Scout's Take

On 6'10", 240-pound Dwight Howard of Southwest Atlanta Christian High, the likely No. 1 pick in the June 24 draft:

" Howard will be a wonderful NBA player; at the very least I see a more skilled version of P.J. Brown. Howard can immediately make a team better because he can defend and he can rebound. He isn't a great scorer yet, but he has a high-level feel for the game as a passer, especially in the post, where he's patient enough to pick apart double teams. The complaint that young guys are dragging down the league doesn't apply to this guy. He has a Duncanesque demeanor that makes him seem even more mature than LeBron and Kobe were when they were coming out of high school. He just plays hard and never says boo. We need more like him in the NBA."