Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Point Guard Prospects:

For a contending team Ty Lawson makes a lot of sense because he plays under control. With his speed and patience he controls the tempo. He has great strength and body control and rarely turns the ball over and he plays smart. His once questionable outside shot has improved at such a rapid rate that if jump shots could use steroids I'd be suspicious. Lawson is likely to be a starter and perhaps an all star for years to come. A safe pick.

Jonny Flynn is much the same as Lawson but more explosive to the rim and still developing his jump shot. A younger player with a decent amount of college experience. He could turn out to be a special player, maybe even Chris Paul (blush) but then again, we all had expectations for Eric Barkley as well....

Jeff Teague is another dynamic guard who can control a game. His scoring ability and explosiveness at the point guard position combined with a team first mentality are special. Is he the next Ben Gordan or the next Rajon Rondo?

Eric Maynor is a 6,3 point with great ball handling, decision making and flat out ability. He's harder to get a read on since he played against weaker competition most of his days but he's shown big play ability in big games. He reminds me of Sam Cassell; a constant thorn in the side of his opponents, just waiting to get that crucial steal or hit a big shot (2009 tourney aside)

Tyreke "the freak" Evans is a man child swooping by opponents with his length and sick handle. He's got an attitude the size of Bryant Reeves but he's also got the game to match his swagger. At 6,6 Evans handles the ball so deftly you'd think he was a ten year vet. His length, along with legitimate passing skills make him a potential star or even superstar in the NBA. Evans has a whole lot to learn but with his whole lot of ability I think he'll get picked early by a bad team that has a lot of learning time to go through. And I think he'll emerge as an All Star.

I have similar hopes for Jrue Holiday, a 6,4 combo guard. He played so poorly as a freshman that it's tough to even say but I think in 5 years Holiday will be a lead guard with more muscle, athleticism and height than most guards in the league. A taller Rajon Rondo or a poor mans Russell Westbrook. I think teams will pass on Jrue Holiday and look back years later and kick themselves.

There you have a slew of fine lead guard prospects (not to mention Stephon Curry, Darren Collison and Patrick Mills) all of whom are likely to play serious NBA ball. In a word, this point guard class is deep!

Can't wait to look back at this article in five years and see where I look stupid :)