NBA teams have placed a premium on point guards, and three of the last top overall selections in the draft have been point guards: Derrick Rose (2008), John Wall (2010) and Kyrie Irving (2011).

This past June, seven teams took a point guard in the first round and it seems like five of them will have an immediate impact. OneManFastBreak.net examines the best first-year point guards for the 2011-12 season:

KYRIE IRVING, Cleveland Cavaliers
The No. 1 overall pick in 2011 will have the ball in his hands from Day 1. The Cavaliers, who are still healing from the permanent scar left by LeBron James in 2010, are banking on the former Duke star to resurrect the franchise and reenergize Quicken Loans Arena. There is little doubt Irving has the overall game to be a very good NBA floor general. The big question with him is health and conditioning after missing nearly all of last season because of a foot injury.

Rookie point guards Kyrie Irving (left) of Cleveland and Brandon Knight of Detroit could have immediate impacts. (US PRESSWIRE)

BRANDON KNIGHT, Detroit Pistons
The former Kentucky Wildcat is a big point guard (6-4, 177) who doesn’t shy away from the big moment. The Pistons will pair him up with Rodney Stuckey, who plays better as the off-guard. Knight turned in an impressive performance in his preseason debut, going head-to-head with Irving, and showed first-year Pistons coach Lawrence Frank that he can handle the offense despite not having a full training camp.

KEMBA WALKER, Charlotte Bobcats
Speaking of handling big moments, nobody played better in the clutch during last year’s college basketball season than Kemba Walker. The 6-1 guard from New York led Connecticut to a superb run in the NCAA tournament, winning the NCAA title and the Final Four MVP. Walker played the shooting guard spot for Jim Calhoun last season, so he’ll have to get used to running point for the Bobcats. It shouldn’t be a long adjustment period because Walker is a quick study and has supreme confidence in his ability. If given an opportunity to start, Walker could challenge for Rookie of the Year.

JIMMER FREDETTE, Sacramento Kings
The Kings made a bold move by acquiring the Brigham Young star in a draft-day trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. In his preseason debut, Fredette dropped 21 points without breaking a sweat against the Golden State Warriors (although he was being defended by Steph Curry). Defense will be somewhat of a concern, but the Kings will take his 3-point shooting over his matador defense any time. Kings coach Paul Westphal will have a little bit of a dilemma because he has to find a way to get Jimmer on the court without taking away minutes from Tyreke Evans, John Salmons and Marcus Thornton.

RICKY RUBIO, Minnesota Timberwolves
The T-Wolves have waited two long years to get Rubio, and now that the 21-year-old has landed in Minnesota fans at the Target Center will fall in love with the Spanish stud – and we’re not just talking about the ladies. Rubio is a natural point guard: pass first, pass second, shoot only if necessary. He won’t pile up points, but he’ll rack up the assists, steals and sneak in some rebounds. His size (6-3) allows coach Rick Adelman to play him at off-guard and pair him up with newly acquired J.J. Barea in the backcourt.  Rubio is an electrifying player who has been playing pro ball since he was 14 years old. If Adelman lets him run the team, watch out for Ricky-mania in Minnesota.

NORRIS COLE, Miami Heat
Pat Riley, one of the best talent evaluators in the league, has picked up some valuable late-round picks in the past (Udonis Haslem, Dorell Wright, Mario Chalmers) and he has another late-round gem in Norris Cole from Cleveland State. Cole, listed at 6-2, fits the mold of a Miami Heat player: tough, tenacious, confident, selfless. Although Chalmers will start for coach Erik Spoelstra, Cole should see action as the backup point. Cole handles the ball slightly better than Chalmers and can create his own shot.

Guard Kemba Walker plays a similar style to former UConn star Ben Gordon. (US PRESSWIRE)

The NCAA Tournament is the best showcase event in terms of evaluating talent entering the NBA. In the past 10 years, current NBA stars Dwyane Wade (Marquette), Derrick Rose (Memphis), Russell Westbrook (UCLA), Deron Williams (Illinois) and Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) all made their big first impressions in The Big Dance.

Of course, there are always those hidden gems (ahem! Enes Kanter) who didn’t get a chance to shine in the NCAA Tournament. But, for the most part, the best prospects in the 2011 NBA draft took part in March Madness.

Most experts feel this year’s crop of NCAA talent is not as good as previous years. I disagree. There are plenty of talent waiting to be discovered, and it takes a shrewd GM and a smart scout to pick them out of a crowd. Here are the eight best prospects this season – OneManFastBreak’s version of the Elite 8 – with their strengths and weaknesses, and who they compare with:

DERRICK WILLIAMS
Arizona, Forward, Sophomore
* Strengths: The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward has the prototype body to play in the NBA. He can play with his back to the basket, and face up and shoot from 20 feet. Pop in the tape against Duke and that’s all you need to know about his versatility. A tough cover when he’s making his outside shot because he can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Williams was also the 2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year, and from a talent standpoint the Pac-10 has produced some of the best NBA talent the last 10 years.
* Weaknesses: A little passive and a late-bloomer. Could also mean he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet.
NBA comparison: Amare Stoudemire

KEMBA WALKER
Connecticut, Guard, Junior
* Strengths: A typical New York City baller who plays with a chip on his shoulder and has a ton of swagger. Made a huge leap from last season to this season. An explosive scorer who can create his own shot, and has the ability to play either guard position. Plays his best against the best competition. A very dangerous scorer late in the game, and is not afraid to take – and make – the big shot.
* Weaknesses: Even though he’s capable of running point, his game is more suited for shooting guard. Listed at just 6 feet tall.
NBA comparison: Ben Gordon

KYRIE IRVING
Duke, Guard, Freshman
* Strengths: Had Irving played the entire season, nobody would have known about Nolan Smith. That’s how good Irving is. Irving has all the tools to be a top-flight point guard in the NBA: quickness, ball-handling, outside shooting, passing and creativity. He was easily the best player on the court for Duke in its loss to Arizona in the Sweet 16, and that was only his third game in three months.
* Weaknesses: The foot injury Irving suffered early in the season is the only reason to have any doubts about this young man.
NBA comparison: Chris Paul

ENES KANTER
Kentucky (from Turkey), Center, Freshman
* Strengths: Kanter is a legit post-up big man who measures at 6-11 with a 7-1 wingspan. He recently turned 19 so he’s still maturing from a physical standpoint. He spent the entire 2010-11 season at Kentucky on the sidelines because he was ruled ineligible. Nonetheless, he made good use of that year by staying active, participating in practice and working out with the team. Kanter is cut from the same cloth as other recent big men from Turkey (Semih Erden and Omer Asik), and can play with his back to the basket.
* Weaknesses: Still a relative unknown because he hasn’t played enough games to get a strong evaluation. A high-risk, high-reward type of player.
NBA comparison: Omer Asik

BRANDON KNIGHT
Kentucky, Guard, Freshman
* Strengths: Plays with a lot of confidence. Teammate Terrence Jones may be the better talent, but there’s something special about the way Knight makes plays at the end of games. Knight showed his clutch gene during the Sweet 16 game against Ohio State when he buried the game-winning shot with five seconds left. Knight is a big point guard (6-3, 170) who can survive the physical pounding of an 82-game season. And John Calipari has done pretty well with his last two one-and-done point guards (Derrick Rose and John Wall).
* Weaknesses: At times makes questionable decisions and takes bad shots. More of a lead guard than a true point.
NBA comparison: Jason Terry

JIMMER FREDETTE
BYU, Guard, Senior
* Strengths: See Kemba Walker. A very explosive scorer who can create his own shot and has unlimited range as a shooter. Has the ability to play either guard position, but probably more suited at shooting guard. Worked out for scouts a year ago and was told to get stronger, which he did. Worked on his ball-handling this season, which has enabled him to drive through traffic.
* Weaknesses: Not a good defender. Has trouble staying in front of his man, especially against quicker point guards.
NBA comparison: Danny Ainge

JORDAN HAMILTON
Texas, Guard-Forward, Sophomore
* Strengths: A long and athletic wing player who can score from anywhere on the court. Has NBA 3-point range and a technically sound shooter. Can create scoring opportunities off the dribble, and able to rise up and get his shoulders square to the basket. Because of his length (6-9 wingspan), defenders have a hard time blocking his shot. Adapted well to Rick Barnes’ new motion/screen offense at Texas. Hamilton can play the 2 or 3 spots and is an extremely confident player with a ton of Southern California swagger.
* Weaknesses: Tends to be a volume shooter at times, and a bit of a streak shooter. Not a good defender at this point of his career.
NBA comparison: Rudy Gay

SHELVIN MACK
Butler, Guard, Junior
* Strengths: A combo guard who can create his own shot. Has decent 3-point range, but owns an above-average mid-range game. He was instant offense for Butler, and was a key reason why the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament championship game the past two seasons. Having gone through the pressure cooker of the NCAA Tournament, Mack is battle-tested and is not afraid of the big moment. At 205 pounds, Mack is extremely strong for a guard and can shed physical contact.
* Weaknesses: Is more of a natural shooting guard, but may have to play some point in the NBA because he’s only 6-2. Not overly explosive off the floor, and has average quickness for a guard.
NBA comparison: Eric Gordon

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.