June 26, 2007

Top guard prospects in NBA's draft

USA TODAY's Roscoe Nance ranks top point and shooting guards in the draft in the order he predicts they will be selected:

Point Guards

•Mike Conley Jr., 6-1, 180, Ohio State: A freshman with outstanding quickness and ability to penetrate; his scoring picked up as the season progressed. Good assist-to-turnover ratio (3-to-1); good pressure defender on the ball. Questionable outside shot. Size and strength are concerns. A top-10 overall pick.

•Acie Law, 6-3, 195, Texas A&M: Consensus first team All-American and a finalist for the Wood and Naismith awards as college player of the year. Fundamentally sound, creative off the dribble, finishes with either hand, streaky shooter at times, gambles on defense. A top-20 overall pick; could slip out of lottery.

•Javaris Crittenton, 6-5, 198, Georgia Tech: Early-entry candidate is another in the line of heralded Georgia Tech point guards. Has explosive first step and is an excellent penetrator. Makes sound decisions with the ball. Quick hands, needs to improve shooting. Overly aggressive on defense at times. A lottery pick.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: National Basketball Association | Georgia Tech | Mike Conley | Jackson State | Point guards

HEAD-TURNER: Jackson State guard grabs NBA's attention

•Aaron Brooks, 6-0, 160, Oregon: Second-team All-American and Pac-10 leading scorer. Explosive scorer who developed into dependable perimeter shooter; extremely quick, clever ballhandler. Size is a concern; needs to work on involving his teammates. A late first-round pick.

•Taurean Green, 6-0, 177, Florida: An early entry who was the floor leader of Florida's back-to-back national championship teams as a sophomore and a junior; led the Gators in scoring (13.3) and assists (3.7). Son of former NBA player Sidney Green. Lacks athleticism but is a heady and confident floor leader; not afraid to take the big shot. Streaky shooter, undersized combo guard. A late first-round or early second-round pick.

•Best of the rest: Gabe Pruitt, 6-4, 170, Southern California; Petteri Koponen, 6-4, 195, Makelanrinne Senior HS (Finland); Ramon Sessions, 6-3, 190, Nevada; Bobby Brown, 6-1, 170, Cal State-Fullerton; Jared Jordan, 6-2, 187, Marist.

******

Shooting Guards

•Nick Young, 6-7, 200, Southern California: First-team All-Pac-10 as a sophomore and junior; sixth on USC's career scoring list. Good mid-range game, explosive first step and good body control. Intensity and toughness have been questioned; doesn't get to the free-throw line often. A top-15 pick.

•Rodney Stuckey, 6-5, 205, Eastern Washington: An early-entry candidate who established the highest career scoring average in school history (24.4) in just two seasons. Solid ballhandler and passer plays with intensity, drives strong to the basket. Needs to focus more on defense. A mid-first-round pick.

•Rudy Fernandez, 6-5, 185, DVK Joventut Badalona (Spain): A member of the Spanish national team. A flashy ballhandler who has good athleticism, plays well in transition and has legitimate three-point range. Needs to get stronger, work on shooting off the dribble. A mid-first-round pick.

•Daequan Cook, 6-5, 210, Ohio State: An early-entry candidate who was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman. Overshadowed by teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. Shooting range extends to the three-point line; good NBA body, strong finisher in transition. Forces shots at times, settles for too many jumpers. A top-20 pick.

•Marco Bellinelli, 6-5, 192, Climamio Bologna (Italy): Has been compared to former NBA guard Vinny Del Negro. Good perimeter shooter and a slasher, good leadership qualities, surprising athleticism. Strength and defense are questions; a streak shooter. A late first-round pick.

•Best of the rest: Arron Afflalo, 6-5, 215, UCLA; Morris Almond, 6-6, 215, Rice; Marcus Williams, 6-7, 205, Arizona; Renaldas Seibutis; 6-5, 180, Olympiakos (Greece); Sun Yue, 6-9, 205, Beijing Aoshen (China); Marko Tomas, 6-8, 194, Real Madrid (Spain).