D'Angelo Russell tops draft's available point guards, but who else is close?

ESPN Insider's Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton return to provide the kind of discussions that are happening in front offices around the NBA -- where scouts and statistical experts are breaking down NBA draft prospects using their "eyes, ears and numbers."

With less than a month to go before the draft, it's a good time to rank and debate the best players in the draft by position. This week we begin with point guards.

Q: Who is the best point guard in the draft?

Ford: D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State

I think this will be an easier pick for Kevin than it is for me. Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay are neck-and-neck. They have contrasting styles. I think Russell is the most skilled player in the draft. He's an amazing shooter, has a great feel for the game, is an incredible passer and even has some James Harden in him. Given the success of players like Harden and Stephen Curry, I think people believe he's a no-brainer. But I worry about his lack of elite athleticism. He's neither explosive nor quick. Both Harden and Curry, while not elite athletes, are better than Russell.

Mudiay is a powerful athlete. He's not Russell Westbrook explosive, but he's quick and strong for a point guard his size. He's not as skilled as Russell and he lacks a proven jumper, but he's going to excel at getting to the basket at the next level. If he were a better shooter, Mudiay would get the nod. But I also worry about guards in the league who struggle with their jump shot. I think they'll both be very good in the NBA. If Mudiay ever gets a jumper, he'll be the best guard in the draft. But until he does, Russell is my choice.

Pelton: D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State

Yeah, it is pretty easy for me -- which is not a knock on Mudiay but an indication of my confidence in Russell. He's the 10th one-and-done player in my database with a WARP projection better than 3.0 (Karl-Anthony Towns also qualifies this year). Of the previous nine, six developed into All-Stars. Nerlens Noel is too young to evaluate. Greg Oden was unable to live up to his potential because of injuries. The only non-injury disappointment in this group was Michael Beasley. So I think Russell is the best point guard and the second-best player in the draft.

Q: Who is the second-best point guard in the draft?

Ford: Emmanuel Mudiay, Guangdong

That's a great point on Russell. A number of NBA teams I've spoken with also say he sits atop their analytics board. Given they all use different formulas, that's impressive. I feel like I don't have to make much more of a case for Mudiay than I already did in the first answer. I think there's a perception his stock is slipping a bit. But when he gets into workouts, I think that's going to change. He's so big, so quick and I think his jump shot has improved. He'll be a beast in workouts. Remember when people used to debate Chris Paul versus Deron Williams after the 2005 draft? I think we'll have that with Mudiay and Russell for a while.

Pelton: Emmanuel Mudiay, Guangdong

Mudiay is my choice as well. Because he played so little in China, it's hard to read too much into his stat line. At the very least, however, his performance in the Chinese league revealed nothing to suggest that scouts are off in their assessment of him. I might have Kristaps Porzingis ahead of him on my personal board, but I don't think Mudiay can be any lower than fifth overall.

Now is when things start to get interesting, and I suspect we'll diverge.

Q: Who is the third-best point guard in the draft?

Ford: Cameron Payne, Murray State

Yeah. I've grown into a huge Payne fan during the past few months. So have NBA guys. He's quick with the ball, great in the pick-and-roll, excels at getting to the rim, shoots it well enough to keep defenses honest and has great length for his position. I actually think he's a better pure point guard than Mudiay or Russell -- just not quite as skilled as Russell and not as big and athletic as Mudiay. But might be the most well-rounded of the prospects. If he went as high as No. 7 to Denver, I wouldn't blink. I think he can be that good.

Pelton: Delon Wright, Utah

Wow, that would be a startling rise up draft boards for a guy who was considered a mid to late first-rounder a few weeks ago. I like Payne, and depending on team need I think he easily could be the best of this second tier. But independent of need/situation, I like Wright as the third-best point guard in the draft. It seems like most years there's a player who, with the benefit of hindsight, looks like an obvious steal. This year I think Wright is that guy. He was incredibly productive at the college level, he's got the kind of length teams love at the point and he's ready to contribute now. If he lands with a team in need of help at the point that would put the ball in his hands -- Dallas at No. 21 looks ideal -- I think Wright could make a push for rookie of the year. In that case, a year from now we'll all be asking how teams missed on him.

Q: Who is the fourth-best point guard in the draft?

Ford: Jerian Grant, Notre Dame

So I didn't see Wright coming -- though maybe I just didn't pay close enough attention to your Big Board. I thought Tyus Jones would get the nod from you. Wright this high is interesting for a number of reasons. One, he's old (23). Two, I wouldn't call him a shooter (yes, he shot 35 percent from 3-point range, but on a pretty limited sample size). Those two knocks against him seem to have scared most teams off from taking him anywhere but in the late first round. With that said, I'm taking a guard who is also old (22) and also comes with questions about his shooting ability. However, Grant's superior athleticism, ability to execute the pick-and-roll and his ability to play both the 1 and the 2 make him a better choice. I just see him as a solid backup guard who could be a Jamal Crawford-type player in the league.

Pelton: Tyus Jones, Duke

Like I said, it's close. If you asked me to rank the point guards in this year's draft in four years, I think Jones will be better than anyone but Russell and Mudiay. His combination of skills, basketball IQ and leadership gives him the chance to overcome his stature in my mind. At the same time, I have to acknowledge the risk that Jones' lack of size and elite athleticism keeps him from translating his skills to the NBA, and I think Wright will offer more immediate contributions. As you note, the same could be said about Grant. I feel like the gap between Grant's upside and his downside is relatively small. He's likely to be a good backup point guard but unlikely to be more than that.