The Top Five Point Guards in the 2009 NBA Draft

Scouts are always going to knock Ty Lawson about his height. At 5'11", he would often be undersized by at least a few inches, and would get posted up like a mailbox against aggressive point guards such as Chauncey Billups.

The positives that would come out of Lawson are ones that you would want from a pure point guard. His assist-to-turnover ratio is as good as anyone's at 3.4 to 1. It is also evident that he makes his teammates at North Carolina better.

Because of his height, Lawson will likely be taken much later in the first round of the draft and placed on a team with a winning record. These kind of teams most likely won't be looking for a point guard that can score, but rather run the offense and get their team's superstars easy shots.

His shooting has improved also. Though he doesn't take as many threes as fellow teammates Wayne Ellington and Danny Green, Lawson is shooting a blazing 47.3 percent from beyond the arc. Leave him open and he'll knock down that jumpshot. Pressure him and he'll slash to the hoop by either scoring with an impossible layup through three defenders, or dishing to an open teammate for a dunk or three.

And then there's the speed at which he plays the game. Can you imagine Lawson playing for a team like the Phoenix Suns or New York Knicks? If Chris Duhon can thrive in a fast-paced system, just imagine what Ty Lawson could do.

Rubio lacks the blazing speed and athleticism that star point guards possess in the NBA, but his knowledge of the game puts him above just about every other point guard in this year's draft.

The average basketball fan probably didn't know much about Rubio, or hadn't even heard of him, until the 2008 Olympics against the Redeem Team. Scouts, however, had him on their radar long before the Olympics, and though he played sparingly against the U.S and other teams, his play has convinced scouts that he can be special.

Outside of the Olympics, Rubio's performances in the two best leagues in Europe have also helped him develop into a possible top five pick in this year's draft. He'll need to work on his jumper, and strength is often a weakness for rookies, but Rubio's a leader and an energetic playmaker that can contribute right away.

A huge knock on Rubio is his buyout with his team in Europe. His contract means that possibly only a third overall pick or higher would allow Rubio to afford a buyout, which could cause some pessimism from scouts and GMs.

Still, word is Rubio will be in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Dear Brandon Jennings,

I miss your high-top fade from last year.

Sincerely,

Yours truly.

For a casual fan, just like hearing about Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings is lurking in the shadows. The last time many fans watched him play was in the McDonalds All-American game and other various high school all-star games as well.

Jennings surely would've dominated at Arizona as a freshman in college, and would've put them in contention for a Pac-10 title. Instead, he took a huge risk and went overseas to play in Italy. Many fans, and possibly GMs, won't find out how successful his trip overseas will be until draft candidates can be taken in for workouts prior to the NBA Draft.

Besides the controversy of going overseas, Jennings has the potential to be an explosive scorer. The crafty lefty also has remarkable handles (see his highlight reels on YouTube) and can blow by defenders for a dunk. Jennings' court vision is what also makes him one of the top prospects in the 2009 NBA draft. He would have an immediate impact for any lottery-bound team that would draft him.

Also like Rubio, Jennings will have to buyout his contract to play in the U.S for the 2009-2010 NBA season.

At the moment, he's projected to be a lottery pick for next summer and flirting with top 5 potential.

There are some significant weaknesses in Flynn's game at the moment. His height, for starters, would make him an undersized point guard in the NBA. Shooting only 32 percent from beyond the arc also pulls Flynn out of the lottery next year, if he would decide to enter.

No one can question his heart though.

In a six overtime thriller against Connecticut at the Big Apple that resembled the new Buffalo Wild Wings commercials, Flynn logged an unbelievable 67 out of a possible 70 minutes. That's nearly two games of work in one, and he was still going non-stop, fast break after fast break, without losing a step.

While that game may have put him on the map, Flynn's play over the last two years have kept Syracuse fans on the edge of their seats at all times. His 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio is solid, considering he plays in a more up-tempo offense against a rugged Big East Conference.

Also, despite his low shooting percentage from the three point line, Flynn's more of a guard that'll get his points in the paint. He'll either get a layup, dunk, or use his already solid frame to draw fouls and get to the line where he shoots close to 80 percent.

Flynn could be a big steal if he goes late in the first round.

Put him in the NCAA Tournament!

Now that that's out of the way, coming into the 2008-2009 season, many scouts had questioned whether Stephen Curry could make the transition to the point guard slot. They weren't just wondering whether he had the talent to be playing point guard in the NBA, but for Davidson also.

He's done a fine job though, nearly doubling his assist average from last season, while increasing his scoring from 26 to 29. Curry's also logging solid stats on the defensive side. His steals have gone from 2.0 to 2.5.

However, Curry's decision making skills have to improve to justify being a top 10 pick in next year's NBA Draft. His handles are solid enough to play the point in the NBA, but his 3.7 turnovers per game at Davidson still raises some eyebrows.

Curry still has an extra year, if he chooses, to stay in college and polish his point guard skills before punching his ticket into the draft. This summer is a much weaker draft than in the past though, which could influence Curry to leave for the NBA early.

Wherever he chooses to go after this season, Stephen Curry is a name that will be remembered around college basketball for years to come.

That is unless a younger Curry becomes the new big man on campus.