2014 Draft Prospects:

bajaden

Hall of Famer
This is from the ESPN writeup for the last Kansas game: (link)



Didn't know about the Mbah A Moute connection before.
Actually I might have put that in my original write up about Embiid. If I didn't, I should have because I knew about it. Thus the comparison to Akeem. Both had similar backgrounds and both were late to the sport of basketball. But as I said, that's where the comparison ends. At least for now.
 

If embiid keeps putting moves like this in this game I'd take him over anyone but parker and wiggins. 7ft big men don't do euro steps besides cousins I can't think of one and on his ft you could also see how good his machines are. His agility and coordination will make him and terror in pick and role defense. His potential is through the roof
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer

If embiid keeps putting moves like this in this game I'd take him over anyone but parker and wiggins. 7ft big men don't do euro steps besides cousins I can't think of one and on his ft you could also see how good his machines are. His agility and coordination will make him and terror in pick and role defense. His potential is through the roof
Wiggins who? No, he's made big strides since a couple of years ago. The more great players that are available in the next draft, the better the chance we'll get one of them. Being greedy, I want more than one. It's going to fun to follow Embiid's journey this season.

By the way, Noah Vonleh and Indiana are playing this evening at 6 PM Pacific on ESPN2. He having a very good year so far. For those that don't know, Vonleh is a 6'9" PF who is very athletic. He's a certain 1st round pick and if he keeps playing at the current level, he's probably a top 10 pick.
 

hrdboild

Moloch in whom I dream Angels!
Staff member
What impresses me the most about Embiid is that he doesn't look like a player who's picked up the game fairly late in life and is still relying on his natural size and athleticism to compete against more experienced players. The way he moves without the ball, the way he rotates into the passing lanes on defense, and the way he recognizes double teams and delivers the ball to the open player all suggest a player with a lot more experience playing team basketball. That tells me that his instincts are all very good. As excited as I am about Parker, Randle, and Wiggins as prospects -- I think Embiid is probably the best fit for our team from the top 5. I can see his skill-set and mobility playing really well next to Cousins.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
What impresses me the most about Embiid is that he doesn't look like a player who's picked up the game fairly late in life and is still relying on his natural size and athleticism to compete against more experienced players. The way he moves without the ball, the way he rotates into the passing lanes on defense, and the way he recognizes double teams and delivers the ball to the open player all suggest a player with a lot more experience playing team basketball. That tells me that his instincts are all very good. As excited as I am about Parker, Randle, and Wiggins as prospects -- I think Embiid is probably the best fit for our team from the top 5. I can see his skill-set and mobility playing really well next to Cousins.
While I absolutely love Embiid and his potential, you'd have to be absolutely crazy (or David Kahn) to pick him in lieu of Parker.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
I agree to take Parker over Embiid but in reality we may have the option to get Embiid and not get Parker. Picky, huh? :) Let us not pass on a big guy again. Last I heard, we needed one. In any case, we may solve a positional problem in this draft in a way not possible through a trade or free agency.

I would hate to get into an argument about whether to pick BPA or for need but this is a draft where anyone in the top 6 or so might very well allow us or any team to be able to pick for need. I think we have all learned there is no FO that can predict the future of a college kid once he hits the NBA and has 4 years experience. Look at Cousins! Bennett is getting boo'd. Drummond has blossomed quickly. Jimmer. TRob. Etc. Top 5 picks have been busts and 60th picks have done very well. I used to be in super tanker mode but now I think we just need to rise or fall to our natural level and we will solve a problem in our lineup.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I agree to take Parker over Embiid but in reality we may have the option to get Embiid and not get Parker. Picky, huh? :) Let us not pass on a big guy again. Last I heard, we needed one. In any case, we may solve a positional problem in this draft in a way not possible through a trade or free agency.

I would hate to get into an argument about whether to pick BPA or for need but this is a draft where anyone in the top 6 or so might very well allow us or any team to be able to pick for need. I think we have all learned there is no FO that can predict the future of a college kid once he hits the NBA and has 4 years experience. Look at Cousins! Bennett is getting boo'd. Drummond has blossomed quickly. Jimmer. TRob. Etc. Top 5 picks have been busts and 60th picks have done very well. I used to be in super tanker mode but now I think we just need to rise or fall to our natural level and we will solve a problem in our lineup.
I'm going to disagree just a tad. While no player comes with a USDA stamp on him, there are some that are far more predictable than others. The questionable players you mentioned, both the disappointments and the surprises, had question marks about them. No one doubted Drummond's talent, just his desire, and unfortunately players don't come with a desire meter on them. Bennett was a ridiculous choice for the first pick in the draft. Do I think that Bennett will eventually be a good player? Yes! But like Corliss, he's going to have to adjust his game somewhat from college where he could just overpower the opposition. Very rare for a 6'7" PF to overpower players in the NBA. Jimmer and T Rob both had questions about them. If someone would have asked me who was the most skilled of the two, it would have been Jimmer. And it wouldn't be close. T Rob's biggest problem is that he doesn't have that "it" factor, and he thinks he does. If he ever realizes who he really is, he may turn into a good player.

Once again, I believe that if you do your homework, and not rely on Chad Ford for your info on players, you can be very successful in the draft. Especially when you picking in the top 5 or 10. But I agree that its not an exact science, and everyone does it a little differently. At the end it comes down to what can a player do right now, and what do you think he'll be capable of doing in 4 or 5 years. The larger the gap between the two, the bigger the upside of the player. However, if you can't rebound in college, its likely your not going to rebound in the NBA. If you have bad hands in college, you'll have bad hands in the NBA. If you can't jump in college, your not suddenly going to be an explosive leaper in the NBA. Anyway, you already know all this stuff.

In most drafts, there is usually one player, maybe two, that if you were to issue a guarantee, they would get it. That's whats unusual about this draft. There are at least 5 players that could be stars, and another 6 to 10 players that should be solid to very good NBA players, and maybe a couple of stars as well. You have players like Poythress, who would have been a first round pick, maybe a lottery pick last season, that could slide in the second round this year. If you pick in the top 10 this year, and you don't get a very good player, then your an idiot. Not talking about you of course.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
If you pick in the top 10 this year, and you don't get a very good player, then your an idiot. Not talking about you of course.
This was sure a bit picky but I will agree wholeheartedly with what I have retained from your note. Both points. ;) My view is that anyone in the top 10 will at least be the 2nd best player on our team and there are a few who could be better than Cousins. I have a few question marks on a few but what's new? No one is perfect however a few come as close as I have seen as a collection of players in a long time. It certainly isn't unusual that every year turns out a super fantastic player like Davis but we may have roughly 4-6 super fantastic players in this draft. One of my question marks has to do with Embiid but he hasn't been playing long and I know darn well he would make the Kings a much better team. MUCH better. If someone introduces him to the idea of shot blocking, he will be scary.

Please, no one correct my use of 4-6 super fantastic. I don't know for sure but am simply pointing out what is a fact about this draft - it is deep at the top and I will take bajaden's word for it that this depth continues on and on. The 30th pick this year will be better than other 30th picks of other years which is what I assume he is trying to point out.

If we finish low, we will possibly get two rotational players. I hope we make a few trades and get draft picks. Unlike the weird year a few decades ago when we had 4 first round picks, many of whom were a grossly incomplete, 4 picks in this draft would be just plain fun for the fan to watch how they evolve.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
This was sure a bit picky but I will agree wholeheartedly with what I have retained from your note. Both points. ;) My view is that anyone in the top 10 will at least be the 2nd best player on our team and there are a few who could be better than Cousins. I have a few question marks on a few but what's knew? No one is perfect however a few come as close as I have seen as a collection of players in a long time. It certainly isn't unusual that every year turns out a super fantastic player like Davis but we may have roughly 4-6 super fantastic players in this draft. One of my question marks has to do with Embiid but he hasn't been playing long and I know darn well he would make the Kings a much better team. MUCH better. If someone introduces him to the idea of shot blocking, he will be scary.

Please, no one correct my use of 4-6 super fantastic. I don't know for sure but am simply pointing out what is a fact about this draft - it is deep at the top and I will take bajaden's word for it that this depth continues on and on. The 30th pick this year will be better than other 30th picks of other years which is what I assume he is trying to point out.

If we finish low, we will possibly get two rotational players. I hope we make a few trades and get draft picks. Unlike the weird year a few decades ago when we had 4 first round picks, many of whom were a bit shaky, 4 picks in this draft would be just plain fun for the fan to watch how they evolve.
Yeah, I agree! As for Embiid, so far he averaging 1 block a game, but he's only averaging 19 minutes a game for 3 games. I'm sure those minutes will increase as the year goes on, and his blocked shots will increase as well.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
A few notes: Dante Exum's highschool career ended this weekend, so it will be interesting to see what he does now. He said he'd probably visit a few US colleges, but I'm not sure he could compete this year, maybe, and I doubt he'd play college ball next year with his draft status being as high as it is. As it is, he probably couldn't help his status, but only hurt it, so why take the gamble. A couple of GM's said they'd consider taking him with the first pick in the draft. Best comparison, Penny Hardaway.

Doug McDermott just keeps on going on. He had another great game yesterday playing 36 minutes and scoring 33 points on 9 of 17 shooting overall, 3 of 7 from behind the 3 pt line, and 12 of 15 from the freethrow line. He added 15 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He may not be the greatest athlete in the world, but he's hard to ignore, especially since he more than held his own against NBA players at the USA team tryout camp in Las Vegas. Very high BBIQ, and he can score from anywhere on the floor.

Here are some updates on players of note:

Jabari Parker: 5 games played - 27.6 MPG, 22.4 PPG, 56.6% FGP, 65% 3PP, 8.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 2 BPG

Rodney Hood: 5 games played - 32.8 MPG, 21.8 PPG, 73.3% FGP, 72.7% 3PP, 4.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Andrew Wiggins: 3 games played - 29.7 MPG, 17.0 PPG, 54.5% FGP, 33.3% 3PP, 6.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Joel Embiid: 3 games played - 19 MPG , 9.0 PPG, 69.2% FGP, 8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.3 APG, 1 BPG

Marcus Smart: 4 games played - 26.3 MPG, 20.0 PPG, 45.1% FGP, 38.5% 3PP, 4.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 4.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Doug McDermott: 4 games played - 30.3 MPG, 27.5 PPG, 55.1% FGP, 50.0% 3PP, 8.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG

Noah Vonleh: 6 games played - 21.7 MPG, 12.8 PPG, 49.0% FGP, 10.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Julius Randle: 5 games played - 29.4 MPG, 20.8 PPG, 61.1% FGP, 13.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 BPG

Aaron Gordon: 5 games played - 28.6 MPG, 13.0 PPG, 48.1% FGP, 50.0 3PP, 9.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG
1.8 BPG

Willie Cauley-Stein: 5 games played - 22.8 MPG, 7.2 PPG, 58.3% FGP, 9.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.4 SPG,
2.2 BPG

Jordan Adams: 4 games played - 28.8 MPG, 22.3 PPG, 51.9% FGP, 47.8% 3PP, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 APG,
3.5 SPG

Johnny O'Bryant: 4 games played - 29.0 MPG, 17.8 PPG, 48.1% FGP, 11.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG,
1.8 BPG

Perry Ellis: 4 games played - 29.5 MPG, 16.8 PPG, 69.4% FGP, 66.7% 3PP, 7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.8 SPG,
0.8 BPG

James McAdoo: 4 games played - 31.3 MPG, 17.0 PPG, 50.0% FGP, 7.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Adreian Payne: 6 games played - 28.2 MPG, 17.2 PPG, 51.4% FGP, 47.1% 3PP, 8.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 BPG, 1.5 BPG

Glenn Robinson: 5 games played - 34.8 MPG, 13.4 PPG, 42.3% FGP, 26.3% 3PP, 6.0 RPG, 2.2 APG,
2.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Andrew Harrison: 5 games played - 30.2 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 48.1% FGP, 63.6% 3PP, 2.8 RPG, 3.6 APG,
0.4 SPG

Kyle Anderson: 4 games played - 32.5 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 40.6% FGP, 20.0% 3PP, 9.8 RPG, 8.0 APG,
1.6 BPG

Wayne Selden: 4 games played - 26.5 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 51.7% FGP, 33.3% 3PP, 2.5 RPG, 3.3 APG,
0.2 SPG

Mitch McGary: 3 games played - 23.0 MPG, 9.7 PPG, 52.0% FGP, 7.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Mamadou N'Diaye: 6 games played - 18.2 MPG, 9.8 PPG, 82.1% FGP, 5.8 RPG, 0.2 APG, 2.7 BPG.

If you've never heard of Mamadou N'Diaye, you can't be blamed. He's another newcomer to basketball, and he made his presence felt when U.C. Irvine upset Washington earlier this season. What makes him unique, is the fact that he's 7'6" with an 8'1" wingspan, and weighs 290 Lbs. I'm sure that scouts will be following him closely. Disappointed in McAdoo so far. Just disappears in games. Adreian Payne is really playing well. Jordan Adams is really on a roll offensively, and he's playing great defense as well.
 
C

Cold

Guest
A few notes: Dante Exum's highschool career ended this weekend, so it will be interesting to see what he does now. He said he'd probably visit a few US colleges, but I'm not sure he could compete this year, maybe, and I doubt he'd play college ball next year with his draft status being as high as it is. As it is, he probably couldn't help his status, but only hurt it, so why take the gamble. A couple of GM's said they'd consider taking him with the first pick in the draft. Best comparison, Penny Hardaway.

Doug McDermott just keeps on going on. He had another great game yesterday playing 36 minutes and scoring 33 points on 9 of 17 shooting overall, 3 of 7 from behind the 3 pt line, and 12 of 15 from the freethrow line. He added 15 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He may not be the greatest athlete in the world, but he's hard to ignore, especially since he more than held his own against NBA players at the USA team tryout camp in Las Vegas. Very high BBIQ, and he can score from anywhere on the floor.

Here are some updates on players of note:

Jabari Parker: 5 games played - 27.6 MPG, 22.4 PPG, 56.6% FGP, 65% 3PP, 8.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 2 BPG

Rodney Hood: 5 games played - 32.8 MPG, 21.8 PPG, 73.3% FGP, 72.7% 3PP, 4.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Andrew Wiggins: 3 games played - 29.7 MPG, 17.0 PPG, 54.5% FGP, 33.3% 3PP, 6.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Joel Embiid: 3 games played - 19 MPG , 9.0 PPG, 69.2% FGP, 8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.3 APG, 1 BPG

Marcus Smart: 4 games played - 26.3 MPG, 20.0 PPG, 45.1% FGP, 38.5% 3PP, 4.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 4.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Doug McDermott: 4 games played - 30.3 MPG, 27.5 PPG, 55.1% FGP, 50.0% 3PP, 8.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG

Noah Vonleh: 6 games played - 21.7 MPG, 12.8 PPG, 49.0% FGP, 10.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Julius Randle: 5 games played - 29.4 MPG, 20.8 PPG, 61.1% FGP, 13.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 BPG

Aaron Gordon: 5 games played - 28.6 MPG, 13.0 PPG, 48.1% FGP, 50.0 3PP, 9.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG
1.8 BPG

Willie Cauley-Stein: 5 games played - 22.8 MPG, 7.2 PPG, 58.3% FGP, 9.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.4 SPG,
2.2 BPG

Jordan Adams: 4 games played - 28.8 MPG, 22.3 PPG, 51.9% FGP, 47.8% 3PP, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 APG,
3.5 SPG

Johnny O'Bryant: 4 games played - 29.0 MPG, 17.8 PPG, 48.1% FGP, 11.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG,
1.8 BPG

Perry Ellis: 4 games played - 29.5 MPG, 16.8 PPG, 69.4% FGP, 66.7% 3PP, 7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.8 SPG,
0.8 BPG

James McAdoo: 4 games played - 31.3 MPG, 17.0 PPG, 50.0% FGP, 7.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Adreian Payne: 6 games played - 28.2 MPG, 17.2 PPG, 51.4% FGP, 47.1% 3PP, 8.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 BPG, 1.5 BPG

Glenn Robinson: 5 games played - 34.8 MPG, 13.4 PPG, 42.3% FGP, 26.3% 3PP, 6.0 RPG, 2.2 APG,
2.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Andrew Harrison: 5 games played - 30.2 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 48.1% FGP, 63.6% 3PP, 2.8 RPG, 3.6 APG,
0.4 SPG

Kyle Anderson: 4 games played - 32.5 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 40.6% FGP, 20.0% 3PP, 9.8 RPG, 8.0 APG,
1.6 BPG

Wayne Selden: 4 games played - 26.5 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 51.7% FGP, 33.3% 3PP, 2.5 RPG, 3.3 APG,
0.2 SPG

Mitch McGary: 3 games played - 23.0 MPG, 9.7 PPG, 52.0% FGP, 7.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Mamadou N'Diaye: 6 games played - 18.2 MPG, 9.8 PPG, 82.1% FGP, 5.8 RPG, 0.2 APG, 2.7 BPG.

If you've never heard of Mamadou N'Diaye, you can't be blamed. He's another newcomer to basketball, and he made his presence felt when U.C. Irvine upset Washington earlier this season. What makes him unique, is the fact that he's 7'6" with an 8'1" wingspan, and weighs 290 Lbs. I'm sure that scouts will be following him closely. Disappointed in McAdoo so far. Just disappears in games. Adreian Payne is really playing well. Jordan Adams is really on a roll offensively, and he's playing great defense as well.
Some of those lines are insane. Parker and Randle are just destroying. The line that caught my attention is Smart's. He's not shooting so bad for a disputed poor shooter which confirms my suspicion that his shot was going to improve.

Regarding Wiggins, I'd like to see him raise his APG to around 3. A player with his handle and ability to drive should make his teammates better.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer


This is a picture I took of N'Diaye a while back at the rec cen haha. He goes to my school, UCI
I'm sure he'll set a new standing reach record at the NBA combine. His wingspan is ridiculous. If the dude can play, and hopefully I'll get a few chances to see him this season, he'll attract a lot of attention come draft day. How in the hell can you weight 290 pounds and still be that thin.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
I watched the Duke game on friday, and Parker was outstanding. As was Rodney Hood. For a while I didn't think either of them were going to miss a shot. Parker has it all. He handles the ball very well, and scores from anywhere on the floor. Extremely hard to guard. Hood impressed me with his outside shot, which used to be his weakness. He got to the basket at will. Just one game, but so far, I'm very impressed. Tonights games should be more of a test. Duke against Kansas.
Hood impresses me. In an ordinary draft, he could be a top 10 player. He's a guy who can make an impact on the game at the defensive and offensive end of the floor. So far I haven't seen his name much on the draft boards. I don' think that lasts for long.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
He had a great game! I remember a game like that last season early in the year that just blew me away. If he can continue to play at this level, then he moves up the draft board. Look, I like Smart, but last year he was extremely inconsistent. This is a new year. What I can't get out of my mind, and I probably should, since it was only one game, was the Exum/Smart matchup in the U19 games. A lot of these games are broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU by the way. In that game, Dante Exum totally shut down Smart. I mean he flat smothered him. But on the other end, Exum scored at will on Smart. He was just too tall, fast, athletic, and skilled for Smart to contain. In that one game, Smart looked average against Exum. Now maybe that's not a fair comparison. Who knows, Exum may be, as one scout suggested, the best player in the entire draft, and if so, then Smart doesn't look so bad.

Right now, even if Smart continues at this level, I wouldn't take him over Randle, Wiggins, Parker, or Exum. Now that's not such a bad thing. That would mean he's number 5 on my list. And to be number 5 in this draft is pretty damm good. I don't have him there yet, but I'm impressed so far.
Smart wouldn't be in my top 10 in an ordinary draft. I think he's overrated. You've got to have quicks to play guard in the NBA. Big guys who are relatively slow other than Magic Johnson just don't do well. Smart could be the exception to the rule, but I doubt it.
 
Smart wouldn't be in my top 10 in an ordinary draft. I think he's overrated. You've got to have quicks to play guard in the NBA. Big guys who are relatively slow other than Magic Johnson just don't do well. Smart could be the exception to the rule, but I doubt it.
Smart is far from slow, I have no idea what you're talking about. He's an excellent athlete considering how big and strong he is.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
Smart is far from slow, I have no idea what you're talking about. He's an excellent athlete considering how big and strong he is.
And Jimmer wasn't slow by NBA standards, nor was his ball handling subpar by NBA standards. I just don't know what .I'm talking about. Smart's advantage is his size in the college game; not his quicks. I don't see him blowing by people like they are standing still in college. On the other hand, I do see teams pressuring him in the backcourt and I see Smart bringing the ball up the floor very laboriously in that situation; not what I want to see in college.
 
And Jimmer wasn't slow by NBA standards, nor was his ball handling subpar by NBA standards. I just don't know what .I'm talking about. Smart's advantage is his size in the college game; not his quicks. I don't see him blowing by people like they are standing still in college. On the other hand, I do see teams pressuring him in the backcourt and I see Smart bringing the ball up the floor very laboriously in that situation; not what I want to see in college.
Did you just compare his situation to Jimmers? Dear Lord. I don't know if I should respond to that or not, given that it's pretty obvious you haven't really watched Smart play. Smart is one of the most athletic guards in all of college ball and will be way above average in the NBA for a PG. Not in Rose/Westbrook territory, but one level below. He might not look awfully quick, but for a guy of his build, he's very quick and has great hops. His lateral quickness and defense is some of the best I've seen in college ball over the last 5 years, he's a terror defensively. Seriously, I really don't think you know what you're talking about. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how he does in the NBA. And for the record, his handles are far, far superior to Jimmers. The comparison is a bit mind-boggling - and yes, I know you're not talking about style of game, you're talking about speed and handles. Still completely ludicrous to be quite honest.

His advantage in college may be size, but guess what, the dude is still strong enough to run over most PGs in the NBA physically. The physical advantage won't stop at the next level.
 
C

Cold

Guest
Smart drives the lane whenever he wants and is a lockdown defender. Both a result of his athleticism. Not sure why we're having a discussion about him being slow like magic or no hop like jimmer lol.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
Hood impresses me. In an ordinary draft, he could be a top 10 player. He's a guy who can make an impact on the game at the defensive and offensive end of the floor. So far I haven't seen his name much on the draft boards. I don' think that lasts for long.
Hood is an example of how a change of scenery can help. He transferred from Tennessee to Duke, and all of a sudden he's a different player. He currently listed at number 14 on DraftExpress. Very athletic kid, who has obviously worked on his outside shot, which was his weakness last season.

Edit: Hood transfereed from Mississippi St., not Tennessee. My bad. For some strange reason I get those two schools mixed up in my mind. Whats left of it.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
What? Smart is slow?

Now i've seen it all.
I wouldn't call Smart slow, but he's not what I would call an elite athlete. He is blessed with very good lateral quickness though. He's definitely shooting the ball better from the three so far this season, and that was one of my main complaints. I'd feel better about him if he got his assist totals up. I still see him as a combo guard, or perhaps a SG more than a strict PG. A lot of season left though for him to change my mind.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Did you just compare his situation to Jimmers? Dear Lord. I don't know if I should respond to that or not, given that it's pretty obvious you haven't really watched Smart play. Smart is one of the most athletic guards in all of college ball and will be way above average in the NBA for a PG. Not in Rose/Westbrook territory, but one level below. He might not look awfully quick, but for a guy of his build, he's very quick and has great hops. His lateral quickness and defense is some of the best I've seen in college ball over the last 5 years, he's a terror defensively. Seriously, I really don't think you know what you're talking about. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how he does in the NBA. And for the record, his handles are far, far superior to Jimmers. The comparison is a bit mind-boggling - and yes, I know you're not talking about style of game, you're talking about speed and handles. Still completely ludicrous to be quite honest.

His advantage in college may be size, but guess what, the dude is still strong enough to run over most PGs in the NBA physically. The physical advantage won't stop at the next level.
Yeah, I'd say he's certainly a good enough athlete to play in the NBA. I wouldn't call him an elite ballhandler, such as in the Tyreke Evans class, but he's certainly far better than Jimmer. Considering that Smart makes most of his living by driving to the basket, I'd have to say that his ballhandling is adequate. My problem was, and still is to some extent, is his outside shot. I do agree with Kingster in that his size isn't going to be such an advantage in the NBA, though it will certainly help.

I'll tell you who I've been really impressed with so far this year, and I've seen him play 4 times now, and thats Jordan Adams of UCLA. Not only is he scoring the ball extremely well, he's been playing lock down defense. He's right up there with Smart in steals per game. I think he had around 7 steals in his last game. His stock is rapidly rising.
 
I haven't seen UCLA play at all this year, but it's only a matter of time. I'll be keeping an eye out for him. Glancing over his stats, they look very impressive.
 
Hood is an example of how a change of scenery can help. He transferred from Tennessee to Duke, and all of a sudden he's a different player. He currently listed at number 14 on DraftExpress. Very athletic kid, who has obviously worked on his outside shot, which was his weakness last season.
I would call it Ben Mclemore syndrome - guy spent entire season in practice and was willing to listen and put in work. Now he functions really well within the system.