Since some players have been mentioned for the 2nd rd, I'll use this opportunity to mention a player that while I knew about him, I had never focused on him the same way I do some of the more well known prospects. But this year after tramsferring from VMI after four years, he followed his head coach to Chattanogga Tennessee. So he's a five year senior and 23 years old.
Jake Stephens: Center, 7'0", 275 Lb's, 7'10" wingspan, Senior, Chattanogga Tenn.
31.5 mpg - 21.4 ppg - 54.7% fgp - 43.1% 3pp - 84.7% ftp - 10.4 rpg - 3.3 apg - 0.9 stl's - 2.6 blk's.
Those are impressive stats, and to honest, I'm not sure what to make of them, or him. I've only seen him play twice this year and one game was against Old Miss, a higher conference team. And in that game his numbers went down a bit, but he still put up good numbers overall. He plays in the Southern Conference and obviously, the competition is not as good as the SEC or the Big 10. But when you watch him play, he's impressive, and he's dominate! So lets start with his offense. He's a lights out 3 pt shooter averaging 43.1% from behind the arc. lest you think that's an abberation, he takes over 5 attempts a game. He also has a very good midrange game.
Posting up, he's more of a bully ball post player as opposed to a drop step guru. While he won't dazzle you with his footwork in the post, he's very patient and good at drawing fouls. He's a big boy, and he's not afraid to bang. He seems to have good touch around the basket, but I'd like to see him go up against some bigger, taller and better competition in the post. My gut tells me he would have to make some adjustments, but that he would be fine. He's also a very good rebounder averaging over 10 a game. Against Old Miss, I think he pulled down 8, one of his lowest games of the year, but still not bad.
Defensively he's a very good rim protecter with a huge wingspan, and excellent timing on his blocked shots. On the perimeter, not so much. He's not terrible, and certainly puts out the effort, but caught in a switch against one of the top PG's in the NBA I think he would be toast. But it's an area he can probably improve on to some extent, and perhaps in a team defense concept he could be hidden a bit. He did some nice recovery in pick and roll defense which was encouraging. Thing is, he has some abilities that are rare in a 7 footer that should translate to the NBA. Oh, I forgot to mention that he's a very good passer. In short, he has a very good feel for the game. I think there's something there!
At an early age he was a baseball player, who also dabbled in football. He didn't start to play, and take basketball serious until his freshman year of highschool. Partly because he kept growing. So he's sort of a late bloomer, who says he's come to love the game, and he looks like he's having fun when playing. Because of his age, and the conference he plays in, he's likely to be a 2nd rd pick at best, and it's possible he's goes undrafted. I think he's worth a look in the 2nd rd, and I wouldn't hesitate to use a two way contract on him if he goes undrafted.
