NBA Draft 2018: 5 best lead guards available

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG Paints Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 22: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #22 of the Kentucky Wildcats drives to the basket against Barry Brown #5 Xavier Sneed of the Kansas State Wildcats the third round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The former Kentucky star doesn’t deserve to be a top-12 pick but he is still the third-best lead guard in this year’s draft class. His lack of offensive polish will be a drawback at the next level, but he does have high quality size to make up for his lack of quickness.

The right comp for Gilgeous-Alexander is a slightly more athletic Shaun Livingston. He can exceed that if he develops into an above-average 3-point shooter. Gilgeous-Alexander shot it pretty well at Kentucky, but most of his looks were wide open and stationary.

He’s going to need to find the right fit to maximize his ability. What he can do still outweighs what he can’t. He’s a really steady ball-handler who can use his size to get into the lane and cause trouble for the opposition. It’s possible he could emerge into a top assist man with the right NBA team.

Gilgeous-Alexander is a significantly different lead guard than the other players on this list. His game is about making plays for others. Teams looking for scoring punch should look somewhere else. Teams looking for someone to connect the dots for their offense should absolutely consider taking the big point guard.

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