Top five prospects by position...

Small Forward

1. Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
The Iowa State transfer turned into a home run for Syracuse. He sensationally used his athletic ability in transition and on the offensive glass and has elevated into an accurate midrange jump shooter. His lack of ballhandling skills scares me, but a good coach will play to what he does well. He may have trouble guarding physical small forwards, however.

2. Paul George, Fresno State
The 6-8 George is rising fast up draft boards as NBA people remind themselves of his enticing combination of size, athleticism and shooting ability. Also in George's favor is that he just turned 20 years old. If he can shed the "soft" label, the sky's the limit.

3. Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
Aminu is one of the best athletes in this draft but his transition from power forward to small forward will be tricky. Because he has not shown the ability to shoot the jumper with accuracy or handle the basketball, he is the classic tweener.

4. Gordon Hayward, Butler
Hayward is a very good athlete whose slashing ability against slower defenders was utilized perfectly in Butler's spread offense. While he's been stereotyped as a great shooter, Hayward struggled with the deep ball last season because of a lack of strength, in my opinion. That weakness will be exploited at the NBA level if he doesn't bulk up that 210-pound frame.

5. Damion James, Texas
The Big 12's all-time leading rebounder is a power forward trapped in a small forward's body. The hope is that James can marry a relentlessness on both backboards with an improved perimeter skill level and become an effective rotation player in the NBA.

Value Pick: Devin Ebanks, West Virginia
Wow! I had this guy pegged as a lottery selection last summer because of his positional size, defensive skill and rebounding ability. If he overcomes some issues that plagued him early last season, as well as improves his jump shot, he has a chance to help a team as a rookie.

Power Forward

4. Luke Babbitt, Nevada
The former McDonald's All-American had two very productive years for his hometown team. At 6-9, he is not only a player who can stretch a defense with his jump shot, but can score inside or handle the ball on the break. The more NBA teams study his game, the quicker he'll end up in the lottery next week.