Ranking the Top 15 Guards in 2021 NBA Free Agency

8. Devonte' Graham (Restricted)Devonte' Graham took a step back in terms of playmaking responsibility with the arrival of LaMelo Ball, but he remained a plus-minus boon for the Charlotte Hornets.On the season, they were plus-3.0 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor and minus-7.7 when he wasn't.Solid playmaking, volume three-point shooting (37.5 percent on 8.7 attempts per game) and general know-how on defense (even if he's not big enough to always make an impact there) make him one of the game's steadier guards. 6. Tim Hardaway Jr.Like Powell, Tim Hardaway Jr. brings a lot to the floor-spacing department, and his volume there actually gives him a slight edge in these rankings.Over the last two seasons, there are only five players (Davis Bertans, Stephen Curry, Wayne Ellington, Damian Lillard and Duncan Robinson) who match or exceed Hardaway's marks for three-point attempts per 75 possessions (9.4) and three-point percentage (39.4).Doncic certainly deserves some credit for creating many of those looks, but a willing receiver helps ball-dominant creators too.Before you call the recency bias police, consider a few of the factors that drove Reggie Jackson so far up this list.First, the blistering three-point shooting we saw in the playoffs (40.8 percent on 7.5 attempts per game) wasn't a fluke.Over the first four years of his career, Jackson shot 29.4 percent from deep. This season, he averaged 16.2 points and posted career highs in threes per game (2.7) and three-point percentage (41.2).And his willingness to sort of fill in the gaps between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert suggests he's adapted the ancillary role he'll likely play for the rest of his career.On the season, the Utah Jazz were plus-17.8 points per 100 possessions with Conley on the floor and plus-5.9 with him off, giving him the seventh-biggest net-rating swing in the league among players with at least 1,000 minutes.Age may be starting to catch up with 35-year-old Kyle Lowry. He shot 39.6 percent on 7.2 three-point attempts per game in 2020-21, including 37.7 percent on pull-ups.The ability to operate both on and off the ball is critical for modern point guards, and Lowry has plenty of experience with the latter from his years playing alongside DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard and Fred VanVleet.If he goes to a team with a star wing or other ball-handler, he'll fit in just fine.On the other end, a slight regression in lateral mobility may be a problem, but Lowry is an experienced, high-IQ defender who'll typically be in the right spots and giving plenty of effort.This next contract will probably be his last significant one, but there's plenty of reason to believe he'll live up to it.Prior to his trade to the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the 2019-20 season, consistent outside shooting was the only major concern with his game.He had (and still has) excellent vision as a passer, a willingness to move the ball both in transition and the half court, good rebounding and defensive instincts and plus size for a guard.Career marks of 31.5 percent from three and (even more ghastly) 43.7 percent from the line after those two seasons were more than concerning, though.Fast forward to now and there's ample reason for optimism.