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The Lone Granger
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With the lockout in effect, we can only sit here and wait to see who heads where in the free agency market, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss different players that are out there. I'm going to focus on the five best scoring free agents in this article, and I hope you find this both interesting, and discussion worth. Many teams value players who can light up the score boards, and there are a number of that kind of player out there this off-season.
Jamal Crawford (Unrestricted)
This is the first guy that comes to mind when you think of pure scoring. With Atlanta, he came off the bench as their sixth man and was able to put up 14.2 point per contest. Crawford has dropped 50 or more points in three seperate occasions in his career, and has that kind of ability each and every night. He most likely wouldn't come too cheap, but for any team that needs a scorer, he'd certainly be the right man for the job. Also remember that he's the all-time leader in four-point plays, so that adds a bit of an excitement factor as well.
J.R. Smith (Unrestricted)
Once again, we have a guy that is the definition of instant offense. In his career, he's mainly been asked to come off the bench and provide energy and scoring off the bench, but he's gotten his fair share of starts as well. One downside of his game is that he's an extremely shooter, so while most nights he'll light up the boards, there will be the occasional off-game where he does absolutely nothing for his team. Without a doubt one of the leagues top athletes, he brings more than just shooting. He's got a knack for getting to the hoop and finishing, or even creating his own shot off the dribble. Barring his poor attitude, he's a great pickup for any team needing a good scorer.
Jose Juan Barea (Unrestricted)
Not exactly one of the biggest names that comes to mind when you think of scoring, but I see him last year as one of the most electric scorers on that Mavericks' team. He does the majority of his scoring off the dribble, using his speed and quickness to get to the rim and put in ridiculous floating shots, and the occasional splashing of a three-ball. To prove that he can shoot the three, he's shot around 34% from behind the arc on his career, and while that's not exactly great, it's still a solid number. He'll be a backup point guard, and even though he is a scorer, he's a pass-first guard first. He'd be a great pickup for any team, and I mean any. Definitely will be a sought after free agent that will bring some points to the table.
Thaddeus Young (Restricted)
Again, we have another bench player. Young has not been used to being a bench sub in his career, but he came off the bench 81 times last season out of the 82 times he appeard on the court. Averaging 12.5 points in just over 25 minutes per game, it shows that he has potential for a lot more than he showed last season. He's 6'8" tall, and has an extremely long body, meaning he's able to play solid defense as well. With that body, he excels at taking the ball to the bucket and finishing over the top of most big men. It's not very often you get a guy capable of dribbling the ball like a guard in a big mans body, and that is what Young brings to the table. Not only can he take the ball to the rim, but he's developed a post game as well, which will only get better as he works hard on it.
Jason Richardson (Unrestricted)
And we finally have a starter here in our top-five. Richardson has been a well-known scorer throughout his career, and will be looking for a new home this summer. J-Rich used to rely on his athletic ability to get his points, gliding through the air to the rim for a dunk, but now that he's older and less athletic, his shooting ability has come in very handy. His game isn't as good as it used to be when he could get to the rim at will, but even without that ability, he can still fill up the points fairly quickly.
So those are the top-five free agent scorers that I've noticed this offseason. If you agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Would definitely love to get some comments on this article. Hope you enjoyed it though.
Jamal Crawford (Unrestricted)
This is the first guy that comes to mind when you think of pure scoring. With Atlanta, he came off the bench as their sixth man and was able to put up 14.2 point per contest. Crawford has dropped 50 or more points in three seperate occasions in his career, and has that kind of ability each and every night. He most likely wouldn't come too cheap, but for any team that needs a scorer, he'd certainly be the right man for the job. Also remember that he's the all-time leader in four-point plays, so that adds a bit of an excitement factor as well.
J.R. Smith (Unrestricted)
Once again, we have a guy that is the definition of instant offense. In his career, he's mainly been asked to come off the bench and provide energy and scoring off the bench, but he's gotten his fair share of starts as well. One downside of his game is that he's an extremely shooter, so while most nights he'll light up the boards, there will be the occasional off-game where he does absolutely nothing for his team. Without a doubt one of the leagues top athletes, he brings more than just shooting. He's got a knack for getting to the hoop and finishing, or even creating his own shot off the dribble. Barring his poor attitude, he's a great pickup for any team needing a good scorer.
Jose Juan Barea (Unrestricted)
Not exactly one of the biggest names that comes to mind when you think of scoring, but I see him last year as one of the most electric scorers on that Mavericks' team. He does the majority of his scoring off the dribble, using his speed and quickness to get to the rim and put in ridiculous floating shots, and the occasional splashing of a three-ball. To prove that he can shoot the three, he's shot around 34% from behind the arc on his career, and while that's not exactly great, it's still a solid number. He'll be a backup point guard, and even though he is a scorer, he's a pass-first guard first. He'd be a great pickup for any team, and I mean any. Definitely will be a sought after free agent that will bring some points to the table.
Thaddeus Young (Restricted)
Again, we have another bench player. Young has not been used to being a bench sub in his career, but he came off the bench 81 times last season out of the 82 times he appeard on the court. Averaging 12.5 points in just over 25 minutes per game, it shows that he has potential for a lot more than he showed last season. He's 6'8" tall, and has an extremely long body, meaning he's able to play solid defense as well. With that body, he excels at taking the ball to the bucket and finishing over the top of most big men. It's not very often you get a guy capable of dribbling the ball like a guard in a big mans body, and that is what Young brings to the table. Not only can he take the ball to the rim, but he's developed a post game as well, which will only get better as he works hard on it.
Jason Richardson (Unrestricted)
And we finally have a starter here in our top-five. Richardson has been a well-known scorer throughout his career, and will be looking for a new home this summer. J-Rich used to rely on his athletic ability to get his points, gliding through the air to the rim for a dunk, but now that he's older and less athletic, his shooting ability has come in very handy. His game isn't as good as it used to be when he could get to the rim at will, but even without that ability, he can still fill up the points fairly quickly.
So those are the top-five free agent scorers that I've noticed this offseason. If you agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Would definitely love to get some comments on this article. Hope you enjoyed it though.