NBA Draft Prospects: Top 5 Point Guards

2. Lonzo Ball, UCLA Bruins

If there's another NBA prospect more polarizing than Lonzo Ball, I haven't seen him. While he could be a franchise changing point guard, Ball's, um, boastful father LaVar has pasted unjustified question marks on one of the most talented guards in the draft. Lonzo, to his credit has developed a sense of humor about pops:

Coming in as a much-hyped recruit, Ball arrived at UCLA with expectations of returning the Bruins to their former glory. And he did exactly that.

While Ball posted eye-popping numbers of 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per 40 minutes in his freshman season, his most impressive feat was taking the Bruins from 15-17 in 2016, to 31-5, and guiding them to the Sweet Sixteen. He led an offense ranked outside of the top 50 in virtually all statistical categories the previous season, to the top scoring (89.8 points per game) and most efficient unit in all of the NCAA.

Standing at 6'6" with a 6'9" wingspan, Ball enjoys above average size for a point guard. His length allows him force turnovers and grab defensive rebounds, which helped him get the Bruins' offense into the fast break, where he excels. His court vision and high basketball IQ leads Ball to make the right pass at the right time, as demonstrated by the fact that he led the nation with 7.6 assists per game, while ranking just sixth on his own team with an 18.1% usage rate.

Despite his funky jumper, the freshman managed to make 55.1% of his shots, including 41.2% of his 5.4 three-point attempts. His effective field goal percentage of 66.8% ranked sixth in the nation and led all guards.

He is, however, not without his faults, some of which are major.

Ball can create for his teammates at an high level, but he struggles mightily creating his own shot. To fully flower in the NBA, he might need to be paired with one or two high-level shooters or scorers. He also lacks the strength and athleticism necessary to take an NBA-level defender one-on-one or in isolation.

Despite the questions about his ability -- or his father -- the fact remains Ball will be a top-three selection on draft night due to his impressive overall offensive skills. His best fit in the NBA will be as a pure point guard, and he should be able to run an NBA offense from day one.

If chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second pick, the point guard will eventually take over the reigns of a suspect offense, and could soon enhance the prospects -- and scoring numbers -- of D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram.