No two point guards -- much like snowflakes -- are exactly alike. As such, the comparison you are about to read might not be entirely fair.
That said, there have been 11 point guards chosen among the top 10 picks over the past five NBA drafts. (Three of them were taken by the Timberwolves, but let's try not to think too much about that right now.) Ricky Rubio is one of them -- and he's the only one who hasn't played an NBA game yet.
Given the amount of buzz over the Rubio signing -- seriously, you can't shake a stick near Twitter without hitting someone's opinion -- we thought it would be instructive to take a very brief look back at how the other 10 point guards have fared so far in the league to show the range we're talking about with Rubio:
2010 John Wall, first overall: Averaged more than 16 points and eight assists for the Wizards as a rookie, but his team actually won three fewer games than it did the previous season.
2009 Tyreke Evans, fourth overall: You can debate whether he's really a point guard. You can't debate that he was the Rookie of the Year in 2009-10 (though he wasn't as effective this past season).
Jonny Flynn, sixth: Had a comparatively decent rookie year for the Wolves (13.5 ppg, 4.4 apg, 81 games started) before hip surgery and a general on-court regression marred his follow-up campaign.
Stephen Curry, seventh: A deadly shooter (44 percent from three-point range through his first two seasons) who has been much better at the point than many would have predicted.
Brandon Jennings, 10th: Another point guard from the 2009 draft class who regressed his second year. Jennings scored 55 points in a game early in his rookie season. A recent report, however, said the Bucks are open to trading him. He's just a 37.9 percent career shooter.
2008 Derrick Rose, first overall: MVP of the league this year. Enough said.
Russell Westbrook, fourth: Robin to Kevin Durant's Batman on a series of contending teams, or the next Stephon Marbury? Jury's out, but he averaged 22 points and eight assists this past season.
D.J. Augustin, ninth: Looks like a solid but not spectacular NBA point guard after averaging 14 points and six assists in 2010-11, his first season as a full-time starter.
2007 Mike Conley Jr., fourth overall: He's been between 12.8 and 13.9 points per game all four NBA seasons. His assist totals are similarly steady. In other words, he's been functional but not a game-changer.
2006 Randy Foye, seventh overall: The combo guard averaged 16 points and 36 minutes in his final year with the Wolves ('08-09), but he's been around 10 points and 24 minutes for two other teams since (Wizards and Clippers).
MICHAEL RAND
