An early look at NBA draft board

• Blake Griffin, 6-10, 245, power forward, Oklahoma

• The skinny: The rugged Griffin is the one sure thing in a draft full of question marks.

2. Memphis

• Ricky Rubio, 6-4, 185, point guard, Spain

• The skinny: This passing whiz is the mystery of the draft and perhaps the most intriguing player as well.

3. Oklahoma City

• Hasheem Thabeet, 7-3, 265, center, Connecticut

• The skinny: Thabeet can anchor the frontcourt for one of the best young teams in basketball.

4. Sacramento

• Brandon Jennings, 6-2, 180, point guard, Italian league

• The skinny: The year overseas didn't do anything to damage the stock of this gifted young point guard from Los Angeles.

5. Washington

• Jordan Hill, 6-10, 245, power forward, Arizona

• The skinny: The Smyrna native continues his meteoric rise from relative unknown to budding star.

6. Minnesota

• James Harden, 6-5, 220, shooting guard, Arizona State

• The skinny: The most polished offensive player in the draft, Harden is considered a poor man's Brandon Roy.

7. Golden State

• Jrue Holiday, 6-3, 180, point guard, UCLA

• The skinny: Long on potential, Holiday has the most upside and is the best defender in a loaded point guard crop.

8. New York

• Stephen Curry, 6-3, 185, point guard, Davidson

• The skinny: This sweet shooting star fits perfectly in Mike D'Antoni's wide open attack.

9. Toronto

• Tyreke Evans, 6-6, 215, point guard, Memphis

• The skinny: Evans bolted from Memphis just time to join a Raptors team trying to retool in time to keep Chris Bosh.

10. Milwaukee

• DeJuan Blair, 6-7, 265, power forward, Pittsburgh

• The skinny: This low-post bruiser provides the toughness inside the Bucks have lacked the past few years.

11. New Jersey

• DeMar DeRozan, 6-7, 220, small forward, USC

• The skinny: A superior physical talent and perhaps the best athlete in the draft, DeRozan is still a bit raw.

12. Charlotte

• Earl Clark, 6-9, 220, small forward, Louisville

• The skinny: If Clark ever plays up to his immense potential, the Bobcats might nab the steal of the draft here.

13. Indiana

• Jonny Flynn, 6-0, 186, point guard, Syracuse

• The skinny: Flynn has built a huge following among NBA types who value his toughness and unshakable demeanor.

14. Phoenix

• Terrence Williams, 6-6, 220, small forward, Louisville

• The skinny: Versatile enough to play three positions in the league, Williams lands in a perfect spot with the Suns.

15. Detroit

• James Johnson, 6-8, 235, small forward, Wake Forest

• The skinny: This seven-time world karate champion fits the Pistons' mold (mentally and physically tough) perfectly.

16. Chicago

• Gerald Henderson, 6-4, 215, shooting guard, Duke

• The skinny: The Bulls need another athletic wing scorer capable of playing both ends of the floor.

17. Philadelphia

• Eric Maynor, 6-3, 175, point guard, Virginia Commonwealth

• The skinny: Maynor is adept on both ends of the floor and proved his mettle on the big stage repeatedly in college.

18. Minnesota

• B.J. Mullens, 7-0, 275, center, Ohio State

• The skinny: The Timberwolves gamble on potential here by selecting the enigmatic Mullens this high.

19. Atlanta

• Ty Lawson, 5-11, 190, point guard, North Carolina

• The skinny: After years of getting it wrong at this position, the Hawks get lucky and Lawson falls in their lap in a deep point guard draft.

20. Utah

• Tyler Hansbrough, 6-9, 250, power forward, North Carolina

• The skinny: Is there a better fit in the draft than the relentless Hansbrough working for Jerry Sloan?

21. New Orleans

• Austin Daye, 6-11, 200, small forward, Gonzaga

• The skinny: Yet another ultra-talented player who will need a little time to develop, Daye has all the tools.

22. Dallas

• Jeff Teague, 6-2, 180, point guard, Wake Forest

• The skinny: Teague reminds some of the young point guard (Devin Harris) the Mavericks foolishly gave up to get Jason Kidd.

23. Sacramento

• DaJuan Summers, 6-8, 235, small forward, Georgetown

• The skinny: Versatile enough to play both forward positions, Summers fits well in a Kings frontcourt in need of depth.

24. Portland

• Gani Lawal, 6-9, 230, power forward, Georgia Tech

• The skinny: The Norcross native is probably a year or two away from being ready for major minutes and the Trail Blazers have the luxury of waiting.

25. Oklahoma City

• Sam Young, 6-6, 220, small forward, Pittsburgh

• The skinny: The Thunder continue to add depth here with Young, easily the most underrated prospect in this draft.

26. Chicago

• Toney Douglas, 6-2, 200, shooting guard, Florida State

• The skinny: The Jonesboro native provides backcourt insurance if the Bulls lose Ben Gordon in free agency.

27. Memphis

• Patrick Mills, 6-0, 175, point guard, St. Mary's

• The skinny: The Grizzlies opt for a change of pace option behind Mike Conley here in the speedy Mills.

28. Minnesota

• Darren Collison, 6-0, 160, point guard, UCLA

• The skinny: Collison is the traditional point guard both Sebastian Telfair and Randy Foye are not.

29. Los Angeles Lakers

• Wayne Ellington, 6-4, 200, shooting guard, North Carolina

• The skinny: The Lakers get the Final Four star and groom him for a bigger role down the road.

30. Cleveland

• Chase Budinger, 6-8, 220, small forward, Arizona

• The skinny: The Cavaliers need to find scoring help for LeBron James and get it with the super athletic Budinger.