Roy highest Husky pick ever?

Brandon Roy says he’s finally ready.

The first two times Roy and the NBA draft traveled the same road, Roy wasn’t so sure. Now, there’s no question.

And early in today’s draft, a team will agree with Roy, and make the former Garfield High School and University of Washington star a millionaire.

Roy, a 6-foot-6 guard who was a first-team All-American for the Huskies last season, is expected to be among the first six picks when the draft is held today at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Roy could become the highest-drafted Husky ever. Milwaukee selected Bob Houbregs with the third pick of the 1953 draft. Last year, the Portland Trailblazers picked Martell Webster with the sixth pick. Webster committed to Washington out of Seattle Prep High School but never played for the Huskies.

Roy said he’s not worried about when he’s picked, or even by whom. He’s just ready to take his career to the next level.

“Playing in the NBA is something that I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid,” Roy said. “You never know if it’s going to happen. Now that I know I’m definitely going to be picked pretty high, I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen.”

Roy is one of a select number of players who received an invitation to attend the draft in person, but he won’t be the only Husky anxiously waiting to hear his name called. Forward Bobby Jones has made himself into a near-certain second-round pick because of a strong showing following the completion of his senior year. Jones, coach Lorenzo Romar’s first recruit to Washington, has worked out for about 10 teams and is valued for his defensive ability.

“I’m pretty confident,” Jones said. “It seems like there’s a lot of teams that are interested in me. It’s exciting to think about getting a chance to be in the NBA.”

If and when Jones and Roy are selected, they would become the first UW teammates to be taken in the same draft since 1987, when Chris Welp was a first-round pick and Phil Zevenbergen was a third-round selection. Roy would be the second straight first-round pick from Washington after Nate Robinson was taken 21st overall by Phoenix and then traded to New York. Robinson was the first first-round selection from the UW since Welp.

For Roy, today ends a journey that began when he first declared for the NBA draft after his senior year of high school. At that time, Roy realized he wasn’t ready and pulled out. After missing the first half of his freshman season with grade trouble, Roy put up modest numbers as a sophomore. As a junior, he scored 48 points in the first two games of the season before injuring his knee in the third game. The injury lingered, but Roy emerged as the Huskies’ best player during the NCAA tournament. He again considered entering the draft before deciding to return for his senior season.

“There were a lot of reasons, but one of them was that I knew I still had a lot I had to prove to people,” Roy said. “I think people knew I could play. But there were questions if I could shoot it, if I could lead a team, if I could handle the ball. I wanted one more season where I could show I could do all those things.”

Did he ever. Finally getting a chance to be a go-to player, Roy emerged as, arguably, the nation’s best all-around player. He averaged 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals. He shot 50.8 percent from the field, 81 percent from the foul line and 40.2 percent on 3-pointers.

But while Roy showed that he is capable of doing just about anything, there are some questions about whether he does anything well enough to be a star in the NBA. Some wonder if he really can shoot well enough to play shooting guard, or if he can dribble well enough to play the point, or if he’s athletic enough to rebound, get to the rim and defend.

“I think there’s always going to be questions, especially when teams invest all that money in you,” Roy said. “They want you to come in and be great right from the start. But I think I showed last year what I can do, and I think I showed them during my workouts what I can do. I think most teams believe I’m ready to play or they wouldn’t be talking about me being drafted so high.”

So, just how high will Roy go? It’s tough to say. He didn’t work out for Toronto (first), Charlotte (third) or Atlanta (fifth). Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t be taken by them. There has been speculation that Chicago at No. 2 likes Roy, and Nate McMillan is thought to be pushing for Portland to take Roy at No. 4. Minnesota selects sixth. It’s also possible that Roy could be drafted and traded, with Houston and the Lakers among the teams thought to covet him. Seattle picks 10th, and Roy isn’t expected to be around at that point.

Roy says it doesn’t matter where he ends up. Regardless of where he goes, he’ll be rich, he’ll get a chance to play right away, and he’ll be doing something he loves.

“The money’s going to be there, I’m not worried about that,” Roy said. “That’s not why I play. It will be nice to be able to take care of my family, but I’m just excited about getting the chance to play against the best players out there. It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid.”