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After Trae Young and Collin Sexton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the third NCAA guard drafted. He may begin the year behind Patrick Beverley and Milos Teodosic on the Los Angeles Clippers depth chart. He won't finish there, though.

The No. 11 pick looks poised to emerge as one of the top 2018-19 rookies based on his NBA tools and the strides he's made since arriving at Kentucky. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 19.0 points and 4.0 assists during NBA Summer League with no signs that athletic limitations restrict his ability to generate offense.

He compensates for a lack of burst and explosiveness with tight ball-handling, crafty off-the-dribble footwork, unique length and offensive feel. Though not known as a shooter, he appeared more confident and competent with his pull-up game in Las Vegas.

Compared to Beverley, who's coming off knee surgery, he'll give the Clippers a more threatening punch of scoring and playmaking. And he'll provide more defensive versatility and disruptive pressure than Teodosic. There will be reasons to play the 20-year-old right away, outside of just giving him minutes to develop.

Young and Sexton may outproduce him, given their larger projected roles. But Gilgeous-Alexander should be the most efficient while potentially creating a case as the superior long-term prospect.