LaMarcus Aldridge has been near the top of most Mock Draft?s since Alex Acker became the final player selected in the 2005 Draft, but it is his teammate, P.J. Tucker, who has become the more intriguing prospect, as he certainly is the better collegiate player at this point.

After watching him several times this season, I expected a gathering buzz comparable to LSU?s Tyrus Thomas or Memphis? Rodney Carney, but very little exists.  How can a guy that is leading a top-10 team in scoring and rebounding be this far under the radar as a legitimate NBA prospect?

Any draft momentum that Tucker had took a hit last year when he missed the final 14 games after being ruled academically ineligible.  That sophomore year did not go without strong impressions though, as he led the team in scoring and rebounding at a clip of 13.7 and 8.

This year he is averaging 9.4 boards per game, slightly more than the 6-10 Aldridge.  His scoring is up this year as well, 16.8 points per game, while shooting better than 55% from the field.

Deron Williams was perceived similarly at this point last year, a nice player with good intangibles that made him a success at the collegiate level.  But after a very good NCAA tournament, testing better than expected athletically and a series of very impressive workouts that saw him outplay Raymond Felton and Chris Paul, his stock ended up climbing steadily, and was the third player selected in a very deep draft.

There are no concerns about Tucker?s athleticism, as evidenced with this clip.  Nor is there concern about his body, which is undoubtedly NBA ready.  His broad frame gives him the strength to rip steals from underdeveloped offensive players and when combined with his intensity, has led to nearly two steals a game for Tucker.

Perhaps most impressive though is his ability to create with his back to the basket, anywhere from 12 feet in.  On this clip, Tucker lays out a defender from Texas A&M on a screen and then breaks straight to the opposite block, catches the pass and sensing that the defender is giving up the baseline, does a rapid one dribble drop step and then a reverse with his right hand.  The economy of movement and his intuition for the location of both the defenders and his teammates demonstrate a feel for the game that is highly rare for a Junior that missed half his sophomore season.

The biggest problem for Tucker though, will be the fact that he?s a 6?5 shooting guard that cannot shoot very well.  He has only attempted one three-pointer this season, granted he made that one three-pointer, but the fact that he has been so apathetic towards the gift of a 20-foot three is quite telling.  If he never develops a jumper, then you have a Greg Buckner or Nate McMillan, with a finer tuned post-game on your hands.  You hope to draft your Greg Buckner?s late in the first round, as Buckner was by the Mavericks (24th overall) in 1998.  His defense will be shut down quality within the first season and a half in the league, very important as we know, given the big need for someone to fairly guard Kobe, Wade, etc.

But it is harder, in my opinion, for a franchise to develop a player?s ability to post-up than it is to develop a competent jump shooter.  It is for this reason why the Knicks paid so heavily to acquire Eddy Curry.

If he can improve the mechanics of his shot and merely become consistent enough to have his jumper respected from about 21-feet in, then you are looking at a Joe Dumars, Ron Artest, Derrick McKey caliber player, that rare combination of offense and defense from a wing player, which every coach and GM in the NBA covets.

Tucker is on his way to becoming the Big 12 Player of the Year and most NBA clubs have learned from the mistake that was made by a host of teams in 2003 when they let Josh Howard, ACC Player of the Year, slip all the way to Dallas at 29.  That freefall will not happen with Tucker, should he declare, as he has become a guaranteed first rounder and could even sneak into the lottery, depending on how the draft order of teams pans out.

Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM.com and can be reached via email at [email protected].