NBA Draft 2012: Best Point Guards Available

The 2012 NBA draft is full of point guard prospects who all have what it takes to make the transition from the ranks of college basketball to the NBA.

Unfortunately, for a majority of them, that alone doesn't mean that they'll hear their names called during the draft, which goes to show just how deep the 2012 NBA draft truly is.

From sure first-round prospects like Damian Lillard and Kendall Marshall to players who could go undrafted like Zack Rosen and Reggie Hamilton, the 2012 draft is full of capable and talented point guards.

Ahead is a list of the best available point guards.

Point Guard Draft Results

Player, Team, Pick

1. Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers, No. 6

2. Kendall Marshall, Suns, No. 13

3. Tony Wroten Jr., Grizzlies, No. 25

4. Marquis Teague, Bulls, No. 29

5. Tyshawn Taylor, Blazers, No. 41 

6. Kostas Papanikolaou, Knicks, No. 48 

Scott Machado, Iona

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 206 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 13.6 points, 9.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds

Scott Machado is at the top of the list of truest point guards in this year's draft class. He can score when needed, but one thing he does on a consistent basis is create offensive opportunities for his teammates.

Machado doesn't get as much respect as he deserves because he played college basketball at Iona, but putting that aside, there's no doubt that he's one of the most complete point guards in the draft this year.

The Utah Jazz need to find a point guard in this year's draft who can consistently facilitate the offense while also scoring on a regular basis. Machado is undoubtedly the man for that job, and the Jazz would be wise to pull the trigger on him. While he doesn't look like John Stockton, he certainly plays like him, which is great news for the Jazz.

Tu Holloway, Xavier

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 187 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds

Tu Holloway is one tough player. He could very well be one of the top five toughest players in the entire 2012 NBA draft, and that's at they foundation of why he'll be drafted.

Holloway is not only a pure scorer at the point, he's also an incredibly physical defender who knows how to get under his opponents' skin.

With the right coaching, like Gregg Popovich, and veteran talent to learn from and to mature with, Holloway could end up being one of the best point guards to come out of the draft. With four whole years under his belt in the ranks of college basketball, Holloway will enter the NBA ready to make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball. 

Casper Ware, Long Beach State

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 175 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.4 points, 3.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds

Casper Ware is like a poor man's Norris Cole. While that's a good thing on a number of levels, Ware won't get the same chance that Cole got this past season.

Ware carried a talented Long Beach State team to an appearance in the 2012 NCAA tournament, which is what helped put him on the radar of scouts for this year's draft.

While Ware knows how to score the ball, he's not only a bit inefficient, shooting 40.1 percent last season, he's also severely undersized at 5'10'' and 175 pounds. I'll be shocked if Ware gets his name called on draft night, but that doesn't mean his dream of playing in the NBA is over. He'll just have to work harder and start his professional career by playing overseas. 

J'Covan Brown, Texas

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 202 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 20.1 points, 3.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds

J'Covan Brown is listed as a point guard, which is the position he plays, but he's not a point guard at his foundation.

He's a pure scorer, as evidenced by his 20.1 points-per-game average in addition to his 41.7 field-goal percentage. Brown's inefficiency on offense is what hinders his draft stock and will ultimately hold him back in this year's draft.

If an NBA team gives him a chance, it will be within the last five or six picks of the draft and will certainly be a risk. But with Brown and his pure scoring abilities, there's no doubt that he could realize his potential in the NBA, as long as he makes it on the right team. 

Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 193 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 14.8 points, 4.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds

If Jordan Taylor had decided to enter the NBA draft last year after a stellar junior season with the Wisconsin Badgers, he'd certainly be on an NBA roster right now.

Unfortunately for Taylor, his decision to return to Wisconsin for his senior year is why he will have to try and make an NBA roster as an undrafted free agent.

This past season, Taylor's efficiency dropped and his turnover rate increased, which is a perfect way to not hear your name come draft day. With that being said, Taylor is still one of the toughest players in the draft, and he's the kind of guy who will work hard for a few years overseas or in the NBA D-League until he gets his chance in the spotlight.

Taylor's day will come—it just won't be in the 2012 NBA draft.

Dee Bost, Mississippi State

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 180 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 15.8 points, 5.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds

Dee Bost is a very underrated talent. Not only did he average more than 15 points per game, he also managed to keep his teammates at Mississippi State, including Arnett Moultrie, involved on a regular basis.

The only thing holding him back from being a late second-round pick is the fact that he shot just 39.2 percent from the field last season. His best shooting percentage for an entire season in college was just 40.1 percent during his sophomore year, and that will keep him from being picked by an NBA team.

Bost will certainly be playing professional basketball, but it won't be in the NBA. His professional career will have to start overseas. At the point guard position, efficiency is the name of the game, which is something that Bost doesn't have right now. 

Terrell Stoglin, Maryland

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 185 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 21.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists

Terrell Stoglin is an absolute monster when it comes to scoring the ball. Facilitating the ball to his teammates, on the other hand, isn't his strength, and that's what will keep him from being drafted.

Stoglin should've returned to Maryland even after he was suspended, but he entered the draft and it will cost him an immediate shot at playing in the NBA.

There's no doubt that Stoglin and his scoring abilities can be in the NBA one day, but it will take time either overseas or in the NBA D-League, because at this point he's not efficient enough with the ball in his hands to warrant a team taking a risk on him with a late second-round draft pick. 

Maalik Wayns, Villanova

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 180 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 17.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds

Maalik Wayns shouldn't be in the 2012 NBA draft, because he still needs to put some polish and work on his mid-range jump shot and learn how to protect the ball at a more efficient level.

With that being said, Wayns isn't a bad player by any means. He knows how to score the ball and he's certainly capable of getting teammates the ball when needed.

The main reason why Wayns won't be drafted is because he doesn't do a good enough job of creating offensive opportunities for those around him, which is something that NBA teams are always looking for when it comes to players running the point. Wayns' 6'2'', 180-pound frame doesn't help him that much either. 

Josep Franch, Spain

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 186 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 7.9 points, 2.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds

Josep Franch is a 21-year-old point guard prospect who just won't be able to cut it in the NBA. He just doesn't do enough things well enough to draw interest from NBA teams.

Take, for example, Ricky Rubio, a fellow Spaniard who might not be the best scorer in the NBA but excels in facilitating the game to his teammates. That's why he's such a good player. Franch isn't that kind of player.

On many levels, he's just an average international prospect who will end up going back to play in Spain. 

Zack Rosen, Pennsylvania

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 177 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 18.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds

Zack Rosen is an extremely fundamentally sound point guard prospect, but he lacks the elite level of athleticism that most NBA teams want in their point guards.

With that being said, Rosen is still a very competent point guard on both sides of the ball. He's a hard worker and plays with intensity on both sides of the ball, which is something that is becoming more of a rarity these days.

Rosen will play professional basketball, but it will most likely be overseas or in the NBA D-League. If given a chance in a year or two, Rosen could find his way back to the NBA, as he'll certainly work on what he needs to to get better, which is his agility and his physicality on offense.

Reggie Hamilton, Oakland

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 180 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 26.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds

Reggie Hamilton could very well be one of the purest scorers in the NBA draft, yet he could go undrafted.

It's amazing that a player who averaged 26.2 points and 5.1 assists per game could fail to get drafted, but that's the case, mainly because he played his college ball at Oakland University.

Some will say that Hamilton's production was increased by playing in the Summit conference, but his production is impressive, to say the least. One thing is for sure: If an NBA team gives Hamilton a shot, he could be a very nice piece of any team's second unit moving forward. 

Devoe Joseph, Oregon

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 180 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 16.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists

After transferring from Minnesota to Oregon, Devoe Joseph became the scoring point guard that many experts expected him to be right out of the gate.

With that being said, his inconsistency on the defensive side of the ball will certainly hold back his draft stock and could result in him failing to get drafted.

Joseph is better suited to be a shooting guard out on the wing than he is running a point, and combined with his lack of size, at 6'4'' and 180 pounds, that means he'll have to try to make an NBA team as an undrafted free agent.

Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 183 lbs.

2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 14.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists

Ashton Gibbs is the rare case of a player who didn't help his stock by returning to college this past season for his senior season.

He's not physical enough nor complete enough of a player to be considered a legitimate point guard prospect.

Gibbs had a difficult time running the point last year at Pitt, and his inability to facilitate the offense is what will hold him back from being drafted in the 2012 NBA draft. Gibbs will certainly get looks after the draft as a free agent, but he'll have to show that he can be a point guard in the NBA if he wants to play in the association.