Getting to the Point: A Look at the Point Guards of the 2009 Draft Class

Brett David RobertsJun 23, 2010

Looking at the 2009 Draft on paper, few imagined it would yield the crop of talent it did. And that even included the first pick overall spending the year in crutches and the second pick being demoted to the D-League for a period of time.

But even more than the fact that the draft impressed was the fact that it was one of the deepest ever at the point guard position.

Tyreke Evans, playing point for Sacramento, became only the fifth player ever to average 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists as a rookie.

Stephen Curry blossomed into one of the best gunners from the arc and one of the best swipers as well, averaging 1.9 steals. His total stats were 17.5 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.5 rpg, and 43.7 percent from three.

Brandon Jennings led Milwaukee further into the playoffs than anyone expected, taking Atlanta to seven games. And that's not to mention the fact he dropped a double nickel, 55 points, on Golden State in only his seventh game as a pro.

Darren Collison stepped in during the absence of Chris Paul and did a Chris Paul-like job, averaging 20 and 10.

Flynn put together a nice first season and showed he definitely has a future in the league (whether that will be as a starter or not is a matter of debate and speculation).

Jrue Holiday showed signs of promise at the end, possibly foreshadowing a breakout season in 2010-2011.

And Beaubois and Toney Douglas proved to be interesting prospects, each showing flashes of brilliance.

The jury is still out on Jeff Teague and Eric Maynor, but I doubt that either one is a complete bust.

This article will rank the rookie point guards and take a brief look at the contributions of each.

11. Jeff Teague

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The first point guard in question is one the Hawks have yet to commit to and show a real interest in developing. Because the Hawks were a contender (at least maybe in the eyes of some), they committed to giving veterans Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford the majority of the minutes at the point guard position.

Crawford's play really made Teague obsolete because Crawford was able to take the minutes that Bibby left. One interesting thing about Teague, though, is that in the last game of the season, he played all 48 minutes in a win over Cleveland, scoring 24 points and dishing out 15 assists.

The game was utterly meaningless as both teams had already established their respective seedings, but it is an encouraging note on an otherwise forgettable rookie season.

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10. Eric Maynor

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Maynor started the season as a member of the Utah Jazz, backing up arguably the best point guard in the league, Deron Williams. Somehow, he still managed 14 minutes a game and showed flashes of potential.

He was dealt to Oklahoma City to back up Russell Westbrook, so he didn't see significantly more minutes until after the deal (2:30 more per game, to be exact).

In his limited time, however, he did well. Per-36, his stats work out to 10.8 ppg and 7.5 apg. While it is dubious as to whether Maynor will ever be a starter in this league, he will at minimum be one of the better back ups on any given team.