Jerryd Bayless initially looked like he was a long way from being comfortable on the college floor, but that look on his face swiftly disappeared when he began showing his amazing promise in late November and carrying it through a challenging Pac-10 schedule on a thin Arizona team.  

He prepares for the draft as the third best prospect in the class, in my estimation.

What has and will continue to be the most immediately impressive aspect of his game is the extreme elevation on his jump shot. It truly is of a particularly rare excellence and makes it possible for the 6-3 guard to play minutes as a shooting guard in the NBA.  

Interim Head Coach Kevin O?Neill (of Toronto Raptors' fame) wisely gave Bayless extensive time at both guard positions.

The mechanics on Bayless? shot are very compact and exceptionally consistent.  The way he holds the basketball for his free throws can only be categorized as bizarre: He cups the ball with his fingertips, but he is an 80% free throw shooter.

From the floor he shot 45.8%, which is especially impressive considering the vast majority of his attempts are from at least 15 feet out.  He was a 40.7% shooter from beyond the arc and is an effective shooter from this distance when contested.

At a moment?s notice, Bayless can create a shot for himself off the dribble although I?d like to see him utilize pre-dribble jab steps and pump fakes more frequently than he does.  When Bayless does pump fake, he sells it particularly well.  

Whether in the open floor or halfcourt, he has incredible acceleration with his very first dribble.  He can finish a two-handed dunk in just two dribbles from the halfcourt on a breakaway.  He is remarkably skilled at dribbling into his shot.  When he penetrates, which has been less frequent than expected and less expected than is possible with his skill set, he does an excellent job at drawing contact and getting to the line.  He already is clearly intending to draw fouls using the pump fake, and he can knife into the lane (one-on-one and by splitting defenders) for strong finishes with either hand.

An unexpected bonus is his play off the ball.  He works extremely hard without the ball and comes off screens, catching and shooting the ball with fluid motion.  Bayless and Chase Budinger both do really well in this area and would often do it simultaneously, which made stops in the halfcourt problematic for opposing defenses.

His vision is particularly good, but he has yet to showcase the ability to be a brilliant passer or a point guard who can create easy scoring opportunities for teammates.  Presently, he is dangerous as a passer because he commands so much attention as a scorer.

But because of the elevation on his jumper, he is able to frequently spot open teammates while taking the shot and get them the ball for an easy lay-ups.

He can, however, make the spectacular pass as demonstrated on a 2-on-1 fastbreak following a Bayless steal where he dished the ball between his legs to Jamelle Horne for an emphatic dunk.

Defensively, he is a very complete player.  His help defense fundamentals are good, exhibiting good vision of ball and man.  Sometimes he gets in the habit of reaching and not properly utilizing his outstanding lateral quickness which results in his man beating him to the bucket easily.  Because of that quickness, he should close out tighter and more aggressively.

Bayless plays the passing lanes extremely well and should eventually be among league leaders in steals.

Athletically, he is enormously gifted.  He is strong for his age and, beyond using his exceptional vertical on his jumper, Bayless can powerfully finish lobs in the halfcourt and should also become an efficient rebounder and shotblocker for his size.  Categorically, he is fearless in the air and will make concerted efforts to drive to the basket and attack the rim if his team slumps on offense.

His intangibles are very encouraging thus far, as well.  While more of a scoring guard, he has demonstrated the mental maturity to eventually run the point.  He knows when to pull back and setup a halfcourt offense in transition when they don?t have numbers and is unselfish despite never meeting a shot he didn't like.  He also is an excellent finisher, seemingly always playing better in the second half.

I don?t expect Bayless to ever be classified as a pure point guard, but as he gets more comfortable running an offense, handling an open court double team, and trusting his instincts as a passer, he should excel at the position.

- Click here to see our full list of 2008 Draft Prospect Reports

Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM.  He can be reached at Chris.Reina@RealGM.com where he may use your draft questions in a future mailbag edition