A year after seven of the first 16 players taken in the 2003 Draft were point guards, one might assume that the position would be adequately filled already. However, while we won't likely see anything approaching last season, another four point guards could be taken in this year's lottery, and three players are all but locks to be selected that high.

Livingston could be the first point guard selected.

There are two main trends to watch with point guards in the draft. Last season, foreign point guards continued to make inroads, with Leandro Barbosa and Zoran Planinic both drafted in the first round and coming to the US (Frenchman Boris Diaw was also drafted as a point guard, though he ended up playing the wing). Planinic, along with Boston's Jiri Welsch, was part of the leading edge of a trend towards supersized European combo guards we've seen in recent years. These guards are good ballhandlers with enough size (usually around 6-6 or so) to play shooting guard if necessary. Typically, they are compared to the Sonics Brent Barry prior to the draft. At least a couple such players should be drafted this year.

The other trend is that of high school point guards. Generally, the high schoolers who have made the most impact in the NBA have been big men. More guards have declared in recent years, however, and now the final frontier for high schoolers, the point guard position, will be broken this year by Shaun Livingston and Sebastian Telfair. They won't enter the league quietly, with Livingston a likely top-ten pick.

From the college ranks, there are the usual assortment of true point guards along with those who will have to play that position in the NBA because of their size.

Sonics Outlook: After taking Luke Ridnour with their second of two first-round picks a year ago, the Sonics were pleasantly surprised by his ability to contribute right away, and a larger role is expected this season. Between Ridnour, Antonio Daniels, Ronald "Flip" Murray's ability to play the position and free agent Barry, the Sonics have the point covered for the moment. If they do take a point guard in the draft, it will probably be as a project in the second round.

Unless otherwise noted (*), all heights and weights are from Chicago Pre-Draft Camp measurements, rounded to nearest inch/5 pounds.

Shaun Livingston
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-8, 185
From: Peoria Central H.S.
The skinny: Throughout much of the last two years, Livingston's been "the other" high school point guard in the Class of '04 compared to the better-known Telfair. While Telfair's stock has dropped lately, however, few questions have emerged about Livingston, and he now could go as high as the second pick to the Clippers. Livingston possesses a relatively unique combination of size and ballhandling ability. Most 6-7 point guards are question marks in terms of their handling, especially in transition, but that skill is Livingston's strongest. Like most high schoolers, Livingston will likely need to get stronger and work on his perimeter shooting, but he is the best high-school point guard prospect in NBA Draft history.

Ben Gordon
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-2, 190
From: Connecticut
The skinny: Oh, how Gordon wishes that the NBA Draft would have been held in mid-April. Then, he was coming off of an outstanding performance in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 21.2 points to lead the Huskies to the title. Gordon was named Most Oustanding Player of the Phoenix regional after scoring 36 points against Alabama. At that point, Gordon looked like a sure top-ten pick. Now, that position is a little more precarious. Doubts have begun to creep in about Gordon's ability to transition to the point after playing alongside Taliek Brown at UConn, though he did handle the ball plenty and averaged 4.5 assists per game. After measuring in at slightly more than 6-2, Gordon will have to play the point. There's little question about Gordon's ability to shoot and score after he averaged 18.5 points and shot 43.3% from downtown. Still, whether he's more Dwyane Wade or Reece Gaines remains to be seen.

Devin Harris
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-3, 170
From: Wisconsin
The skinny: Even the relative obscurity of Wisconsin couldn't keep Harris from emerging as one of the NCAA's best players last year as a junior. After scoring 19.5 ppg and handing out 4.4 apg, Harris was Big Ten Player of the Year. Harris' 45.9 field-goal percentage was nothing special, but he hit better than two threes and five free throws a game to boost his true shooting percentage to a fine 61.5%. That shows that not only can Harris get to the basket, but shoot from the perimeter as well. He also does a good job holding down turnovers, posting a strong 2.1 assist/turnover ratio. Besides some questions about defense, the only reason he might not go higher is a lack of upside star potential.

Jameer Nelson
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-1, 200
From: St. Joseph's
The skinny: Few players have ever benefited more by returning to school than Nelson did as a senior. An early second-round pick before pulling out of the draft this time a year ago, Nelson was the consensus National Player of the Year as a senior, leading St. Joe's to an undefeated regular season and the Elite Eight. After that, he returns to the draft as a certain first-rounder and a possible lottery pick. For a player as well regarded as Nelson was at the college level, there is a lot of doubt about his ability to translate that in the NBA. A big reason is Nelson's height, though he measured in at a relatively solid 6-1 at the Pre-Draft Camp last week. Combined with relatively unimpressive quickness, that could make Nelson a liability at the defensive end of the court. Then again, they said the same things about Luke Ridnour a year ago. . . .

Sebastian Telfair
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-0, 165*
From: Lincoln H.S.
The skinny: The cousin of the New York Knicks Stephon Marbury, Telfair has been in the spotlight since approximately eighth grade, and has rarely failed to live up to the hype in that time. Still, there are those who question his decision to enter the draft directly out of high school, and it's no longer unthinkable that Telfair could drop out of the first round entirely. Telfair is an incredible athlete who is as gifted with the ball as is his high-school counterpart Livingston. Alas, he doesn't have Livingston's size, and at 6-0, 165, Telfair will have a difficult time on defense against bigger point guards. Telfair's other main knock is an iffy jumper. In many ways, his skill set is reminiscent of T.J. Ford's, but Ford had two more years of development under his belt when the Bucks made him a lottery pick last year.

Sasha Vujacic
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-7, 195*
From: Slovenia
The skinny: Vujacic is the epitome of the trend towards European combo guards; his NBA.com Prospect Profile even makes the comparison to Barry. At 6-7, 195, Vujacic has the right body type for the comparison, and he has the ability to play the point while reportedly primarily playing mostly the two in Italy (witness the low assist to point ratio). The biggest difference remains shooting; while his form has been praised, Vujacic did only hit 31.7% of his attempts from downtown this season. Vujacic is also a more aggressive player. At 20, he'll need some time to develop, but he's a very solid player.

Delonte West
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-3, 185
From: St. Joseph's
The skinny: Playing alongside Nelson, West occasionally found himself lost in the shadows, though ultimately there was more than enough credit to go around for St. Joe's last season. Despite Nelson being considered the NCAA's best player, West's statistics were remarkably similar, and he was a year younger. West is a fine outside shooter who canned 41.2% from three-point range and 51.0% from the field overall. The biggest concern is that West's height probably means he'll have to make the transition to the point at the NBA level. While he averaged a solid 4.7 assists per game, West didn't have to be responsible for running the offense with Nelson by his side. West didn't really help his stock with his performance in Chicago, and a lot of people have suggested he return to St. Joe's and try to boost his stock as a senior as Nelson did.

Beno Udrih
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-4, 200
From: Slovenia
The skinny: Udrih was one of the breakout players at last week's Chicago Pre-Draft Camp, averaging 14 points and 6.5 assists during the first two days of action. DraftCity.com went so far as to pick Udrih as its Chicago MVP. At 22, Udrih is rather old for a European draft prospect (he's an automatic eligible for the draft). That doesn't help him build buzz, and he's also hurt by the fact that he fails to stand out in any single category, including size. He seems to be solid in most categories of the game. If Udrih follows through on his Chicago performance with some solid individual workouts, he could be a high second-round pick or even a late first-rounder.

Honorable Mentions:
Antonio Burks, Memphis
Chris Duhon, Duke
Marcelo Huertas, Brazil
Blake Stepp, Gonzaga