The "Golden Era" of NBA shooting guards is a thing of the past. Long gone are the days where legendary players such as Jerry West, Michael Jordan, and Clyde Drexler ruled the hardwood. In previous generations, the off guard position almost always featured the team's best offensive player, perimeter defender and graceful athlete.

Fast forward to 2014, where the more wide-open play styles give way to speedy, explosive lead guards like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, who serve as both playmakers and scorers. If you look at every team in the league, most of them have an elite lead guard or forward but there is a glaring drop off at two guard.

Currently, the main stars at the position are James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant, with the latter two definitely on the downside of their careers. Remember, just a few short years ago, stars like Kobe, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Michael Redd, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter were superstars in their own right.

So the question must be asked: why the sudden change? There must be an explanation why there is such a tremendous lack of shooting guards in the NBA today. Here are some ideas worth taking a look at:




1) The Evolution of Point Guards

As alluded to, point guards are the main draw in the Association these days. Rose, Westbrook, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, John Wall...insert your favorite lead guard and he is likely regarded as a very special player. High school and college players see the lucrative benefits of playing the position and immediately aspire to do the same.

Simply, being a point guard in today's NBA is "cooler" than anything else. It means you are able to lead a team, get others involved and, maybe most appealing to a young player, are given the green light to shoot and score the ball. 
It is no coincidence that 5 out of the last 6 Rookies of the Year (Rose, Tyreke Evans, Kyrie, Damian Lillard, Michael Carter-Williams) all share the same position.

With the ability to play both the one and two, prospects now label themselves as "guards," which automatically trends them to playing point. Teams draft "combo guards" based on their ability to play the one along with the two...not the other way around. Case in point with this year's draft, where Marcus Smart and Dante Exum were selected high based on their potential to run a team.




2) Specialists

With the dawn of impressive point guards who drive and penetrate, someone needs to be able to knock three pointers. Today, there is a premium placed on stretching the floor and providing driving lanes for everyone, which might be the reason why hired guns like Ben Gordon, Jodie Meeks and C.J. Miles have cashed in during free agency so far. 
In just the last three drafts, guys like Allen Crabbe, John Jenkins and, most recently, C.J. Wilcox, were selected on their ability to just to hit threes.

Aside from spot-up shooting you also have more defensive-minded specialists like Tony Allen, Jimmy Butler and Thabo Sefolosha. Their primary task is to frustrate opposing stars and provide occasional offense if necessary.

But it doesn't end there. Another tier of shooting guards is reserved for "irrational confidence" players who can come in and score and bunches. Guys who fit this description are Jamal Crawford, Nick Young and Marcus Thornton. 
As is the norm with other specialists, "heat-check" players like them are one-dimensional and serve a singular purpose: score the ball. Instead of well-rounded games, today's shooting guards are usually only great at one thing.




3) Underwhelming Underclassmen

Perhaps a main reason why shooting guards are less talented in comparison to other positions, is their lack of polish coming out of college. When most underclassmen enter in the league, they are good at only one trait (ex. scoring, shooting, defending) and prefer making the jump instead of staying in school to develop other areas of their attack.

In part, it is because teams will draft them regardless. The list of shooting guards who either entered the NBA with glaring weaknesses or an underwhelming package is staggering...Daequan Cook, Xavier Henry, O.J. Mayo, Terrence Ross, Austin Rivers and Jared Cunningham to name a few. 
In most of these cases, potential has outweighed production and the prospects struggled to develop overall versatility.


There you have it. The above reasons make sense but they do not tell the entire story. It is impossible to exactly pinpoint the sole source of the "problem." Maybe the two guard position will continue to evolve over the course of the next few years, as it has in the past.

10-15 years ago, we were talking about high-scoring guards who could lock down opponents and lead teams. Now, the discussion trends more towards "heat-check" guys and shooting specialists.

With the dawn of more skilled point guards and forwards, true two guards are slowly becoming a dying breed. But, like everything else, don't count out a comeback from these former, captivating players.

It will be interesting to see how the careers of up and comers like Harden, DeRozan, Bradley Beal and Klay Thompson go, otherwise known as the "guys most likely to save shooting guards." But for now, we will have to live with our favorite squads overcompensating and overpaying for average players (no offense, Avery Bradley).

As the game continues to grow, so will the skill level and talent of its competitors. It is not ridiculous to believe another changing of the guard will occur sometime soon.