A year ago, SUPERSONICS.COM lamented that the NBA Draft was no longer producing impact players at the shooting guard position after a run of players like Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady in the late 90s. Whether you think that changed last season depends on whether you consider Miami's Dwyane Wade a two guard, but he probably will end up at the position long term.

Snyder boosted his stock while leading his team to the Sweet 16. John Byrne/Byrne Sports Images

Still, the shooting guard class of '03 made precious little impact, especially when Marquis Daniels - who went undrafted - is excluded. The second shooting guard taken, Washington's Jarvis Hayes, had a dismal rookie season, shooting 40.0% from the field and averaging just 9.6 ppg despite starting most of the season. The other two guard taken in the lottery, Frenchman Mickael Pietrus, proved to be a fine defender and has great promise but played just 748 minutes, the vast majority of them in the final two months after Golden State fell out of the playoff race.

While Andre Iguodala will likely be a top-five pick this season, he projects as a versatile player who can do it all instead of the 20-point-per-game scorer one expects from a superstar shooting guard. After him, Nevada's Kirk Snyder, Russian Sergey Monya and a pair of high schoolers should go in the first round of this year's draft.

Sonics Outlook: Despite having Allen and Ronald "Flip" Murray at the shooting guard position, the Sonics might look at a two guard who can also see action at small forward. Iguodala would be the proverbial "Best Player Available" if left at pick 12, while Snyder should also get consideration. A quality defender might also get consideration in the second round. It's been rumored that they have interest in Tony Allen and Kevin Martin, amongst others.

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

Andre Iguodala
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-7, 215
From: Arizona.
The skinny: After playing off the bench as a freshman, Iguodala replaced departing senior Luke Walton in the starting lineup and matched his versatility. Iguodala posted three triple-doubles as a sophomore, fully a third of all those posted in the storied history of Arizona basketball. Iguodala led the Wildcats in both assists and rebounds, and there is little doubt that his multiple talents will translate to the NBA. The question is Iguodala's shooting after he hit an unimpressive 45.0% from the field and 31.5% from downtown. He was also just fourth on his team in scoring. Iguodala has reportedly shot well in workouts, and there is confidence that he can improve his shot at the NBA level. If that happens, Iguodala will be a multitalented superstar a la Scottie Pippen. As a result, Iguodala has worked into a probable top five pick, perhaps as high as the third pick to Chicago.

Kirk Snyder
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-7, 230
From: Nevada
The skinny: While fans in Seattle are plenty familiar with Iguodala after the University of Washington swept Arizona 3-0 in Pac-10 play last season, Snyder also left some memories in Seattle when he helped lead the Wolf Pack to a stunning upset of Gonzaga in the NCAA regional semifinals that sent Nevada to the Sweet 16. It was Snyder who put his team in a position to make history by hitting several key baskets down the stretch in a six-point win over Michigan State. He had captured the attention of scouts long before that thanks to his incredible athleticism. That allows Snyder to get to the basket and finish in transition as well as also making him a quality defender. The WAC Player of the Year last season as a junior, Snyder's only question mark is, like Iguodala, his shooting ability. Though Snyder was a better three-point shooter at 34.8%, he was an iffy 43.1% from the field overall.

Sergey Monya
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-8, 220*
From: Russia
The skinny: Monya is already used to playing with NBA-caliber players. On his Russian League champion club, CSKA Moscow, Monya teamed with three players with NBA experience - Victor Alexander, Dragan Tarlac and Misrad Turkcan - as well as another likely first-round pick, Viktor Khryapa. Because of the deep team and the development he has left to do at age 21, Monya averaged just 7.7 points per game last season, numbers virtually unchanged from his first CSKA Moscow experience two years ago. Scouts like Monya's well-rounded game. He can shoot from the perimeter, create off the dribble, is a fine team player and a quality defender.

J.R. Smith
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-7, 230
From: St. Benedict's Prep
The skinny: Despite signing with North Carolina, Smith wasn't a huge prospect prior to the post-season high school All-Star Games. There, Smith shined, earning co-MVP honors in both the McDonald's All-America Game and the EA Sports Roundball Classic, sharing those awards with Shaun Livingston and Dwight Howard - both likely top five picks. That led Smith to declare for this year's draft, and he's considered a likely mid- to late-first-round pick. Smith is a fine athlete who possesses a 44-inch vertical, allowing him to finish in the lane and on transition. He'll particularly need to improve his decision-making and is quite raw.

Dorell Wright
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-7, 210*
From: South Kent Prep
The skinny: Wright is a late-comer to the game of basketball, only beginning to play at the high school level during his junior year. Three years later - after completing his eligibility at Leuzinger H.S. in California, he played an extra season at South Kent Prep in Connecticut - Wright has emerged as one of the top high schoolers in the country. He is a fine scorer who had a game-high 24 points in the Jordan Capitol Classic as well as 17 in the EA Sports Classic. The other elements of the game, however, have not come as naturally for Wright, and he too is very raw (at 210 pounds, he'll probably have to add some weight). Wright has all the requisite athleticism and has dominated the AAU circuit, so for him too it may only be a matter of time.

Kevin Martin
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-7, 185*
From: Western Carolina
The skinny: Martin was the second-leading scorer in the entire NCAA last season, averaging 24.9 ppg on solid 47.4% shooting. It can be tough to determine how to value Martin's stats, given the weak competition he played against - per Jeff Sagarin, Western Carolina's schedule strength was 219th amongst D-I teams last season - but an interesting comparison is to be made with Hayes, who played at Western Carolina as a freshman before transferring to Georgia. Hayes averaged 17.1 points on 42.4% shooting as a freshman; Martin averaged 22.1 ppg on 48.4% shooting. Martin is a fantastic scorer who did so at a fine 61.2% true shooting percentage, but he'll need to score in the NBA, because his game is not very well-rounded either. Martin projects as an offensive spark off the bench who can put points on the board in a hurry.

Tony Allen
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-4, 215*
From: Oklahoma State
The skinny: As a Sonics observer, it's difficult to watch Allen without thinking of Desmond Mason. Both players were swingmen at Oklahoma State who wore the number 24. Their statistics are similar - Mason played more minutes, scored more, and was a better three-point shooter, but Allen handed out way more assists. Mason is the better prospect, but Allen isn't far behind, and he could be available to the Sonics (amongst others) early in the second round. Like Mason, Allen is a fine defensive player who has improved at the college level (he went from junior college to Big 12 Player of the Year) and should continue to improve as a pro.

Romain Sato
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-3, 205
From: Xavier
The skinny: After a fine junior season, Sato was down a bit last season, losing 1.8 points off his scoring average. However, he picked it up in leading Xavier to the Elite Eight and was named to the All-Regional team. Sato measured in at a disappointing 6-3 in Chicago, which makes him quite short for a shooting guard in the modern NBA (and is well below his listed 6-5), but the good news is his incredible 6-11 wingspan. By comparison, Delonte West, who's the same height, has a 6-6 wingspan. Like a Tayshaun Prince, Sato is a tough defender because of his long arms, and has potential as a Trenton Hassell-esque defensive specialist in the NBA even if he doesn't improve offensively. He's also a fine rebounder, pulling down 8.0 per game last season.

Andre Emmett
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-5, 215
From: Texas Tech
The skinny: There's a lot to like about Emmett beyond the fact that, after playing two years for Bobby Knight with the Red Raiders, he's used to anything an NBA coach will dish out. Emmett is a terrific scorer who averaged 20 points per game each of the last two seasons and is the Big 12's leading scorer. He was efficient in piling up those points, shooting 52.6% from the field and getting to the free-throw line a ton. Emmett will have to improve his perimeter game in the NBA after making just 54 three-pointers during his four-year career. His defense could also use some work.

Tim Pickett
(NBA.com profile)
The measurements: 6-4, 205
From: Florida State
The skinny: In two years with the Seminoles after playing JC ball, Pickett became the college's all-time leading three-point shooter. From that evidence, it should be obvious that Pickett can shoot the basketball. He hit 110 threes at a 40.7% clip as a senior. That should be more than enough to allow him to be a three-point specialist off the bench, along the lines of Kyle Korver. Pickett is also a fine defender who averaged nearly three steals a game in college and was All-ACC First Team both seasons at Florida State. At a somewhat undersized 6-4, Pickett won't be that effective on defense in the NBA, but he should be able to hold his own.

Honorable Mentions:
Christian Drejer, Florida/Denmark
Desmon Farmer, USC
Ricky Minard, Morehead State
Michel Morandais, Colorado