The NBA combine was last week, and the lottery was just about an hour ago. While personal workouts for
teams still will help determine where guys will ultimately be going, having a
compiled list of players, rankings, and draft position may help the fan in you
figure out who your team should acquire.
For all combine results go to Draft Express for results from drills. If you’d
like a game-by-game breakdown of their collegiate career, visit Sports Reference.
Lottery Draft Position:
1) Cleveland Cavaliers
2) Orlando Magic
3) Washington Wizards
4) Charlotte Bobcats
5) Phoenix Suns
6) New Orleans Pelicans
7) Sacramento Kings
8) Detroit Pistons
9) Minnesota T'wolves
10) Portland Trailblazers
11) Philadelphia 76ers
12) Oklahoma City Thunder
13) Dallas Mavericks
14) Utah Jazz
*=Denotes Foreign player who did not play college basketball in United States
Top Ranked Players
Cody Zeller (PF/C)
Mason Plumlee (C)
Victor Oladipo (SG)
Ben McLemore (SG)
Alex Len (C)
Trey Burke (PG)
Shabazz Muhammed (SF)
Otto Porter Jr. (SF)
Nerlens Noel (C)
Anthony Nennett (PF)
*Dario Saric (Forward)
ACC Players
Reggie Bullock (UNC)
Mason Plumlee (DU)
Seth Curry (DU)
Erik Green (VT)
CJ Leslie (NCSU)
Lorenzo Brown (NCSU)
Richard Howell (NCSU)
Kenny Kadji (UM)
Point Guards
Michael Carter-Williams (SYR)
Shane Larkin (UM)
Lorenzo Brown (NCSU)
Trey Burke (MICH)
Pierre Jackson (BAY)
*Dennis Schroeder (GER)
Peyton Siva (LOU)
Erick Green (VT)
This is an incredibly point guard rich draft. It’s the deepest position in the league and
it only looks like it will get deeper.
The top tier talent in this draft that has been universally classified
as weak, but several teams could find a starter or rotation contributor in this
pool of players. Looking at the Final
four teams in the NBA Draft, the point guard position is clearly a valued
one. Having someone to run your offense
and be an extension of the head coach is vital when the possessions drop and
points are more difficult to come by.
Here, there are a variety of players and styles to choose
from. Michael Carter-Williams is
arguably the player with the most upside out of the group, he left Syracuse as
a sophomore and has the length (6’ 5”) to pressure and bother opposing
guards. In the game vs Michigan in the
NCAA tournament his opposing guard (National Player of the Year Trey Burke) to
1/8 shooting on what was clearly his worst game of the tournament. Shane Larkin
(who tested out as the best athlete at the position at the combine) is a
combination of explosiveness and guile.
He’s a deadeye shooter from the perimeter (40% from three) and has
experience running a talented team.
Larkin kept a talented UM team happy, perhaps he could do the same with
a litany of stars. As a projected late 1st
round pick, would fit in perfectly with the LA Lakers. He could learn under Steve Nash while playing
heavy minutes to spell the vet over the course of the season. Add to that his shooting ability to help space
the floor for a couple of bigs, and Larkin would be a perfect fit for the team.
An intriguing prospect is combo guard Erick Green. While he led the nation in points per game, he
was also the leader in assists on the team.
Moreover, the Hokies were bottom-dwellers in the ACC and every defense
keyed on him. The fact that he was able
to be successful with minimal talent surrounding him while being the focus of
every opposition’s defense, speaks volumes about his ability. Some scouts may be concerned that he isn’t a “traditional”
point guard, but Green has insisted he scored simply because he was often the
best option on an anemic offense.
My sleeper at this position is Lorenzo Brown. The point
guard out of NC State is an intriguing prospect. He has only played the position for two
years, and is still learning. But at 6’5”
and superior court vision (Brown had 9 games of double digits assists), Brown
can grow into the position. Brown has
shown a propensity for hard-nosed defense and, despite his average foot speed,
could be a good perimeter defender immediately in the league with his size.
Shooting Guards
Ben McLemore (KU)
CJ McCullough (Lehigh)
Glen Rice Jr. (NBDL/GT)
Tim Hardaway Jr (Michigan)
Victor Oladipo (IU)
In the age of combo guards (Steph Curry,
Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook) CJ McCollum is arguably the best of the
draft. Before his foot injury sidelined
him for the last half of the season, he was averaging nearly 24 points as the
lead guard for Lehigh. His personal
workouts will be key, to see how healthy he is, and to see how he does against
top competition. Even with the success
of Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard and Curry, teams may be hesitant to draft
a guard from a smaller school that played lesser competition.
Glen Rice Jr. is an interesting case, specifically for his
path to the draft. After he finished at
Georgia Tech, Rice went directly to the NBDL.
Because he is not yet 22, and had not gone through the draft process,
Rice was eligible to be drafted. Despite
not getting much playing time early, Rice averaged 25 points per game in the
finals of the Developmental League. In a
draft full of assets with question marks, Rice may be the closest thing to a
sure bet. He is already a professional,
and the developmental league is considered a higher level of competition than
college. Rice is extremely athletic, and
has shown the potential to be able to knock down his jump shot consistently.
The highest ceiling of this position belongs to either Ben
McLemore or Victor Oladipo. Freshman
sensation McLemore had brilliant games this season at KU, going for 30+ points
three times. He’s an athletic 6’4” guard
who finishes extremely well around the basket and can knock down the outside shot. McLemore struggled on the road, and had some
memorably bad games in the NCAA tournament when the level of competition
ratcheted up. But as a freshman, a lack
of consistency won’t dampen his draft position much. He has been projected as high as a number 2
pick going to the Bobcats. Another
rumored player the Bobcats could be targeting is Oladipo. When he first came to IU he was a raw player
from basketball factory Dematha high school.
Since then he has developed a competent offensive game and even a solid
jumpshot to accompany his smothering defense.
His high ceiling is due more to his intense work ethic, than natural
ability. He has been compared to Dwyane
Wade because of his size 6’ 4” and explosive leaping ability, as well as his
defense and shot blocking prowess. Wade’s
handle was better, but the fact that the junior has worked so hard to improve
over his tenure at IU is a comforting thought to general managers moving
forward.
My sleeper for this position (indeed, this draft) is Tim
Hardaway Jr. At 6’6” he has good size
and no gaping holes in his game. Despite
his poor postseason play, Hardaway has shown the ability to shoot, defend, and
finish at the cup. He impressed in
workouts with his ability to create his own shot, as well. Moreover, being the son of an accomplished
NBA, Hardaway is keenly aware of the work ethic necessary to be a pro. Previously picked to be as late as a second
round pick, Hardaway’s combine scores impressed NBA decision-makers and could
have him moving up draft boards. It will
be interesting how attractive this “safe” pick will be as we near the draft in
June.
Centers
Nerlens Noel (UK)
Kelly Olynyck (GU)
Alex Len (UMD)
Gorgui Dieng (UL)
Cody Zeller (IU)
Mason Plumlee (DU)
Despite what pundits have been claiming as the death of the
big man, three of the final four teams competing for an NBA championship have
an All-Star caliber Center roaming their lanes.
The position hasn’t stopped being important, it’s just less glamorous
than it used to be. Perhaps that’s why Zeller
has tried to repackage himself as a stretch four, and Plumlee was classified as
a forward by ESPN despite playing exclusively at the center position during his
career at Duke.
Dieng (who was recovering from a foot injury and did not
participate in any physical drills at the combine) and Noel are considered the
best defensive prospects at the position because of their length and ability to
get to opponents’ shots. Dieng has
showed the ability to set the pick and knock down the free throw line jumper. Noel is a defensive stalwart, but is still
fairly raw offensively.
[Sidenote: Noel is in a VERY interesting position in terms
of this draft. With his ACL tear, he won’t
be ready to play until around Christmas.
With the robust talent that will reportedly be available in the 2014
draft, there have been rumors that some teams would select Noel knowing that he
would not contribute much next year, allowing the team to get back into the
lottery. Essentially, the line of thinking
is that by selecting him (perhaps with the first pick in the draft) a team
would be able to get two lottery picks in the upcoming drafts and really make a
difference for a struggling team.]
You’ll hear the words “upside” and “potential” about a
million times before the draft is done.
Alex Len could be the personification of those ideals. A talented big from UMD, he has shown a
penchant for scoring in the post.
Physically, he still needs to grow into his body and will probably
struggle/see limited minutes in his first season. But he made some headlines when he proclaimed
that in a decade he’d be the best player that came from this draft.
On the opposite end of the “potential” conversation is
Olynyck. He stayed all four years at
Gonzaga, and developed his body and game.
While he is no fantastic athlete, he is extremely skilled. Moreover, with the success of Marc Gasol, he
could become a quality defender despite never averaging more than a block a
game. He may be the safest pick further down
in the draft.
Forwards
Otto Porter Jr. (GU)
*Dario Saric (Croatia)
Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA)
*Giannis Antelokuonmpo (G
Anthony Bennett (UNLV)
Cj Leslie (NCSU)
*Rudy Gobert (France)
The forward position is the most talent shallow of all the
positions. As with so many things NBA
draft, the impact that these prospects will have depends on fit. Otto Porter Jr. was the best out of the crop,
and was far and away Georgetown’s best option.
He was a Naismith Player of the Year candidate most of the year. The most striking part about his game wasn't his
ability to score, but his passing ability.
None of his numbers will jump out as jaw dropping (16 points per game,
7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists) because of GU’s style of play. But if he were put in a position to work off
ball (perhaps with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their two ball-dominant guards),
he could aid a team immediately, while covering up his own deficiencies in
creating his own shot and getting to the rim.
Shabazz Muhammad came into his freshman year as one of the
top picks in this year’s drafts. One of
the most heralded HS players in the last decade came into his sole college
season out of shape (due to injury) and didn’t impress early. While he finished the season well (with
averages of 17 points per game and 5 rebounds) he never displayed his former
dominance that some scouts had predicted when he was first going to UCLA. Adding to the detractors' ammunition was his addition to
his age. It turned out that Muhammad was older than scouts previously thought
and will be 21 once the NBA season starts despite only playing one year of collegiate
basketball.
Anthony Bennett shows a lot of promise at the Power Forward
position. He is capable of putting the
ball on the floor and driving to the basket.
He also played at the center position at times, and has the ability to
score with his back to the basket.
Keep an eye on Kenny Kadji out of Miami. He is older (25) but shot well from the position and looks to be NBA ready. He isn't a great athlete, but shoots well outside for a big and played in an NBA-style offense with heavy pick and rolls. Kadji is a projected late 1st/2nd round pick. Given the right situation for a contender, he could thrive because of his ability to stretch the defense and allow his teammates to cut and drive to the basket.
CJ Leslie has been the most mercurial talent in the country
this year. Leslie could be described as “Jack
of all trades, master of none.” He has a
solid jumpshot, can create off the dribble, and (despite his wiry frame) has a
good array of post moves. As multi-talented as he is, there were games where he
seemed disinterested and completely withdrawn.
He reminds me a lot of Jeff Green when he came out of Georgetown; he,
too, was prone to bouts of indecision and ineffectiveness early in his career.
Here is a complete list of all of the participants of the
NBA Combine. For a point of reference, 29 of the 30 top picks in last year’s NBA
draft participated in the combine.
PLAYERS
Shabazz Muhammad (G-UCLA)
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