2013 Draft Prospects

[Vlade4GM]

I guess the question would be, underrated by who? Certainly not by me, and not by most of the scouts I suscribe to. I guess if your going by the mock draft boards it might be correct. I personally think he's the current best overall PG in the draft. There are others that may be better long term, but right now, if I wanted to draft a PG, I'd draft Burke.

By the way, my reference to Durant was based on what I saw with my own eyes and not stats. When he was at Texas, his shot selection was not very good, and he basicly shot the ball if he got the ball. The fact that he made a high percentage of them was irrelevant to me. I figured that he had to change his approach if he was going to be successful in the NBA. If you look at his first year in the NBA, in Seattle, I believe he only shot around 28 or 29 percent from long range. However, he worked on his game, improved his shot selection, his passing and ballhandling, and made himself into a superstar.

If you're going by mock drafts right now, then I'd say he's the most underrated player in the draft. I do suspect he'll climb quite a bit by draft time, so it may ultimately be moot. He's one of the few players in the draft that I have good feeling about, like he could be an all-star.

You did say he shot a low percentage though, and he didn't. Regardless, I don't think it's fair to equate questionable (for the NBA level) shot selection to overall shooting ability. He was lauded as a good shooter in HS, he shot great percentages in college, and he (as is common) had low percentages in his first year, then he adjusted and became the player he was projected to be.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Wow, huge game today for Otto Porter. He is such a smooth player, and if he's not careful, he'll end up being considered for the first pick in the draft. Today against Syracuse he had 33 points on 12 of 19 shooting overall, and was 5 of 10 from the three. He added 8 boards 2 assists, and 5 steals. Its like a catch 22. You want him to play well so you know he someone you want to draft, but at the same time, if he plays too well, he moves up the draft board and out of our reach.

I agree. He looked like a #1 overall pick to me today. Active, makes smart decisions, great size for a 3. There is basically nothing not to like, not today.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I'm on board with all four of those guys. I'd add Marcus Smart to the list. A guy thats rising rapidly up my board is Victor Oladipo. The burning question, is whether his shooting is an abberration or not. According to people in the know in Indiana, its not. He's simply put in the time and work to improve. He still needs to improve his ballhandling, but he's a terror on the defensive side of the ball. Here's the question. If Noel drops to us because of his torn ACL, do you draft him? Bearing in mind, that he probably won't be ready for the start of next season. I would, but what would the rest of you do?

I'm really not sold on Smart as a playmaker or a scorer, he strikes me too much as a tweener guard. His size and stats can make for a sexy PG, but he's too raw as a lead guard, and not a pure enough shooter or explosive enough athlete to really take him as a high upside 2. He's like Tyreke, except he's not nearly as advanced of a ball handler (no left hand), not as big/long, and not as savvy of a finisher. I think he gets by too much on his brute strength at the college level. He could be good, but he's too much of a boom/bust type for my taste.

This is a draft of what seems to be potential solid role playing starters, and Oladipo fits into that mold. After the likes of Udoh and Wes Johnson though, I'm extremely wary of players that seemingly make huge jumps in their junior/senior years.

I see Noel as a Camby/Noah type player, and that's hard to pass up on in a draft like this, but it really depends who else is on the board, because it's a difficult decision to commit to a player that's starting off his career with a pretty serious knee injury.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I agree. He looked like a #1 overall pick to me today. Active, makes smart decisions, great size for a 3. There is basically nothing not to like, not today.

I like Porter, I think he can be a very solid role playing SF, but I don't see that high of an upside with him. He's not very good off the dribble, and not that much of an athlete. He kind of reminds me of Batum, but much less athletic and more brainy, so maybe like a Shane Battier.

Also, I'm still haunted by how wrong I was about Wes Johnson, and there's some similarities between the two.

 

[Gilles]

Except Porter is a normal aged sophomore, not red-shirt junior, and he made a sizable jump in both physical and skill department. Looking at top-20 sophomores on DX, Porter is most improved among them. Outside of top-5 he's probably BPA. And 5-10 from college 3 confirms once again he's a good long-range shooter now.

 

[bajaden]

I like Porter, I think he can be a very solid role playing SF, but I don't see that high of an upside with him. He's not very good off the dribble, and not that much of an athlete. He kind of reminds me of Batum, but much less athletic and more brainy, so maybe like a Shane Battier.

Also, I'm still haunted by how wrong I was about Wes Johnson, and there's some similarities between the two.

Wow, I simply don't see the comparison between Johnson and Porter. Shane Battier, yes, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that comparison. The big question about Johnson was his skill level. At least for me. No one doubted his athleticism, but as with all Syracuse players, you wonder if they're as good as they look. Syracuse has that ability to hide all the deficiences of a player. With Porter, its exactly the opposite, no one doubts his skill level. He's extremely skilled. He really has few holes in his game. Yes, he could improve his ballhandling, but I can show you a lot of SF's in the NBA that are successful that could improve their ballhandling. And his BBIQ is off the charts. The dude knows hot to play the game.

I read an interview with a players agent a while ago. It may have been David Falk, I really don't remember. But he said, that there's a reason why only 8 or 9 teams have won the championship, and its because they always draft, or through freeagency, sign highly skilled players. He said that those teams, when left with the decision of choosing between a very athletic, but questionably skilled player, and an average athlete, but highly skilled player, they choose the average athlete but highly skilled player everytime. The teams that wander around the bottom of the standings get caught up in chasing great athlete's with high potential, and too many times, they never reach that potential. Personally, I suscribe to his beliefs. Of course, if you can find a highly skilled player thats also a great athlete, then you have a no brainer. The problem is, that year after year, there are dammed few of them in the draft, so you end up picking a great athlete with high potential. You take a gamble. Thomas Robinson, despite his press clippings was a gamble. Uncia03 and I sat and discussed him many times, and neither of us could get overly excited about him. We certainly saw the potential,but that was about it.

I know Kingster is a big BBIQ fan, and I think that has to be an important part of the equation. We always assume that at some point a player will get it. And I'd say around 65 to 75% of them do. But how long does it take, and do you as team have the time to wait. When the Kings drafted Gerald Wallace, they had the time to wait. Teams like the Spurs etc. have the time to wait. Teams like the current Kings don't. Thats why I think a player like Porter could have an immediatel impact on the Kings. He fills a position of need, and he's a highly skilled player with maybe the best BBIQ in college. Great athlete? No! But then neither was Larry Bird. And thats not a personal comparison, but just an example.

By the way, when Bird was elligible for the draft, and the rules were different then, I listened to an interview with Scotty Sterling, who at the time was the chief scout with the Warriors, and he said he didn't like Bird that much. He couldn't run, he couldn't jump, and he didn't have great lateral movement. All he could do was shoot the ball, and he didn't know if he would be able to create his own shot in the NBA. Oh, and his ballhandling needed improvement.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I started really paying attention to Otto Porter 2/3 weeks ago when he was in our draft range, and now it looks like we'd be lucky to have him fall to us.

This is unfortunate because very few players have really impressed me this season. This seems like one of the weaker draft classes.

I'm also starting to come around on the PG's in this class. Carter-Williams and Smart should both be very good pro's. I'm a little more concerned about Smart's PG skills, but he's younger and appears to have more upside. If we had a pick with both of them on the board, I think I would select Smart, but it's close. A part of me likes Carter-Williams more, but I would be afraid of not selecting Smart. It almost makes me hope Smart isn't on the board by the time we'd be picking.

 

[Cwebb#4]

Very few players have really impressed me this season. This seems like one of the weaker draft classes.

Yes, this is a very
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[Cwebb#4]

Has anyone considered Michael Carter-Williams? He's great defensively, he has high assist numbers, and he is within our picking range. I think he would fit in GREAT with DMC and Tyreke, if we can get him. (Of course, this is all considering I still care about the Kings/hopefully-not-Supersonics next season.)

 

[Vlade4GM]

I said there were similarities, I wasn't making a formal comparison. They both have length, which led to blocks, steals, and rebounds, but lack strength and their individual D is hidden in the zone. Both have no off the dribble game/played off the ball, minimalist game. They both had big jumps in 3pt% on not that many attempts.

Developing an OTD game is very hard to do after even an early point in a player's development, and is more than often the exception. With Wes Johnson I made the mistake of using players like Marion and Granger as examples of how he could succeed, but they're not the norm at all. Counting on player's to become great off-ball scorers or develop an OTD game is not a good idea. I like Porter, but it's important to stress his limited upside.

 

[Vlade4GM]

MCW is a very high risk high reward player. There's a lot of scary things about him, he's shooting an awful percentage (despite having good form), he's a year old for his class, poor finisher, very high turnovers, Syracuse having a poor track record in the NBA, and has some pretty ugly games. He was putting up insane stats earlier in the year, but once they started playing real competition he struggled a lot. Most of his weaknesses are theoretically improvable though, but he's an extremely risky pick. I'd much rather have Trey Burke.

 

[bajaden]

MCW is a very high risk high reward player. There's a lot of scary things about him, he's shooting an awful percentage (despite having good form), he's a year old for his class, poor finisher, very high turnovers, Syracuse having a poor track record in the NBA, and has some pretty ugly games. He was putting up insane stats earlier in the year, but once they started playing real competition he struggled a lot. Most of his weaknesses are theoretically improvable though, but he's an extremely risky pick. I'd much rather have Trey Burke.

On this point, were in agreement. Not on Porter. I'm curious, how many times have you seen Porter play? He's an extremely smart basketball player, and that doesn't show up in stats. He did make a big jump in his 3 pt shooting, but then he worked the entire offseason on his jumpshot. He's taken a third more shots from beyond the arc, and he's made more of them. Thats a good sign. One of the main reasons is that he made huge improvements in his shot selection.

Smart is going to be a pretty good NBA player. He might even eventually be a star. My problem with him is that his game is too much like Tyreke's. I'm not sure they would fit well together. By the way, did anyone take the time to watch Nate Wolters yesterday? He had a very nice game.
Also, I wonder if Calapari was using a cattle prod yesterday because Alex Poythress broke out of his shell and looked like an NBA player. 21 pt's on 8 of 10 shooting, and he played 40 minutes. He added 7 boards. Willie Cauley-Stein seems to be settling in now that Noel is gone. He didn't score that much with just 7 pts, but he had 12 boards and 7 blocked shots.

 

[Gilles]

I started really paying attention to Otto Porter 2/3 weeks ago when he was in our draft range, and now it looks like we'd be lucky to have him fall to us.

This is unfortunate because very few players have really impressed me this season. This seems like one of the weaker draft classes.

I'm also starting to come around on the PG's in this class. Carter-Williams and Smart should both be very good pro's. I'm a little more concerned about Smart's PG skills, but he's younger and appears to have more upside. If we had a pick with both of them on the board, I think I would select Smart, but it's close. A part of me likes Carter-Williams more, but I would be afraid of not selecting Smart. It almost makes me hope Smart isn't on the board by the time we'd be picking.

Thing is if you project the season based on last 20 games Suns, Kings and Wolves are going for picks #3-5.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Thing is if you project the season based on last 20 games Suns, Kings and Wolves are going for picks #3-5.

That's certainly possible, we'll end up picking somewhere inside the top 10 for sure, but a part of me feels like we'll be outside the top 5. Other teams tank better than we do, or have in the past.

 

[Vlade4GM]

On this point, were in agreement. Not on Porter. I'm curious, how many times have you seen Porter play? He's an extremely smart basketball player, and that doesn't show up in stats. He did make a big jump in his 3 pt shooting, but then he worked the entire offseason on his jumpshot. He's taken a third more shots from beyond the arc, and he's made more of them. Thats a good sign. One of the main reasons is that he made huge improvements in his shot selection.

I've seen him play like three or four times, and I haven't denied that he's a smart player. I'm also not saying he's a bad shooter, but there isn't a huge sample to go off of, so you never know.

 

[bajaden]

I've seen him play like three or four times, and I haven't denied that he's a smart player. I'm also not saying he's a bad shooter, but there isn't a huge sample to go off of, so you never know.

True true! And thats what makes this so interesting. I will admit that I've learned from my mistakes of the past, or at least I hope so. I have the tendecy to lean toward skilled players. Unfortunately, that can bite you in the butt as well. Its still early, but Drummond looks like he may well turn out to be a decent to good player. I watched this kid in highschool, and his one year of college, and frankly, he scared me to death. So much potential, and at times, actually, a lot of the times, so little effort. You just never know with some players.

 

[Kingster]

Wes Johnson was more of an athlete than a basketball player. People kept saying that he would eventually become a better ball handling two, but it hasn't happened. Otto Porter is more of a basketball player than an athlete. I'll take the latter. Part of the whole BBIQ equation is poise, which predisposes a player to good decision making on the floor. Porter showed a lot of it in the Syracuse game. He might never get to be an All-Star, but I'd be very surprised if he isn't a solid starter at the 3 in the NBA. He'd be an instant upgrade at the 3 for the Kings.

I'm not sold on Carter-Williams, but I've only seen a couple of games. For now, I agree with the high risk category for him. You see little flashes, but his overall impact on the game, at least from what I've seen, hasn't been major.

 

[bajaden]

Wes Johnson was more of an athlete than a basketball player. People kept saying that he would eventually become a better ball handling two, but it hasn't happened. Otto Porter is more of a basketball player than an athlete. I'll take the latter. Part of the whole BBIQ equation is poise, which predisposes a player to good decision making on the floor. Porter showed a lot of it in the Syracuse game. He might never get to be an All-Star, but I'd be very surprised if he isn't a solid starter at the 3 in the NBA. He'd be an instant upgrade at the 3 for the Kings.

I'm not sold on Carter-Williams, but I've only seen a couple of games. For now, I agree with the high risk category for him. You see little flashes, but his overall impact on the game, at least from what I've seen, hasn't been major.

The most intriquing thing about Carter-Williams is his size, which is terrific for a PG, and he appears to be a good defender at the position as well. However, he plays for Syracuse, and because they exclusively play a zone defense, its hard to get a read on how good a defender any player on the team is. Another disturbing thing, is that his assist rate has been dropping. He started out like a bat out of hell, but hasn't been able to maintain it of late. When you add in his poor outside shooting, I think you have to give him more thought. The last thing I want is a PG that can't defend, can't shoot, and can't create for his teammates. I'm not saying all those things apply to him, but Syracuse players always scare me. Gee, I wonder what school Wes Johnson went to?

 

[Kingster]

The most intriquing thing about Carter-Williams is his size, which is terrific for a PG, and he appears to be a good defender at the position as well. However, he plays for Syracuse, and because they exclusively play a zone defense, its hard to get a read on how good a defender any player on the team is. Another disturbing thing, is that his assist rate has been dropping. He started out like a bat out of hell, but hasn't been able to maintain it of late. When you add in his poor outside shooting, I think you have to give him more thought. The last thing I want is a PG that can't defend, can't shoot, and can't create for his teammates. I'm not saying all those things apply to him, but Syracuse players always scare me. Gee, I wonder what school Wes Johnson went to?

And of course, Donte went to Syracuse. They scare me also. To get a very good read on CW I'd rather see him in some man to man D. Also, from what I could tell, there were other Syracuse guards making drives and dishing to others, so it's not like CW runs the show. It will be interesting to see how his stock rises or falls in the workouts prior to the draft.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

And of course, Donte went to Syracuse. They scare me also. To get a very good read on CW I'd rather see him in some man to man D. Also, from what I could tell, there were other Syracuse guards making drives and dishing to others, so it's not like CW runs the show. It will be interesting to see how his stock rises or falls in the workouts prior to the draft.

I only watched the G'Town game with MCW, but it seemed to me that much of his passing was swinging it on the perimeter, but that his teammates just loved to jack threes. He only had 5 assists in that game because they were missing, but he probably could have had 20 if Syracuse was hitting their jump shots. The thing is, I don't know how much the perimeter swing pass (barring the recipient being wide open) is really worth. I'd like to see his ability to feed the ball inside, drive and kick, find cutters, but there wasn't very much of that from MCW in the G'Town game and I just wonder if his assist totals are a bit inflated by perimeter-shot-happy teammates.

 

[Kingster]

I only watched the G'Town game with MCW, but it seemed to me that much of his passing was swinging it on the perimeter, but that his teammates just loved to jack threes. He only had 5 assists in that game because they were missing, but he probably could have had 20 if Syracuse was hitting their jump shots. The thing is, I don't know how much the perimeter swing pass (barring the recipient being wide open) is really worth. I'd like to see his ability to feed the ball inside, drive and kick, find cutters, but there wasn't very much of that from MCW in the G'Town game and I just wonder if his assist totals are a bit inflated by perimeter-shot-happy teammates.

Yes, I saw the same. I saw some Syracuse players breaking down the Georgetown defense at times, but it wasn't CW. Hanging out on the perimeter isn't what you want to see from your "point guard", regardless of whether he's tall or not. He's got to be able to break down the opposition defense.

 

[bajaden]

Very good game between Georgetown and UCONN yesterday. Double overtime game with Porter making the deciding basket with just a couple of ticks left on the clock. Porter is the real deal. I feel completely confident about my judgement on him. He'll be a very solid player in the NBA. He may never be a star (not ruling that out), but he'd be a very nice addition to the Kings, and a eventual starter, if not a probable starter when compared with the competition he'd have on our team. I have him right behind Noel on my wish list of Kings needs. Which has nothing to do with the mock drafts.

 

[TTown Kings]

I haven't been prospect following as much as in past years due to the whole arena situation. I just saw today that the lotto machine is up on ESPN so I gave it a spin. I didn't recognize 10 or so out of the 13 prospects. So, is it just me, or is this draft class extremely underwhelming?

And if so, I'd suspect this is the year the Kings land the #1 overall pick.

 

[Kingster]

I haven't been prospect following as much as in past years due to the whole arena situation. I just saw today that the lotto machine is up on ESPN so I gave it a spin. I didn't recognize 10 or so out of the 13 prospects. So, is it just me, or is this draft class extremely underwhelming?

And if so, I'd suspect this is the year the Kings land the #1 overall pick.

It seems like a long time ago since we had a Wilt Chamberlain draft, a Kareem or Hakim draft, or David Robinson or Tim Duncan draft. Seems like there is a dearth of quality big men these days. Considering the population has gotten bigger, and considering that we also have European players to choose from, it's odd there aren't more quality big men out there.

 

[beb0p]

I haven't been prospect following as much as in past years due to the whole arena situation. I just saw today that the lotto machine is up on ESPN so I gave it a spin. I didn't recognize 10 or so out of the 13 prospects. So, is it just me, or is this draft class extremely underwhelming?

And if so, I'd suspect this is the year the Kings land the #1 overall pick.

I'm more exited about this draft than I am about the 2012 draft. I think this draft is a lot deeper than many people have given it credit for.

Don't know if he'll declare but Isaiah Austin... Wow. I don't know why the so called analyst are not giving him the love but this kid has franchise-level potential. If he stays in college for two more years, wait for his body to mature, he'll become the beast of NCAA and undisputed #1 pick in two years.

 

[bajaden]

I haven't been prospect following as much as in past years due to the whole arena situation. I just saw today that the lotto machine is up on ESPN so I gave it a spin. I didn't recognize 10 or so out of the 13 prospects. So, is it just me, or is this draft class extremely underwhelming?

And if so, I'd suspect this is the year the Kings land the #1 overall pick.

When they say its a weak draft, its because there aren't any Lebrons or Kobe's in it at the top of the board. Probably the only player that most scouts would project as star material right now, would be Noel, and he just tore his ACL. That said, it doesn't mean there aren't any good players. Just no absolutely sure things. And make no mistake, there will a couple or more players that will become stars down the road. The trick is to determine who they might be. I have my opinion, and I'm sure others have theirs.

Personally, I'm not looking for a star. If the player I like for the Kings turns out to be a star, then so much the better. But if I can find a solid starting role player, I'm happy. Thats how I see Otto Porter. A solid, highly skilled 6'9" SF with few holes in his game. Is he perfect? Of course not. Could he end up being better than 70% of the SF's in the NBA? Yes, I think so. How many great one's are there? I like Willie Cauley-Stein as well, but he'll probably never be a star. But I see him as a very good defensive PF/C down the road, that can also give you some offense.

Now if I'm looking to gamble and go for star material, then I'm going with McLemore, Muhammad, or Marcus Smart. All three are risky to some extent, but all three have the makings of being a star. At the same time, I think all three will at minumin, be solid NBA players. The question is, which one best fits your team. Then you have the second tier guys that could end up blossoming into more than some think. Guys like Victor Oladipo, who reminds me of a young Andre Iguodala. Trey Burke, who according to some, is very underrated as a PG. Not by me!. Anthony Bennett, who would be higher on most mocks if he were just taller. Or Cody Zeller, who I personally have doubts about, but who might fool me. I just don't like 6'11" centers that can't jump and have a 6'7" wingspan. Lastly, one of my favorites, who I think is going to be much better in the NBA than some think, and thats Jeff Withey, a shotblocker surpreme.

My greatest fear draftwise, is that we'll find a way to lose our first round pick in the 2014 draft, which is loaded with outstanding talent. There are proabaly 10 players in that draft, that would be the first pick in this years draft if they were eligible.

 

[bajaden]

I'm more exited about this draft than I am about the 2012 draft. I think this draft is a lot deeper than many people have given it credit for.

Don't know if he'll declare but Isaiah Austin... Wow. I don't know why the so called analyst are not giving him the love but this kid has franchise-level potential. If he stays in college for two more years, wait for his body to mature, he'll become the beast of NCAA and undisputed #1 pick in two years.

He started out the year playing very well, and then really started to struggle in some of the games I saw. Your right about filling out his body. Right now he looks like a strong wind could blow him over. He finally had a very nice game yesterday after going through a drought for a while. 21 points, on 8 or 14 shooting. 2 of 5 from the three, 6 boards and 3 blocked shots. In highschool he player primarily away from the basket and shot jumpers. Not exactly what your totally looking for in a center. Baylor has been forcing him to get into the post, and I think thats why he's struggled at times. However, he developing a post game, and he's proven to be a decent shotblocker. I agree that he should stay in college for at least another year.

 

[bajaden]

A little roundup of yesterdays action. Mike Muscala, maybe one of the most consistent PF/C's in college had his usuall ho hum 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting, 6 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. If he was playing for one of the major schools instead of Bucknell, he'd be getting more national recognition. He's a solid 6'11", very skilled post player that can hit the 12 to 14 foot J.

Everytime I watch Doug McDermott play, I think there has to be a place for a guy that can score and rebound the way he can. He can kill you from the three or in the post. You just wonder how good a player thats slightly undersized for the PF position, and not athletic enough for the SF position will fare in the NBA. He's simply amazing how he can score in a crowd under the basket, and do it consistently.And then I remember Benard King, a 6'7" player that was terrific in the post with more shakes and bakes than you could keep track of. Anyway, McDermott put up 32 points on 12 of 17 shots along with 11 boards, 1 assist and 1 steal. He's one of the smartest players in college.

Willie Cauley-Stein is starting to make people forget that Noel is out for the season. Only 12 points yesterday, but on 6 of 7 shooting, along with 6 boards, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 3 blocked shots.

It appears that Calapari has finally lit a fire under Poythress, who turned in his second nice game in a row, and seems to have delegated Wiltjer to the bench, and fewer minutes. 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting, 1 of 2 from the three. 8 boards, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.

Alex Kirk the 7 footer from New Mexico had a great game yesterday. I'm not sure what to think about Kirk. He's not the most athletic player. I think he has a vertical of about 12 inches, but the guy is extremely effective. He's another of those bigs that you don't dare leave open at the three point line. He was 3 of 3 from there yesterday and 8 of 12 overall. He has a nice little jump hook with either hand, and he very accurate with it. He's also a very good passer. All in all, he ended up with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots. He's a very skilled player, and there's always a place for skilled players in the NBA.

Lastly, one of my favorites, Mathew Dellavedova, the 6'4" PG, once again led his team to victory, and it looks like St. Mary's is a lock for the tournament. 25 points on 8 of 18 shooting, but 5 of 8 from the three. 4 boards, and only 4 assists, which is a little low for him. He also had 3 steals. He's a very underrated defender.

 

[Gilles]

I'm more exited about this draft than I am about the 2012 draft. I think this draft is a lot deeper than many people have given it credit for.
Don't know if he'll declare but Isaiah Austin... Wow. I don't know why the so called analyst are not giving him the love but this kid has franchise-level potential. If he stays in college for two more years, wait for his body to mature, he'll become the beast of NCAA and undisputed #1 pick in two years.

He's long and can jump, but he lacks agility, quickness and explosiveness. Noel is a great at 2nd and 3rd jumps, Austin is really bad. If you think Henson or Noel have bad frames, take a close look at Baylor's center. Everybody moves him from the paint to three-point line in a couple of seconds. His future outside of uncontested dunks is stretch 4 (his handles and mobility are lacking to be a faceup 4) who can rebound with suspect defense.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Argh, I just can't not like Marcus Smart. Depending where we pick and whose on the board, I'd take him. Yes his outside shot is shaky, but he has good form and a good work ethic. He has the makings of a star and if you put him at the point next to Reke, that's a beastly defensive backcourt. He's an intelligent guy too, and has the personality of a star, which is more important than people think.


On Austin, I don't know what to think of him. I'm not a big fan at the moment. He has a small frame and is unbelievably weak. He needs to stay in school at least another year and maybe then I'll revise my opinion of him.