It is too early to draw firm conclusions about the 2010 Draft. While the past few drafts have already provided us with enough information to give us a clear idea of the quality of players in a class, 2010 has not. So far there have been no All-Stars, and it is difficult to ascertain who the best few players from this year will end up being.
As it currently stands, this draft class looks like a disappointment, and that starts with the top selections. Expectations were very high for both John Wall (picked #1) and Evan Turner (#2), and so far neither has lived up to the hype. Turner, in particular, has looked surprisingly overmatched in the pro game. Derrick Favors (#3) has shown promise and is young, but at this point it is unclear if he will be a borderline star or just a decent starter. Wesley Johnson (#4) looks to be a complete bust. DeMarcus Cousins (#5) might end up being the best player from 2010, but there are still serious questions about his decision making, which was the initial reason his stock dropped on draft night.
The best player from this class so far has been Greg Monroe (pick #7.) He appears likely to be an All-Star soon. Paul George (#10) has also shown flashes of star potential. The only other players from the first round that have made a sizable impact are Gordon Hayward (#9), Ed Davis (#13) and Trevor Booker (#23.) This will likely change, and other first rounders will probably go on to have at least semi-productive careers, but it is simply too early to know.
The second round of 2010 looks weak. Landry Fields (pick #39) was an excellent selection, but no other player has made an impact so far. Again, this will probably change with time, but nonetheless round two looks paltry compared to most years.
Maybe the most interesting aspect of the 2010 draft has been Jeremy Lin, who went undrafted. Lin is still somewhat unproven, but he already looks like one of the great undrafted players in recent history. He seems to have almost as much star potential as virtually anyone in the entire draft.
So overall, while it is early, the class of 2010 looks pretty weak. This could change, and a good deal could depend on Wall and Cousins' development, but it seems unlikely this draft will stack up well compared to the previous few years. A very rough approximation of the top ten players from 2010, with their actual pick number in parenthesis:
1. Greg Monroe (7)
2. DeMarcus Cousins (5)
3. John Wall (1)
4. Jeremy Lin (undrafted)
5. Paul George (10)
6. Derrick Favors (3)
7. Ed Davis (13)
8. Gordon Hayward (9)
9. Evan Turner (2)
10. Landry Fields (39)
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