NBA draft: The next generation will have to wait

Three Lakers on last season’s roster -- Kobe Bryant, Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum -- jumped from high school to the NBA. Bryant, from Lower Merion High in suburban Philadelphia, was drafted 13th in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Lakers. Brown, from Glyn Academy in Brunswick, Ga., was the first high school player taken first overall, by Washington, before also being traded to the Lakers. And Bynum -- at 17 years 8 months 2 days -- last season became the youngest player ever drafted when the Lakers selected him 10th overall from St. Joseph High in Metuchen, N.J. There won’t be any high school players added to the NBA pool this year. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, U.S. players must now be at least one year removed from high school before they can be drafted. (NBA draft: Wednesday, 4 p.m. PDT, ESPN)

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Here’s a look at what some of the top players who might have been drafted are doing:

GREG ODEN

Height: 7-0

Weight: 245

High School: Lawrence North, Indianapolis

College: Ohio State

* Could have been 2006 No. 1 pick. Already projected as 2007 top pick. May sit out start of college season because of wrist surgery.

KEVIN DURANT

Height: 6-10

Weight: 190

High School: Montrose Christian, Suitland, Md.

College: Texas

* Durant is being compared to Tracy McGrady and had a chance to be a top-five pick and certainly a top-10 choice.

SPENCER HAWES

Height: 6-11

Weight: 230

High School: Seattle Prep, Seattle

College: Washington

* Would have been a lottery pick like his teammate Martell Webster was a year ago.

THADDEUS YOUNG

Height: 6-8

Weight: 210

High School: Mitchell, Memphis, Tenn.

College: Georgia Tech

* Prototypical small forward who has advantage of being left-handed. Most certainly would have been a first-round pick and possibly a lottery pick.

DARRELL ARTHUR

Height: 6-9

Weight: 215

High School: South Oak Cliff, Dallas

College: Kansas

* Strong inside and fundamentally sound, considered good enough to make Kansas a national title contender. Might have been a first-rounder.

BRANDAN WRIGHT

Height: 6-10

Weight: 200

High School: Brentwood Academy, Nashville

College: North Carolina

* One of two North Carolina players who might have been lottery picks. Might have gone in the top five just for his shot-blocking ability.

CHASE BUDINGER

Height: 6-7

Weight: 190

High School: La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad, Calif.

College: Arizona

* In the old days, his performance at McDonald’s All-American game might have tempted him to listen to scouts saying he would go in the first round.

WAYNE ELLINGTON

Height: 6-4

Weight: 190

High School: Episcopal, Merion, Pa.

College: North Carolina

* Classic two-guard might have been a low first-round pick. Instead, he joins Wright to make North Carolina a title favorite.