Size is the biggest concern for Abrams. At 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds, Abrams is one of the tinniest draft prospects in recent history. What compounds that problem is that he hasn’t shown much of an ability to play point guard. In this past season, he averaged 16.5 points but only 1.5 assists.

Abrams also hasn’t shown to be a great outside shooter. With a field goal percentage under 43%, NBA scouts wonder whether he’d be able to score on the NBA level.

Next year at Texas, Abrams will need to prove to NBA scouts that he can play point guard. With DJ Augustin likely headed to the NBA, Abrams should have a chance to win the team’s starting point guard job. If he can average around five assists and raise his field goal percentage to about 45%, he’ll have a shot of being a first round pick in 2009.

AJ Abrams Interview:

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The first thing you notice about Augustin is his size – or lack thereof. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Augustin is a tiny NBA prospect. While he’s not going to get any taller, he could help himself by adding some strength and muscle to his frame.

What NBA scouts like about Augustin is his point guard ability. While he can score the ball, he’s also a good playmaker. He has good toughness and the innate point guard skills that are important for success in the NBA.

Last year at Texas, Augustin averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 assists. At the college level, he’s shown the ability to hit the three-pointer. However, when Texas lost to Memphis during March Madness, Augustin didn’t play too well – finishing with 16 points and three assists on 4-for-18 shooting from the floor.

Augustin isn’t a perfect prospect but a team that wants to take a chance on a legit point guard will draft him at some point in the first round.

Texas vs OK State

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At 7-feet and 250 pounds, Jordan definitely has the size to be a center in the NBA. And 19-years-old, Jordan will undoubtedly get bigger and stronger. A number of scouts believe he’s the best true center prospect in the 2008 draft.

On the other hand, there are a number of scouts who aren’t convinced he’s anything more than a project bigman. Jordan averaged approximately eight points and six rebounds in his freshman season. At the end of the season, Jordan wasn’t doing much of anything. Scouts have questioned his work ethic and his basketball IQ.

Despite those questions, size matters in the NBA draft. Jordan, based on his size and athleticism alone, will be a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. If he plays well in front of NBA scouts before the draft, he could even move into the top five picks.

Read about more 2008 NBA Draft Prospects.

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In his freshman season at LSU, he had extremely impressive stats. Randolph averaged 15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. If he were to stay in school, there’s no question that Randolph would have been one of the best players in college basketball next season.

Randolph’s size and length has scouts salivating. At 6-foot-10 with long arms, Randolph has the length to play power forward. However, at just 200 pounds, he still needs to bulk up and get stronger.

Despite his height, Randolph seems to have the ability to play small forward in the NBA. Currently, he’s built a lot like Tayshaun Price and he has a similar game, except Randolph isn’t yet a very good outside shooter. He’ll need to improve in that regard if he is to truly thrive at small forward in the NBA.

With his size, athleticism, youth and varied skills, Randolph is looking more and more like a high lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Scouts have him pegged anywhere from the fourth pick to the tenth pick. While there are surer bets in this draft, few players have the potential that Randolph possesses.

More 2008 NBA Draft Prospects.

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Many had Mayo pegged as the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft before the season started. Now, Mayo is expected to be a top five pick. He may drop a bit but don’t expect him to drop out of the top ten. In fact, Mayo has a good chance at being the third pick behind Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.

The most scrutinized aspect of Mayo’s game this season has been his passing. At 6-foot-4, Mayo will likely be a point guard on the NBA level. But after finishing his freshman season with more turnovers than assists, some scouts whether he’ll be able to play point guard in the pros.

What isn’t in question is whether Mayo can score. Mayo has the skills to average over 20 points per game in the NBA for a long time. He’s a good athlete, with good touch around the basket and a solid jumper. He’ll ballhog at times but he’s still young enough to figure out when to shoot and when to pass.

Overall, Mayo didn’t hurt his draft stock much during his freshman season. He’s not a flawless prospect but he’s still a very good prospect who will be picked early in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Check out this OJ Mayo highlight video:

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The good news for Budinger is he’ll no doubt be a top 20 pick. On athleticism alone, a team will take a chance on him. At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, Budinger is a very springy athlete who has shown a good amount of skill in his time at Arizona.

The downside to his game at the moment is his ballhandling and his defense. He’ll have to play on the perimeter in the NBA and his perimeter skills aren’t top notch. Defensively, Budinger didn’t bring energy on a nightly basis while at Arizona.

If a team falls in love with him, Budinger could go in the 10 to 12 neighborhood, however it now is unlikely that he’ll be a top ten pick. This time last year, it was a no-brainer.

The next step for Budinger is to show off his athleticism to scouts, which is something he should easily do. Don’t believe me? Watch this Chase Budinger video . . .

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NBA scouts like a lot about Chalmers’ game. He’s a very active and dedicated defender who is great at coming up with steals. He has good size to defend against point guards and knows how to use his quickness to his advantage. Offensively, Chalmers can shoot the ball with accuracy. He’s not a great scorer but he is a very good shooter.

However, there are still a number of questions regarding Chalmers. Most importantly, is he truly a point guard? His assist numbers don’t blow you away and he at times look more comfortable off of the ball. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Chalmers wouldn’t have the size to play shooting guard in the NBA. If a team isn’t 100% certain he’s a legit point guard, they won’t draft him.

Chalmers isn’t the most exciting prospect but for a veteran team that wants to win right away, Chalmers would be a good fit. He’s tough minded and willing to play whatever role is asked of him.

Check out this Mario Chalmers video . . .

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Rose has all the needed abilities to be a high-end point guard in the NBA. His dramatic improvement over the course of the season at Memphis has shown how much he’s willing to work on his game. With Michael Beasley likely going number one, Rose is a no-brainer at number two.

And really, Rose could conceivably be the top player drafted depending on the needs of the team that ends up with the first pick. If the team has a lot of forwards but needs a point guard, Rose could hear his name called first in the 2008 NBA Draft.

What stands out when evaluating Rose is his basketball IQ. He has a natural feel for the game which is tough to find – especially in a college freshman. Rose also is an extremely impressive athlete with an improving jumper. Defensively, he has shown an ability to be a lockdown defender.

Overall, Rose is a near flawless point guard prospect who has all the marking of a superstar NBA point guard.

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To say Hansbrough has had a great season this year would be short-changing him. He’s averaging about 23 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting nearly 54% from the floor. He has North Carolina streaking toward the Final Four and great shot at a national championship.

The problem with Hansbrough when it comes to the NBA is his height and his athleticism. Although he’s listed at 6-foot-9, the common thinking in NBA circles is he is actually closer to 6-foot-7. Hansbrough isn’t much of an athlete, which could become more obvious on the NBA level.

An NBA team in the first round will likely give Hansbrough a chance but he’s going to have to prove a lot of scouts wrong to become successful. He’s viewed as much more Eduardo Najera than Kevin McHale.

In your dynasty fantasy basketball league, it’d be best to pass on Hansbrough as he’s likely overrated. Let another team rich for him.

Tyler Hansbrough’s game winner against VA Tech earlier this month …

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Westbrook is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who is mostly plays shooting guard at UCLA with Collison running the point. In a perfect world, Westbrook would get an opportunity to show that he can play point guard but with UCLA winning, he’s content to play off the ball.

If Westbrook declares for the 2008 NBA draft, he’s likely to be drafted between 12 and 16. He has shown enough potential for a team to view him as a perfect piece off the bench. However, if he goes back to UCLA and works on his game next year and proves he can run point guard, he could turn into a top five pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

If you are in a dynasty fantasy basketball league and you can pick college players, Westbrook is somewhat of a sleeper even though he has star potential in the not too distant future.

Russell Westbrook interview before the season …

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