NBA
NBA Draft high-school prospects

Sebastian Telfair

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If you're looking for the next LeBron James among these prepsters, then you'd better keep looking. No one here generates the kind of buzz last year's No. 1 overall draft pick received.

Still, that didn't stop shoe-maker Adidas from signing Josh Smith and Sebastian Telfair to a pair of $12 million endorsement deals.

The question remains if NBA executives are equally convinced by the current crop of high-schoolers. Is there a rookie of the year among them or anyone who can carry a franchise? It's a lot to ask of a teenager.

Dwight Howard has garnered the most attention, and there's a chance he could land in the No. 1 overall position Thursday.

Howard should be the first among the prepsters to make the most meaningful impact next season, but Shaun Livingston has what NBA general managers like to call the most upside, which is to say the Peoria, Ill., prepster has the look of a future All-Star.

Livingston is long, lean and can handle the ball extremely well for someone who is 6 feet 7. Think vintage Penny Hardaway.

Finding a gem from the rest is akin to playing darts blindfolded.

Sonics slant

Had Bremerton High forward Marvin Williams remained in the draft and not chosen to play at North Carolina next season, then maybe the Sonics would be tempted to select a high-school player.

As it stands, choosing a prepster with the top pick doesn't make a lot of sense. The top two prospects, Howard and Livingston, aren't expected to be around when Seattle selects at 12. And most of the seven other high-school prospects aren't lottery material.

"Choosing where we're at, you have to ask yourself, do you help your coach or do you help your organization?" said Dave Pendergraft, the Sonics' director of player personnel. "Not all of the time are they one and the same."

If ending a two-year playoff absence is the top priority, as the team has stated, then waiting a couple of years for a high-schooler to develop would seem to contradict the immediate goals.

Even still, Smith, the Oak Hill (Va.) Academy forward, is an intriguing possibility. He could be a future replacement for Rashard Lewis, the last prep player chosen by the Sonics.

High-school prospects
The nine draft-eligible high-school players
Pos.	Player	Ht.	Wt.	School	Age	P	A/R
PF	Jackie Butler	6-9	263	Coastal Christian (Va.)	19	29.3	17.0 R
Physically, he has all the tools to play in the NBA. Will need time to develop.
PF	Dwight Howard	6-10-3/4	240	SW Atlanta Christian	18	25.0	18.0 R
Versatile player. Could be the next Kevin Garnett — or Kwame Brown.
PF	Al Jefferson	6-9-3/4	263	Prentiss HS (Miss.)	19	42.6	18.0 R
Some liken him to Zach Randolph. Has a big body and nice low-post moves.
PG	Shaun Livingston	6-7-1/2	186	Peoria Central (Ill.)	18	18.0	5.7 A
Height is a tremendous advantage. Can shoot over most PGs.
SF	Josh Smith	6-8-1/4	221	Oak Hill (Va.) Academy	18	25.8	7.4 R
Above-average rebounder with long arms and quick leaping ability.
SG	J.R. Smith	6-6-3/4	227	St. Benedict's Prep (N.J.)	18	23.9	5.4 R
Must make the transition to shooting guard. Ballhandling is questionable.
C	Robert Swift	7-1	260	Bakersfield HS (Calif.)	18	18.8	15.9 R
Best prep shot-blocker in the country. Declared ineligible last season.
PG	Sebastian Telfair	5-11	170	Lincoln HS (N.Y.)	19	33.2	9.2 A
Is he overexposed? Sports Illustrated coverboy has faded in popularity lately.
SF	Dorrell Wright	6-8	215	South Kent Prep (CT)	18	29.0	14.0 R
Super-quick first step and high-flyer. Very raw talent but also very athletic.
*2003-04 statistics. Players are listed alphabetically.

Percy Allen

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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