Draft preview: Closer look at all the positions

A note on the rankings: This is not a predictor of when these players will be taken; that is, I don't expect Armon Johnson to be the next point guard taken after John Wall. It's much more likely that Eric Bledsoe, for example, will go before Johnson. These rankings, based on discussions with dozens of NBA and college coaches, and NBA college scouts and team executives, address the question of how ready players are to play the position which they are assigned: in other words, if there was a game tonight, who would play better at that position tonight, not in three years. Players are ranked based on the position that the coaches and scouts believe is their best NBA position, and even then, there is always disagreement between teams; a lot of NBA teams believe Avery Bradley is going to play most of his pro minutes at point guard. More teams I spoke with, though, have listed Bradley at shooting guard on their draft boards, so I have as well. My sleepers are players almost certain to go in the second round but who may have first-round talent or otherwise have an impact on the teams that select them if they overcome perceived shortcomings. All measurements are taken from the official numbers at the Chicago Pre-Draft camp in early June. The measurements of those who were not in Chicago are marked by an asterisk (*) and are taken from the player's college or pro team website.

POINT GUARDS :::::: Rank Name School/Team Height Weight Wingspan 1 John Wall Kentucky 6-4 195 6-9 1/4 2 Armon Johnson Nevada 6-3 1/4 195 6-8 3 Eric Bledsoe Kentucky 6-1 1/2 191 6-7 1/2 4 Terrico White Ole Miss 6-5 202 6-9 5 Greivis Vasquez Maryland 6-6 1/2 210 6-7 6 Sherron Collins Kansas 5-11 3/4 217 6-2 1/2 7 Willie Warren Oklahoma 6-3 3/4 208 6-6 8 Jon Scheyer Duke 6-6 180 6-3 1/4 9 Jerome Randle* California 5-10 172 N/A 10 Alexey Shved* Dynamo Moscow 6-6 182 N/A OTHERS OF NOTE: Thomas Huertel, Strasbourg (France); Denis Clemente, Kansas State; Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; Donald Sloan, Texas A&M; Tommy Mason-Griffin, Oklahoma SLEEPER: Marquez Haynes, Texas-Arlington For Aldridge's complete analysis on the point guards, click here.

SHOOTING GUARDS :::::: Rank Name School/Team Height Weight Wingspan 1 Evan Turner Ohio State 6-7 213 6-8 2 Avery Bradley Texas 6-3 1/4 180 6-7 1/4 3 James Anderson Oklahoma St. 6-5 3/4 207 6-8 1/2 4 Xavier Henry Kansas 6-6 1/2 210 6-11 1/4 5 Dominique Jones South Florida 6-5 216 6-9 1/4 6 Elliot Williams* Memphis 6-5 180 N/A 7 Jordan Crawford Xavier 6-4 1/2 198 6-7 8 Lance Stephenson Cincinnati 6-5 3/4 227 6-10 1/2 9 Jerome Dyson* UConn 6-4 190 N/A 10 Matt Bouldin* Gonzaga 6-5 224 N/A OTHERS OF NOTE: Mikhail Torrence, Alabama; Sylvan Landesburg, Virginia; Andy Rautins, Syracuse; Ryan Thompson, Rider SLEEPER: Aubrey Coleman, Houston For Aldridge's complete analysis on the shooting guards, click here.

SMALL FORWARDS :::::: Rank Name School/Team Height Weight Wingspan 1 Wes Johnson Syracuse 6-7 1/4 206 7-1 2 Al-Farouq Aminu Wake Forest 6-8 1/2 216 7-3 1/4 3 Luke Babbitt Nevada 6-8 3/4 217 6-11 1/4 4 Paul George Fresno St. 6-8 3/4 214 6-11 1/4 5 Gordon Hayward Butler 6-8 211 6-7 3/4 6 Quincy Pondexter * Washington 6-6 215 N/A 7 Stanley Robinson UConn 6-7 3/4 213 7-0 8 Damion James Texas 6-7 3/4 226 7-0 3/4 9 Devin Ebanks West Virginia 6-8 1/4 207 7-0 1/4 10 Darington Hobson New Mexico 6-6 1/2 203 6-9 1/4 OTHERS OF NOTE: Charles Garcia, Seattle; Lazar Hayward, Marquette; Elijah Millsap, Alabama-Birmingham; Nemanja Bjelica, Red Star (Serbia) SLEEPER: Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia For Aldridge's complete analysis on the small forwards, click here.

POWER FORWARDS :::::: Rank Name School/Team Height Weight Wingspan 1 Derrick Favors Georgia Tech 6-10 1/4 245 7-4 2 Greg Monroe Georgetown 6-11 246 7-2 1/4 3 Ekpe Udoh Baylor 6-9 3/4 237 7-4 1/2 4 Ed Davis North Carolina 6-9 3/4 226 7-0 5 Kevin Seraphin* Cholet (France) 6-9 264 N/A 6 Patrick Patterson Kentucky 6-9 1/4 239 7-1 1/4 7 Derrick Caracter UTEP 6-9 1/2 280 7-0 1/4 8 Luke Harangody Notre Dame 6-7 3/4 240 6-9 1/2 9 Samardo Samuels* Louisville 6-9 260 N/A 10 Jarvis Varnado Mississippi St. 6-10 210 7-3 1/2 OTHERS OF NOTE: Ryan Richards, Gran Canaria (Spain); Trevor Booker, Clemson; Craig Brackins, Iowa State; Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech SLEEPER: Keith "Tiny" Gallon, Oklahoma For Aldridge's complete analysis on the power forwards, click here.

CENTERS :::::: Rank Name School/Team Height Weight Wingspan 1 DeMarcus Cousins Kentucky 6-10 3/4 291 7-5 3/4 2 Cole Aldrich Kansas 6-11 1/4 236 7-4 3/4 3 Daniel Orton Kentucky 6-9 1/4 269 7-4 1/2 4 Larry Sanders VCU 6-10 1/2 222 7-5 3/4 5 Jerome Jordan Tulsa 7-0 3/4 244 7-5 1/4 6 Hassan Whiteside Marshall 6-11 1/2 226 7-7 7 Solomon Alabi Florida St. 7-0 3/4 237 7-5 8 Tibor Pleiss* Bross Baskets (Germany) 7-0 257 N/A 9 Art Parakhouski Radford 6-11 3/4 268 7-1 10 Dexter Pittman Texas 6-11 1/2 302 7-6 OTHERS OF NOTE: Hamady N'Diaye, Rutgers; Brian Zoubek, Duke; Paulo Prestes, CB Murcia (Spain); A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt; Miroslav Raduljica, FMP Zeleznick (Serbia) SLEEPER: Omar Samhan, St. Mary's For Aldridge's complete analysis on the centers, click here.

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