2010 NBA Draft: NBA Rules Make John Wall Obvious Choice For First Pick

I'm not sure if the NBA realized how significant their decision to limit hand-checking while playing defense would impact the game, but it has opened the door for a different type of player to thrive in the league.

NBA point guards were previously the most skilled members of most NBA rosters, but the premium on intelligence and fundamental skills has been replaced by an ability to get to the rim at all costs.

Last season's NBA Draft was a good one for point guards, and it produced players such as Johnny Flynn and Stephen Curry, who were accomplished shooters, but unsurprisingly Sacramento's Tyreke Evans was voted Rookie of the Year.

Before Evans, Chicago Bulls point guard derrick Rose won Rookie of the Year honors, and this year's draft has another player who looks to follow in their tracks.

Kentucky phenom John Wall shares many of the same characteristics as Rose and Evans, right down to the college coach they all played for, but the similarity in each player's approach is what's most striking.

Rose, Evans, and Wall don't have much of a jump shot, and Rose is the only one of the three who has true point guard instincts. But what all three possess is the strength and quickness to penetrate the lane at will.

John Calipari's dribble-drive offense takes advantage of a defender's inability to stay in front of his quick and powerful point guards, and in the NBA this talent is highlighted due to the no hand-check rule.

It's hard enough to prevent a physical player like Evans or Rose from penetrating the lane as it is, but without the use of your hands to establish some type of leverage the task becomes impossible.

This is a great for players like Rose, Evans, Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics, and soon to be Wall, but it also prevents a player from growing in other areas of their game.

Each of the players listed above, besides Wall, exist as superstars in the NBA, and none of them have reliable jump shots. To be honest, there is no real incentive for any of the players to work on that aspect of their games.

The one thing they each do well has become the single most unstoppable part of the professional game. Rebounding has taken precedence over learning to shoot a jump shot for NBA point guards.

Rondo, Rose, and Evans all excel at rebounding, and it's a good thing too since they all spend so much time in the lane.

The days of traditional jump shooting point guards such as Steve Nash is slowly giving way to a trend that was started by Jason Kidd in the early 90s.

Kidd, to be fair, was a natural point guard, but his vision and his strength made him a great point guard with a very average jump shot, which has been exploited throughout his career.

Kidd eventually chose to pay more attention to that part of his game, but could you imagine if he had done so when he was a younger player?

Kidd, with a jump shot, just might be recognized as the greatest point guard to ever play the game, and today's players could learn from his example on their paths to greatness.

Rondo's play in the 2010 NBA Finals is another glowing example because even though he did have a few strong games, his lack of a perimeter shot was a major reason his Celtics team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers knew Rondo was reluctant to shoot from more than 15 feet, and this allowed them to pack their defense in the lane, daring Rondo to shoot.

It's hard to dribble past someone who is waiting for you in the lane, and that point may be the irony in the rise of the power dribble players who have dominated the league lately.

The only real competition Wall has for the number one selection is Ohio State's Evan Turner, who has a much more well-rounded game than Wall, but doesn't have his explosiveness to the rim.

Turner's jump shot, instincts, and fundamental skills would have made him a lock for the number one pick in year's past, but unfortunately, complete players have been surpassed by the ones who can get to the rack.

Wall can thank the NBA for his likely number one selection in this week's draft, and he should use it as an opportunity to expand other areas of his game which need the attention.