The emergence of players like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul as some of the league’s most valuable players over the last few seasons has put an even greater emphasis on the importance of the point guard position – regardless of the way it is played. Some will argue that this is the era of the point guard and, whether or not that’s true, the reality is that the point guard position has become integral to NBA success. Here is a look at the top five point guard prospects that will be available in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Emmanuel Mudiay, China
The top point guard prospect for the 2015 NBA Draft is projected to be a top-five pick as a big, athletic combo guard with excellent size, speed and explosive leaping ability. The emergence of Westbrook over the past couple of seasons has changed the way that that people look at the point guard position and Mudiay’s raw attributes fit that same type of profile. The 19 year old still has to work on his perimeter shooting and his ability to limit turnovers but the raw skill set is there for Mudiay to eventually develop in to an elite NBA point guard down the line.
Mudiay is an interesting story because he left SMU’s program to go play professional ball in China. He averaged 18 points per game, 6.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists while playing in China while shooting a healthy 47.8% from the field. Maybe that shows he’s a little more NBA-ready than people think.
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State’s star point guard is more of a pure scorer than Mudiay and a good penetrator that understands how to get to the rim and create for himself. Russell is also a creative passer that can get the ball to his teammates in position to score and that makes him a very intriguing prospect that could challenge Mudiay as potentially the first point guard off the board. Russell still has to work on his strength and consistency, but he has all of the tools to become an elite point guard and should be a lock to go in the top seven.
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Cameron Payne, Murray State Racers
Payne doesn’t have the same size as Mudiay and Russell, but he is an intelligent and crafty point guard that has terrific vision and has improved his shooting from the field. He isn’t as explosive as Mudiay or Russell either but Payne has all of the attributes of the classic pure point guard. He definitely has the potential to eventually be a star at the NBA level.
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Grant showed off his skill set at Notre Dame this past season and it earned him a first-round designation according to NBA scouts. Grant has everything that NBA teams would want when selecting a point guard in the first round. Many scouts have compared him to a Reggie Jackson/Bobby Jackson-type of player. He won’t be a top-five pick like Mudiay and Russell, but the teams outside of the top-10 will be very tempted to move up and grab Grant if he is still on the board in the second half of the first round.
Tyus Jones, Duke Blue Devils
Jones needed one year at Duke to prove that he is capable of being an NBA first round pick and while his freshman status means he is still raw, that will be a bonus for teams that have the opportunity to draft him and then groom him for the future. Jones isn’t the biggest or the strongest prospect but he has all of the raw tools that project he could really excel at the next level. NBA scouts compare him to a Trey Burke and Luke Ridnour. Teams that are picking near the end of the first round will be thrilled to pick him up and let him develop on their roster over the next two seasons.
