NBA Draft: Point Guard Focus, what makes a future NBA All-Star, and my main man Myck Kabongo

Over the last decade of NBA All-Star games there have been 18 different point guards to suit up. A number of guys have been selected to multiple games, and a few have gone only once. These players were/are Sam Cassell, Jason Kidd, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups, Steve Francis, Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas, Mo Williams, Devin Harris, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, and Kyrie Irving. Of this group, their average draft position was First round, Pick #12. And their collective average experience in the NBA during their first trip to the All-Star game was in their 4.5th season. That's not bad. Some guys like Rose and Irving got there early, and were #1 picks in the draft. Other guys like Billups and Cassell had to bang around for about a decade before getting to the All-Star game. Arenas was a second round pick, as was Mo Williams. The main similarity between these players were successful NBA seasons. However, let's try to see if similarities also existed waaaay back in their NCAA days. Of course, I can't even find Parker's pre-NBA stats for his team in France, so he has no stats here.

Because I'm clearly on the Myck Kabongo bandwagon I'm also going to compare the stats of these 17 other PGs with his this season. Sure, sample size . . . but still. I love Kabongo; and perhaps the following chart can help you see why. (And no, I'm not yet ready to also include guys like Marcus Smart, Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. McCollum, Trey Burke, B.J. Young, and Lorenzo Brown types just yet! There is only one PG for me, and Kabongo is his naaaaame!)

N.B. Age is the age of how old they were at the beginning of the college season, for their last college season.

Yes, the funny thing here is that some guys played only one year, and others played three or more. That's just how it is. Instead of going for age vs age, I went with their last pre-NBA NCAA season.

His weaknesses, if any, are his three point shot (but hey, peep Mo Williams' three point shot in his last year in the NCAA too -- you CAN get awesome from three if you work on it); stealing the ball (sorry, he doesn't gamble on defense, he stays glued to his man); and his APG and A:TO ratio. I'm actually going to put the blame here on Texas for his team mates not scoring every time he makes a good pass. (or a bad pass) That said, so many of these guys don't even have their A:TO listed, so while Kabongo looks the lesser here, we don't have a true representative sample. Furthermore, even if it's representative, it's not a big problem. As a part of an NBA team he's not going to be hounded so bad as he projects to go to a team with a few good players on it already, who will handle the ball. (*cough* Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, and Mo Williams *cough*) He's just there to drive and dish, not face pressure all by himself.

Myck has only played in 5 games so far this season, but he's played well enough to suggest that he's ready to move on. I'm assuming that Myck has had enough of the NCAA inequality, and will say 'smell ya later'. His numbers appear to suggest that he's on par with the rest of these guys who later on went to be NBA All-Stars. Of course, this is ONLY a stat piece, there is more to the quality of who Myck is than just his numbers though. I know I've extolled his virtues before; but, the top two things I really go bongo for are: his level headedness / life experience; and his on court demeanor. Dude has seen crazy stuff in his life as a former refugee from Africa, and then to go onto Canada, and then live the lush life as an NCAA player -- only to have that organization hate on you? It makes him mature and humble as he shows in interviews. His court demeanor is just what I want from a PG, he's pissed off at losing a game, even an exhibition game. And his 'whole deal' is making life easier on the court for his team mates.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that his stats project him to be in the same ballpark as these 18 other dudes who went on to be All-Star point guards in the NBA. Let's just hope our front office doesn't do something dumb like draft the next Kosta Koufos with our pick when Myck is still on the board.

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EDIT: Adding this YouTube vid of highlights of his most recent game.

Love how after the road team disrespects the Longhorns on their own court he turns it on. He will not have someone come into his house and dis him. I like that pride. He didn't quit on his team when the game looked rough. He's a fighter. We need some more fighters on this team.