1. John Wall- Despite being just a freshman Wall is a polished point guard, and one that should be able to start from the season’s opening tip. He is long and athletic, and shows all the tools to be a lockdown defender in the NBA. Wall is exceptionally quick and can create his own shot as well as work to get open without the ball. His ball handling is good at best and his court vision and anticipation need work for the NBA. Wall also lacks a great 3-point shot, but with a little time should develop into a better perimeter threat.

2. Avery Bradley- Bradley is considered by most as more of a combo guard, and does lack true point guard skills, but should be a very good starter in the right system. He is exceptionally quick and one of the best defenders in this draft class. Bradley hasn’t always been the best passer or ball handler, but he does an adequate enough job. Bradley’s offensive game is still emerging, but the sky is the limit for him. He is explosive to the basket and will be an offensive weapon at the next level. Bradley may be overlooked as too much of a tweener, but I think he will end up being a top notch pro.

3. Eric Bledsoe- Bledsoe did a great job at Kentucky backing up/playing next to John Wall. Their skills complimented one another and for teams looking for a defensive/pass first point guard Bledsoe is their man. He was no better than the 4th scoring option in college, but still averaged over 11 points a game. He still needs to work on having a more consistent outside shot, as well as creating his own opportunities, but should be a solid 3rd scoring option in the NBA. While Bledsoe is a pass first point guard, he will at times play out of control and commit too many stupid turnovers. That should improve with time, but it may keep him from starting much in year one.

4. Willie Warren- Warren is an offensive first point guard, who has yet to become a complete player. While some scouts soured on him this year, he did a great job managing this team without Blake Griffin in the lineup. Warren gets labeled as a combo guard, but he does a good job of running the offense. He never had much in the way to work with outside of Griffin, and he seemed to press to much this year. One thing that shows how important he was to the team is the fact that they only won 2 games without him in the lineup. Warren has 3-point skills and is a solid passer. He still needs to become a well rounded player and learn to defend the position, but he has the tools to do so.

5. Armon Johnson- Johnson is a point guard, but he really lacks point guard skills. He doesn’t have a consistent jump shot and lacks 3-point range completely. He isn’t a great floor general, and not much of a passer. He does use his explosiveness and quickness to get by defenders and get to the rim. He does need to learn when to pass out of that situation when the defense collapses around him. While most of the traditional tools aren’t there, Johnson has all the physical tools and athleticism to play the position and become a top notch defender. I doubt he will ever be more than backup PG and spark plug off the bench, but he could have a solid NBA career.

When I tuned in last night to (1) Kentucky at South Carolina, I did so because I hadn’t seen them in a little while and I wanted to seee how their 4 potential 1st round picks in this June’s NBA draft were doing. PG John Wall and F/C DeMarcus Cousins did not disappoint, both having great games. While F Patrick Patterson and G Eric Bledsoe were both relatively quiet, they flashed talent that has NBA scouts salivating. Even with 4 potential lottery picks on the floor, the most impressive player and the guy who couldn’t be stopped was South Carolina’s PG Devan Downey.

Wall stands 6’4″ and is the prototypical size for an NBA point guard. And despite being a true freshman, Wall is one of the front runners for Player of the Year and easily considered the best point guard in College Basketball. His backup/back court mate Eric Bledsoe is 6’1″ and is thought of as potentially the 2nd best point guard in the nation. Last night though, it was pretty evident who the best point guard on the floor (in the nation) was, Devan Downey. Downey stands at just 5’9″ (I’m going to go out on a limb here and say he’s probably more like 5’8″), but could not be stopped by the bigger Wall or Bledsoe, one of whom was on Downey all night.

Downey went for 30 points last night, and added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Downey’s stat line doesn’t tell the whole story, as he literally carried the Gamecocks on his back to a 68-62 upset over the number 1 ranked team in the nation. His drive and determination were 2nd to none, and his heart made up for any size disadvantage on the court. Overall it was one of the gutsiest performances I’ve seen on a basketball court in quite sometime. While this might be the highpoint in the Gamecocks season this year, I hope people will take notice of Downey and look past his size and see just how good he is.

Now I know a 5’9″ (5’8″) point guard is unlikely to make it in the NBA, no matter how many times he can’t be stopped by Wall/Bledsoe (or any other guard in the country). But Downey should be an exception to that standard. Someone should draft Downey come June, and whoever does could get great value out of the 2nd round pick. He may never be a star at the next level because of his size, but his heart will allow him to play in the NBA.  Downey won’t be the biggest player on the court, but he’ll play like it, if you give him the chance.