NBA prospect primer: Top 10 point guards

CSNE

A. SHERROD BLAKLEY

BOSTON — When it comes to the point guard position, the Boston Celtics are anything but settled at the moment.

Rajon Rondo will be entering the final year of his five-year, $55 million deal, but there's no telling if both sides will get a new contract worked out prior to the start of the season - or if that's something they truly want to do.

Rondo has made no secret about his love for Boston, but admits he is "intrigued" by the idea of being a free agent in the summer of 2015.

And the Celtics have maintained they are not looking to trade him, but at the same time are open to making any deal that they believe will greatly benefit the franchise - which includes trading Rondo.

And while Rondo's backup Phil Pressey is signed through next season,  that's contingent on him making the team which should not be an issue.

But that could all change on draft night with a handful of talented point guards well within the range of both of Boston's first round picks.

Here's a list of CSNNE.com's top 10 point guards in this draft:

SCOUTING REPORT

NAME, HEIGHT, WEIGHT, TEAM (OR COUNTRY):

1. Dante Exum, 6-6, 185, Australia:

STRENGTHS:

* Has great size for an NBA point guard

*  A 6-9 wingspan + better-than-average lateral quickness = elite defender potential.

* Part of the "High Basketball IQ" family

* Moves well on the floor even when he doesn't have the ball.

WEAKNESSES:

* Perimeter shooting inconsistent; has little to no arc on his shot.

* Shot selection not great, too often takes forced shots.

* Physical strength needs work.

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2. Marcus Smart, 6-4, 200, Oklahoma State

STRENGTHS:

* Strong upper body, finishes well after drawing contact

* Aggressive attacking the rim off the dribble

* Great at getting to the free throw line

* Has NBA-body, defensive mentality

WEAKNESSES

* Inconsistent perimeter shooter

* Shot selection questionable

* Highly competitive, but has the reputation of being a "hot head."

* Turnover prone

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3. Tyler Ennis, 6-2,  180, Syracuse University

STRENGTHS:

* Great court vision, pass-first playmaker

* Plays with great poise under all circumstances.

* Equally adept at drive-and-kick or drive-and-dish.

* Clutch shooter, unafraid of taking the big shot.

WEAKNESSES

* Man-to-man defense, something he did little of at Syracuse in their zone coverage.

* Lack of athleticism will challenge him in getting his own shot off in iso situations.

* Doesn't have much of a mid-range game.

* Lithe frame + so-so jumper = lots of off-balance floaters trying to avoid contact.

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4. Shabazz Napier, 6-1, 182, University of Connecticut

STRENGTHS:

* True floor leader

* Clutch shooter who is at his best when it matters most.

* NBA range and beyond.

* Better than average rebounder for his size.

WEAKNESSES

* Playmaking skills improved, but still a work in progress.

* Only 6-3 wingspan, will limit his effectiveness as a defender.

* Has a tendency to over-dribble at times.

* Four-year guy which sadly, isn't looked upon favorably by NBA teams.

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5. Elfrid Payton, 6-3, 180, Louisiana-Lafayette

STRENGTHS:

* Great lateral quickness and 6-7 wingspan, he has the physical tools to be a very good NBA defender.

* A pass-first point guard, but finds time to get his points, too.

* Played some of his best basketball against the best (Creighton, Michigan State, Team USA under-19 tryouts).

* Gets to the free throw line often.

WEAKNESSES

* Range doesn't extend to the 3-point line, allowing defenses to sag off him a bit.

* Almost exclusively looks to finish with his right (dominant) hand.

* A poor free throw shooter for the point guard position.

* Turns the ball over too much relative to the competition he faces.

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6.Vasilije Micic, 6-5, 188, Serbia

STRENGTHS:

* Extremely confident playmaker

* Pass-first playmaker

* At 6-5, great size for the position

* Excellent court vision

WEAKNESSES:

* Needs to add strength

* Passes up too many good looks, teammates often forced to take tougher shots.

*Inconsistent jump shooter

* Lateral quickness so-so, may limit his impact for a team defensively.

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7. Russ Smith, 6-0, 160, Louisville

STRENGTHS

* Explosive scorer

* Only 160 pounds, but can finish in the paint after drawing contact.

* Great ball instincts

* Has next-level lateral quickness, shiftiness off the dribble.

WEAKNESSES

*  Undersized shooting  guard.

* Defense a concern because of size.

* Decision-making questionable.

* Has limited shooting range.

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8. Nick Johnson, 6-3, 200, Arizona

STRENGTHS:

* Exceptional athlete

* Explosive scorer off the dribble

*Can play above the rim for his size

* Defense reminds many of a young Avery Bradley

WEAKNESSES

* Tweener (Not really a PG, too small for SG)

* Ball-handling skills average, at best

* Decision-making skills questionable at times

* Poor assists-to-turnover ratio

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9. Keith Appling, 6-2, 170, Michigan State

STRENGTHS

* Good foot speed

* Can play above the rim.

* Good at pressuring ball-handlers defensively

* Improved as a senior in terms of being a ball facilitator

WEAKNESSES

* Inconsistent in most phases of the game.

* Needs to become better shooter, especially in pick-and-roll sets

* Doesn't break down defenders well enough in iso situations

* Needs to develop better in-between game.

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10. Deonte Burton, 6-1, 185, Nevada

STRENGTHS

* Has 6-6 wingspan

* One of the most athletic guards in the draft

* Killer first step, can play (well) above the rim

* Has good shooting touch from all the key spots on the floor

WEAKNESSES

* Weak talent around him, numbers inflated perhaps?

* Streaky shooter

* Never left the floor in college. Can he adjust to a more complimentary role?

* Looks to score and not set teammates up, too often.

A. Sherrod Blakely serves as Comcast SportsNet's NBA Insider. Read more from Sherrod here, or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

112288

Interesting that Kyle Anderson isn't listed.

Outside wrote:Interesting that Kyle Anderson isn't listed.

Kyle Anderson is listed as either a SF or PF.

I find it fascinating that only three of the 10 "best" PG prospects were credited with being good playmakers.  Play above the rim; yup.  Lateral quickness, sure.  Shooting touch; check.  Explosive scorer off the dribble; no problem.  But superior ability to run a team or make others around him better?  More often than not, not so much.

The times, they are achangin'.

Sam

tjmakz wrote:Kyle Anderson is listed as either a SF or PF.

That's odd since the only reason he gained notoriety this year was his play at point guard. The guy doing a mock draft for Sports Illustrated has a good take on him:

The success of Michael Carter-Williams this season has increased teams' fascination with taller point guards. Anderson is a natural playmaker who thrived when UCLA handed him the reins this season. Scouts question Anderson's speed and defense, but when paired with a two-guard who can defend point guards -- like, say, Avery Bradley -- those issues can be ironed out.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20140417/nba-mock-draft-andrew-wiggins-jabari-parker-joel-embiid/#all

Opinions are like...

Well, everybody does have one.

Some just get paid to write about it.

From Blakley's article, I'll go with #'s 2, 4, or 8, thanks.  Especially since #2 (Smart) has more experience as a 2, and can shoot.  I also question who the heck Blakley was watching when he lists Smart's first two weaknesses. His hot head comment seems unwarranted, and stems from one unfortunate and very isolated incident.

This is all subjective view point about who is better point guard and are the Celtics going to select a point guard.

What counts is Rondo wanting in on how the team is going to be built and Danny wanting him as his link to the future.  That my friends is your point guard for the next 5 years!  

112288

Sam,

Apparently, the pundits see fit to change the definition of a point guard.


KJ

Well, KJ, as much as I personally hate to see it, the point guard seems to be evolving more than the other four positions combined. The Westbrooks and Roses (if and when healthy) are only two who have parlayed being a "shoot first" PG into becoming quite successful at their positions. Perhaps, if Allen Iverson had been born five or ten years later, he would also have achieved similar success at the position. And increased athleticism has been very much in the forefront of this development.

And now perhaps there's also an emerging trend (or return if one counts Magic Johnson) to the taller point guard.

And perhaps there's even a related trend among bigs who grew up playing PG and retain many exemplary ballhandling habits.

Good luck to all of them, and it would be senseless to ignore the changes. But, from a strictly personal point of view, I'll take the strategic innovation and natural beauty I associate closely with the more traditional David-Goliath form of competition.

Sam

When you combine the speed and agility of the black athlete with their ambidextrous ball handling skills, its understandable that a slashing style of play would develop. The day of the non scoring point guard, has over the last 25 years, become less relevant- unless of course his team happens to have 2 or more all-league teammates to lead the team. Of course it was Cousy that showed the way for the so called "point guard" who doubled as a big time scorer.
swish

A

Probably never saw most of the guys play.

A is still an A

Dboss

sam wrote:I find it fascinating that only three of the 10 "best" PG prospects were credited with being good playmakers.  Play above the rim; yup.  Lateral quickness, sure.  Shooting touch; check.  Explosive scorer off the dribble; no problem.  But superior ability to run a team or make others around him better?  More often than not, not so much.

The times, they are achangin'.

Sam

sam,


Who are considered to be the top PGs in the league today?

In no particular order: Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Tony Parker. Of those 5, four are shoot-first PGs and one is pass-first.

Steve Nash was considered the best, multiple MVPs, and he was a pass-first PG, but he has been mostly replaced with a new generation of shoot-first guards and not with younger players like him.

The times, they have achanged.


bob


.

Bob,

So I guess John Stockton's already a dinosaur. That didn't take long.

Sam

Keeping with my morning.......
My top 10 based on my current combined draft rankings (this will include combo guards)

EDITED to include this weeks mock draft updates (Numbers are overall rank)

5. Exum
7. Smart
16. Ennis
19. Napier
22. Z. Levine
23. Payton
THIS IS MY FIRST ROUND POINT

32. Mlicic
34. S. Christon
35. Burton
36. Jahil Carson
38. N. Johnson
47. Russ Smith
55. Keith Appling