VITALS: 6-2, 192, Connecticut OVERVIEW: Gordon declared for the draft after his junior year at Connecticut, teaming with Emeka Okafor to lead the Huskies to a national title in April. Gordon bounced back from a slow start to average 18.5 points for UConn and upped his numbers to 21.2 in the NCAA Tournament. Gordon is considered a combo guard with enough skills to play both guard positions, although his height limits him at shooting guard. Gordon, who was born in London and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, led UConn in scoring each of the last two seasons and shot over 41 percent from the arc all three years in college. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Gordon could go as early as Charlotte (4), Phoenix (7) or Toronto (8), all in need of point guard help. Washington (5) and Atlanta (6) don't seem like potential suitors as they have Gilbert Arenas and Jason Terry, respectively. A team high on Gordon could make a trade with either one of those teams to get a shot at him. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Dwyane Wade, Nick Van Exel COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Jay Williams ROLE PROJECTION: Immediate starter POSITIVES: Physically and skill-wise, Gordon is one of the best prospects in the draft. He owns a strong compact body with solid height for a point guard and is an outstanding athlete with quickness and jumping ability. Fundamentally, Gordon's jump shot is smooth and highly accurate. He is a good penetrator who can score with the game on the line or the shot clock dwindling down. SHORTCOMINGS: Because of a lack of size, Gordon is precluded from playing his college position - shooting guard - in the NBA. However, Gordon did show signs of playmaking ability throughout his collegiate career. As a result, many believe he will be able to make the transition at the next level. Others claim Gordon lacks the mentality to initiate an offense on a full-time basis. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: "There's so much shuffling of the deck up top and there's trade rumors, but I think he's safe in the lottery."- Boston Celtics director of player personnel Leo Papile
