College Basketball Recruiting: Top Point Guards to Watch in the Class of 2016

Point guard is often seen as the most vital position in college basketball because 1s are often the driving force behind a fun, uptempo offense.

While the last few recruiting classes have failed to produce a high number of quality prospects, this current point guard crop is among the best in years, with multiple 5-star prospects and future NBA players.

It's been a fun group to track, as household names such as Dennis Smith, Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox have been joined by new faces like Frank Jackson and Markelle Fultz in the 5-star mix in recent months. The group's overall competitive nature has also made it a must-see when any of these guards play each other, and it happened quite a bit over the summer.

Here's a list of nine point guards to keep an eye on as they enter their senior year of high school. Many of them will likely start from day one as true freshmen, and it'll be fun to see which rivalries carry over into college.

9. Seventh Woods, Hammond School (S.C.)

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 175 pounds

Seventh Woods made a name for himself thanks to an unbelievable mixtape from his freshman year of high school. The footage of a 14-year-old Woods making acrobatic plays went viral, and now he's firmly entrenched himself in the top 50 of a deep class.

Still an athletic freak, the 4-star Woods can play above the rim and has also spent time working on becoming more of a point guard. His jump shot is still a bit inconsistent, but Woods has become a better decision-maker with the ball in his hands and is willing to set up others with the pass. 

During the recruiting process, Woods has kept things close to the vest, but he's taken official visits to Georgetown and North Carolina. He's also scheduled to see in-state South Carolina in October.

8. Cassius Winston, Detroit Jesuit (Mich.)

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 194 pounds

Michigan State has the makings of a potential No. 1 class in 2016, and 4-star Michigan native Cassius Winston is a big reason why. The local product was sensational in the Nike EYBL this spring—pushing 5-star status—before a broken wrist knocked him out until July.

Before the injury, Winston was second in the EYBL in scoring (21.5 PPG), third in assists (4.9 APG) and fifth in steals (2.2 SPG). The Spartans were able to beat Harvard, Pitt and Stanford for Winston's services, and they're hoping he can coax 5-star teammate Miles Bridges into joining Michigan State's loaded 2016 class.

With Winston, 5-star guard Joshua Langford and 4-star forward Nick Ward, Michigan State has enough talent for a potential top-10 class.

7. Kobi Simmons, St. Francis (Ga.)

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 170 pounds

Another big and athletic point guard, Simmons has fallen a bit behind the core group in the national rankings, but he's still a bona fide 5-star prospect with a bright future.

The native of the Atlanta area is maybe as athletic as any guard in the country in terms of end-to-end speed for his size, and he's nearly unguardable with a full head of steam going to the rim. Simmons can get a tad reckless with the ball sometimes, but he simply has tools that you can't teach heading into the future.

Simmons recently cut his list to Kentucky, UNLV and Ohio State, and he's taken official visits to all three programs during the recruiting process.

6. Markelle Fultz, DeMatha Catholic (Md.)

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 170 pounds

This combo guard went from not playing varsity basketball his sophomore year at DeMatha to becoming a 5-star, national top-10 recruit.

A ridiculous summer on the camp circuit and with the D.C. Blue Devils put Fultz on the All-American radar, and he eventually committed to head coach Lorenzo Romar and Washington after also taking official visits to Arizona and Louisville.

With his size and knack for scoring, Fultz is a tough customer on the offensive end of the floor who is becoming increasingly more aware of his point guard skills. He is very much a potential new-age point guard who can get in the paint and make plays.

5. Frank Jackson, Lone Peak (Utah)

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 180 pounds

Once Duke got involved for the talented offensive force from Utah, it was pretty much over with. The 5-star Jackson committed to the Blue Devils in early September, and he'll step in as one of coach Mike Krzyzewski's guards of the future next fall.

A talented scorer who has improved his athleticism over the past year, Jackson now plays regularly above the rim and can also knock in deep jumpers. Although he's still improving as a point guard, it will likely be Jackson's position of the future as he can handle the ball and is getting better at finding teammates.

Along with 5-star small forward Jayson Tatum and 4-star power forward Javin DeLaurier, Duke has the makings of another potential No. 1 class.

4. Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills (Calif.)

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 170 pounds

The 5-star player from California has been committed to UCLA since January 2014, but that hasn't stopped the tall guard with exceptional vision from getting better. Although Ball has a funky release, it still finds a way to go down from deep, and he is also a triple-double threat every time he takes the floor thanks to his size.

Ball's passing is what sets him apart from his peers. Once the ball is in his hands, he can make passes with both hands all over the floor as he throws home run passes the length of the floor for easy shots. With two younger brothers playing varsity with Lonzo at Chino Hills this season—junior LiAngelo and freshman LaMelo, who are also both UCLA commits—it should be fun to watch those three play together.

3. Malik Monk, Bentonville (Ark.)

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 187 pounds

The younger brother of former Arkansas star wide receiver Marcus Monk is making a name for himself in his own right, as the combo guard is a freak athlete who can play well above the rim. The 5-star native of Arkansas can score in bunches—he had a 50-point outing in the EYBL as a sophomore—and has also improved his skills as a distributor.

Monk was sixth in the Nike EYBL in scoring at 19.6 points per game.

Recruiting for Monk has mostly been seen as a two-horse race between in-state Arkansas and Kentucky, but Oregon and Kansas are also scheduled for official visits during the process. The 5-star Monk has been a consensus top-10 player in the class of 2016 for most of his high school career and has the high ceiling to still be the best guard of the group over the long term.

2. De'Aaron Fox, Cypress Lakes (Texas)

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 170 pounds

Coming on strong for the top spot this summer was Texas native De'Aaron Fox. Whether it was with Houston Hoops in the Nike EYBL or in a camp setting, he was a dominant performer on both ends of the floor. 

The lefty is electric with the ball in his hands and developed a more consistent perimeter jumper during the grassroots season, which made him nearly impossible to defend at the high school level. Besides being 15th in the EYBL in scoring this spring at 16.8 points per game, Fox led the league in assists (5.1 APG) and steals (2.8 SPG) in helping lead Houston Hoops to Peach Jam. At Peach Jam, he elevated his play to another level, which is why he's a consensus 5-star, top-five player in the class of 2016.

The recruiting process is still a busy one for Fox. He has official visits scheduled for Kansas and Kentucky in October, and he's already been to see LSU and Louisville. N.C. State and Arizona have also visited with Fox and remain on his list for now.

1. Dennis Smith, Trinity Christian School (N.C.)

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 180 pounds

There's a big debate for the top point guard in the 2016 class, but Smith has certainly been one of the most productive through the last two summers. The North Carolina native is a scoring guard who can finish at the rim using outrageous body control, or he can hit deep jumpers. He's also adept at creating plays in the open floor or in high ball screens, and he's a good passer out of the pick-and-roll.

N.C. State won out for the 5-star guard's commitment in September, and head coach Mark Gottfried and assistant coach Orlando Early both flew in a helicopter to visit Smith at Trinity Christian. Recovering from a torn ACL suffered less than two months ago, Smith is already brace-free and shooting stationary jumpers. 

Star ratings and recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.