Even because the NBA continues to supersize and run by taller gamers, elite guards will all the time carry worth. The proliferation of taller initiators has opened pathways for guards who aren’t on-ball specialists to thrive within the professionals. The 2025 Draft class options one of many deeper crops of guard prospects in fairly a while.
The category options practically each taste a staff may hope for, from celebrity initiator bets to combo guards to off-ball taking pictures specialists. Let’s focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the guards who’re first-round worthy prospects.
It’s essential to do not forget that these classes aren’t ranked by way of worth. Major initiator prospects have a tendency to hold essentially the most worth, however we will find stars in loads of completely different roles and archetypes.
Lead Initiator Guards: Dylan Harper, Jeremiah Fears, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, Tahaad Pettiford
These prospects all challenge to command the ball for a lot of their time on the courtroom. Harper represents the strongest instance of this — he’s an elite driving menace, able to pressuring the rim continually. Lead initiators should pressure defenses into rotation constantly by some technique. For Harper, that’s incessant paint strain. He boasts the playmaking imaginative and prescient and off-dribble taking pictures potential to develop right into a star major on the NBA degree.
Fears and Traore characterize related bets on highly effective downhill benefit creators who win with velocity and horizontal explosion. Fears’ contact and scoring consistency paint a clearer image of him as an on-ball guard as in comparison with Traore, who has struggled to attain constantly this season.
Saraf and Pettiford each play at their greatest with the ball of their fingers, even when their paths to NBA major worth are murkier. Saraf wins with an typically dizzying tempo and dealing with creation with the passing imaginative and prescient to find pictures everywhere in the flooring. His athleticism, particularly portending to ending and rim strain, would be the main swing abilities.
Pettiford is a implausible ballhandler, shotmaker and passer, however will face an uphill battle as a 6’1 level. All of those gamers will play their greatest with the ball of their fingers, whether or not as a 30-plus utilization major like Harper or a change-of-pace initiator like Pettiford.
tahaad pettiford vs duke — deep motion/otd threes, wins on drives with nice velocity and alter of tempo and ambidextrous ending/passing. extraordinarily excessive talent degree
14.8 3pa/100, 3% steal fee, 2.4 a:to on the season so far pic.twitter.com/N2wN2d6yA6
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 6, 2024
Combo Guards: Kasparas Jakucionis, Labaron Philon, Boogie Fland, Kam Jones
This group of guard prospects can harbor on-ball utilization however challenge as hybrids because of sure strengths or weaknesses. “Combo guard” on this case isn’t a pejorative, as gamers who can toggle on and off the ball are extremely priceless within the fashionable NBA.
Jakucionis and Philon, for instance, each have limitations referring to warping defenses and forcing rotations. Jakucionis can wrestle to strain the paint and Philon isn’t a potent sufficient shooter to pressure onerous closeouts. However each add tons of worth off of the ball as shooters in Jakucionis’s case and drivers in Philon’s with sturdy pick-and-roll passing.
take pleasure in some extra labaron philon passing goodness pic.twitter.com/FTWhFltmYM
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 22, 2024
Fland reminds of a participant like Darius Garland at his highest consequence. He’s a smaller guard with out the bodily instruments to attain constantly on the rim or the elite passing to run an offense. Fland may thrive subsequent to a different lead initiator, although, the place his stellar shot creation and secondary passing can shine.
Just like Fland, Jones’s essential weaknesses (by a major lens) embrace his paint offense and passing. However he’s taking part in like one in all school basketball’s greatest gamers and will possible contribute at the moment on an NBA staff. His elite taking pictures, dealing with creation and decision-making ought to let Jones slide on and off ball as his future staff wants.
Off Ball Guards: VJ Edgecombe, Jase Richardson, John Mobley Jr.
The prospects on this bucket in all probability shouldn’t tackle a lot on-ball creation however ought to add vital worth in different methods. For a participant like Edgecombe, that would come from his protection, transition sport and off-ball driving. His ballhandling limitations cloud his on-ball projection, however he ought to dominate as a closeout attacker assuming his jumper progresses.
Richardson has already confirmed himself a potent off-ball participant. Regardless of his extraordinarily low utilization fee (15.7%), Richardson’s particular decision-making, nice taking pictures and closeout attacking will assist him thrive taking part in subsequent to elite initiators. Mobley Jr. received’t sport the athletic juice to bend defenses however may very well be a really particular off-ball shotmaker.
jase richardson has turned the ball over 4 occasions in 9 video games to date, his 7.6% turnover fee is traditionally low (however will in all probability normalize some)
fairly nutty resolution maker for his age, continually making sensible selections with the ball and he’s assured sufficient taking pictures pic.twitter.com/SXAzVB6HX2
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 10, 2024
