Preseason player rankings: Top 10 point guards

In recent months, Chris Paul has led the United States under-21 team to a gold medal, been compared by Michael Jordan to John Stockton and become a leading preseason contender for national player of the year.

In terms of pure shooter, nobody is better than Marquette PG Travis Diener. (Getty Images)

And so it wasn't a surprise when Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser was asked last week if all the attention going Paul's way could jeopardize the chemistry of his veteran team as it embarks on a season with Final Four potential.

The surprise? Prosser said yes.

"Is this something that could be divisive? Yeah, it could be, and it has happened to (other) teams," Prosser said. "It's something we've already talked about with the kids. They have to trust me, and I have to trust them and we'll all have to trust one another. ...

"That is a concern, but I rely on the fact that we have good people that want to win games and want to see (our seniors) go out on a very high note. If we're going to be defeated, it's going to be from without, and not from within."

It helps that Paul, a 6-foot sophomore, is no ordinary superstar. He's exceedingly humble, which makes him a so-so interview but an extraordinary teammate. By the end of last season, when it had become obvious Paul was the best player on the team -- although Justin Gray made the All-ACC first team, Paul the third team -- Paul was dominating games on the court but still deferring to teammates in the locker room.

"Those guys understand the situation and are good kids and they'll deal with that," Prosser said. "You also have to rely on the character and fiber of Chris Paul. As I've said many times, if he never scored a basket or played a minute of basketball at Wake Forest, our university would be better place from him having gone to school here."

Sappy but true. They call Paul "the Mayor" at Wake Forest, although Jordan hung an even more flattering moniker on him this summer. Paul was playing a pickup game with Jordan at his camp in Santa Barbara, Calif., when Jordan passed him the ball, called him "John Stockton" and told him to knock down the shot.

"That was kind of funny," Paul said. "I made the shot, so that made it even better."

Jordan gave Paul other advice this summer, advice that will be interesting to track during the 2004-05 season.

"He told me that I take one dribble too deep into the defense," Paul said. "He said that I need to stop and pop."

If Paul gets any better, he could be in the NBA by this time next year. He shot 49.6 percent from the floor last season, 46.5 percent from 3-point range, 84.3 percent on free throws. He had more steals (84) than turnovers (82), leading the ACC with 2.7 steals per game and finishing second with a nearly 2.5-to-1 assist-turnover ratio.

Those are not freshman numbers, but they were Paul's numbers.

To find a better all-around season for a freshman point guard, skip past recent measuring sticks like Jameer Nelson, T.J. Ford, Khalid El-Amin and Mike Bibby. Go back to Georgia Tech's Stephon Marbury in 1996, Cal's Jason Kidd in '93 and Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson in '90.

With Paul leading the way, here are the country's top 10 point guards according to SportsLine.com: