As promised for Dif's World of Basketball this was going to be point guard week. In honor of that, I decided to kick it off with a massive ranking of all the NBA starting point guards. If you haven't had a chance to look at that yet, you can do so by clicking here.
If you're coming over from Sir Charles In Charge welcome and you've found the right place. The following is my rookie edition of that rankings list. For the rookies since they don't have any NBA games to go from, I decided to use mostly what I saw during their respective summer leagues and their expectations coming into this season to construct my rankings. Enjoy.
If you're coming over from Sir Charles In Charge welcome and you've found the right place. The following is my rookie edition of that rankings list. For the rookies since they don't have any NBA games to go from, I decided to use mostly what I saw during their respective summer leagues and their expectations coming into this season to construct my rankings. Enjoy.
1. Tyreke Evans - Of all the rookie point guards, Evans is one of the two I feel has a chance to become a "star" in the league. By star meaning All-Star. He's a bull when going to the basket and his mind frame of always being in attack mode, whether crafted from the dribble drive or just a product of what's within Evans, is perfectly suited for the new style of play in the NBA. Here's to hoping the Kings allow him to make plays on the move. Right now I believe Evans is slotted to be the point guard for the Kings. Certainly he has some ways to go in terms of play making and helping his teammates get better, but based off his summer, I have to put him at number one.
2. Jonny Flynn - The other potential "star" of this rookie point guard class. I think his game will translate well to the NBA. He's small but explosive. He can penetrate. He can finish. His shooting is coming along. Plus I think he has the competitive edge which is going to set him apart. He's a guy other players can rally around and that is an important (obviously) quality to have as a point guard.
3. Rodrique Beaubois - He was pretty dynamic in the Las Vegas Summer League and was a surprise. There is a lot more to playing point guard in the NBA than just being an athlete, but Beaubois has elite quickness.
4. Brandon Jennings - Jennings certainly has the swagger of an All-Star. I've the two summer games I saw him play I was impressed with his fearlessness. Jennings is going to be a work in progress but the more reps he gets at playing point guard the better he is going to be. As a defender, he's going to give opposing point guards fits and may be a game changer already. He has a certain flair to his game, which is ok, but he is to make sure that flair is always being used for him and not against him.
5. Toney Douglas - This ACC guard proved he's about more than just scoring. During summer ball he was giving out 7 assists a game. He will be a nice addition to the Knicks back court and should push Duhon for minutes.
6. Stephen Curry - One thing Curry made clear to all those watching the Las Vegas summer league, the rookie will not be afraid to put up shots. During summer ball he was putting 16 shots per game. Paired in a back court with another offensive minded guard (Monta Ellis) one of them is going to have to defer. Despite his appetite for shooting, Curry is cerebral enough to play point guard in the NBA. Plus he has really good hands which help him on defense. There were times at Davidson last season, however, where he got caught up trying too hard to make the spectacular pass. This may have been a product of the situation he was in, or simply his way of playing the game. I think if he can tone that down and concentrate on making simple plays, Curry is going to be just fine, borderline All-Star one day.
7. Ty Lawson - Fell into a nice situation being on a contender. Should offer up a significant change of pace to Billups bruising style. He also had a nice summer league and he's proven he can lead a team to a championship.
8. Eric Maynor - Can learn a lot playing behind Deron Williams and he is going to be in some big games as a rookie. With skilled teammates spreading the floor for him his game is going to flourish.
9. Jrue Holliday - Made an impact in the summer league as a defender and that's where I think his most value will be this year. Once his offensive game meets where his defensive game is at now, he's going to be a special player.
10. Jeff Teague - It's going to be interesting to see how Teague handles himself as an NBA guard. At Wake Forest he was inconsistent. There were times though when he was a top guard in the country and that's what the Hawks are hoping they get each night.
2. Jonny Flynn - The other potential "star" of this rookie point guard class. I think his game will translate well to the NBA. He's small but explosive. He can penetrate. He can finish. His shooting is coming along. Plus I think he has the competitive edge which is going to set him apart. He's a guy other players can rally around and that is an important (obviously) quality to have as a point guard.
3. Rodrique Beaubois - He was pretty dynamic in the Las Vegas Summer League and was a surprise. There is a lot more to playing point guard in the NBA than just being an athlete, but Beaubois has elite quickness.
4. Brandon Jennings - Jennings certainly has the swagger of an All-Star. I've the two summer games I saw him play I was impressed with his fearlessness. Jennings is going to be a work in progress but the more reps he gets at playing point guard the better he is going to be. As a defender, he's going to give opposing point guards fits and may be a game changer already. He has a certain flair to his game, which is ok, but he is to make sure that flair is always being used for him and not against him.
5. Toney Douglas - This ACC guard proved he's about more than just scoring. During summer ball he was giving out 7 assists a game. He will be a nice addition to the Knicks back court and should push Duhon for minutes.
6. Stephen Curry - One thing Curry made clear to all those watching the Las Vegas summer league, the rookie will not be afraid to put up shots. During summer ball he was putting 16 shots per game. Paired in a back court with another offensive minded guard (Monta Ellis) one of them is going to have to defer. Despite his appetite for shooting, Curry is cerebral enough to play point guard in the NBA. Plus he has really good hands which help him on defense. There were times at Davidson last season, however, where he got caught up trying too hard to make the spectacular pass. This may have been a product of the situation he was in, or simply his way of playing the game. I think if he can tone that down and concentrate on making simple plays, Curry is going to be just fine, borderline All-Star one day.
7. Ty Lawson - Fell into a nice situation being on a contender. Should offer up a significant change of pace to Billups bruising style. He also had a nice summer league and he's proven he can lead a team to a championship.
8. Eric Maynor - Can learn a lot playing behind Deron Williams and he is going to be in some big games as a rookie. With skilled teammates spreading the floor for him his game is going to flourish.
9. Jrue Holliday - Made an impact in the summer league as a defender and that's where I think his most value will be this year. Once his offensive game meets where his defensive game is at now, he's going to be a special player.
10. Jeff Teague - It's going to be interesting to see how Teague handles himself as an NBA guard. At Wake Forest he was inconsistent. There were times though when he was a top guard in the country and that's what the Hawks are hoping they get each night.
So there you have it. Once again, if you're interested in point guard talk then check back here periodically all week as all the content up on this site will be point guard related.
Also, in case you missed the complete rankings, you can find them right here.
Also, in case you missed the complete rankings, you can find them right here.
No comments:
Post a Comment