Insider (Ford): Chicago Regional Prospects

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Updated: Mar. 16, 2005, 2:35 PM ET

Chicago Regional boasts great guard play

By Chad Ford, ESPN Insider

Chad Ford Archive

It's fitting that the team with the best guard play in the nation, Illinois, is stuck in a bracket with the rest of the best guards in the country.

Arizona, Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma State all have NBA-caliber players in the backcourt who will test the Illini.

ESPN Insider talked to multiple NBA scouts and GMs to give you a look at the top five NBA prospects they'll be watching in each NCAA region.

Today, Insider will take a look at the Chicago Region (Midwest) bracket. Thursday, we'll tackle the Albuquerque Region (West) bracket.

For the inside scoop on every team in the tournament, check out Insider's in-depth Tournament Guide.

Midwest: Chicago Region NBA Prospects

1. Deron Williams, PG, Illinois

The Skinny: 6 foot 3, 210 pounds, junior: 12.2 ppg, 6.5 apg, 43 percent FG shooting

The Good: More and more scouts are claiming that the second-best point-guard prospect is Williams. While Chris Paul is getting tagged as the best point-guard prospect since Jason Kidd, Williams is getting the rep as the player whose style and body most resemble Kidd's. "Deron is a lot like Kidd in the half court," one NBA scout said. "They play the same way. They're both straight-line guys. Once he gets his hip on you, he's gone. Deron's not as fast as Kidd in the open court, but Deron can shoot. Jason can't."

The Bad: Not everyone agrees. Some scouts think he lacks the speed and quickness to be a great NBA point guard. Questions about his weight have surfaced. And a late-season slump hasn't helped his cause. His numbers this year are actually lower than they were last season, when Williams wasn't even on NBA scouts' radar screens.

The Upside: Most scouts feel that Williams' playmaking ability, size, strength and floor vision make up for his lack of speed in the open court. A big tournament can help his cause. Look for him to go anywhere between the late lottery and the middle of the first round.

2. Joey Graham, SF, Oklahoma State

The Skinny: 6 foot 7, 225 pounds, senior: 18.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 54 percent FG shooting

The Good: Graham might be the best player in the Big 12. When he gets going, get out of his way. Graham has the body of a power forward and the speed and dunking acumen of a two-guard. His game starts with his back to the basket, but in the past year, it slowly has moved all the way out to the 3-point line. He'll settle in the middle as a small forward in the pros.

The Bad: His rebounding and shot-blocking need work. So does the jumper. He still needs to show the ability to do more off the dribble, and some scouts have questions about his work ethic.

The Upside: Graham has the body, athleticism and size to make a great wing in the pros – and gets a lot of comparisons to a young Corey Maggette. He's already firmly in the mid-first round. A great tournament could propel him into the lottery.

3. Daniel Gibson, PG, Texas

The Skinny: 6 foot 3, 190 pounds, freshman: 14.1 ppg, 4 apg, 42 percent FG shooting

The Good: Gibson has just about everything you could ask for in a point guard. He's an excellent athlete, is very quick and has good size for the position. He has the ability to score from the perimeter or by attacking the basket, and he's great in the open court. He has excellent floor vision and never lets his scoring get in the way of getting his teammates involved.

The Bad: Is he ready? He's still turnover-prone and makes too many mistakes. Scouts believe he has good point-guard skills, but he has been used largely as a scorer at Texas this year.

The Upside: Several weeks ago, Gibson said he'll turn pro if he's guaranteed a lottery pick. He has since backed off that a bit. Right now, scouts have him in the 15-20 range. A huge tournament could push him into the lottery. Another year in school and he'll be in the lottery for sure.

4. Kennedy Winston, G/F, Alabama

The Skinny: 6 foot 6, 230 pounds, junior: 17.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 44 percent 3-point shooting

The Good: An efficient, aggressive scorer who can put the ball in the basket a variety of ways. He has a fantastic midrange jumper and an explosive first step, and he drastically improved his 3-point shooting last summer.

The Bad: He doesn't play hungry, especially on the defensive end. He can be stiff and mechanical to the point that he looks as though he has a pole up his back. While he has the ability to rebound and distribute the ball, he's more interested in shooting the rock.

The Upside: If Winston declares, some scouts believe he has the talent to be an early- to mid-round pick in the first round, but most think he'd end up somewhere in the 20s.

5. Nick Fazekas, PF, Nevada

The Skinny: 6 foot 11, 225 pounds, sophomore: 21.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 52 percent 3-point shooting

The Good: A skilled big man who can score in the low post, Fazekas prefers to do much of his damage on the perimeter. He has legit NBA 3-point range. Does a lot of damage from the foul line, where he shoots 79 percent. He's an excellent rebounder (given his build) and a decent shot blocker.

The Bad: Fazekas is a bean pole. He really needs to gain strength to compete at the next level. When you look at his frame, it's unclear how many pounds he'll actually be able to put on. Despite his skill level, he's turnover-prone and makes bad decisions with the ball in the post.

The Upside: Scouts believe he has a ton of NBA potential but think he's another year or two away because of his body. According to several scouts, he'd like to come out now. If Nevada and Fazekas have a great tournament, he could get the juice to guarantee a pick in the first round.

Sleeper: Luther Head, G, Illinois

The Skinny: 6 foot 3, 185 pounds, senior: 15.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 48 percent FG shooting

The Good: Head always has been considered the third wheel at Illinois behind guards Williams and Dee Brown. Head, a senior from Chicago, has been super for the Illini this season. He's a great athlete with excellent floor vision and legit NBA 3-point range.

The Bad: He has played out of position, on the wing, throughout most of his career because of the presence of Williams and Brown. Can he make the transition to the point in the NBA? Scouts traditionally have been a little down on Head because of his inability to shoot off the dribble, but he seems to have worked on that over the summer

The Upside:. He might need a draft camp to prove to scouts he can play the point full time in the pros. If he can, he has everything else a point-guard prospect needs. A colossal tournament by Head and the Illini might be enough to get him in the first round where he belongs.

Others to watch: Illinois' Brown; James Augustine, PF, Illinois; John Lucas, PG, Oklahoma State; Channing Frye, PF, Arizona; Salim Stoudamire, G, Arizona; Hassan Adams, SG, Arizona; Mustafa Shakur, PG, Arizona; Jawann McClellan, G/F, Arizona; Craig Smith, PF, Boston College; Jared Dudley, SF, Boston College; Ronald Steele, PG, Alabama; Brandon Bass, PF, LSU; and Glen Davis, PF, LSU.

Chad Ford covers the NBA draft for ESPN Insider.