Draft 2009: Top Ten PG's
I'm sure there are some foreign PG's who might surprise us and turn out to be worth a first round pick but here's my take on the top 10 point guards in the 2009 draft. Some guys were hard to gauge because I haven't seen enough of them. This isn't necessarily where I think people will go and in some cases, I'd feel comfortable trading down in the deal because I know my preferred guy would fall while some PG's with more upside will get grabbed up earlier.
1. Ricky Rubio: This is not to say that Rubio is a can't miss prospect; the kid is already injury prone and has a set shot so nothing's certain. That being said, he has held his own against pros, had good size and fundamentals, and plays defense. Could he turn out to be the new Jason Kidd? Sure, but the odds are just as good that he's the next Marko Jaric too. It would have been interesting to see him in last year's draft or next year's with John Wall but he picked his spot perfectly and got into a weak draft so he's the #1 PG and the #2 prospect overall. I really like him in Minnesota but I'm not sure if he'd be willing to play there. The Clippers would be a nice destination but I'd probably go with Griffin at #1 and I'm not sure how they can go about getting the #2 pick.
2. Tyreke Evans: I'm pretty certain that Evans is the second best point guard in the draft. The problem, however, is that his style of play requires he be one of the best players on his team and I'm not sure if he is THAT good. Evans dominates the ball and works best when he's the focal point of the team's offense. Unfortunately, his shot isn't that great and his decision making might be even worse. He's seem to be a great fit for Sacramento which is chock full of supporting players.
3. Ty Lawson: This is high for Lawson but I think he gets dropped down in drafts because of his lack of upside. He seems like the kind of point guard that will help a team win even if he doesn't win himself a lot of fans. He'll never be perfect and people will always probably want a taller guard but Lawson seems like he works hard (he's improved his shot each year in college) and will be the facilitator that a team like Milwaukee would love.
4. Eric Maynor: Maynor's the toughest call because I've seen so little of him but he just seems like a guy who's willing to work to win. He has good size, solid enough defense, and it really seems like success is up to how much he wants it.
5. Jeff Teague: Teague's biggest issue is that he's not a pure point guard which is why it's a good thing he entered the draft. He might not be 100% ready but he probably wasn't going to work on his point skills at Wake Forest since the team needed his scoring.
6. Johnny Flynn: Flynn seems like he could be a Rajon Rondo type player. He might not be the rebounder that Rondo is but he's a better shooter and could be just as good on defense. The biggest issue might be that he's somewhat like Tyreke Evans in that he dominates the ball and often plays out of control. Also, his three point shot is questionable.
7. Brandon Jennings: Jennings is potentially the best point guard in this draft but he just reminds me too much of Sebastian Telfair right now. His three point shot must not have passed customs as he was abysmal this season. Still, he's a super athlete, has decent height (but needs to fill out), and has all the makings of a superb point guard. It would be hard for a team to pass him up which is why I think it's better for teams to trade down and try to add picks or a player and then grab one of the other less acclaimed PG's on this list. Portland might want to try to trade up to get him. They have enough players that Jennings could take his time to learn the position and improve his shooting before taking the reigns over full time.
8. Jrue Holiday: Holiday has the height and coachability but I'm really not sure what else he really brings to the table. His defense is supposd to be solid but I'm not sure if he can really keep quicker PG's in front of him. He really reminds me of a poor man's Shaun Livingston (pre-injury) and Shaun wasn't really blowing anyone away in his first few years. Worst case scenario, Holiday could be a smart role player ala Josh Childress but I'm not sure that's what a team looking for a PG in the lottery really wants.
9. Patty Mills: Mills wasn't that great in college but he looked very good against the US team (when he was playing for Australia). He's more of a scoring guard but I think that he's the kind of guy who could, at the very least, stick around the league as a scoring backup PG.
10. Darren Collison: Collison should make his money on the defensive end. He probably won't ever be a starting point guard but he'd be a good option for any team looking for someone to spell their starter.
