SEBASTIAN TELFAIR

Position: PG Class: Early Entry High School: Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln Ht., Wt.: 5'11, 165 Selected by Portland Trail Blazers Round 1, pick 13 (13 overall)

BIO: Telfair was hyped as the next great New York City point guard since his middle school days, and he led his Lincoln High School team to three straight city titles before declaring pro. Telfair signed a six-year, $15 million endorsement deal with adidas, although not all the money is guaranteed. Telfair is a cousin of the New York Knicks' Stephon Marbury and a half-brother of Jamel Thomas, who played in college at Providence. Telfair is a solid point guard prospect who is often prone to shooting rather than passing even though his court vision is fairly good. He has struggled at times against other top guards in his class. He also made a name for himself playing in the summer for the Juice All-Stars AAU team. ANALYSIS: Telfair is a New York legend who signed with Louisville in the early signing period but elected to turn pro. He is a high-scoring point guard who has excellent court vision and a flair for making the highlight-reel play. Telfair added strength in the offseason and worked hard on his outside shot. There were only eight guards in the NBA under 6-feet tall last season, so his lack of size is a concern. Telfair graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and has plenty of talent. However, he needs to continue to work on his game to make the jump to the next level. Telfair is expected to be a mid to late first-round pick. POSITIVES: Speed dominates Telfair's game -- he has a great first step and can move east-west as well as anyone in the draft. He uses that quickness to consistently get into the lane, where he creates looks for teammates or finishes himself. Telfair also has great vision and tremendous instincts as a point guard. He was the subject of great media attention during his entire prep career but aptly handled the pressures that came with the spotlight. NEGATIVES: Telfair tends to over-dribble and simply hold the ball too long. At times, he was downright selfish during his high school career, although he showed signs of maturation as a senior. As a scorer, Telfair's outside shooting lacked consistency. Although he may be able to straighten that out over time, he can't do anything about his 6-foot height, which is smallish for the NBA, even for a point man. PROJECTION: Sparingly used reserve, future starter Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images