THE TOP PLAYERS : (Brief sketches of leading players for the NBA draft, listed alphabetically by position. List compiled by United Press International.)

GUARDS

Rafael Addison, Syracuse, 6-7. Good all-around player with excellent jumper. Benefited from playing guard in senior year after three years at forward. Good post-season performance helped. Sometimes has trouble getting free for shot.

Dell Curry, Virginia Tech, 6-5. Compared to Otis Birdsong. Good hands and quick shot. Superb rebounder for his size. Averaged 24.5 points.

Johnny Dawkins, Duke, 6-2. Excellent touch and quick, high release. Leaping ability makes him outstanding rebounder for his size. Tends to break offensive scheme, making turnovers and taking bad shots.

Maurice Martin, St. Joseph’s, 6-6. Can play either point or shooting guard. Good quickness and excellent defense to go with good size.

Steve Mitchell, Ala.-Birmingham, 6-2. Quick and flashy dribbler and shooter. Likes the ball in the clutch.

Mark Price, Georgia Tech, 6-0. Downtown range on jumper and quick first step. Gutsy competitor, but defense is questionable. Tended to disappear in big games.

Scott Skiles, Michigan St., 6-1. A short Larry Bird. Slow, but explosive scorer and passer. Scrappy physical player who won’t quit. Ranked third in nation with 26.9 points per game. Three arrests, including one for drugs, could scare some away.

Pearl Washington, Syracuse, 6-3. An elite passer, who does it all on the break. Quick first step and exceptional strength get him to the hoop. Must work on jumper, turnovers, defense and standing around when he doesn’t have the ball. Tends to have weight problem.

FORWARDS

Mark Alarie, Duke, 6-8. Good college player. Better than average jump shot and ballhandling skills. Makes up for lack of speed by being strong competitor. Could make fine role player for a number of teams.

Walter Berry, St. John’s, 6-8. Great jumping ability. Played out of position last year at center. Must improve range on jump shot and develop more than patented spin move to his left.

Len Bias, Maryland, 6-7. Pro body and is a prototype NBA scorer. Played a lot of zone in college and will have to work on transition to man to man. The bigger the game the better he plays.

Ron Harper, Miami (Ohio), 6-7. Outstanding athletic skills. Good passer and top-rate defender. Probably will be converted to big guard. Averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.

Cedric Henderson, Georgia, 6-8. Would have just completed sophomore year. Spent last season playing in Italian professional league after flunking out at conclusion of freshman year. Strong body gives him overpowering inside game.

Chuck Person, Auburn, 6-8. Consistent at both ends of the court. Played mostly man-to-man in college, making adjustment to NBA easy. Stock soared in NCAA tournament when he proved he could hit the long jumper.

John Salley, Georgia Tech, 7-0. Tremendous athlete, who can run, jump, block shots and pass. Excelled at postseason all-star game in Hawaii. Shoots for high percentage, but has little range. Does a little of everything, but has trouble doing it all.

Brad Sellers, Ohio St., 7-0. Incredible speed and quickness for size. Excellent rebounder who can shoot off dribble. Could change philosophy of small forward. Third in country with 13 rebounds per game. Was the Most Valuable Player in NIT.

John Williams, LSU, 6-7. The youngest (19) and possibly most talented in draft. Excellent ballhandler. Rebounds and makes big play. Intensity and concentration levels questioned.

Kenny Walker, Kentucky, 6-8. Great jumper and rebounder. Questionable jump shot and weak ballhandler. Numbers decreased as a senior with more attention and that might hurt standing.

CENTERS

William Bedford, Memphis St., 7-0. A shot blocker with bulk. Needs work on overall defense, tending to depend too much on zones. Offense developed each year.

Brad Daugherty, North Carolina, 7-0. Front-runner to be No. 1 pick. Plays better facing the basket and will be moved to forward. Tender touch led nation in shooting percentage (64.9). Is he tough enough?

Greg Dreiling, Kansas, 7-1. Good fundamentals--rebounds and gets ball to wings. Never fulfilled advance notice. When he’s good he’s very good, but he is too often not very good. Probably a backup center.

Roy Tarpley, Michigan, 6-11. Another good bet to move to strong forward. College zones were a hindrance and frustrating. Needs to make stronger effort. Senior season was disappointing after brilliant junior campaign.

Chris Washburn, N.C. State, 6-11. Raw potential. Great physical attributes and soft touch on baseline from 8-10 feet. Plays equally well with back to basket or facing it. Must improve rebounding and transition.