Basketball's point guard position has evolved over the years. The days of the traditional pass-first point guard are pretty much gone and we’ve moved on to a world of mostly lead guards who can score, be paired with another ball handler and make plays when necessary. Today, Eric Bossi breaks down his top five lead guards for the NBA Draft before covering wings on Tuesday and bigs on Wednesday.
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Breakdown: I still can’t help but feel that Fultz would be a little more dominant as a full time shooting guard because he’s such a skilled scorer, but there’s no doubt in my mind he’s the best of the lead guards in the 2017 NBA Draft. He should be a beast in pick-and-roll, shoots well and has tremendous length and instinct.
Can he be replaced?: New Washington coach Mike Hopkins just isn’t going to have anybody who can do near what Fultz did during his one year so his production is going to be tough to replace. It’s going to be a major rebuilding year for the Huskies.
Breakdown: Despite a lean build, Ball is sneaky strong and he’s always been better athletically than given credit for. He has astounding floor vision and delivers the ball as crisply as any guard I can ever remember scouting. He’ll score better than expected in the NBA.
Can he be replaced?: Will Steve Alford have somebody who can do everything that Ball did at UCLA? No. But, he gets back Aaron Holiday who has a ton of experience and is capable of playing the point or shooting guard. Also, incoming five-star Jaylen Hands is a blur with the ball, so the Bruins should be okay.
Breakdown: Fox’s game is built on speed and even by NBA standards, he’ll be one of the fastest guys out there. His competitive edge was underrated for most of his college career and I’m also a believer that he’ll iron out his jump shot as an NBA player.
Can he be replaced?: At Kentucky, John Calipari is used to replacing one-and-dones with more one-and-dones, but I don’t think that will be the case this year. Incoming five-star Quade Green is a different style player than Fox without as much size or speed, but should be good. Another freshman, Shai Alexander, will give them a change of pace with his size.
Breakdown: Playing for a pretty mediocre team his only year in college, Smith had some brilliant games and some cringeworthy ones. He has tremendous explosion and strength and I’ve always felt he could be a Baron Davis-style point guard. The big question that has always been asked about Smith is how much he wants to win and compete.
Can he be replaced?: The Pack should be in reasonable shape in Kevin Keatts first year. Sophomore Markell Johnson should have enough experience under his belt to make a big step up and he can help replace some production. Incoming freshman Lavar Batts is a big-time athlete like Smith and will have moments but won’t be quite as polished.
Breakdown: I know he doesn’t have ideal size and isn’t a crazy athlete, but watching this guy play a ton in the Big 12, I feel he’s being way underrated. He has mastery of the pick-and-roll, is tough, gets to the free throw line and has some baby Chris Paul in his game.
Can he be replaced?: Outside of Washington with Fultz, nobody is in a tougher spot to replace the production they’ll lose from Evans than the Cowboys are. The hope is Brandon Averette will make a big leap between his freshman and sophomore years and that incoming Rivals150 guard Zack Dawson will be ready to produce.
