NBA Draft Spotlight 2003: Point Guards

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NBA Draft Spotlight 2003: Point Guards  
    

February 2, 2003 
By Brad Friedman
U.S. Scouting Services

MAMARONECK, New York (Ticker) - College basketball is filled with a bevy of 
point guards with the talent to play in the NBA. As it is in most cases 
nowadays, the best prospects are underclassmen. In a surprising twist, an 
unusual amount of talented seniors remain. 

Reece Gaines never got the publicity during his career at Louisville that 
some of his peers in the draft may have, but the high-flying 6-5 guard could 
be the first senior floor general chosen. 

    
Gaines has size at his position that NBA coaches and general managers crave. 
He is yet another example of the evolution of the NBA point guard - a big guy 
who can defend either spot in the backcourt. Teams with small 2-guards such 
as Atlanta, New Orleans and Philadelphia would benefit from having a player 
such as Gaines. 

In recent years, players such as Jamal Crawford, Jeryl Sasser and Jamison 
Brewer have gone significantly higher in the draft because of their size at 
point guard. 

Kirk Hinrich of Kansas may not possess Gaines' size, but the 6-3 guard 
certainly plays like he does. His tremendous toughness and jumping ability 
has even led him to play in the frontcourt at times in his college career. 

Hinrich also adds a mix of fundamentals and great intelligence - after all, 
he is a coach's son - that separates him from other athletes. Despite playing 
the last two years primarily at the 2, scouts have little doubt that Hinrich 
can be a playmaker in the NBA. 

An injury-plagued senior season has caused his stock to slip a bit, but 
Hinrich is still expected to be taken in the initial half of the first round. 


Troy Bell of Boston College is a name that fans have been familiar with for 
some time. The 6-1 guard exploded onto the national scene by averaging 18.8 
points per game three years ago, earning Big East Conference Freshman of the 
Year honors. 

Bell is not considered a pure point guard but remains a probable first-round 
pick because of his scoring skills. The biggest concern about Bell is his 
inability to lead Boston College to the promised land. Despite his talent, 
the Eagles have had poor seasons three of his four years there. 

Steve Blake of Maryland spent much of his career overshadowed by the likes of 
future NBA players Juan Dixon, Terrence Morris, Chris Wilcox and Lonnie 
Baxter. When all is said and done, however, the 6-3 Blake will finish his 
career as one of the NCAA's all-time assists leaders. 

All an NBA team looks for out of a rookie point guard is the ability to 
initiate an offense, protect the possession and defend. Blake can do all 
three, and for that reason he is going to be a steal in the early second 
round. 

Pittsburgh 6-foot guard Brandin Knight was lightly recruited out of high 
school. As he prepares to move on to the next level, it would not be a 
surprise if he were overlooked once again. 

The 2002 Co-Big East Player of the Year has partially brought that upon 
himself, however. Going into the season, he was considered as a possible 
first-round pick. Poor play this year has pushed him well into the second 
round. 

Nevertheless, Knight has the Panthers winning. He has led a group of players 
who at one time were not even considered good enough to play for most teams 
in their own conference to one of the best records in the nation. 

Bernard King of Texas A&M shares a name with a former NBA legend, so perhaps 
making the league is in his destiny. Like Gaines, scouts are enamored with 
the 6-5 King's combination of size and passing ability. 

However, King could have trouble scoring in the NBA. He is a marginal shooter 
from 3-point range and has never been a dominant offensive force in college. 
Moreover, King has never led the Aggies to an NCAA Tournament during his 
career. He is a mid- to late second-round pick. 

UNLV's Marcus Banks never has gotten much TV exposure playing in a mid-level 
conference whose games take place when virtually the entire East Coast is 
sleeping. However, the 6-2 Banks is one of the nation's best unseen players 
and will find his limelight soon enough. 

Averaging more than 20 points per game, Banks should grab the spotlight this 
June as he vies for a possible spot in the first round. He has an NBA body, 
great shot selection and passing ability. 

Another Marcus, Marcus Hatten of St. John's, also has the ability to light up 
the scoreboard. After that, the only other thing the pair have in common is 
their habit of committing turnovers. Unlike Banks, the 6-1 Hatten lacks the 
mentality of a playmaker and is a horrific shooter. 

The fact that Hatten still manages to be such a potent offensive weapon 
speaks volumes about his athleticism, given the fact that the defenses he 
faces know exactly what he wants to do with the ball - go to the basket. His 
world-class ability to create shot opportunities makes him a probable 
second-round pick. 

Two years ago, 5-11 Jason Gardner thought he had what it took to play in the 
NBA. After all, he had just led Arizona to an NCAA Final Four appearance, and 
three of his teammates - Gilbert Arenas, Michael Wright and Richard Jefferson 
- were leaving early for the pros. 

After Gardner participated in the NBA Pre-draft camp in Chicago, the NBA's 
underclassmen advisory committee pleaded with him to return to school. He 
did, but the damage was already done. 

Scouts have not forgotten his performance at Chicago, where he looked 
completely out of place in the pro game. Although Gardner is one of college 
basketball's biggest names, there is an excellent chance that he will go 
undrafted. 

The same could be said for 6-1 Hollis Price of Oklahoma. He finds himself 
atop of many NCAA Player of the Year candidate lists this season but is 
rarely mentioned in mock drafts. 

Just like Dixon was last season, Price is considered too skinny and 
inexperienced at point guard to cut it in the NBA. Dixon still was selected 
in the first round by his neighboring Washington Wizards, but do not expect 
Price to have similar luck. He is smallish compared with Dixon and does not 
share his raw talent. Price is a late second-rounder at best. 

The only point guards who may hear their name called in the lottery are 
underclassmen. In no particular order, 5-11 sophomore T.J. Ford of Texas, 6-1 
sophomore Maurice Williams of Alabama, 6-1 junior Chris Duhon of Duke and 6-2 
junior Luke Ridnour of Oregon all are thought of as players who would be 
selected in the 7-15 range. It is not known if any of those players are 
leaning towards returning to school or declaring for the NBA. 

Last season, Ford became the first freshman in the history of Division I to 
lead the NCAA in assists. However, he is a horrific shooter who needs to 
shore up his perimeter game. 

Williams, also a sophomore, has yet to hit his peak at the college level and 
would be best inclined to wait another year or two until his stock is at its 
highest. 

Duhon has seen the difficult season that former Blue Devils teammate Jay 
Williams is having as a rookie with the Chicago Bulls. He could be inclined 
to stay in school through his senior year, not wanting to make the same 
mistake Williams did in leaving too soon. 

Ridnour seems to be the most prepared of the four to make the jump. He is at 
the top of his game this season. In a weak draft, it may be to Ridnour's 
advantage to leave this year.