POINT GUARDS / SHOOTING GUARDS / SMALL FORWARDS / POWER FORWARDS / CENTERS
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Power Forward / 6-10 / Louisiana State / Freshman
19.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg
The Sixers need scoring, but more than anything they need talent. And Simmons clearly is the most talented prospect available this year. How quickly people tend to forget. It was just a few months ago that Ben Simmons was taking college basketball by storm, having one of the best starts of any freshman of the past 20-25 years. Simmons had an unceremonious end to the season, failing to guide a young LSU team with chemistry problems and a horrific coach into the Big Dance. But his numbers on the year speak for themselves. And for all the negativity surrounding him in the media, scouts remain high on him. Was he a great student? No. Did he disrupt the "sanctity" of college basketball? Maybe in some minds. But does that mean he has character issues? No. Simmons comes from a strong family background, and his father played professionally in Australia, so Ben grew up with multiple advantages. The notion that he somehow has character concerns is pure propaganda. Simmons combines high level athleticism and size with legitimate point guard vision and creativity. Ingram finished the year stronger, but Simmons ability to impact games and greater chance to be a franchise talent ultimately makes him the pick. |
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2. Phoenix: Dragan Bender
Power Forward / 7-0 / Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) / 1997
2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Bender couldn't have picked a better draft to be in with the success of Kristaps Porzingis and the lack of elite talent in the high lottery. While Bender lacks Porzingis' size, he may be an even better shooter. He built a big reputation in junior events in his age group. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to play much this season for his Israeli team. He played very well in an exhibition game before the season in Chicago, with a lot of scouts in attendance. His competitiveness and scoring ability give him a lot of potential, however his body needs to get a lot stronger. With excellent size, quickness, shooting and determination, Bender figures to be off the board quickly, despite not having a large sample size at the senior level in Europe. |
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Power Forward / 6-10 / Gonzaga / Sophomore
17.6 ppg, 11.8 rpg
Sabonis may not look like a lottery pick at first glance, but it's the heart and intangibles 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 three-point shot in his repertoire down the road. 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 and guiding the Zags to a Sweet Sixteen appearance this year. |
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Power Forward / 6-9 / Washington / Freshman
13.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Chriss probably should probably be returning to Washington and working on his game, but when you blow up with the type of freshman season that he had, it's hard to fault his decision. He is a candidate to spend the next 2-3 years in the D-League before being able to contribute to an NBA team. His upside is considerable, as he shows good touch out to 15 feet and is a superb run-jump athlete with NBA power forward size at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan. His body language on the floor and interactions with refs expose his lack of maturity, though he's in fact a bright kid who was studying engineering. |
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5. Orlando: Deyonta Davis
Power Forward / 6-10 / Michigan State / Freshman
7.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Davis looks like a future All-Star when you string together a highlight reel of his best plays. The problem is that those highlights were few and far between and much of the time he seemed content just to be on the floor instead of being an impact guy at all times. How much of his reluctance to shoot and be productive was due to him, his desire not to "rock the boat", or whether he was following the coaching staff's wishes, is the big question. He is very athletic and agile for his size at 240 pounds, and a huge 6-foot-10 frame with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. He also shows some nice touch with both hands around the basket. His confidence and feel for the game need some improvement. Davis becomes just the second one-and-done player under Tom Izzo with Zach Randolph being the first. With his upside, he figures to challenge for a late-lottery spot if teams are impressed with him in interviews and workouts. |
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Power Forward / 6-11 / Kentucky / Freshman
6.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg
In a draft year with a lot of polarizing players, Skal gets the award for being the most polarizing. Some continue to point back to how dominant he looked at last year's Hoop Summit, while others feel that that was misleading considering the opponents he faced and him rising so fast into the top pick discussion was never legitimate. His season at Kentucky certainly did his draft stock no favors. He's an extremely sensitive kid. The constant challenges from Coach Cal which bring out the best in many kids, had the opposite effect on him. Regardless, the hype and expectations that have been placed upon him also did him no favors as many were as quick to dismiss him as they were to overhype him. Labissiere is still new to the game, and his feel and the speed of high-level competition is still something that he's adjusting to. There's a lot of talent here with his tremendous shooting ability, along with high level size and mobility. He doesn't seem to understand how to utilize his athleticism and may never fully realize his massive upside, but there's still a lot to work with and he could really thrive if the right coach believes in him and builds up his confidence. |
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Power Forward / 6-10 / Marquette / Freshman
17.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg
Ellenson had a standout freshman season as Marquette's top player and will look to parlay that into being a mid-first round pick. He's a quality kid who seems to put the team first. While not the most demonstrative of personalities, he's young and extremely coachable. For his size, he has versatility with his ability to handle the ball in the open floor and shows 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. He also shows solid feet with good balance and will surprise you by making plays attacking the rim, despite any real explosiveness. 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. Detroit: Brice Johnson
Power Forward / 6-9 / North Carolina / Senior
17.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg
Johnson went from a role player to superstar in his senior season, putting together a season of consistency and dominance. He broke the UNC record with double-doubles in a season with 23. So much for the idea that he can't rebound. While he lacks great strength and much ability to put weight on, his scoring and rebounding numbers in one of the top conferences speaks for itself. Johnson 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 a face up game and a jump shot that has become a weapon out to 15-18 feet. His emotional maturity will be the key to his success. In the title game he had a bit of a meltdown dealing with frustration, and that's something that could affect his stock some on draft night. He figures to be one of the Top 3-4 seniors off the board and should go anywhere from 10-20. |
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9. Atlanta: Cheick Diallo
Power Forward / 6-9 / Kansas / Freshman
3.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Diallo is another high risk/reward guy after barely seeing the court at Kansas as a freshman. Scouts absolutely rave about this kid's character saying those around the team (coaches, trainers, medical staff) consider him the best kid in 15-20 years. He's unorthodox, and is another guy that a team will need to be especially patient with. But there is a lot of talent and potential to be intrigued with him. He was a near unanimous Top 5 player in his high school class and dominated practices in front of scouts, not to mention receiving MVP in multiple high school All-American Showcase games. With Kansas' stable of frontcourt horses, Diallo was the odd man out. Whether becoming eligible to the team late, lack of readiness, or ulterior motives were responsible for his lack of playing time is open to debate. Diallo has been working hard on his shot and with his high motor and character he becomes too enticing to pass up at some point. |
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10. Phoenix: Thon Maker
Power Forward / 7-0 / Australia / 1997
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Thon is the draft's ultimate wildcard as he gathered a lot of hype during his high school career. Is he a guy that peaked at 15 years of age? Is his listed age even legitimate? These questions must be at the very least considered. A year in college may have been positive for his development, but it also may have exposed his weaknesses. Is he the ultimate sleeper or the ultimate tease? We tend to subscribe to the latter in terms of his outlook. He's a good kid, despite a general consensus that he has questionable advisement. To his credit, he has shown a lot of resolve through everything. He moved to the U.S. from Australia, then from a U.S. high school to Canada, graduated last year without announcing it and then declared for the draft after saying he was 100 percent going to college. This entire scenario was actually quite predictable when you realize that every move has been made with the sole purpose of preserving the hype around him. He did have a dominant NBPA camp last year, but was he even eligible to play there, and how much older actually is he than the kids that he was facing? He hustles down the floor and will battle you for rebounds. And he shows face-up potential with an adequate mid-range jumper. The main issue for him is his lack of body strength. He has a body that just cannot seem to add weight in a constructive basketball sense, in particular his lower body. There are major concerns about his body holding up, as his legs and hips are extremely stiff. He does not get much lift when he faces contact, and the added strength to his upper body has noticeably slowed his mobility and explosiveness. At one point, there was some unrealistic hype surrounding him with "best prospect in high school" being thrown around. Thon intrigues with his determination, length and skill level, but it would have been nice to see him actually prove it against legitimate competition, particularly since he has regressed and his development has stagnated. Thon figures to find a spot in the first round, but major question marks exist regarding his body holding up to the strength, speed and athleticism of the NBA. |
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Power Forward / 6-8 / SPO Rouen (France) / 1995
9.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Yabusele is having a solid season in France for Rouen knocking down 57 percent from the floor, 40 percent from three and 77 percent 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 / 6-9 / New Mexico State / Sophomore
20.3 ppg, 11.6 apg
Siakam was one of the big winners of the combine, measuring a legit 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. Along with fellow bubble first-round power forwards Joel Bolomboy and Ben Bentil, he could find a spot in the late first round. Siakam, who turned 20 in February, combines great length with energy and athleticism. He did not show any ability to face up and shied away from taking mid range shots at the combine, so whether a team will draft him in the first round without a complete offensive repertoire remains to be seen. But he provides excellent upside at the back end of the first round for the NBA champions. |
Key: (*) Standard salary for players selected with that pick in 2016-17.
from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/1Tpkfnh
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