Well, since were getting close to March Madness, I thought I would update my top 30 players. Some have risen, and some have dropped. Bear in mind, I base my decisions on several different factors. One is how they've played so far this season. In other words, results. Another is, what is the players long range potential. I also take age and the system their playing in into consideration. So with no further ado:
1. Zion Willaimson: SF/PF/whatever, 6'7", 285 Lb's, Duke: Zion was probably born on another planet because he's not restricted by gravity or any other earthly thing. He's one of a kind, and will with out a doubt be the 1st pick in the draft. If you haven't watched him play, you need to. No, he's not perfect, his jumpshot needs some work as do his handles, but he's a unique specimen.
2. Ja Morant: PG, 6'3", 175 Lb's, Murray St.: There have been some comparisons to Fox, and it's easy to see why. Morant has crazy athleticism. He get from end of the floor to the other in the blink of an eye. Like Fox, his outside shot is a little suspect, but not terrible. I would say that his court vision and passing ability is ahead of Fox at the same point in time. He has a terrific feel for the game. I have him at number 2, but depending on a teams needs, Barrett could easily be at number 2. If the Sun's end up with the 2nd pick, and don't pick Morant, then they need to fire their GM again.
3. R.J. Barrett: SF, 6'7", 202 Lb's, Duke: Barrett may be the most talented player overall, in the draft. There's not much he can't do. He can score from anywhere on the court. He's a good finisher, and has excellent handles for the position. He's a much better passer than I thought averaging just under 4 assists a game. Yeah, he does need to become more consistent from the three. but overall, in a normal year, he'd be the 1st player taken in the draft.
4. DeAndre Hunter: SF, 6'8", 225 Lbs, Virginia: I love Hunter, and I probably have him higher than most, but mark this down. three years from now, he may be considered the best player to come out of this draft. He's a terrific defender, and my only knock on him defensively, is that at times I think he's a bit too careful on D trying not to pick up early fouls. He's one of those players that I think will be a far better NBA player than he was a college player, and he's a dam good college player. He's shooting 53.3% overall, and 45.1% from the three. He can guard every position on the floor.
5. Keldon Johnson: SF/SG, 6'6", 211 Lb's, Kentucky: I probably have Johnson higher than most, but I think he tremendous potential, and he's not too shabby right now. He's the best player on the Kentucky team, in my humble opinion, and hes very skilled. He's quite capable of playing both SF and SG, due to his long wingspan. he has excellent handles and he's shooting 40.7% from the three. He's also a very good passer, and a unselfish player.
6. Cam Reddish: SF, 6'8", 218 Lb's, Duke: I could no longer hold Reddish in the 4th spot. At some point, what you do on the floor has to reflect your potential, and draft ranking. He's lived up to his reputation of being here one game, and gone the next. He's shooting a paltry 36.8% overall, and pulling down a pitiful 3.3 rebounds in 28 minutes a game. For a player as talented as he is, he should be embarrassed. To be honest, I think I'm doing him a favor ranking him this high.
7.Jarrett Culver: SG/SF, 6'6", 190 Lb's, Texas Tech: Culver has made a slow steady climb up the draft board all season long. His 3 pt shot has dropped off of late, but he's one talented player with a great motor. He's a surprisingly good passer averaging almost 4 assists a game. He's a pretty good defender, but who floats a bit at times. Again, most 1st option players try to stay on the floor, and early fouls take them off the floor. Culver is also a good rebounder for his position. he's one of those intangible players.
8. Rui Hachimura: SF/PF, 6'8", 230 Lb's, Gonzaga: Rui has had what some would call a breakout year. Excellent defender, decent to good rebounder, who is excellent at finishing around the basket. He's shooting 59.8% ovrall, and this year he's proven to be a consistent 3 pt shooter averaging 42.0%. Some question whether his handles are good enough for the SF position, and I have similar doubts. Right now he's more of a straight line driver. That said, I think he has long term potential.
9. Darius Garland: PG, 6'2", 175 Lb's, Vanderbilt: Garland is probably the 2nd best PG in this draft, in a year, where there aren't many potential NBA starting PG's. Garland came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, and then he went down, and Vanderbilt went down with him. So all the analysis is based on about 4 games, but hey, he was terrific in those games, and since there aren't many other PG's, thus the high rating. He was averaging 16.2 ppg, on 53.7% overall shooting, while shooting 47.8% from the three. I doubt he could maintained those numbers, but it is what it is.
10. Jontay Porter: PF/C, 6'11", 240 Lb's, Missouri: Why you ask would a player who hasn't stepped onto the court this season be ranked this high? Well, we do know what he can do, and when you look at all the players in this draft that are 6'10" or taller, Porter is the most talented of the bunch, and it's not really close. He's a terrific passer, who is also a very good 3pt shooter. A team can run the ball through him out of the high post. He's the prototype NBA center of today.
11. K.Z. Okpala: SF, 6'9", 215 Lb's, Stanford: I really like Okpala. He's really improved his all around game this year. He's shooting 37.1% from the three this season. He's an excellent athlete and a smart player who has learned to take whats there. I think he has quite a bit of upside left. He's still a bit raw in some areas, but he has the beginning of a good foundation going forward.
12. Brandon Clarke: PF/SF/C, 6'8", 215 Lb's, Gonzaga: Clarke is one of the surprises of the season. He played his first two years at San Jose St. before transferring to Gonzaga. He's been a force on the defensive side of the ball. He's one of the best defenders in college averaging 3.1 blocks a game. While that stat is nice, you have to actually see him play to appreciate what he's capable of. But he's not a one dimensional player. He's averaging 16.8 ppg on 68.3% shooting. While he's not a prolific 3pt shooter, he's shown he can hit that shot, shooting 36.4%. He also averages 8.3 boards and 1.3 steals.
13. Jaxon Hayes: C/PF, 6'11", 220 Lb's, Texas: Hayes is a very good athlete who runs the floor well. Most of his offense comes from alley oops, putbacks etc. In other words, he's fairly raw at this point. Most of his upside is on the defensive side of the ball as a rim protector. He's averaging 2.3 blocks a game. At present, he's not much of a passer, and you don't want him to put the ball on the floor much. But he has the potential to be a Capella type player. It will take him a while, but there's a lot of raw talent there.
14. P.J. Washington: SF/PF, 6'8", 228 Lb's, Kentucky: Washington has really come into his own this season. He's almost become a dominate player for Kentucky. In Kentucky's giant matchup with at the time, number one Tennessee, he dominated in the post, against two highly regarded players, Grant Williams, and Admiral Schofield. Washington has become a smart player who knows what his strengths are, and plays to them. He's also shooting 43.1 from the three this season while pulling down 8.1 rebounds.
15. Jalen McDaniels: SF, 6'10", 195 Lb's, San Diego St.: Coming out of high school, Jalen was compared to Kevin Durant. Tough comparison to live up to. Body wise, he does look a lot like Durant, and this season, he's starting to play more like Durant (Ok, so I'm exaggerating a tad). Seriously, he's been playing very well. To be honest he reminds more of Kawhi Leonard. He has excellent length, a very good mid-range jump shot, and he's a good defender. and a player who I think can be a lock down defender in the future, if he wants to be.
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