2011 NBA Draft: Kyrie Irving vs. Derrick Williams, the Battle for the No. 1 Pick

Just ask any hoops analyst or expert and they’ll all universally agree that this year’s NBA Draft class is one of the weakest in recent memory.

Not only are there no true franchise type players available this year, there’s only about six or seven players who would be considered legitimate lottery picks in any other draft.

There’s an eclectic mix this year. 

You've got college stars such as UConn’s Kemba Walker and BYU’s Jimmer Fredette, little known foreign prospects such as Donatas Motiejunas and Bismack Biyombo and there’s also a few highly-rated one-and-done players like Kentucky’s Brandon Knight and Texas’ Tristan Thompson.

All in all, there are very few true proven prospects that will without a doubt develop into impact players in the pros.

There are two players, however, who stand head and shoulders above the rest of this year’s marginal crop of talent.

Over the next few months, Arizona SF Derrick Williams and Duke PG Kyrie Irving, who both appear to have all star caliber potential, will be battling it out to become this year’s No. 1 Pick.

Since the NBA Draft lottery drawing isn’t for another week, we still don’t know which team will have the right to pick first.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers statistically have the best shot to land at No. 1 but there are no guarantees when you’re dealing with bouncing lottery balls.

What we do know is that the team that ends up picking first will already basically have its options narrowed down quite a bit.

The question that will need to be answered is: Williams or Irving?

The franchise will be forced to decide which is more important, a floor general point guard or a versatile, athletic forward?

At this point, Williams is the more proven player, although some would say Irving has the higher ceiling to develop into a star and he does happen to play a more premium position.

The 6’9’’ 240 lb. Williams really came into his own as a sophomore, averaging 19 points and eight rebounds per game.

The smooth forward made the most of the national stage by carrying Arizona all the way to the Elite Eight in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Irving, on the other hand, didn’t experience the same type of success this past season.

When he arrived at Duke as a heralded high school prodigy from New Jersey’s St. Benedicts High School, it was expected that Irving would mesh right in with the defending champion Blue Devils, but an unfortunate toe injury cut his season short after just eight games.

Although the 6’2’’ 180-lb. freshman made a valiant attempt to return for the team’s run in the tournament, it was obvious he was not at full strength and Duke was eventually beat down by Williams’ Wildcats in the Sweet 16.

With such a small body of work, some may question if the team picking at No. 1 should shy away from Irving. But remember back to the days when elite high school players were jumping straight from the playground to the NBA hardwood.

LeBron James and Dwight Howard never played a second against college competition and yet franchises still felt safe selecting them with the No. 1 pick because they could see the type of potential they both possessed.

If John Wall, last year’s No. 1 pick, had experienced a similar type of injury and was forced to sit out most of his freshman season at Kentucky, it’s likely he still would have gone No. 1 to Washington because he was the clear cut top talent available.

In today’s NBA, if you’ve got the chance to land a top notch young point guard, you have to jump all over it.

While there’s no guarantee that Irving will turn into the next Chris Paul or Derrick Rose, he’s clearly got the natural ability to develop into a premier player.

We’ll have a better feel for how things could shake out once the official draft order is announced next week, but right now, I would have to favor Irving in the battle for the No. 1 pick.