Shabazz Napier will be one of the most divisive prospects in the 2014 NBA Draft

At this point, there is little doubt that Shabazz Napier is one of the best college basketball players of his generation. UConn’s senior point guard capped a brilliant career by carrying the Huskies to the national championship on Monday night. He earned his second ring after he played a supporting role as a freshman on UConn’s title team in 2011, one that starred future NBA lottery picks Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb. Now it’s time for Napier to make the same leap to the next level.

Napier spent March and the first week of April crawling up projected draft boards thanks to the added attention of UConn’s run through the bracket, but nothing he did in this tournament felt particularly new -- he’s been a great player for the last three years. Still, you don’t torch one NCAA Tournament opponent after another the way Napier did without picking up a few new fans.

LeBron James couldn’t even wait until the first half ended to chime in on Napier’s draft stock.

And so it begins. Napier will not be among the first players selected in June’s draft, and it seems unlikely he’ll be able to sneak into the lottery the same way Walker did in 2011. However, after spending most of the year as a fringe NBA prospect, It appears that Napier’s performance in the tournament has made him a potential first-round pick.

Draft Express still has Napier as a second-rounder as of last weekend. He’s the No. 55 overall prospect and the No. 9 senior on the board. LeBron isn’t Napier’s only big fan, though. He’s up to No. 26 in Chad Ford’s top 100, and NBADraft.net has him going to Walker’s Bobcats at No. 24.

Napier’s tournament run could be his big advantage over other productive senior point guards in the draft, a group that includes Louisville’s Russ Smith, Michigan State’s Keith Appling and Nevada’s Deonte Burton. Australia’s Dante Exum, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart and Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis are the only point guards you can safely put ahead of him.

Shooting range is Napier’s best quality. He hit just over 40 percent of his three-pointers the last two seasons, and this tournament included plenty of confident off-the-dribble deep pull-up jumpers from past the NBA line. The NBA has no room for small point guards who can’t extend the defense.

You already know the man can get a clean look for himself off the dribble. Napier’s field goal percentage (42.9) isn’t particularly encouraging, but a good number of the 12.4 field goal attempts he took per game came in desperation situations. If the UConn offense stalled, it was Napier’s job to make something happen at the end of the shot clock. He didn’t finish with a gaudy field goal percentage, but the ability to create something from nothing is one that should carry over from college to the pros.

Napier’s toughness is a less tangible trait, but it makes him even more appealing. This is a player who led UConn in points, rebounds and assists despite usually being the smallest guy on the floor. It’s hard to explain how Napier was able to grab 5.9 rebounds per game at his size, except that it’s a testament to his indomitable will and energy. NBA scouts are bound to like that.

Napier might not be Ennis in terms of pure point guard skills, but he does have good court vision. He averaged 5.8 assists per game as a sophomore before focusing on picking up more of the scoring load his last two seasons. He was still able to average 4.9 assists per game this year, though turning the ball over nearly three times per game won’t fly in the NBA. He’ll have to take better care of the ball, but the same thing is said about most college point guards entering the league.

There are a few cons Napier won’t be able to shake in the run-up to the draft, however. Namely: age and size. Turning 23 in July, Napier will be one of the oldest players in the draft. Michigan State center Adreian Payne will likely be the only player older than Napier selected in the first round. Napier is actually 10 months older than his former teammate Lamb, who has been out of college for two seasons now. For whatever Napier gains in the eyes of evaluators for being something of a finished product, he’ll give back by not dripping with potential like other prospects. He’s likely close to his ceiling already.

Size is the other issue. Draft Express lists him at 6’1.5 in shoes with a 6’4 wingspan, meaning he’ll be on the smaller end of the spectrum for guards. This makes the pre-draft combine measurements very important, with every inch counting towards how high he’s drafted. Napier was consistently among the conference leaders in steals during his four-year college career, but his lack of length makes it difficult to project him as a plus defender. If evaluators think he can be average defensively, it might be enough to make him a first-round pick.

It’s easy to overvalue players who make a significant impact on the NCAA Tournament the way Napier did, but he does have a four-year body of work that should speak for itself heading into the NBA. A senior point guard’s fight to make it in the league is among the toughest in terms of breaking into pro sports, but the added exposure Napier received in the last month should only help his chances. If nothing else, it will give him a chance to impress teams at private works, in summer league and at training camp. That’s all a player in Napier’s position can really ask.