Top 5 shooting guards of 2017

Several shooting guards shone like shooting stars in 2017.

Factoring both on- and off-court success, here are our picks for the NBA's most spectacular two-guards of the calendar year.

1. James Harden

This has been the year of The Beard.

Harden was the MVP runner-up last season for the second time in his career after leading the Houston Rockets to 55 wins and finishing first in assists per game (11.2) and second in points (29.1). Seemingly motivated by the snub, the one-man wrecking crew has somehow taken his game up another notch.

As the "points guard" nickname suggests, the 28-year-old leads the league in scoring, 3-pointers, free throws, and isolation points by a large margin. And when he's not scoring, he's helping those around him do so, as Harden has the league's highest assist rate, setting up his teammates on 44.5 percent of their baskets. His dynamic scoring, playmaking, and pace-pushing have driven Houston's No. 1-ranked offense.

Harden ranks atop the league in usage rate and win shares while playing on the club with the best record. Altogether, he's on pace to finally capture the Maurice Podoloff Trophy in 2017-18.

Off the hardwood, Harden's year was highlighted by Lil B lifting a two-year curse on him, and the epic face he made watching Nicki Minaj perform at the inaugural NBA Awards.

2. Klay Thompson

Nestled in a roster featuring two recent MVPs and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, it might be easy to overlook Thompson. That would be a dire mistake, as the 27-year-old Golden State Warrior is an elite two-way player and one of the deadliest marksmen in league history.

In 2017, he continued to torture opponents with his prolific long-range shooting, finishing second in 3-point baskets for the fourth year in a row, with only his fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry more lethal from beyond the arc. Thompson has also been incredibly efficient over that stretch, never falling out of the top 10 in accuracy. He's sitting at No. 2 again this season with 115 threes made, trailing Harden's 136.

The three-time All-Star has also been impressive at the other end, where he's regularly tasked with guarding the best opposing backcourt player. Just as he likes to light it up from outside, he's excellent at guarding the perimeter. Smart and willing, Thompson is one of the best on-ball defenders around. Altogether, he's been a key part of the Warriors' schemes and instrumental to their dominance over the past few years, which has seen them claim two of the last three championships.

Thompson's big year transcends hoops, with 2017 marking the birth of the most fun and fun-loving person in the world, China Klay. The international sensation may not be able to complete every dunk, but he sure can groove, whether it's at a Chinese nightclub or in a bathtub filled with his signature kicks after inking an $80-million endorsement deal with ANTA.

The good times continued to follow him back to home soil, where Thompson autographed a toaster that may or may not have inspired the Warriors to go undefeated in the final 15 games of the regular season with the appliance-signer in the lineup and 16-1 in the postseason. But perhaps the best part of his year, at least in his mind, was sharing good times with his good boy Rocco.

3. Jimmy Butler

As the face of the Chicago Bulls, Butler represented the lone bright spot on the team last season. An elite player at both ends of the court, the 28-year-old swingman emerged as one of the most clutch players in basketball. He singlehandedly won countless contests for Chicago, and finished fourth in crunch-time scoring.

Those efforts made all the difference down the stretch, as the .500 club owned a tiebreaker over the Heat to sneak into the playoffs, despite having no business being there. It was Butler who made it his mission to carry the embattled squad to the postseason.

But the past year has been full of both ups and downs for Butler. The 2015 MIP continued to prove himself as a bonafide superstar in the league, even earning his first All-Star starting nod. He learned some tough lessons about loyalty in sports, though, as he found out he was traded while having a grand time with Dwyane Wade in Paris.

Butler seems better off now that he's reunited with his former coach Tom Thibodeau on the Minnesota Timberwolves, having hopped off a sinking ship to a team on the rise. Speaking of which, he literally fell off a boat and inspired one of the greatest mashups of all time. The noted country-music lover also starred in a Luke Bryan music video, so yeah, 2017 was pretty damn good to him.

4. DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan continued his ascension up the list of the greatest players in Toronto Raptors history. The midrange maestro continued to buck convention with his shot selection, hoisting a league-high 10 midrange shot attempts per game and hitting them at a 41.2 percent clip last season. He also collected "easy" points, as he remained one of the best at getting to the free-throw line and led all shooting guards in offensive real plus-minus.

In his mission to "prove 'em," he has vastly improved in areas where he previously struggled. The workhorse finally added a 3-point shot to his arsenal and is drilling a career-best 1 three per game on 34.1 shooting. He's had to adjust to Toronto's new offense like the rest of the team, but has been noticeably more confident from deep lately.

The elite scorer has evolved into a much better ball-handler and playmaker, accounting for roughly one-quarter of his teammates' baskets when he's on the floor and dishing five assists per game. He's also worked on his clutch scoring and is more poised and polished than ever before.

The three-time All-Star set a new career high in points not once, but twice in the calendar year, and earned his first All-NBA nod. While he's known for leading by example, 2017 has seen DeRozan come out of his shell. He's more vocal and isn't afraid to speak out in defense of his team or against plain stupidity.

Alongside his best friend Kyle Lowry, Deebo has led Toronto to four straight playoff appearances. They're on pace to make it five, with the Raps boasting the fourth-most potent offense in the NBA and the sixth-ranked defense.

5. Bradley Beal

Beal solidified himself as the real deal in 2017. The talented scorer put up a career-high 23.1 points per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 40.4 percent from long distance, and 82.5 percent from the charity stripe last season. He's still scoring, distributing the ball, and registering steals at the same rate, and now he's also grabbing a career-high 4.3 boards a night.

One of the great pure scorers in the game, the 24-year-old stepped up big time when his running mate John Wall was sidelined, and erupted for a career-high 51 points earlier this month in the All-Star's absence.

Beal also had a meme-worthy year - between a Flop of the Year candidate and his reaction to Wall jumping on a table - and kept saying he and Wall form the league's best backcourt and the Wizards are the East's best team. They finished fourth last season and have crept up to fifth this year. It's early, though, and Washington will go as far as a healthy Wall and improving Beal takes it.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)