Sure, you’ve seen NBA prospect rankings based on all sorts of projections, but how about simply comparing players based on collegiate statistics from this past season?

In preparation of tonight’s NBA Draft , I asked NaismithLives.com’s resident analytics expert, Jesse Arendt, to crunch some numbers for me. Basically, we grouped players into three positional categories – Guards, Wings, and Bigs – in accordance with where they will likely be playing next season. From there, we took a handful of the most highly touted prospects at each spot and ranked them against each other in the following categories* (on a per-40 minute scale) which are statistical indicators of future NBA success:
Points
Rebounds
Assists
Steals
Blocks
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio
Field Goal Percentage
Free Throw Attempts

* - Different statistics were used for different positions because obviously different skill sets are required to succeed for a guard, a wing, and a big. Consequently:
- For Guards, “rebounds” and “blocks” were not included.
- For Bigs, “assists” and “steals” were not included.
- For Wings, “assists” and “rebounds” were used cumulatively as one category, as were “steals” and “blocks.”

Once each category was ranked individually, the total scores were combined. Thus, the players at each position were ranked based upon their lowest combined score. The following are our findings and we’re naming them the S.A. (Stanco-Arendt) Index (total score in parentheses):

S.A. Index: GUARDS
1. John Wall, Kentucky (34)
2. Greivis Vasquez, Maryland (36)
3. Scottie Reynolds, Villanova (38)
4. Elliot Williams, Memphis (42)
5. Mikhail Torrance, Alabama (46)
6. Dominique Jones, South Florida (49)
7. Jon Scheyer, Duke (51)
8. Manny Harris, Michigan (55)
9. Jordan Crawford, Xavier (57)
10. Armon Johnson, Nevada (60)
11. Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga (63)
11. Willie Warren, Oklahoma (63)
13. Sherron Collins, Kansas (66)
13. Sylven Landesberg, Virginia (66)
15. Jerome Randle, California (69)
16. Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky (77)
17. Avery Bradley, Texas (86)
18. Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati (89)
19. Terrico White, Mississippi (93)

S.A. Index: WINGS
1. Evan Turner, Ohio State (28)
2. Tyler Smith, Tennessee (29)
3. Damion James, Texas (30)
4. Quincy Pondexter, Washington (36)
5. Wesley Johnson, Syracuse (42)
6. James Anderson, Oklahoma State (43)
7. Darington Hobson, New Mexico (47)
8. Paul George, Fresno State (49)
8. Luke Babbitt, Nevada (49)
10. Gordon Hayward, Butler (56)
11. Lazar Hayward, Marquette (59)
12. Devin Ebanks, West Virginia (60)
13. Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia (62)
13. Xavier Henry, Kansas (62)
15. Stanley Robinson, Connecticut (68)

S.A. Index: BIGS
1. DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky (40)
2. Artsiom Parkhouski, Radford (45)
3. Ed Davis, North Carolina (55)
4. Dexter Pittman, Texas (57)
5. Omar Samhan, St. Mary’s (58)
6. Jerome Jordan, Tulsa (60)
7. Larry Sanders, Virginia Commonwealth (62)
8. Jarvis Vanardo, Mississippi State (64)
9. Cole Aldrich, Kansas (66)
10. Hassan Whiteside, Marshall (72)
11. Brian Zoubek, Duke (81)
12. Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech (83)
12. Greg Monroe, Georgetown (83)
14. Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech (85)
14. Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest (85)
16. Luke Harangody, Notre Dame (88)
17. Trevor Booker, Clemson (90)
18. Samardo Samuels, Louisville (93)
18. Derrick Caracter, UTEP (93)
20. Ekpe Udoh, Baylor (94)
21. Hamady N’Diaye, Rutgers (96)
22. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky (107)
23. Solomon Alabi, Florida State (108)
24. Craig Brackins, Iowa State (113)
25. Daniel Orton, Kentucky (114)
25. “Tiny” Gallon, Oklahoma (114)