The college basketball season has been great like always this year and a highly anticipated draft class is on the making. There is depth in every position in college basketball this year. The point guard position in particular isn’t what we expected it to be before the season. There are many surprises from that position. Here is the look at college basketball’s top five point guards this year heading into March:
5. Jahii Carson (5’11”)
2013-14 stats: 18.4 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.3 rpg, 42.8 FG%, 69.8 FT %, 0.7 spg, PER 17.5
Carson is a sophomore sensation but could return to Arizona State for his junior year. The only downfall in his game maybe his size by weighing in at 180 lbs and being under 6’0″. He rebounds on the defensive side of the ball at a 10 % rate but he excels at the fact at setting up for his teammates. Almost 30 % of the time, he averages an assist. He is a pass first point guard with good shooting skills.
For a small guy, Carson is very athletic and like it. He has the ability to go coast to coast on a fast break with his incredible speed. He is always in attack mode and exposes defenses at times. Almost averaging 20 points a game shows his ability to score whether its a step back jumper, off the dribble, or a simple drive and layup. To be successful in the next level and not be a back up, he has to get stronger and improve on his basketball IQ.
NBA Comparison: Brandon Jennings
4. Nick Johnson (6’2″)
2013-14 stats: 16.2 ppg, 2.7 apg, 3.9 rpg, 44.9 FG%, 77 FT%, 1.1 spg, PER 21.6
Johnson is a combo guard but will have to transition his game to the pro level as a premier point guard. With Johnson’s skill set, he can definitely do it. He has an 11% defensive rebound rating and a 17.2 % assist rating. Johnson is getting career highs in just about every category this year and is playing more of the two guard in the Arizona Wildcats system. He is an athletic guard with a defensive mindset. He plays tough and can score in traffic with contact.
Johnson win shares this season is .250 per 40 minutes and has a high ceiling with NBA potential. Just like Avery Bradley from the Boston Celtics, Johnson is a great perimeter defender by creating turnovers. Johnson is bigger than Bradley by weighing at 200 lbs which is strong for a guard. Johnson is making a case this season as being college basketball’s elite point guards but in the next level, he has to improve his ball handling. He averages 1.9 turnovers a game which isn’t too shabby.
NBA Comparison: Avery Bradley
3. Delon Wright (6’5″)
2013-14: 16.8 ppg, 5.4 apg, 6.3 rpg, 59.1 FG%, 79 FT%, 2.5 spg, 28.4 PER
The 21 year kid from L.A. is one of those surprises in college basketball. Playing for Utah, he is 178 lbs and has good size for a point guard. Averaging 1.3 bpg, Wright shows his skill set on the defensive side as well as his offense. He is an all around point and is getting better as the year go by. Younger brother of Dorrell Wright, Delon is certainly the most improved college basketball player thus far.
He has a 16.8 defensive rebounding rate and a 11.2% assist rate. Wright is a strong guard who plays physical and gets to the line easy. His free throw percentage has went up and has earned his right as being of the best guards. He has an old school type game and can drive on any defender. He is a great finisher in paint and defenses rarely phases him.
NBA Comparison: Andre Miller
2. Tyler Ennis (6’2″)
2013-14 stats: 12.0 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.5 rpg, 41.4 FG%, 36.7 3pt%, 75 FT%, 2.1 spg, 21.2 PER
Ennis and the Syracuse Orange really been playing good basketball this season. Before the season, freshman Andrew Harrison was the one everybody was looking forward to watching but many slept on the other freshman guard. Ennis has a 32.5 % assist rate which is just crazy. On top of that, he averages 4.0% in steals. Ennis shows his best in the transition game and scores easy within a fast break. He is very quick with the ball with terrific ball handling skills. He is a legit point guard who is coachable and has excellent vision. He shows good basketball IQ with the ball in his hands and looks to be one of the top point guards in the nation.
Something Ennis can improve on is his scoring ability and with good offensive awareness, he can develop into a better scorer. He is a floor general with some athleticism in his game and with his skill set, can succeed as the best point guard.
NBA Comparison: Jrue Holiday
1. Marcus Smart (6’4)
2013-14: 17.4 ppg, 42 FG%, 4.6 apg, 5.6 rpg, 74 FT%, 2.6 spg, 25.8 PER
The first thing we think about now about Smart is the incident that happened with a Texas Tech fan which lead to a suspension. What we should really look at his how much of a monster Smart is. He is 200 lbs of muscle and is excellent in contact. He averages 14.3 percent in defensive boards and almost 10 percent in total rebounds. He has almost a 30 percent assists rate to go with his good scoring.
Smart is a top 5 prospect and will have a good NBA career because of his size. He is a powerful guard who is very quick as well and plays well off of the wing. He is like a lethal weapon who defends the ball well also. Reading defenses creates Smart to attack when needed and kick it out to an open teammate. What he can improve on is his outside shooting and if he can develop that, then he’ll be a star in the NBA one day.
NBA Comparison: Dwyane Wade
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