Just By the Numbers: The 2010 Point Guard Crop

In part our first analysis of basic statistics, we take a look at the top 19 point guards in the 2010 NBA draft. Not the strongest position in terms of depth, this analysis should shed some light on which floor generals should be drafted after John Wall.

Based on the group we're looking at here, we should not have too many problems drawing some conclusions about which of these players stand out in which areas. With only a couple of players from small conferences, two international prospects, and one D-League player, the point guard position has some interesting diversity, but remains fairly straightforward. Unfortunately, we can't include Dynamo Moscow's Alexey Shved in our analysis since we only have statistics for his limited minutes in the Euroleague with CSKA.


To gain a better understanding of the statistics used, visit the glossary by Noah Libby-Haines. Interested in making your own statistical comparisons? You can do so here.

Point Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	Pts/40p
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	25.1
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	22.5
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	21.9
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	20.9
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	20.3
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	20
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	19.6
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	19.4
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	18.6
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	18.2
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	18
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	17.8
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	17.4
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	16.8
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	15.8
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	15.5
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	14.2
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	13.3
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	12.8
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	9.6

This stat shows us how well these point guards put the ball in the basket, adjusting for minutes played and pace, which levels the playing field as best as we can without taking competition-level, individual team roles and teammates into consideration. This is a good place to start with the point guard crop, as it helps us understand the role that the player played on his team, and a little bit about his mentality as a playmaker or scorer.

Each of the top three scorers here are seniors hailing from big conferences. Downey and Reynolds are both highly skilled undersized scorers, probably more combo guards, while Vasquez's ability to hit tough shots allowed him to carry Maryland for stretches.

Jerome Randle checks in next on our list, showing that he can also score in addition to being an outstanding passer, while former Southern Miss player Jeremy Wise sits in fifth. Wise presents an especially interesting case, since he played in a League with a radically different playing style than any other association represented in our rankings.

Amongst the top prospects, besides Vasquez, John Wall, Sherron Collins and Armon Johnson all rank right around the middle of the pack. Wall and Collins do not benefit from playing for deep, talented teams here, and Nevada featured a number of other solid options and a very high usage player in Luke Babbitt that push Johnson below average. Eric Bledsoe brings up the rear, which isn't a shock considering he was never more than a third or fourth option for Kentucky after the first few weeks of the season, and has quite a bit of work to do on his ball-handling and off the dribble shooting ability.

Three Point Attempts Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	3pa/40p
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	7.7
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	7.3
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	7.3
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	7.2
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	6.7
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	6.5
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	6.1
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	5.8
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	5.5
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	5.1
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	5
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	4.8
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	4.3
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	4.3
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	4.2
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	4.2
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	3.4
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	2.4
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	2.3
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	1.8

This stat tells us a lot about the role these prospects played for their team, as well as the confidence they had in their perimeter shooting ability.

Nemanja Gordic brought the ball up the floor for Buducnost, but often wound up off the ball as their sets developed, where he used his excellent size and solid range to knock down spot up shots from the perimeter. Three pointers comprised a large portion of his shots. The sheer volume of shots Devan Downey attempted placed him well here, and we see all three of Vasquez, Randle, and Reynolds not far behind. A.J. Slaughter rounds out the top-5 and was just outside of the top-5 in the scoring rankings as well. Obviously, the point guards that led the scoring rankings, benefitted from the quantity of three-pointers they attempts.

The top point guards in this group can be found near the bottom of the rankings. Though Eric Bledsoe proved to be a capable spot up shooter, his shooting ability wasn't featured in John Calipari's dribble-drive offense. John Wall and Armon Johnson were both able to get to the rim consistently last season, and both have room to improve their jump shots. Neither player needed to attempt may three-pointers to make their mark on games in the NCAA.

Three Point Attempts Per Field Goal Attempt

Name	Team	League	3PA/FGA
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	0.53
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	0.52
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	0.5
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	0.5
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	0.47
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	0.45
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	0.45
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	0.44
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	0.43
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	0.43
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	0.41
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	0.37
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	0.35
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	0.34
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	0.31
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	0.3
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	0.26
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	0.18
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	0.16
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	0.13

This stat examines how heavily a player relied on the 3-ball to score points, which is a good indicator of the role these prospects played last season, but is an indirect gauge of how well each of them got to the rim as well. Players from whom a large proportion of their shots come from beyond the arc may have some deficiencies in terms of size, ball-handling ability, athleticism, aggressiveness, or shot-selection. Or they simply could be outstanding shooters. Every player should be judged individually in this regard.

Based on our three-point attempt per-40 minute rankings, it isn't surprising to see Nemanja Gordic atop this list. He played for a slow-paced team and took a lot of deep jumpers, despite not being a big-time scorer. Stefan Markovic ranks just behind him, but was much lower on our second table, showing that he wasn't attempting too many shots on the whole. A.J. Slaughter makes another appearance in the top-5 with Jerome Randle and Tommy Mason-Griffin not too far behind. Both Mason-Griffin and Randle were limited by their size inside the paint, compensating with outside shots, of which they hit a very good percentage.

The bottom of our list looks the same, with John Wall and Armon Johnson shooting only a small portion of their shots from beyond the arc. Big point guards, Ben Uzoh and Mikhail Torrance place near the middle of the pack, proving capable of using their size to create looks on the interior and hunt down shots from the perimeter. Eric Bledsoe moves up a bit on these rankings from the last table, showing just how low his usage was. The difference in style between the top prospects in this group and those fighting for position in the second-round is intriguing.

Free Throw Attempts Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	Fta/40p
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	8.5
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	7.6
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	6.9
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	6.7
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	6.4
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	6.1
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	5.9
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	5.8
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	5.5
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	5.2
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	5.1
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	4.8
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	4.8
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	4.5
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	4.2
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	4
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	3.8
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	3.2
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	2.9
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	2.3

Free throws attempted per-40 minutes is a good statistic to measure the aggressiveness of a player getting to the rim, as well as his athleticism and ball-handling skills. In some ways, it provides an inverse look at the three-point stats we just looked at.

Courtney Forston runs away with the top-spot in these rankings, using his blend of speed and quickness to aggressively attack the rim. Scottie Reynolds makes an appearance here, showing that his savvy in the lane allowed him to overcome his lack of elite quickness to create contact at the rim. Devan Downey and Jeremy Wise are two of the fastest players in this group, and sit in fourth and fifth respectively.

John Wall finally makes an appearance in the top-5. An unbelievable athlete, Wall was able to get to the rim very effectively, especially in transition. Once he learns how to operate at different speeds and drive equally well with both hands, he'll be a terror in the half-court as well.

Eric Bledsoe's low usage and poor ball-handling skills place him right around where you expect him to be on this list, and Sherron Collins and Jerome Randle are limited in this metric by the fact that they relied on their jump shots to score. Armon Johnson is the big surprise here, finishing third-to-last despite his outstanding physical tools. Clearly, he's not using his ability to get to the rim to create contact and get to the line, raising questions about his shot selection. Ishmael Smith is a similar case—he may be the fastest player in college basketball, but he almost never got to the free throw line, which really nullifies his strengths in that area. French point guard Thomas Heurtel on the other hand simply does not have the physical tools and must instead rely on his terrific smarts and shooting ability to get the job done in the much more competitive French league.

Free Throw Attempts Per Possession

Name	Team	League	FTA/Pos
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	0.41
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	0.4
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	0.38
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	0.38
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	0.36
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	0.35
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	0.35
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	0.34
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	0.34
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	0.34
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	0.32
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	0.29
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	0.28
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	0.28
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	0.27
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	0.26
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	0.22
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	0.21
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	0.19
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	0.14

Even though Free Throws Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted tells us how much a player attacks in bulk, it doesn't show how much they attack relative to their usage rate. This stat tells that story.

For that reason, this table looks similar to the last one, with some significant differences. Stefan Markovic rises considerably, getting to the line efficiently when he looked to do something with the ball. Eric Bledsoe also moves up a few spots; while Devan Downey's incredibly high usage pushes him towards the back of the pack. Scottie Reynolds, Courtney Fortson, Jeremy Wise, and John Wall all remain right near the top of this list.

None of the major prospects make too big of a leap in either direction, indicating that they use a considerable amount of possessions, but aren't carrying their team's offense alone.

True Shooting Percentage

Name	Team	League	TS%
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	62%
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	62%
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	62%
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	60%
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	60%
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	57%
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	57%
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	57%
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	57%
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	57%
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	56%
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	56%
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	55%
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	55%
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	54%
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	54%
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	52%
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	49%
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	49%
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	45%

True Shooting Percentage is adjusted to account for what a player adds to their efficiency and team's point total with free throw attempts and 3-pointers. A player who makes 4/10 3-pointers obviously contributes the same amount of points as a player who made 6/10 2-pointers—which doesn't show up in the traditional field goal percentage stat. This stat attempts to adjust for that.

No surprises here, we find the top three-point shooters near the top of our TS% rankings, along with the prospects that get to the line and generally score at a high rate. Scottie Reynolds, Jerome Randle, and Jeremy Wise comprise our top-three. Reynolds continues to rank highly in every offensive metric. He came through with a huge senior year, and it shows here. Matt Bouldin makes his first top-5 appearance here. His excellent feel for the game and decision-making allowed him to be highly efficient despite not shooting the ball as well as a senior as he did as a junior. Mikhail Torrance's size and ability to get to the rim helped him compensate for bouts of inconsistent shooting and place him fifth in this category.

Eric Bledsoe moves up quite a bit here from past tables. Although his role was limited, he had some extremely efficient games. John Wall finishes right behind him. Though they played radically different roles, the Kentucky products both rank above average here. Armon Johnson remains low on this list because of his inability to get to the line, while Devan Downey and Courtney Fortson rank below average. Lacking great height and always in attack mode, both players shot under 40% from the field despite ranking highly in some of the above metrics.


Assists Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	Ast/40p
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	8.0
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	7.1
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	7
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	6.7
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	6.4
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	6.4
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	6.3
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	6.2
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	6.1
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	6
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	5.5
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	5.4
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	5.2
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	4.8
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	4.8
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	4.3
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	4
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	3.9
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	3.9
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	3.6

The top playmaker in this group amongst college players is John Wall, which is something the Washington Wizards are surely excited about. Easily the most physically gifted player in this group, he matches his athletic profile with a great sense for how to find his teammates for easy baskets and an unselfish mentality. His teammate, Eric Bledsoe, lands on the other side of the spectrum, moving off the ball for obvious reasons. It will be intriguing to see how Bledsoe is able to overcome his lack of minutes as a primary ball-handler as a rookie.

In stark contrast to what we were seeing in the categories above, few of the elite scorers in this group rank very high on this list, with the notable exception of Greivis Vasquez. He and Courtney Fortson both got showed a knack for making tough passes look easy, but did so in addition to their roles as primary scorers. A seasoned European player despite his young age, Stefan Markovic used his size and decisiveness to rank as one of the top passers in the Eurocup, an impressive accomplishment for sure.

Even more impressive might be Thomas Heurtel's standing atop this category. He showed outstanding smarts and creativity in the latest EuroCamp, and his strong showing in the New Jersey group workout against a number of very good college players led him to stay in the draft. He could be an interesting prospect to draft and stash in the second round.

Armon Johnson also ranks fairly well here, just behind Jeremy Wise who continues to represent the NBADL well in these rankings.

Nemanja Gordic's role as a shooter for Buducnost, Scottie Reynolds' role as Villanova's main scoring threat, and Devan Downey's lack of point guard skills place each near the bottom of our rankings. All three of those prospects have faced the challenge of proving that they aren't undersized combo guards during the draft process. Jerome Randle doesn't fare particularly well either, but he managed to show his fantastic court vision and overall passing ability extremely well at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and in private workouts. This is a clear case of where not having anyone to pass to can make it difficult to garner assists.

Turnovers Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	TO/40p
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	5.7
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	4.7
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	4.4
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	4
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	3.9
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	3.8
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	3.8
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	3.7
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	3.4
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	3.3
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	3.2
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	3.2
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	3.2
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	3.1
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	3.1
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	3
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	2.9
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	2.7
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	2.7
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	2.5

Based on what we saw on the last list, there are a few things that stand out on this one. Eric Bledsoe turned the ball over at an extremely high rate considering John Wall was spending the one running the show in Lexington. Courtney Fortson's reckless nature as a ball-handler is clear in this metric. He creates for others and gets to the line, but his low scoring efficiency and propensity to turn the ball over are concerning.

Jerome Randle, Devan Downey, Greivis Vasquez, Thomas Heurtel and Armon Johnson all play very different styles and were asked to do substantially different things for their teams last season, but they all turned the ball over at a similarly high rate.

Assist to Turnover Ratio

Name	Team	League	A/TO
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	2.06
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	2.04
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	1.98
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	1.95
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	1.92
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	1.89
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	1.88
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	1.87
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	1.77
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	1.76
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	1.72
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	1.66
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	1.62
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	1.6
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	1.36
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	1.24
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	1.22
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	1.12
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	0.99
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	0.96

Putting the last two tables together, we see that Stefan Markovic ranks as the most efficient facilitator in this group. His size allows him to pass over the defense and he doesn't make too many careless mistakes with the ball. Ben Uzoh falls in the same boat, albeit on a smaller scale. Ishmael Smith makes his first appearance in the top-5 after ranking in the bottom five of almost every scoring category we looked at. Jeremy Wise rounds out the top five, running the show capably for Bakersfield in the NBADL when asked to, but playing low-turnover basketball when looking to score as well.

John Wall, Jerome Randle, Eric Bledsoe, and Armon Johnson all rank below average by this metric. Each will need to shore up their decision-making on the next level to become more efficient. Bledsoe brings up the rear here, unsurprisingly, and seeing Devan Downey just above him is a clear indictment of both players as passers in their roles on the college level.

Pure Point Rating

Name	Team	League	PPR
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	3.05
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	2.53
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	2.38
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	2.35
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	2.29
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	2.17
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	2.01
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	1.79
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	1.66
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	1.32
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	1.03
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	0.92
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	0.78
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	0.4
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	-0.73
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	-1.57
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	-1.96
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	-3.58
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	-3.69
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	-4.01

Accounting for pace, and the fact that turnovers are statistically a bigger negative than assists are a positive, Jon Hollinger's pure point rating builds on the A/TO ratio that many of us use to gauge the efficiency of points guards. This stat backs up the things we learned above: the top prospects in our group still have a lot to learn.

Somewhat similar to the A/T ratio table, this chart differentiates pretty clearly between the combo guards in this group and the polished true point guards. Armon Johnson and John Wall don't rank highly, but are still developing at their position. Below that pair are the combo guards of this group with Sherron Collins being the notable exception. Tommy Mason-Griffin was maligned for his decision to declare for the draft, but he ranks above the three top prospects in this group as well. Ben Uzoh, Mikhail Torrance, Stefan Markovic, and Greivis Vasquez all have well above average size for point guards, and comprise four of the top six players in this category.


Rebounds Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	Reb/40p
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	5.8
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	5.6
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	5.4
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	5.2
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	5
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	5
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	4.9
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	4.7
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	4.7
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	3.9
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	3.9
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	3.7
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	3.7
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	3.5
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	3.4
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	3.3
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	3.2
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	2.5
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	2.4
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	2.3

Rebounding is an important aspect of the game, and while points guards are seldom asked to head down into the paint and make a presence in traffic, some players, like Rajon Rondo for example have the length, athleticism, toughness and timing to get their team extra possessions on a consistent basis. With that said, it's important to recognize that some of this stat is systematic.

Surprisingly, the 5'11 Courtney Fortson heads up this year's point guard crop in this category. The next four players on the list, Stefan Markovic, Ben Uzoh, Greivis Vasquez, and Matt Bouldin all have excellent size for ones, making Forston's mark that much more impressive. He clearly made a concerted effort to track down long rebounds and pursued the ball aggressively despite his small frame. Fortson's athletic ability makes him stand out amongst the other undersized scorers on our list, most of whom rank at or near the back of the pack.

Amongst this group, there's a substantial drop off after John Wall, who lands just above average. Eric Bledsoe heads up the second tier with Jeremy Wise and Armon Johnson placing not too far behind. Despite their athletic tools, both Wall and Bledsoe had the disadvantage of playing next to a dominant rebounder in DeMarcus Cousins, which clearly limits them here.

Steals Per-40 Minutes Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	Stl/40p
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	3.1
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	2.5
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	2.1
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	2
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	1.9
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	1.9
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	1.9
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	1.8
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	1.8
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	1.7
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	1.6
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	1.6
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	1.5
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	1.3
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	1.1
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	1
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	1
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	1
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	0.9
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	0.8

A point guard's ability to apply ball pressure and get in the passing lanes often helps his team quicken the pace of the game without forcing the issue. Though there's a million ways to create a turnover, this stat paints a broad picture of what a prospect brings to the table both physically in terms of quickness and length and mentally in terms of intensity and anticipation.

It isn't too surprising to see Downey at the top of this list. Despite his size, he's one of the quickest players in this class. Stefan Markovic lands in second, using his size and length to his advantage defensively. John Wall and Scottie Reynolds are completely different athletes from a physical standpoint, but both produced turnovers at a solid rate.

On the other end of the spectrum, Jerome Randle and Armon Johnson were the only players to not eclipse one steal per-40 minutes pace adjusted. Johnson has few excuses, as he has the physical tools to be exponentially more effectively. Two of the less dynamic athletes in this class, Nemanja Gordic and Tommy Mason-Griffin, also land in the bottom-5, showing how hard it is for players lacking great height, length or athleticism to be stat-stuffing defenders.

Blocks Per-40 Pace Adjusted

Name	Team	League	BK/40p
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	0.9
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	0.6
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	0.6
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	0.6
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	0.4
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	0.4
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	0.4
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	0.4
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	0.3
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	0.2
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	0.2
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	0.2
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	0.1
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	0.1
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	0.1
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	0.1
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	0
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	0
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	0
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	0

This is yet another stat that can provide some insight into the physical traits that these shooting guards use defensively.

Though he doesn't produce many steals, the size of Ben Uzoh makes him the top shot blocker in this group. He's got great size, a superb wingspan and is a terrific athlete on top of that, which is why many feel that he has considerable upside to continue to develop. No player past Uzoh truly stands out, though John Wall, Ishmael Smith, and Jeremy Wise all fare pretty well considering their height. It is not at all shocking to see Jerome Randle, Devan Downey, Thomas Heurtel and Tommy Mason-Griffin blocking 0 shots on average considering their collective lack of height and length.

Team Possesions

Name	Team	League	Tm Pos/g
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	99.9
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	75.5
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	73.9
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	72.3
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	72.1
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	72.1
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	71
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	70.8
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	70.6
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	70.6
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	70.6
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	70.5
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	70.1
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	69.8
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	68.5
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	68.3
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	67.8
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	67.1
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	66.6
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	65.8

This chart sheds light on a bit of extra research we did in preparation for the D-League Showcase when we put together a time-series graph showing the average number of possessions per-48 minutes that teams use by League over the past handful of seasons. The NBADL doesn't play quite as fast as it did a few years ago, but it remains the quickest paced League that we carry statistics for. In contrast, the Adriatic League is on average the slowest European competition.

Jeremy Wise's Bakersfield Jam played at a near 100 possession per-game pace, some 26 possessions faster than Stefan Markovic's Hemofarm squad on average. Obviously, the extra 8 minutes of game play in the NBADL account for much of that difference. Amongst NCAA players, we find Arkansas amongst the fastest teams, while SEC counterpart brings up the rear, some 7 possessions per-game slower. John Calipari's squad falls a bit closer to Arkansas, but isn't as fast as a handful of other programs.

Player Efficiency Rating

Name	Team	League	PER
Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	NCAA	25.8
Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	NCAA	24.5
Devan Downey	South Carolina	NCAA	23.3
Mikhail Torrance	Alabama	NCAA	23.3
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	NCAA	22.3
John Wall	Kentucky	NCAA	22.2
A.J. Slaughter	Western Kentucky	NCAA	21.2
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	NCAA	20.6
Jerome Randle	California	NCAA	20.4
Sherron Collins	Kansas	NCAA	19.1
Jeremy Wise	Bakersfield Jam	DLEAGUE	18.9
Armon Johnson	Nevada	NCAA	18.4
Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	NCAA	17.2
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	NCAA	15.9
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm STADA	ADRIATIC	15.9
Thomas Heurtel	Strasbourg	FRENCH	15.6
Ishmael Smith	Wake Forest	NCAA	15.2
Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	NCAA	14.4
Nemanja Gordic	Buducnost	ADRIATIC	13.5
Stefan Markovic	Hemofarm Stada	EUROCUP	11.8

Another one of John Hollinger's gems, PER is a total measure of what a player does on the floor based on more than a dozen weighted calculations. It isn't wise to compare players across different leagues, though, since an average score of 15 (the median) would be a totally different figure in another league, with its own averages. The NCAA is especially tricky considering the varying levels of competition we find in the different conferences.

Greivis Vasquez has the highest PER on our list, with Scottie Reynolds, Devan Downey, Mikhail Torrance, and Ben Uzoh rounding out the top-5. John Wall sits just outside of the top-5, while Armon Johnson falls around average and Eric Bledsoe finishes almost last. Despite his play-making, Stefan Markovic's lack of scoring really doesn't help him here, and reminds us that while he's a very capable point guard, he's not a natural scorer or a dominant player.

Unlike some of the other positions in this draft, we can see that the top prospects in this group don't stand out in many metrics. The importance of guard play on the college level makes stars out of numerous prospects, but their ability to dominate the NCAA by no means guarantees that they will see much, if any interest from the NBA.