2013 Draft Prospects

[bajaden]

Just watching Maryland and NC State, so it's my first time seeing Len and Leslie. It's only 5 mins in and I'm fairly sure I'm going to like Len more than Isaiah Austin, who is one of the skinniest big men I've ever seen. Len looks pretty big, and made a beautiful pass to his teammate a moment ago. Leslie has done nothing as of yet. Does anyone know anything about Maryland's freshman PG? Don't know yet if he's a serious prospect, but he's already made two eye-opening moves. One an impressive crossover going full speed which took his defender out before making an athletic shot over a big guy, and the second not too dissimilar. Maybe it won't happen too often, but it was impressive.

I watched the same game last night after the Kings game. I think Len shows a lot of promise. He appears to be an above aveage athlete for a 7 footer, and he has great length. I don't know what his wingspan is, but it appears to be huge. He's quite intimidating in the post with his arms straight up in the air. Obviously his post game needs some refinement. Its a little mechanical, and at times a little rushed, but you can see the foundation there to build on. Unfortuately, he doesn't get the ball enough in the post to have the kind of impact on the game that he could. Personally I got sick and tired of seeing Marylands guards driving out of control to the basket and throwing up wild crazy shots. From some of the nice passes Len made in the post, it seemed they could benefit from running the ball through him at times. Anyway, I think he's a good looking prospect, but he's still raw in some areas, which isn't unusual. He does block his share of shots, but at the moment, he's not the shotblocker that Withey and Noel are. Not sure he has as good of instincts as they do.

As for C.J. Leslie, I wouldn't give you the powder to blow him to hell. Well, maybe thats a bit extreme, but needless to say, he's been a major disappointment for me, and frankly I'm sick and tired of waiting for him to develop into this so called great player thats hidden somewhere inside of him. His jumpshot has improved, but when contested, his percentage drops like a rock. He is a terrific athlete, and perhaps thats what all the noise was about when he came out of highschool. But this is his third year of college, and the amount of improvement he's made is not very noticable. On occasion, he will impact a game, but I can't begin to tell you how many games I've watched, where you wouldn't have noticed he was in the game, if he wasn't listed on the roster. In short, Leslie, in my opinion, hasn't lived up to anyone's expectations. Doesn't mean that a light won't go on in the future, but I sure wouldn't use a 1st round pick on him.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Currently watching Michigan/Minnesota. First time seeing Burke - colour me impressed. His talent is pretty obvious, I'm a fan and will definitely tune in to catch more of their games. I actually missed the first half so don't know how he did, but he's showing some nice things in the second half. Is the Robinson for Michigan a son of Glenn? He's an excellent athlete.


BTW, on Craft: He's clearly not a poor athlete. He's above average. It's just the stereotype again. I have no idea how he'll get on in the NBA, I haven't seen him enough times, but he's pretty damn quick.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Is the Robinson for Michigan a son of Glenn? He's an excellent athlete.

Yes, he is his son.

 

[Gilles]

If Michigan goes deep, and I think right now I would put them in Final Four, for sure, he might declare and would go in the lottery. A bit smallish for SF, now that every team tends to have 6'9"-6'10" guys, so he's a true swingman (SG/SF), but an excellent athlete, who can shoot, slash in a pinch and defend.

 

[bajaden]

Currently watching Michigan/Minnesota. First time seeing Burke - colour me impressed. His talent is pretty obvious, I'm a fan and will definitely tune in to catch more of their games. I actually missed the first half so don't know how he did, but he's showing some nice things in the second half. Is the Robinson for Michigan a son of Glenn? He's an excellent athlete.


BTW, on Craft: He's clearly not a poor athlete. He's above average. It's just the stereotype again. I have no idea how he'll get on in the NBA, I haven't seen him enough times, but he's pretty damn quick.

If I had to choose a PG right now, it would be Burke. He's having a terrific year, and he's the master of changing speeds and hesitation moves. I don't thing there's anyone he can't get past. His abilitly to just freeze players, and then blow by them is outstanding. Other than being just 6 foot, which used to be the norm, he's the whole package

 

[bajaden]

If Michigan goes deep, and I think right now I would put them in Final Four, for sure, he might declare and would go in the lottery. A bit smallish for SF, now that every team tends to have 6'9"-6'10" guys, so he's a true swingman (SG/SF), but an excellent athlete, who can shoot, slash in a pinch and defend.

I agree with you! I have Michigan in my final four right now. That can change of course, but right now they're one of the best teams in the country. They're loaded with talent, including Tim Hardaway Jr., who is having an outstanding year. They've got great outside shooting from Nik Stauskas. Robinson might come out, but I think he would be best served to stay another year. Good athlete, but just a tad undersized for the SF position. However with the trend now in the NBA to go with smaller, quicker lineups, his size may not matter. They're not great inside, but they have size to match up, with two other freshmen, Mitch McGary, and Jon Horford. I could see Michigan winning the whole thing.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Glenn Robinson and Trey Burke should both enter the draft--they're both late lottery picks IMO. I'm not crazy about GRIII's long term upside, because I believe in the ever-evolving NBA it's way better to be a swiss knife rather than be singular minded, and GRIII's mindset is like his father's: score first, score second, score third, and do everything else. The Big Dog did this in the '90s though when scoring was super valuable. GRIII's great at creating a ton of shots without the ball over like his dad is, so I think he'll be an immediate NBA contributor, but settle into a high level roleplaying scorer at the end. In this relatively weak draft, he's strong enough to be a fringe lotto pick regardless, so he should jump.

On that team, if anyone should return, it's Tim Hardaway Jr (#40th). He's a mid 2nd round talent right now. But I always get the feeling that sons of storied NBA players always feel that greater itch to jump ship, and THJr's a junior so time is ticking. But still, on a talent-basis, he should really stay--he should get control of the ship next year, so we could truly see if he has what it takes (even though I tend to hate 4-year players by rule).

I've looked at two other guys over the weekend and I really like them: I know most people watch Colorado games to look at Andre Roberson (rightfully so, he's #17th in my mock) but has anyone looked at the other side of the coin, Spencer Dinwiddie? Many people don't talk him up, but he's a smooth scorer with range and who can really draw fouls with the best of them at the NCAA level. He's a SG through and through and doesn't contribute much in way of defense and rebounding, but he has some refined scoring skills that should translate to the next level, and he's very young for his class. I have him at 21st in my mock. He isn't an uber upside guy, but should settle into a solid scorer at the next level. I don't think he'll jump the ship yet, but he has a great base to build off of.

Another guy I'd like to get opinions on is Kendall Williams (37th). Many people have him undrafted, but I remember when he was relatively hyped after his production in his freshman year. He hasn't regressed per se as much as he's stagnated after two years, and playing at a weak conference I think he's lost quite a few fans. But still, he's a pure PG with great size for his position (6'4") and he features an offensive game that involves hitting threes and drawing fouls. He's not a lights out shooter, but should develop into a very solid one at the next level. To recap, 6'4" pure PG who can slash and shoot solidly from deep. Yeah, he isn't very athletic and doesn't rebound or make defensive plays, but there's a lot to like with him, and he should be a flyer in the early to mid 2nd. Again, probably won't jump ship, but keep an eye out for him next year.

A long time Arby's favorite is Arsalan Kazemi. From Iran. If you've followed my scouting exploits last year, just a huge fan. Uber active player--manically draws fouls, rebounds extremely well especially for his size, makes a ton of defensive plays and has extremely quick hands for steals in particular. He's a better scorer than most think and while he might lack range, his free throw shooting is decent enough for his size. Can be a huge steal. He transferred to Oregon from Rice after some controversy, and he's still maintaining very good production, doing Kazemi-like things, even in the face of steeper competition. This guy needs to be recognized. If Reggie Evans can last in the league for a decade just by only rebounding very well, Kazemi should be able to do the same, plus more, because he's well more talented than an Evans. I have him 22nd in my mock and there's a part of me that has even put him in the late lotto in the past, but a mid/late 1st round pick should be in more line with his talent.

I know Baja's a huge fan of Dellavedova--I also looked at him this week. Impressive. The first thing that stands out to me is his height (6'4") in combination with his legit NBA PG passing. Too many a time we see undersized gunners with no passing skills. In fact, largely because of, Dellavedova earns major points with me. He's also got a very diverse offensive game that sees him slashing at St. Mary's and hitting threes at a very solid clip, and if his free throw shooting is any indication he should be even better. On defense he's an absolute sieve in his poor conference so the upside is a traffic cone at the next level as well. But the height+good offense+passing is enough to get looks in the 2nd round, that's for sure. He's 37th in my mock while many people are just putting him in undrafted territory.

Also, I'm wondering why Shabazz Napier doesn't get much hype. He doesn't have great build, but he's a pure PG who can get to the rim and also spaces the floor with a pretty good shot from three. Very quick hands. That's pretty much all you need, and I think he has lead guard potential in the NBA. I actually have him in the late lottery if he wants to enter this year.

 

[Gilles]

Watched a few games last night and for me it really was night, not just evening.
First was Maryland@UNC. Len just doesn't impress me. All he has - great length for NCAA, that will become just very good in the NBA. He's not very coordinated or agile and on defense likes to stick his hands out kinda like DFC. Bullock had a very good game scoring in a variety
Then came Missouri@Florida. I understand that they missed Bowers sorely to give them at least some semblance of inside-outside game, but, boy, were they spanked. Pressey is quite turnover prone but yesterday he got under train and it became train wreck - only his double-digit stat were 10 turnovers. Given he doesn't press defense but rather takes which is given to him, I'm 100% percent sure, I'd much rather have IT2.

 

[Gilles]

I also saw 2/3 of Syracuse-Louiville, so I missed late heroics by MCW, but I saw enough to realise he's not even close to be an NBA PG. He's sure a defensive presence at PG, but he's just too wild to run the team, and if Syracuse didn't have another good ballhandler in Triche, who also got hot last night, I don't think it would be a close game.
Gorgui Dieng really impressed offensively. How can a center shooting 1-5 from the field impress? Well, he busted Syracuse zone with his passing basically every time from high post and showed quite nice ballhandling skills for a center. He still lacks some muscle, and, given his age, will probably always do, Dieng still is a nice player. Don't think he can work with Boogie really well though, since Dieng is effective only within 6-8 feet from the basket. On the other hand so was Dalembert, and I would say Dieng is a similar player.

 

[bajaden]

Watched a few games last night and for me it really was night, not just evening.
First was Maryland@UNC. Len just doesn't impress me. All he has - great length for NCAA, that will become just very good in the NBA. He's not very coordinated or agile and on defense likes to stick his hands out kinda like DFC. Bullock had a very good game scoring in a variety
Then came Missouri@Florida. I understand that they missed Bowers sorely to give them at least some semblance of inside-outside game, but, boy, were they spanked. Pressey is quite turnover prone but yesterday he got under train and it became train wreck - only his double-digit stat were 10 turnovers. Given he doesn't press defense but rather takes which is given to him, I'm 100% percent sure, I'd much rather have IT2.

Well, everyone see's things differently and thats what makes the world go round. I think Len has promise. As I pointed out, he tends to be a little mechanical in his post game, but he runs the floor very well, and rotates well on defense. So I think his athleticism is fine, when compared with some of the slow plodding centers we have in the NBA. He does need to get stronger, and I think that will help him on both offense and defense. Right now he's knocked off balance too easily. I also think his stat line would look better if he had guards that thought of doing something other than jumpshooting the ball. Fact is, I believe he's the leading scorer on the team despite that.

I didn't see the Maryland/North Carolina game, since I was out of town. But I did see the Maryland/North Carolina St. game, and to point out what I was saying, here are some stats from that game. Len had 8 shot attempts and made 3 shots. He was also 4 for 4 from the line, for a total of 10 points. All the guards combined took 41 attempts and made 12 for a shooting percentage of 29%. Of those 41 attempts, 18 were 3 pt attempts, of which they made 3, for blistering 3pt percentage of 16%. This is why Maryland won't go far in the Tourney, if indeed they make the tourney. And while you don't seem to like Phil Pressey, who has around a 2 to 1 assist to turnover ratio, he would make Len's life a lot easier if he was on the Maryland team.

 

[bajaden]

The Mike Muscala show continues to go on, and I'd be shocked if he doesn't appear on someone's radar come draft day. He's just a solid player who continues to put up good numbers game after game. In his last game against Lafayette, he scored 27 pts, had 15 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. I know, it was against Lafayette, but a few games earlier against Missouri, a top ranked team he scored 25 pts, had 14 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. Muscala is strictly a low post player, but he's very skilled and he's very long. For those interested in seeing him play, he'll be on CBSSN on this saturday at 1 PM pacific. Give his kid a look, I think he has a future in the NBA. I hope I'm not the kiss of death....

 

[Kingster]

The Mike Muscala show continues to go on, and I'd be shocked if he doesn't appear on someone's radar come draft day. He's just a solid player who continues to put up good numbers game after game. In his last game against Lafayette, he scored 27 pts, had 15 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. I know, it was against Lafayette, but a few games earlier against Missouri, a top ranked team he scored 25 pts, had 14 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. Muscala is strictly a low post player, but he's very skilled and he's very long. For those interested in seeing him play, he'll be on CBSSN on this saturday at 1 PM pacific. Give his kid a look, I think he has a future in the NBA. I hope I'm not the kiss of death....

How do like Shabazz now? Does he go in the top 5?

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Anyone like Devon Collier, a 3rd year player out of Oregon State? Pretty big fan of him, at least compared to other draftniks. He kind of reminds me of those Moe Harkless/early Trevor Ariza types, those college PFs who have the athleticism to move down to SF. Collier has no range, poor overall shooting ability, and passing skills halfway between both forward positions, but he rebounds very well for his position, draws fouls and makes defensive plays. At 6'8" 215 lbs I think he can transition to the NBA SF and excel on the defensive side of the ball. Many people don't even have him in this year's draft, but he's 25th in my big board of college/European prospects.

Allen Crabbe's another guy who's getting some hoopla. Funny, how Berkeley hasn't produced a viable NBA player for the longest time, since the days of Shareef and Kidd. Crabbe isn't an all-world player, but should settle into scoring roleplayer at the next level. He's a very good shooter who can swing between both wing positions. He's gotten tougher this year and has started slashing more--the first two years he was much more of a jumpshooter. Don't count on him in defense--he makes very few defensive plays and doesn't rebound that well. He might be interchangeable in the future because he's more shooter than elusive scorer, and those tend to be replaced, but he's very polished and should be NBA ready with his current skillset, even if there's zero upside here. Late 1st/early 2nd round is where I have him.

 

[bajaden]

Anyone like Devon Collier, a 3rd year player out of Oregon State? Pretty big fan of him, at least compared to other draftniks. He kind of reminds me of those Moe Harkless/early Trevor Ariza types, those college PFs who have the athleticism to move down to SF. Collier has no range, poor overall shooting ability, and passing skills halfway between both forward positions, but he rebounds very well for his position, draws fouls and makes defensive plays. At 6'8" 215 lbs I think he can transition to the NBA SF and excel on the defensive side of the ball. Many people don't even have him in this year's draft, but he's 25th in my big board of college/European prospects.

Allen Crabbe's another guy who's getting some hoopla. Funny, how Berkeley hasn't produced a viable NBA player for the longest time, since the days of Shareef and Kidd. Crabbe isn't an all-world player, but should settle into scoring roleplayer at the next level. He's a very good shooter who can swing between both wing positions. He's gotten tougher this year and has started slashing more--the first two years he was much more of a jumpshooter. Don't count on him in defense--he makes very few defensive plays and doesn't rebound that well. He might be interchangeable in the future because he's more shooter than elusive scorer, and those tend to be replaced, but he's very polished and should be NBA ready with his current skillset, even if there's zero upside here. Late 1st/early 2nd round is where I have him.

Well I think you summed up Collier very well. I like him, but I think he's probably just a good college player. The question is, what is he. At the moment, he's a shorter, less physcial version of JJ, who played PF in college. He has no outside shot at all. I think someone might gamble a second round pick on him for the reasons you listed. I suspect he'll go undrafted and he'll be given a chance to make his mark in the D-League.

Crabbe is just a pure scorer, and a pretty good one. Regardless of defense, if a player can score at the NBA level, someone will provide a home for him. I see him being drafted mid to late second round. He can definitely shoot the ball, but at the moment, thats about all he brings to the table. For every assist he makes, he also turns the ball over. He seldom steals the ball. He's probably someone that would benefit from a couple of years in europe, or the D-League. By the way, now that Montgomery is at the reigns at Cal, I expect we'll start seeing more NBA caliber players come out of that school. He's always been a good recruiter.

 

[Tetsujin]

Anyone like Devon Collier, a 3rd year player out of Oregon State? Pretty big fan of him, at least compared to other draftniks. He kind of reminds me of those Moe Harkless/early Trevor Ariza types, those college PFs who have the athleticism to move down to SF. Collier has no range, poor overall shooting ability, and passing skills halfway between both forward positions, but he rebounds very well for his position, draws fouls and makes defensive plays. At 6'8" 215 lbs I think he can transition to the NBA SF and excel on the defensive side of the ball. Many people don't even have him in this year's draft, but he's 25th in my big board of college/European prospects.

Allen Crabbe's another guy who's getting some hoopla. Funny, how Berkeley hasn't produced a viable NBA player for the longest time, since the days of Shareef and Kidd. Crabbe isn't an all-world player, but should settle into scoring roleplayer at the next level. He's a very good shooter who can swing between both wing positions. He's gotten tougher this year and has started slashing more--the first two years he was much more of a jumpshooter. Don't count on him in defense--he makes very few defensive plays and doesn't rebound that well. He might be interchangeable in the future because he's more shooter than elusive scorer, and those tend to be replaced, but he's very polished and should be NBA ready with his current skillset, even if there's zero upside here. Late 1st/early 2nd round is where I have him.

Ryan Anderson?

 

[bajaden]

Ryan Anderson?

Yeah, if you remember, most folks on the fourm were drooling over Anderson's teammate, DeVon Hardin. Hmmmm, I wonder where he is now?

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

My bad, Ryan Anderson. Hey, it's hard to have an encyclopedic memory

I agree with the Collier/Crabbe issues--Crabbe's really just a shooter, and not much else. He passes the ball worse than most SFs, even. That's why I think, for the immediate, he can be good, but after one or two years, when you want this kid to develop and he's not doing it, he might be discarded for bigger fish or the next shiny new draft pick. But this draft's just full of a bunch of question mark guys I think he could sneak in as the 29th or 30th pick of the draft, if the cards fall right. His range for me is #29-37. He's a very safe pick, but can be worth his production at that range for the first few years.

As for Collier, I just like the 6'8" 200 lb long athletic guys. They have a very good track record in the league, and Collier hits all the prototypical markers--rebounding, interceptions, blocks, foul drawing. He's very raw, but in the open court of the league he should thrive.

Anyone like UNC's PJ Hairston? He's an inefficient gunning three point scorer, but I like how he doesn't keep trying. For being almost exclusively a shooter, he's got some ability to rebound the basketball, draws a few fouls for what he does and has a very strong frame. He can't really pass the basketball and that might be his biggest weakness, and also he makes very few defensive plays, so there's a pretty huge limit to his overall upside. But as a gunning scorer, there's a place for him in the league.

 

[bajaden]

My bad, Ryan Anderson. Hey, it's hard to have an encyclopedic memory

I agree with the Collier/Crabbe issues--Crabbe's really just a shooter, and not much else. He passes the ball worse than most SFs, even. That's why I think, for the immediate, he can be good, but after one or two years, when you want this kid to develop and he's not doing it, he might be discarded for bigger fish or the next shiny new draft pick. But this draft's just full of a bunch of question mark guys I think he could sneak in as the 29th or 30th pick of the draft, if the cards fall right. His range for me is #29-37. He's a very safe pick, but can be worth his production at that range for the first few years.

As for Collier, I just like the 6'8" 200 lb long athletic guys. They have a very good track record in the league, and Collier hits all the prototypical markers--rebounding, interceptions, blocks, foul drawing. He's very raw, but in the open court of the league he should thrive.

Anyone like UNC's PJ Hairston? He's an inefficient gunning three point scorer, but I like how he doesn't keep trying. For being almost exclusively a shooter, he's got some ability to rebound the basketball, draws a few fouls for what he does and has a very strong frame. He can't really pass the basketball and that might be his biggest weakness, and also he makes very few defensive plays, so there's a pretty huge limit to his overall upside. But as a gunning scorer, there's a place for him in the league.

I pretty much agree on Hairston. He's a bit of a streaky shooter, and this season he's been fairly solid from the 3, when last season he was terrible, so you can see he's working on his game. He's a decent rebounder for a SG, but thats about it. Personally, I'd be shocked if he entered the draft. I see him as one of those four year players for UNC, and as a college team, you need those 2nd and 3rd year veterans to mix with the freshmen. Thats a major part of Kentucky's problem this year. Just about everyone on the team is a freshman. Their all talented freshmen, but still thier inexperience is hard to overcome. I think their only chance of making the tournament, unless the NCAA gets generous with its bids, is for them to win their conference tournament at the end of the season.

 

[Gilles]

DX insist on Reggies Bullock as second-rounder around #40 (others have him in the 20s), so he should be primary target if he's there. Elite prospect, who is used to taking backseat to more talented and polished guys. He rebounds, defends, shoots 3 and is unselfish.

 

[bajaden]

DX insist on Reggies Bullock as second-rounder around #40 (others have him in the 20s), so he should be primary target if he's there. Elite prospect, who is used to taking backseat to more talented and polished guys. He rebounds, defends, shoots 3 and is unselfish.

I like Bullock quite a bit. He's just a very solid player who might not be great at anything, but is good at a lot of things. Very good shooter this year. Decent to good passer. Good defender, and good rebounder. He's one of those guys that at the end of the game, he has 14 pts, 6 boards, a couple of steals, 3 or 4 assists, and you don't really remember him doing all that. I think he'll be a very good support player in the NBA. Maybe more, but at the very least, I can see him being a starter on some team down the road.

 

[Gilles]

One clarification in my previous post. Instead of "elite prospect" read elite HS prospect.

 

[bajaden]

Victor Oladipo: 6'5", 214 Lbs, SG/SF, Indiana University

I list him as a SF only because he playes that position in college, but I see him as a SG in the NBA. He doesn't get a lot of recognition outside of Indiana, but he's a very good basketball player. Terrific athlete with the ability to be a lock down defender at the SG position in the NBA. He has good size for the position, and excellent lateral quickness. His technic is a little lacking, but easily correctable. His biggest weaknesses coming into this season was his jumpshot, and his ballhandling. He appears to have corrected his jumpshot, shooting 54.8% from the three, while shooting a blistering 66% overall from the floor. His strength up until this season was his ability to finish at the basket in traffic. His ability to hit the outside shot, if not an abberation, makes him into an entirely different offensive player.

He also rebounds the ball well for a SG averaging 6 boards a game. His ballhandling still needs to come up a couple of notches, and he's still too righthanded at the basket, but it has improved over last season. On the defensive side he averages 2.4 steals a game, and is capable of defending more than one position. I see him going somewhere in the bottom third of the first round. He still has a couple of rough edges, but he has a lot of untapped potential. There have been games, where he had more value to the team than Zeller did. But thats another story!

 

[bajaden]

One clarification in my previous post. Instead of "elite prospect" read elite HS prospect.

I'm not going to nic pic!

 

[Gilles]

Oladipo is basically Tony Allen with shooting which makes him very good role player.

 

[Gilles]

On another note Oladipo and Travis Releford from Kansas (another former HS star, who failed to develop properly, but now seems to round out into nice roleplayer of 3&D with some handles and passing variety) are in top-3 of college leaders in TS% - both are above .720 mark.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Oladipo and Bullock are late 1st rounders in my view--great roleplayers. You mine for that sort of value in the late 1st. I'm actually less keen on Oladipo's ball skills--they're somewhere between small forward and power forward territory with regards to the NBA. Kind of reminds me of Mickael Pietrus, a bit. Very athletic, gets in your face defensively, racks up steals like mad, excellent rebounder, plays a power game. Pietrus's jumper was inconsistent out of the draft, and Oladipo has that as well, and doesn't take too many at all.

Bullock's a really good ballhandler/passer for a NBA shooting guard and is also an excellent volume three point shooter. Underrated rebounder. He's not much of a defensive playmaker and doesn't draw fouls, but as a guy who can spot up for threes and bring in underrated side elements of rebounding and passing, that's a lot to work with. There's a part of me that wonders whether he's this good a shooter, though--when he gets to the line (rarely), he didn't shoot it too well in past seasons. Nonetheless, NBA teams love to have those sort of cog guys. Again, late 1st rounder. For whatever reason, I like PJ Hairston better--while he lacks the passing of Bullock, he draws fouls better, is more willing a three point shooter. He doesn't shoot the ball that well from deep as Bullock has, but judging from his shot at the stripe I think that should improve in the NBA. He's also younger. Don't get me wrong, Bullock is still a 1st rounder, but Hairston has a lot of interesting things to his game and should be a future 1st rounder as well.

Does anyone think Arizona's best NBA prospect is Grant Jerrett? I have him as a future lotto pick. Perhaps he's too much of a jumpshooter for a big man than most would like, but he already looks and has enough ball skills for the NBA PF position, has a sweet shot, and makes defensive plays. He doesn't draw fouls or rebound that well, so there's a concern that we're seeing a Channing Frye clone, but still, it's rare for a freshman to make an impact in multiple areas. He's 15th in my big board. Others I've scouted include Brandon Ashley (61st), Solomon Hill (79th), Kaleb Tarczewski (92nd) and Kevin Parrom (113th).

I know with regards to UCLA, it's the Shabazz Muhammad show for everyone, but given that I don't like Muhammad, I think their better prospects are Jordan Adams (3rd) and Kyle Anderson (9th). Adams really reminds me of James Harden without the passing ability. I know the "without the passing ability" is a huge qualifier, but is scoring ability extends from the basket to the three point line, and he draws fouls and spots up from three with regularity. He's a good shooter and that three point shot will definitely improve. He looks and has the ballhandling skills of a ready-made NBA SG, and is surprisingly good as a defensive playmaker. The only quibble I have is the rebounding, but with his NBA-made ballhandling/body/scoring skills, that's pretty much the battle. I'm super high on him. I know traditionally I like the athletes, but I think he's the real gem in UCLA's team. I've already talked about Kyle Anderson's swiss knife game and how that could seamlessly translate as well.

 

[bajaden]

Isaiah Canaan: 6'1", PG, Murray St.

I thought I'd give a few props to Canaan. He was a bit of a sensation last year when Murray St. went on a run, and got a little national attention. He almost entered the draft, but decided to go back for his senior year and get his degree. Unfortunately for him, some of his supporting cast left, and he's not surrounded by the same experienced, quality players as last season. As a result, he's been asked to carry most of the scoring load. As a result, most of his opponnets are gearing up for him. Despite all that, he's still shooting the rock at a very respectable 45.1% overall, while shooting 39.7% from the three, which I might add, is the lowest of his four years in college. His overall 3pt percentage for all four years is 43.4%, which is outstanding.

He's averaging 35 minutes a game, and 21.1 PPG, along with 4.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. I would call him an above average athlete with good leaping ability. The question of course, is just what kind of PG is he? Is he a shoot first, or a pass first PG? Well at times he has been both. He has good passing skills, and on a team that lacks scorers, assists don't come easily. He's pretty good at getting to the basket and finishing. And he's a pretty good defender. But I think he could improve in both areas. I like Canaan, and unfortunately I don't get to see him play as much as I would like. But he's been very impressive in some of the games I have seen. Here's a little video of some of his highlights. I might remind people that most of these videos like to show the player scoring, and not creating for others. Plus, they just nevr miss a shot. So always take them with a grain of salt, and remember all they show you is capability, not consistency!



[video=youtube_share;Y4zThDcbDgA]http://youtu.be/Y4zThDcbDgA[/video]

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Anyone like the 7'2" behemoth, Jordan Bachynski from Arizona State? I think he's their best player. I think he could be a first round pick this year, even. He's quite skilled for someone that large. I'd also look at Eric Moreland, the 6'10" sophomore from Oregon State. Plays next to Devon Collier, but I think he's better. For the Euros, I really think Daniel Theis (6'9" athlete) and Klemen Prepelic (6'3" scoring SG) are really underrated and should deserve serious consideration.

 

[King in England]

Unfortunately I don't really have the time to watch much college or euro basketball therefore a lot of my information comes from you guys. I wondered what you all thought of the Croatian prospect Dario Saric? Hes a 6"10 forward but ive read his handle and passing ability is as good as some guards? Have you watched him play if so what do u think?

 

[bajaden]

Unfortunately I don't really have the time to watch much college or euro basketball therefore a lot of my information comes from you guys. I wondered what you all thought of the Croatian prospect Dario Saric? Hes a 6"10 forward but ive read his handle and passing ability is as good as some guards? Have you watched him play if so what do u think?

I'm afraid that when it comes to the european players I have to defer to Gilles and others that follow those players. I have seen a few european games, but not enough to say anything with authority. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to take in more games.