Preseason Position Breakdown: 2026 Off-ball Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second part of 2026 positional breakdown, this article highlights my top 5 off-ball guards. Some are combos who get some on-ball reps, while others are straight up shooting guards. But all of them are most effective in situations when they can leverage their abilities to play without the ball and/or attack from the second side. Here are my five:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1608319"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-673cc142e0e02"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Coles is a versatile shooter and all around scorer wherever he catches the ball from. He's automatic when he's spotting up or coming off of screens for threes. But with the ball in his hands, Coles smoothly changes directions and pace to get to his spots and get off his pull-up jumper or to draw extra defenders and find the open man.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1611959"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-673cc142e0e6e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">An active shooter who is live every time he gets the ball in the halfcourt, Morton-Rivera needs at least one set of eyes on him at any given time. He gets up a high volume of threes every game because contests and misses don't bother him. Now he's starting to leverage the threat of his shot to get to the cup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1576723"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-673cc142e0ec6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">There's no question that Sajid can flat out get buckets, either as a secondary option or as a shooting specialist. But his game is steadily emerging as that of a primary scorer and secondary playmaker. In crunch time or simply when his team needs a big play, Sajid can launch a three from distance or hit the gas and finish above the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1888854"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-673cc142e0f17"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">With his physical tools and athleticism, Washington is a dynamic help defender. His instincts, deflections and blocks seal cracks in the team's defense and swing the momentum in their favor. More than a one dimensional player, Washington is also an effective slasher who can knock down shots from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2251704"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-673cc142e0f68"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Johnston's superpower is that he can adapt to different team context's and elevate those around him. As a top two option on the perimeter, he has the skill to get his spots inside the arc and the agility to make his way to the cup. But, around other talented offensive players, Johnston will space the floor from three and make connectives passes, while defending the other team's best player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>HM: [player_tooltip player_id='1890473' first='Reece' last='Brown'] , [player_tooltip player_id='1608275' first='Jordan' last='Dill'], [player_tooltip player_id='1454261' first='Reggie' last='King'], [player_tooltip player_id='2247394' first='Brady' last='MacAdams'], [player_tooltip player_id='2247339' first='Christian' last='Matos'], [player_tooltip player_id='1406765' first='Milak' last='Myatt'], [player_tooltip player_id='1406770' first='Nasir' last='Ralls'], [player_tooltip player_id='1387096' first='Bryce' last='Rollerson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2438097' first='Cam' last='Sweeney'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->