Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Ronnie Brewer From: Arkansas Height: 6-7 Weight: 217 Position: Guard/Forward Projected Picks: (as of 6/12) NBADraft.net: 17 DraftExpress: 11

Pendergraft's take: Click here

Locke's take: The discussion of Ronnie Brewer as a prospect for the NBA moves us into a much larger discussion of how the NBA is evolving. Coincidently, that is what I discussed today in our NBA draft blog.

When I see Ronnie Brewer I immediately think of the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are loaded with players like Brewer, players that are long lanky, athletic and tenacious. Brewer is likely the best defender of the top-notch NBA prospects. At 6-7 and 220 pounds he can switch between any of three perimeter positions. In addition, he handled the ball a good deal at Arkansas.

Brewer is also intriguing because of his pedigree. His father, Ron, was the seventh pick of the 1978 NBA draft and played eight seasons in the NBA.

Let’s give Brewer the three-part test for draftees. Was he the man? Does he understand the burden of playing every night? How did he play the second time he played conference opponents who now had scouted him and how was he in big games?

Brewer was the man. The Razorbacks went as Brewer went. He led the Razorbacks in minutes, scoring, assists and was close to the leader in rebounds and averaged an awesome 2.6 steals a game. Moreover, he was the man for both of the last two years.

The second time he played conference opponents was a bit of a wash. The second game against LSU he was very strong, with 24 points. Florida and Georgia both slowed him down the second time, but not entirely as he had 18 points in both games.

In regards to big games, he wasn’t very good against Bucknell in the NCAA, but in the SEC tourney he averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.

The scouts say the weakness is he doesn’t shoot it very well.

Brewer will in all likelihood be on the board when the Sonics pick and he could be a tremendous addition to the way the Sonics play in Bob Hill’s system and potentially a real assist on the defensive side of the ball.

Moreover, if the game is in fact heading into a direction where the emphasis is on versatile, interchangeable players Brewer could play with Allen and Lewis and take the opposition's best scorer either in a two-guard set or with a true point guard.

Pelton's take: He's a versatile 6-7 swingman from the University of Arkansas who entered the NBA Draft early and is known for his ability to play at least two and maybe three positions. He's expected to go in the late lottery. Think I'm talking about Brewer? I'm not. I'm talking about Joe Johnson. I know that I probably wouldn't even think of this comparison if the two players hadn't gone to the same college, but since they did, I can't get it out of mind.

After two years in college, Johnson went 10th in the 2001 Draft to the Boston Celtics (two picks before the Sonics selected Vladimir Radmanovic). Midway through his rookie season, he was traded to Phoenix. After a couple of seasons to hone his shot and get more aggressive, Johnson has broken out the last two seasons and last year averaged 20.2 points, 6.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds in Atlanta.

Is Brewer going to be that good? Doubtful, and keep in mind that Johnson has really developed his game since entering the league, an issue that is always a question mark with potential draft picks. But Johnson has also benefited a ton from the new-style NBA, and I agree that Brewer can as well.