24-year old J.R. Smith will be the starting shooting guard for the Nuggets when he returns from his suspension to start the season. He played in 81 games for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 27.7 minutes, 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Smith loves to shoot the bomb and he made 39.7% from three point range so he will be a huge asset to the Nuggets’ offense especially when teams double Carmelo Anthony. 27-year old Joey Graham could get the chance to start until Smith is ready to return to action. He played in 78 games for the Raptors last season and he averaged 19.8 minutes, 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. If the Nuggets decide to bring Graham off the bench at the start of the season then 23-year old Arron Afflalo will start at shooting guard. He played in 74 games for the Pistons last season and he averaged 16.7 minutes, 4.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Afflalo also is a good shooter hitting 40.2% of his shots from three point range last season. 26-year old James White is likely 4th in line at the shooting guard position. He played in 4 games for the Rockets last season and he averaged 2.8 minutes, 1.8 points, 0.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

PREDICTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: C