POINT GUARDS / SHOOTING GUARDS / SMALL FORWARDS / POWER FORWARDS / CENTERS
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Power Forward / 6-10 / Louisiana State / Freshman
19.5 ppg, 11.9 rpg
Despite LSU's collapse and imminent absence from the NCAA tourney, Simmons remains the clear cut #1 pick for this year's draft. It's been a frustrating season for Simmons with the team failing to live up to expectations, but credit him for staying positive and playing hard through the turmoil. While some in the media have begun to question whether Ingram has or could surpass him, scouts remain adamant that the Aussie is the obvious choice at 1. Simmons has a strong family background and combines high level athleticism and size with legitimate point guard vision and creativity. Is it blasphemous to compare anyone to the most dynamic athlete in any sport over the past decade? Yes. But Simmons is probably the closest thing we've seen to LeBron, and there really isn't a better choice. Simmons isn't as explosive, but his superior size makes up for some of the athleticism differential. Is he going to be LeBron? Of course not. Can he be a top 3-5 player in the league at his peak? Yes. |
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2. Phoenix: Dragan Bender
Power Forward / 7-0 / Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) / 1997
2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Bender is drafting in Kristaps Porzingis' wake, with teams looking to duplicate the Knicks recent draft success and find the next sweet shooting Euro stretch four. While Bender lacks Porzingis' size, he may be an even better shooter. He built a big reputation in junior events in his age group. His competitiveness and scoring ability give him a lot of potential, however his body needs to get a lot stronger. Through 15 games with Maccabi, he's averaging 13 minutes, 5.7 ppg, and hit a very impressive 14-of-27 three point attempts. |
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Power Forward / 6-10 / California / Freshman
12.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg
There are athletes and there are basketball players, as one scout put it when describing him, with Rabb being the latter. Not that he's not a high level athlete as well, but his feel for the game and basketball acumen is truly what gets scouts excited when projecting him to the next level. Rabb has a calm presence and steadiness to his game that you rarely find in a 19 year old. His maturity and intelligence are that of a college senior. In fact, senior teammate Tyrone Wallace observed that the conversations between Rabb and roommate Jaylen Brown are "not normal freshman conversations". He's worked hard on his body since arriving in Berkeley, and while he still can be pushed around by the strongest of college opponents, he fights hard for rebounds and position inside. His gait running the open floor is not the smoothest, but then again former #1 overall pick Andrew Bogut had severe leg issues affecting his running form as a freshman. His legs appear to be improving slowly but steadily. |
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Power Forward / 6-9 / North Carolina / Senior
17.0 ppg, 10.6 rpg
Johnson has gone from role player to superstar in his senior season, putting together a season of consistency and dominance. While he lacks great strength and much room to put weight on, his scoring and rebounding numbers in one of the top conferences speak for themselves. Johnson has had one the most impressive individual performance of the season, putting up 37 points and 23 rebounds against Florida State on January 4th. When teammate Kennedy Meeks got injured early in the year, Johnson got a chance to show what he could do as the featured offensive weapon, and never looked back. He's a long, lean jumping jack with excellent scoring when facing the basket. |
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Power Forward / 6-10 / Gonzaga / Sophomore
17.3 ppg, 11.8 rpg
Sabonis may not look like a lottery pick at first glance, but it's all of the little things that he brings to the table that makes him such a valuable player. Sabonis lacks the elite run, jump athleticism generally associated with standout players, yet his ability to impact games with his strength, toughness and basketball IQ make him a sure bet to have a successful NBA career. He's a much better shooter in practice than he's shown in games to this point, and could potentially have a NBA 3 point shot in his repertoire down the road. He lacks a great "ape index", with his wingspan divided by height being close to even. He proved himself as a clutch, tough nosed competitor in the NCAA tournament, getting the upper hand on Jahlil Okafor in the freshmen match up last season. |
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Power Forward / 6-11 / Kentucky / Freshman
6.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Skal has had a rough season to say the least. Labissiere has struggled to get playing time at Kentucky, as his feel for the game and strength are still lacking. He thoroughly impressed scouts during the Hoop Summit and was universally projected as a top 3 pick coming into the season. While his rough season has certainly hurt his stock, he's still considered a probable lottery pick. He's viewed as more of a project than he was going into the season. |
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Power Forward / 6-10 / Marquette / Freshman
16.7 ppg, 10.0 rpg
Ellenson has turned into a star in his freshman season at Marquette. He is extremely versatile with his ability to handle the ball in the open floor and his face the basket and post skills. While he's a below average run/jump athlete, his 7-foot-2 wingspan gives him the length to make up for his lack of speed defensively and on the boards. His shooting efficiency still needs work, but he's developed a reputation for being a quality shooter and should find a role in the league as a stretch four. |
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8. Indiana: Cheick Diallo
Power Forward / 6-9 / Kansas / Freshman
3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Diallo is said to have a one track mind regarding the draft, that being he's gone. But his lack of playing time has put doubt into scout's minds about his whether he's worth taking in the mid to late first round. He was a near unanimous top 5 player in his class and dominated practices in front of scouts, not to mention receiving MVP in multiple high profile High School All American showcase games. With Kansas' stable of frontcourt horses, Diallo has been the odd man out. Whether or not he could have contributed more and seen more playing time is open to debate, but his status as a top 25 pick has become a fluid situation. |
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Power Forward / 6-8 / SPO Rouen (France) / 1995
9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Yabusele is having a solid season in France for Rouen, with 9.4 PPG, 6.0 reb, and knocking down 57.4% from the floor, 40% from 3 and 77% from the line. He has surprising ball skills and outside shooting ability. For a player with such tremendous body strength, he's actually quite nimble. He shows good anticipation playing passing lanes and surprising body control to stop and start and not bowl over opponents when attacking. While lacking ideal power forward height, his 7-foot plus wingspan allows him to play bigger. |
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Power Forward / None / Estudiantes (Spain) / 1995
5.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Juancho Hernangomez has risen up draft boards this season with consistent play. He's a versatile forward with ability to play both positions and draft stock. Starting on a team, Estudiantes, in the second best league in the world, the 20 year old is averaging 10.6 ppg, and 6.4 rpg, while shooting efficiently from all three levels (76% FT, 54% FG, 34% 3P). |
Key: (*) Standard salary for players selected with that pick in 2016-17.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1S96d94
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