58.5% shooting overall and 50.5% shooting from three.
Mitchell is coming off a career season in his first year with the Cavaliers. Mitchell averaged a career-high 28.3 points per game in 2022-23 while shooting 48.4% from the field overall and 38.6% from three. His efficiency and shooting percentages were also career-highs as well. Mitchell’s three-level scoring took a monumental step forward and will only continue as he moves forward in his career.
Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Brown bringing up the rear in this category by no means insinuates that they are poor scorers. Edwards has done a tremendous job of improving his mid-range game as well as his efficiency from three. Jaylen Brown’s numbers definitely take a hit from sharing touches with Jayson Tatum and there is no doubt he would be a much more noticeable scorer if he were leading a franchise on his own and not sharing the court with a player who averages 30.0 points per game.
Shooting
1. Devin Booker – 4 Points
2. Donovan Mitchell – 3 Points
3. Anthony Edwards – 2 Points
4. Jaylen Brown – 1 Point
The same order for scoring is the way we went for shooting as well with Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell having a slimmer edge in this category. Shooting involves so much more than just launching threes at a high rate which is why Devin Booker steals the top spot. Booker’s mid-range shooting is among the best in the NBA right now and his 50.0% from three in the playoffs is something I am looking for him to build on from last year’s playoffs.
Donovan Mitchell’s 61.4% true shooting is the best among these four shooting guards with improved accuracy across the board in 2022-23. Booker comes in second with 60.1% true shooting while Brown and Edwards follow below 58.0%. Mitchell really stepped up his game from within the three-point line and matched his best three-point shooting at 38.6%. As for Brown and Edwards, they both need to find improvement in their accuracy from beyond the arc but both have also become dangerous mind-range weapons over the last two seasons.
Athleticism
1. Anthony Edwards – 4 Points
2. Donovan Mitchell – 3 Points
3. Jaylen Brown – 2 Points
4. Devin Booker – 1 Point
When taking a deep look at athleticism, leaping ability, speed, stamina, and strength have to be the most important factors. With that being said, Anthony Edwards is clearly the most athletic shooting guard in the game with his ability to put any defender in his way on a poster but also a speed that reaches a different gear both with and without the ball.
Donovan Mitchell and Jaylen Brown are also players who rely heavily on their athleticism during the course of a game. Mitchell has proven he is capable of throwing down his own highlight-reel dunks in games as has Jaylen Brown in his ascent to the top of the shooting guard rankings as of late. Mitchell and Brown are high-level athletes but Edwards belongs in a tier by himself.
As for Devin Booker, his game relies much more on finesse than it does anything else. Booker is arguably the most creative of the bunch and an elite athlete in his own right but pales in comparison to the other three shooting guards he is up against.
Defense
1. Jaylen Brown – 4 Points
2. Anthony Edwards – 3 Points
3. Devin Booker – 2 Points
4. Donovan Mitchell – 1 Point
When we think of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history, their defensive abilities set them apart from the rest of the field. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade set themselves apart with the work they did on the defensive side of the ball over their careers. While these four players are not on the level of those three legends, they also have displayed elite defensive ability in their careers.
Jaylen Brown is probably the best team defender on this list. What I mean by that is that he is among the very best at leading his man into traffic as well as picking up slack where his teammates are lacking. He can take on most matchups from point guard to small forward and has even had some success against smaller power forwards. Keeping his man in front of him and forcing him into uncomfortable situations are definitely his best defensive assets.
Anthony Edwards is arguably the most talented individual defender of these four. He is a particularly crafty defender on the ball in isolation situations and has a near-impeccable understanding of his job away from it. In two years’ time, I expect Edwards to be number one on this list by a long shot.
Handles
1. Donovan Mitchell – 4 Points
2. Anthony Edwards – 3 Points
3. Devin Booker – 2 Points
4. Jaylen Brown – 1 Point
When breaking down handles for each of these players, you would be hard-pressed to find them among the elite ball-handlers in the NBA. Handles are all about what you do to create space and get by your defenders. Any player can sit there and move side to side and make things look pretty but who is the best at making something happen off the backs of their ball-handling skills?
For me, that answer is easily Donovan Mitchell who relies so much on his handles to create space between him and the defense. Plus, when it comes to getting by defenders, Mitchell is second to none amongst this group and controlling the ball while doing so. Not far behind him is Anthony Edwards who is special when it comes to handling the ball. Edwards has incredible first-step speed off the dribble which makes his handles that much more devastating.
Devin Booker’s handles are very simple but effective. It doesn’t take much for Booker to get to his spots and rise above defenders for his shots and his handles are certainly a part of that. Unfortunately, I had to put Jaylen Brown in fourth place here after his ball-handling debacle in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2023. His lack of control with his left hand is incredibly concerning and when not on fast breaks, often finds himself struggling to get past or create space between himself and elite perimeter defenders.
Clutch
1. Devin Booker – 4 Points
2. Donovan Mitchell – 3 Points
3. Anthony Edwards – 2 Points
4. Jaylen Brown – 1 Point
Looking at these four shooting guards from a clutch standpoint is the most difficult of all the categories we have on our list. Of all scorers on this list, Devin Booker leads them all in scoring in clutch time but not in efficiency. That distinction belongs to Donovan Mitchell who made 22 field goals in the clutch on 56.9% shooting. These stats clearly make them the top two in this category.
With that being said, Jaylen Brown and Anthony Edwards have also made their fair share of clutch plays. From defensive stops in big games to getting big-time buckets with the game on the line, Edwards and Brown both delivered in the past. They have just been unable to do it at the levels that Bokker and Mitchell have in recent times. Honestly, you cannot go wrong turning to any of the four shooting guards on this list when it matters most on either side of the ball.
Leadership
1. Devin Booker – 4 Points
2. Anthony Edwards – 3 Points
3. Donovan Mitchell – 2 Points
4. Jaylen Brown – 1 Point
With none of these four players leading their teams to NBA championships yet in their careers, leadership on the court is something that is a bit difficult to measure. Devin Booker is one of two players here to help lead their team to an NBA Finals appearance and the best record in their respective conference more than once. His true leadership will be put to the test in 2023-24 as the Phoenix Suns field a superteam featuring Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.
Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaylen Brown are all neck-and-neck when it comes to leadership if we are being honest. Edwards gets a slight edge at such a young age due to the way he has helped Minnesota navigate murky waters in just three short seasons in the NBA. Despite chemistry issues and inner turmoil within his team, Edwards leads by example and has helped the Timberwolves make two runs to the NBA playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Mitchell and Brown are not vocal leaders on the court, to say the least. They do lead by example with their play and ability to uplift their teammates when the going gets rough. As I said, measuring leadership is not an exact science so honestly, flip a coin between these four players.
Basketball IQ
1. Anthony Edwards – 4 Points
2. Devin Booker – 3 Points
3. Donovan Mitchell – 2 Points
4. Jaylen Brown – 1 Point
Basketball IQ is another difficult category to measure simply from stats or the naked eye. In order to judge someone else’s basketball IQ, a deep understanding of the game is essential. Even at a young age, Anthony Edwards’ understanding of the game does not go unnoticed. His leadership and understanding of where to be at all times cannot be understated.
Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, and Jaylen Brown are also very high-IQ players who know the game of basketball like the back of their hands. Each of these three players not only understands what their role is, but what the roles of their teammates are at all times. This has allowed them to reach the elite levels that they have with the understanding of when to attack themselves, and when to defer to their teammates for the easiest opportunities afforded to them.
Impact
1. Jaylen Brown – 4 Points
2. Devin Booker – 3 Points
3. Donovan Mitchell – 2 Points
4. Anthony Edwards – 1 Point
When judging a player’s impact on a team, I like to take a look at their complete resume as a player as well as the heights they have each been able to lead their team. As stated earlier, only two of these players have appeared in NBA Finals in their careers with both of them playing a major role in those runs. Jaylen Brown was quite possibly one of the best second options in recent memory in Boston’s run to the 2022 NBA Finals. Offensively, he was the one who picked up the slack when star Jayson Tatum struggled while also being their best defender at times.
Devin Booker was essential to Phoenix’s growth over the last eight seasons overall. Booker began his career with a Phoenix team that was historically bad, failing to win even 20 games in a season multiple times. Booker’s development into a perennial All-Star has been the main factor in the franchise’s turnaround into a contender as well as their front-office decisions.
As for Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards, their impact in their respective franchises has been elite as well. Mitchell has helped the Cavaliers reach the top-five in the Eastern Conference status while Edwards, although young, has helped Minnesota become a playoff team and dark-horse championship contender. Until they reach the big dance in their careers though, their impact has to be behind that of Brown and Booker.
Efficiency
1. Donovan Mitchell – 4 Points
2. Devin Booker – 3 Points
3. Jaylen Brown – 2 Points
4. Anthony Edwards – 1 Point
The last category that we are going to use to determine the best shooting guard in the NBA right now is efficiency. When it comes to efficiency, true shooting percentage happens to be the best way to measure it along with PER. Only two of these players had over a 60.0% true shooting in 2022-23 and that was Donovan Mitchell at 61.4% and Devin Booker at 60.1%. Mitchell also led all four of these players with a 22.9 PER while Booker landed at 22.0.
Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Brown were both efficient in their most recent seasons as well. Anthony Edwards put forth his best season yet with 56.0% true shooting and a 17.4 PER. Brown finished slightly ahead of him with 19.1 PER and a 58.1 true shooting percentage. While all four of these players should be considered extremely efficient overall, Booker and Mitchell are well above the other two.
Who Is The Best Shooting Guard In The NBA Right Now?
1. Devin Booker – 30 Points (4 Categories Won)
2. Donovan Mitchell – 27 Points (3 Categories Won)
3. Anthony Edwards – 25 Points (2 Categories Won)
4. Jaylen Brown – 18 Points (2 Categories Won)
As you can see, the race for the title of best shooting guard in the NBA right now is a close one. It is as close as any other race has been among positions in the NBA, and Devin Booker has squeaked out the win with 30 total points overall. As the best scorer, shooter, and leader amongst these four players, Booker takes the slight edge as the NBA’s best just as he did in our preseason rankings a few weeks ago.
Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards are separated by just two points while Jaylen Brown brings up the rear with 18 points respectively. One point I would like to emphasize on Brown is I would love to see where he stands if he is ever able to step out from behind Jayson Tatum in Boston or any other location he may go in his career. Mitchell and Edwards will be duking it out all season long for the second spot in 2023-24 but I expect Booker to maintain his position at the top.
Whatever the case is for these four shooting guards, the NBA is clearly in good hands with their level of talent and skill to lead the new era of basketball. These four will be among the top-rated players overall as the years continue on as well and you will be hearing a lot from them as they all have yet to hit 30 years old, which is a great thing for fans all over the world.Â
