A look ahead to the 2010 NBA Draft

It's never to early to look at a preview for next year's draft. The 2010 draft will be a much stronger draft than the past one because the incoming freshman class is a good one and many of them are expected to be one and done. There are also a lot of blue chip soon to be sophomores that stayed in school when they could have been lottery picks this year. In this piece I am going to look at what might be next year's top five players eligible for the 2010 NBA Draft.

1. John Wall PG 6-4 182 lbs Kentucky Fr. - Consensus seems to be that he is the leading candidate to be the number one pick next year. He will most certainly be one and done for Coach Calipari. A point guard with elite athleticism that allows him to make plays in transition very well, whether it's going to the rim or finding an open teammate. He is still a raw player and he is going to have to work on polishing his game on the college level. This kid could be the reason Kentucky is in the championship hunt again.

2. Ed Davis PF 6-9 225 lbs UNC So. - If Davis came out this year most scouts believe he would have went right after Blake Griffin at number two. He opted to stay in school and I think he made a good decision because he did not get enough minutes to get that confidence you need. Will be a premier big man next year with Hansbrough gone and a very likely top 5 pick.

3. Greg Monroe PF 6-11 250 lbs Georgetown So. - Monroe is a player I had the chance to watch a in a few games last season. Right when you see him you can see he oozes with potential. He was a little thin last year coming in to his freshman year, but he showcased a lot of skills and post moves. Not a typical back to the basket type of PF. He has plenty of face up moves and if he improves his strength he will be a top 5 pick.

4. Donatas Motiejunas PF 7-0 220 lbs Lithuania 18 - The next big-time European prospect is this guy. Fluent in English already, his game is developing very nicely. He is playing against a lower level of competition however scouts compare him to Toni Kukoc. Has a certain cockiness that helps and hurts him. Doesn't always have his motor going at full speed, but if he continues to improve he will be a surefire lottery pick next year.

5. Derrick Favors PF 6-9 215 lbs Georgia Tech Fr. - Ultra athletic, but a bit raw on offense, Favors is another kid with lots of upside. His defense his ahead of his offense right now, but he will still score plenty in college just from his athleticism. Will be teamed up with Gani Lawal at Georgia Tech and should get plenty of minutes. If his offense progresses then he will have a serious shot of being taken number one next year.

One more player I wanted to touch on briefly is a kid making a lot of noise in high school. He is only going into his junior year, but it seems that people think he is the best player in high school already. Mike Gilchrist is making serious waves as the number one player in the 2011 class. At 6-7 185 he will project as a SF. His game is already polished and seems like he can do everything well. You may not hear about him for a while, but he is a kid to keep your eye on when he comes to college.