Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 1:25 pm  |  69 responses

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2010 NBA Draft – Shooting Guards

Evan Turner is breaking his back to get to the NBA.

by Jeff Fox

While there are concerns over the depth of the point guard class for the 2010 NBA Draft, no such concerns exist with the other backcourt position. The shooting guard class for 2010 is a fair bit deeper, with upwards of seven guys currently projected to have their name called in the first round. But whose stock is soaring to the top? Read on.

1) Evan Turner | Ohio State | Junior
How tough is Evan Turner? A broken back earlier this season only cost him six games and less than a month of action. How versatile is Evan Turner? Despite being a 6-7 shooting guard, he is playing the point this season for Ohio State. How good is Evan Turner? Check his stats: 19 points, 10 boards and six assists a game. How long will Evan Turner have to sit in the green room on draft night? Barely long enough to warm his chair — he should be a top five pick.

2) Xavier Henry | Kansas | Freshman
We all knew Xavier Henry was a good player, however the early returns from his collegiate career have to be considered a pleasant surprise. Despite joining a powerhouse, veteran-laden Kansas team, Henry has led them in scoring for much of the season (recently being overtaken by Sherron Collins) and is hitting his threes at a 46 percent clip. The strongly built lefty should become the ninth SLAM high school diarist in the NBA next season after going in the top 10 in this June’s draft.

3) Willie Warren | Oklahoma | Sophomore
With the Griffin brothers out of the way, this was going to be the year for Willie Warren to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to glory. Things haven’t quite gone according to the script, however, with Oklahoma struggling to win games and Warren not proving that he can be a point guard while also having difficulty hitting his outside shot (both his assist to turnover ratio and three-point percentage have declined from last year). Nonetheless, he is still an explosive combo guard and should get himself selected in the lottery.

4) Avery Bradley| Texas | Freshman
Xavier Henry isn’t the only hot shot Big 12 freshman — Avery Bradley is excelling for No. 1 ranked Texas. An explosive athlete, Bradley can also knock down the three and lock down his opponent on defense. But at 6-3 he is a dreaded “combo guard” similar to Willie Warren. If he can prove that he can play some point guard at the next level, the sky’s the limit. Look for him to be a lottery pick if he enters this June’s draft.

5) Lance Stephenson | Cincinnati | Freshman
The most highly touted of all the players on this list, Lance Stephenson is finding the transition from high school to collegiate ball not so easy. Born Ready has had his moments, but on top of the questions concerning his attitude you can also add a non-existent outside shot and a tendency to turn the ball over. His body and skill set would make him a late first round or early second round pick this June, but another year in college might be best for him to work on his game.

Next in line: Manny Harris, Michigan; James Anderson, Oklahoma St; Aubrey Coleman, Houston; Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga; Jerome Dyson, Connecticut.

Next up: Small Forwards

Read more of Jeff Fox at The Hoops Manifesto.