Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Although Derrick Rose has looked really good at times and really mediocre at times in the preseason, there is no denying his talent. He’ll eventually take over the reins as the starting point guard for the Bulls and he will hold the spot for a long time. Not only is he a world class playmaker, he is already proving that he can score on the NBA level.

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
During summer league, Russell Westbrook looked amazing. While he hasn’t looked as amazing in preseason, he still is showing a lot of promise. He might not start getting a huge amount of minutes early on but by late in the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season, expect Westbrook to play around 30 minutes per game.

DJ Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats
In Charlotte, Larry Brown will undoubtedly be extremely hard on his point guards. With starter Raymond Felton truly being more of a shooting guard, you can expect DJ Augustin to get plenty of minutes at point guard. If Brown puts Felton into the dog house, Augustin would be next in line to start.

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Even though Mario Chalmers was a second round pick, he fell into a perfect situation in Miami. He has a chance to start at point guard and play next to Dwyane Wade. While he’s not going to be a bigtime scorer at the NBA level, he’ll be able to get a healthy amount of assists and steals. He should also be able to knock down the NBA three-pointer.

Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns
Another second round selection, the Suns are extremely high on Dragic. In fact, Suns management had him rated as one of the top handful of point guards in the entire 2008 NBA Draft. Although he’s playing behind Steve Nash, the fact that Phoenix runs a point guard oriented offense should help Dragic’s stats. Don’t expect points but Dragic should be able to do everything else.

George Hill, San Antonio Spurs
George Hill is the sleeper of the fantasy basketball rookie point guard prospects. Coming out of tiny IUPUI, Hill was drafted by the Spurs late in the first round. After struggling in summer league, Hill bounced back and played very well in preseason. He’s a guard in the Monta Ellis mold he can play the passing lanes on defense and knock down shots offensively. He’s currently dealing with an injured thumb but he could possibly be fantasy viable at some point during the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season.

Keep an eye on rookie point guard George Hill.

Photo: Newscom

Goran Dragic, Slovenia
Most draft experts expect Goran Dragic to be drafted in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft. The point guard out of Slovenia has the skills to be the next successful international point guard. He has looked good in international play guarding Tony Parker, which few at any level can say.

Joey Dorsey, Memphis
Although Memphis almost won the 2008 national championship, Joey Dorsey hasn’t received much credit for that team’s play. There’s a good shot that he’ll be drafted in the second round of the draft, however there’s a chance that he could turn into a Ben Wallace type player.

Nathan Jawai, Australia
At 6-foot-10 and 275 pounds, Nathan Jawai is a very large prospect. He’s also very raw. He currently plays in the Australian basketball league and he’s bit of an unknown. But with his size and his success in Australia, there’s a chance that he could be a second round steal.

Keith Brumbaugh, Hillsborough CC
Keith Brumbaugh is a former standout recruit who fell on some hard times. He’s back to playing basketball and showed a lot of potential on the JUCO level. He has great size for a perimeter player and a lot of natural. Brumbaugh could be a late flyer that pans out.

Photo: Newscom

NBA teams who are looking for point guard help in the second round should look at Goran Dragic. Dragic is a point guard from Slovenia who has NBA level athleticism and competes very hard.

The team who drafts Dragic could also likely convince him to stay overseas for one or two seasons to let him mature even more. Right now, his basketball skills are good but he needs to fill out his body and work on the leadership aspects of the point guard position.

Coming from Slovenia, Dragic is coming from one of the best basketball countries in the world. Rasho Nesterovic, Beno Udrih, Sasha Vujacic, Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec all hail from that tiny country. Dragic is likely the next in line to make the NBA from Slovenia.

Expect Goran Dragic to be drafted in the late first round or the early to mid second round in the 2008 NBA draft.