Guard-heavy: The 2008 NBA Draft's Top Guards

For the 2008 NBA Draft, much of the talent is coming from the prospects who play guard on the court, and those will be the focus of this story. The NCAA tournament allowed many to witness the talents of Derrick Rose and his Memphis squad, and O.J. Mayo from Southern California, but this will be a preview for some other guards who are not getting much of the heavy focus in the coverage.

Many are forgetting the talent of Eric Gordon, the former freshman guard from Indiana University. A high scorer throughout the 2007-2008 collegiate season, Gordon was a shooting star who willed his team to win as a legitimate threat in the Big 10 conference. Many of the scouts had him pegged as a top-three pick during the bulk of the season, but for some reason, backed off as soon as he hurt his hand. Healed and healthy, Gordon has the ability to be a game-changing perimeter threat. While only 6'3", Gordon is a very muscular 210 pounds; the fact that he is shorter than some like to play shooting guard shouldn't be held against him, as he has pure shooting ability and can play against bigger opponents with his strong frame. Some teams probably wish that he were more of a point guard, which he can play in a pinch, but think of him as a Ray Allen-type, who also is an excellent shooter who played point on occasion for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brandon Rush, a junior shooting guard/small forward from Kansas, was originally in the 2005 Draft, but then decided to attend college. While he had a really good freshman year, a decent sophomore season, a serious knee injury before his third year, and a peak junior season, Rush is still an intriguing prospect. The book on Rush has been that he is a talent who has yet to maximize his gifts with hard work, but after working to rehabiliate his ACL injury and showing the ability to be a great defender, as well as a reliable three-point threat, he has become a true candidate to be a top pick in the first round. Rush looks to be a good starting swingman and could develop into an All-Star if he continues to build on his talent. Like Gordon, his game also resembles Ray Allen's penetration exploits of the basket from his early days as a Buck, but without the prolific shooting touch--though Rush, who is a lean 6'7", may eventually get there.

One other player of high regard comes from the University of Arizona--Jerryd Bayless. Bayless is a 6'3" combo guard who plays an aggressive and fiery style of basketball, and who is seen generally as the third best guard in the draft, behind Rose and Mayo. Projected to be the fourth overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics, Bayless is really not so much a shooting guard as he is just a shooting point guard, a la Tim Hardaway. Much of his game is based upon his quickness and aggressiveness in regard to attacking the basket, but he also is a deadly shooter with three-point range. While he's criticized for not being "true" as a distributing lead guard, his ability to see the open court and pass still ranks among the best and he favorably against some of the elite guard of the Pacific 10 Conference like Mayo, and UCLA's Bryant Westbrook (a projected top-10 pick as well) and Darren Collison (a first-round candidate who opted to return for his senior season). Bayless will do nicely with another teammate (of any position) who can pass and initiate offense as well, so he can make the most of his abilities.