Ira Winderman

The 2005 NBA Draft set what was expected to be the standard for ensuing drafts.

For Milwaukee and Atlanta, it was a lesson learned, when they made Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams, in that order, the first two selections.

The No. 3 pick that year was Deron Williams, by the Jazz.

No. 4 was Chris Paul, by the Hornets.

In David Stern's new no-contact league, Williams and Paul quickly changed the long-standing view.

Size might matter, but point guards matter more.

Yet the following draft, point guards again were the afterthoughts. While Rajon Rondo eventually emerged as something special with Boston's No. 21 selection, most of the early picks in 2006 were the typical draft fare of scorers, height and reaches for athleticism.

Then there was the 2007 draft, where those who reached for point guards essentially got burned, with Memphis going for Mike Conley at No. 4, Atlanta reaching for Acie Law at No. 11 and the Lakers taking Javaris Crittenton at No. 19.

Only Rodney Stuckey, taken at No. 15 by Detroit, proved to have staying power, and even he now is being challenged by journeyman Will Bynum. Think Detroit might like to have that Chauncey Billups trade back?

Even in 2008, Derrick Rose arrived at the top of the draft without a reliable jump shot, Russell Westbrook went at No. 4 relatively untested at the position, and, beyond that, questions remain with D.J. Augustin and Jerryd Bayless.

So much for pointed relief arriving on schedule in June.

Or so it seemed.

Slideshow   Top 100 active NBA players A look at the top players around the league. NBCSports.com

If you haven't noticed, through the first month of this season, the kids are all right, and good things again are coming in small packages.

While the 2009 NBA Draft might not produce a duo with the staying power of Williams and Paul, it arguably will do more to restock the league's void at point guard than any other draft in years.

The irony, of course, is the most heralded point guard in the class likely won't show up in the league until 2011-12, if at all.

Yet, even then, Spanish impresario Ricky Rubio might have a difficult time measuring up to what last June's draft has delivered at the position.

An argument could be made that the freshman team at the Rookie Game during All-Star Weekend in Dallas could be stocked with nothing but point guards.

This class of rookie point guards certainly appears to stand in a class of its own.

Brandon Jennings, Bucks: By now we all know about the 55-point game against the Warriors, the one that came without a single point in the first quarter.

And, yes, we've heard the comparisons to Allen Iverson.

But consider that Jennings is producing at an All-NBA (not just All-Rookie) level for a particularly demanding coach in Scott Skiles.

He has not been gifted his opportunities; he has earned them with a remarkable combination of speed and vision.

With Blake Griffin sidelined, the NBA essentially already has its 2010 Rookie of the Year in the No. 10 overall selection.

The Bucks seemingly knew what they were doing when they allowed Ramon Sessions to depart to the Timberwolves in free agency.

Whether Jennings' success entices others to bypass college for a season in Europe is another story for another day. But it certainly worked for him.

Tyreke Evans, Kings: If not for Jennings, Evans well might be heralded as this year's Derrick Rose, when it comes to his immediate impact on his new team.

With Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia sidelined, Evans has been asked to carry the perimeter scoring load in Sacramento.

The No. 4 overall selection has proven more than up to the challenge, quieting the doubters who were stunned on draft night when Geoff Petrie bypassed at shot a Rubio.

In recording five consecutive 20-point games, Evans became the first Sacramento rookie to do so since Lionel Simmons in 1991.

While second-year Jason Thompson also has emerged, an argument can be made that Evans has meant as much to the Kings' revival as any player on the roster.

Ty Lawson, Nuggets: An afterthought in the draft despite his success at North Carolina, Lawson fell to No. 18 on draft night and then quickly was dispatched from the Timberwolves to the Nuggets.

At the time, Lawson was viewed as a long-range project, someone to run third-string behind Chauncey Billups and Anthony Carter.

Instead, Lawson not only has moved ahead of Carter in Denver's rotation, but has proven to be the perfect complement to Billups with his speed game.

Jonny Flynn, Timberwolves: By the numbers, the former Syracuse standout hasn't approached what Jennings and Evans have achieved.

The difference is Jennings and Evans have not been encumbered by Kurt Rambis' conviction to the triangle offense as the No. 6 overall selection has.

Flynn nonetheless tied Donyell Marshall's franchise record of scoring in double figures in the first 11 games of his rookie season. He already has eased concerns about his outside shooting.

It hardly is a badge of shame to be this season's third-best rookie point guard.