POINT GUARDS / SHOOTING GUARDS / SMALL FORWARDS / POWER FORWARDS / CENTERS
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1. Boston: Buddy Hield
Shooting Guard / 6-4 / Oklahoma / Senior
25.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg
Hield capped off a tremendous Senior year by not only winning a number of National Player of the Year awards, but guiding the Sooners to the Final Four. He's improved considerably as a shooter and shot creator but can still improve his handle. He is a kid with a terrific attitude and a polished skill set. Buddy is a dangerous offensive player, showing the ability to score in a variety of ways as well as facilitate. His quick trigger and excellent ability to get shots off combined with a strong will to win and improve himself makes him a prospect with a lot of intrigue. He's on the small side at 6-foot-4, but has long arms, a strong build and sneaky athleticism. For a player that wasn't even on some pundits' first-round projections coming into the season, Hield helped his cause as much as anyone. |
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2. Toronto: Jaylen Brown
Shooting Guard / 6-7 / California / Freshman
14.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Nicknamed "Old Man" by his mom, Brown does everything very deliberately. He moves slow, talks slow and walks slow, and actually likes the nickname given by his mother. But on the floor, he's anything but slow. Brown is a terror in the open floor, utilizing his superior speed, athleticism and raw power to get to the rim. His jump shot, despite average percentages, is underrated. His floor game continues to progress, and he's begun to put together moves to get by opponents, which makes for a deadly mix. Brown is a thoughtful, introspective kid with high character and superstar upside. He possesses the same elite athleticism as Jason Richardson, only with more size and strength. |
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Shooting Guard / 6-7 / Anadolu Efes (Turkey) / 1997
2.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg
Korkmaz is a wiry guard with an advanced offensive game for his age. He's a good leaper, having won dunk contests and shows solid explosiveness. He's not incredibly quick, so defense and creating shots against high-level athletes could be a challenge. He has struggled to gain playing time this season, on powerhouse Turkish team Anadolu Efes. Regardless, European scouts are very high on him and feel that he is one of the top wing prospects available for this year's draft. Korkmaz should be able to compete for a lottery spot if he impresses teams in workouts. |
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4. Utah: Malik Beasley
Shooting Guard / 6-5 / Florida State / Freshman
15.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg
One of the surprise breakout freshmen, Beasley showed a smooth shooting strong along with polished floor skills. He can score in a variety of ways whether it be spotting up or pulling up and he also shows some ability to attack the rim. His poster dunk against Duke showed the athleticism he possesses. He's a high-level shooter and even displays high level ball handling and solid passing. He hit a bit of a freshman wall in the latter part of the year, but overall had a very strong body of work. |
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Shooting Guard / 6-5 / Washington / Freshman
16.1 ppg, 4.4 apg
Murray is still a long ways from a finished product and like his teammate Marquese Chriss, the team that selects him will have to be extremely patient. But on talent he's among the Top 5-10 players in this year's draft. His blinding quickness and ability to play relatively under control while operating at a breakneck speed makes him extremely unique. Like Beasley, and Chriss for that matter, he was a kid that was somewhat overlooked in high school and leapfrogged many of his classmates into the top handful of prospects. While he shows some ability to run the show from the lead guard position, he appears to be better suited to play the 2. He shows a score-first mentality and brings added versatility with his handles and passing. His ball skills are truly elite, which along with his length and quickness allow him to terrorize opponents in ISO situations. |
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6. Detroit: Caris LeVert
Shooting Guard / 6-7 / Michigan / Senior
16.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg
LeVert was seen as a guy with lottery talent going into the season, but having a second injury-plagued year has taken its toll on his draft stock. Many teams have him projected in the second round, so this is clearly going out on a limb putting him in the top 20. His foot ended his season and if it doesn't check out in team physicals, he will slide. He's an unselfish, versatile two-guard with a smooth mid-range game and excellent vision. While he lacks elite athleticism, he shows a great feel for the game, cerebral decision and the ability to make those around him better. How well he checks out in physicals and tests athletically will be crucial for his draft stock. |
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Shooting Guard / 6-6 / Syracuse / Freshman
13.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Richardson has a dilemma on his hands regarding his draft decision. On one hand, the iron is hot after a strong tourney performance, with a 21-point second half to knock out No. 1 seed Virginia and put a Syracuse team that many had out of the tournament field into the Final Four. He's another long-term play as he isn't likely to contribute much for a few seasons. Combine the fact that he shows the ability to shine in big situations, the fact that he is a great kid with a developing skillset, and the fact that he has a 7-foot wingspan, and you can see why teams feel he has a good chance to be a first rounder this year. Regardless, most scouts would like to see him return to school and improve his shooting and all-around efficiency. |
Key: (*) Standard salary for players selected with that pick in 2016-17.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1Qgojjz
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