As we get closer to the draft it seems as though the top 5 picks are set. Now the order in which they go (outside of Davis #1) is still a mystery, but it looks as if Davis, Robinson, GIlchrist, Barnes and Beal will be the 1st 5 off the board. Now the reason for this I would suspect is that each player has a ceiling from pretty good to off the charts while their floors are no where near bust level. So the question I pose is outside of these top 5 guys, who are the players in this draft that you like. Meaning guys who you not only see potential in but guys you expect to deliver on that and be anything from a solid starter to a star player. My list looks like this: Andre Drummond Center UConn: There is enough talent to go along with his great size and athleticism that I see a bright future for Drummond. Now I compare him to Bynum and just like Bynum it won't come early. I can see his career following the path set by Bynum (minus injuries) where he barely sees the court in his rookie year and in his second year starts cracking the rotation while showing glimpses of what he can be. What I like is that the form on his shot is there. All he needs is more practice and repititon. Now the post game needs work, but he has the size and strength to make it work. By the time he reaches his potential (years 3-5) I can see Drummond posting 17ppg/10rpg and 2bpg. Dion Waiters Shooting Guard Syracuse: All the talent is there. A little undersized at 6'4'', but strong and quick enough to make it work. Offensively he probably has the best chance at the most complete offensive game for any wing in this draft Beal, Gilchrist and Barnes and that's why he won't go top 5, but teams are starting to take note of all his offensive skills and I would not be suprised to see him go top 10. In addition to his offense, he may have the best perimeter defense of all wing players too. He can be a ferocius man to man defender judging by his strength and quickness. He also is already great at forcing turnovers. Another plus to his game is his passing. He is a skilled enough passer that you can play big with him at the point at times and still be effective. Of course there are concerns over work rate and him playing off the bench at Syracuse dosen't help his cause, but from a talent standpoint, outside of Davis this kid may be the 2nd most talented player in the draft. Perry Jones III Power Forward Baylor The most athletic and multi talented big in this draft. Legit size for a 4 at 6'11'' and 235 lb while posessing the perimeter game of a 3. Will create mismatches against just about anyone he plays against. Much like Waiter the knock here is his work rate. Can relytoo much on natural ability and not put fourth the effort needed to suceed. I am a fim believer though that most kids who have this issue through college do so because they are so used to being so much more talented then anyone they play against. It is my belief that just by being in the pros and going against the competiton that the leauge has on a daily basis is enough to set these kids straight. There is a definite weeding out process that I believe teams go through in determining which kids this transition will happen with and which kids it will not. Not having acess to the meetings that teams have with these kids I have to go in thinking they will be able to adjust to the pro game. John Henson Power Forward/Center UNC Outside of Davis, maybe the most impressive big in the paint. His rebounding and shot blocking are extrodinary. His offensive game is ok, but the room is there for growth. With Henson the biggest issue is size. at 6'11'' he entered UNC at around 190 and left at around 215. WHile its good to see the added weight he still has to get bigger. Ideally you want Henson at around 230-235 to be most effective. You may have to wait a few years to get the bulk and strength on this kid, but in the meantime he will proivide a weakside presence down low while being able to run the floor. But the talent is there that once he puts enough strength and bulk on his body he can be a versitile big who can beat you on both ends. Terrence Ross Small Forward/Shooting Guard Washington Great size and a great perimeter game make Ross serious threat. Now what keeps him outside of the top wings in the draft is his game at the basket. He is not as explosive and doesn't finish at the rim like the top wings in this draft. Now he has the athleticism to improve this part of his game and while I think he will never be great at attacking the basket, he should be able to create enough of a threat to make him something more then a shooter of the bench. Also solid defensively wich is a plus. Quincy Miller Small Forward Baylor If he never tore his ACL in high school he would be talked about in the same light as Gilchrist, Barnes and Beal. at 6'10'' everyone is going to want to call him Durant. While chances are he will never be that good, he still has enough skills to be a good scorer who can also shut down his man on the other end. Even with the knee he was able to play this season and got better thorughout the year. Unlike in the past, players are able to come back from ACL's and have productive careers. He may have lost some explosiveness he will never get back, but with his size and scoring ability he should be able to compensate for that. And defensively he brings alot to the table to further elevate his stock.
Jeremy Lamb - has all of the tools and talent to be a top 5 SG in the NBA (shooting ability, length, size and ball-handling skills), just needs to put in the effort to hit his ceiling. I really hope the Rockets do whatever it takes to draft this guy, UConn players tend to have long and fruitful NBA careers (Okafor, Gay, Hamilton, Allen, Butler, hell even Ben Gordon [who was at one point valuable and just on a terrible team]). Austin Rivers - has the swagger and talent to be a top SG talent, but question marks over his size and in-game awareness of details like where his open teammates are, shot clock time left, and questions over whether or not he will be willing to spot up / score without the ball in his hands. Perry Jones III - ceiling is probably Lamar Odom at his prime, which isn't bad. Whether or not he will get there, like the 2 guys listed above him, it's incredibly hard to see.
Drummond - I think he has very near ready NBA defense. Shot blocking should translate, but like most shot blockers...he may have foul trouble a little early in career even though he didn't show it at UConn. He can hold his ground in post and plays pick and roll well. His biggest hold backs right now are FT shooting and defensive rebounding. He may never be an offensive superstar, but for the 6th pick...I'll take a starting defensive center. He will most likely be called a bust for never being a superstar. Tyshawn Taylor - Not looking like an early pick, but the guy can get to the rim. This is a very valuable skill. He's my pick for backup PG. Throws in some defense and shooting, too. Just don't expect him to pass well. He would do well for a team that plays a lot of 2 PGs like the Rockets. Would be a nice pick up if the Rockets ended up trading back. Sullinger - if he drops. Rockets have the picks to take a flyer on a risk as long as it isn't too big a risk. I expected he would be a short C, but measured out even shorter than I expected and will be a short PF most likely.He should be able to play immediately. Wish I would have seen Waiters or Lilliard play. Both look very good in highlights. Jeff Taylor - I like defense. I like his shooting. Don't know if he can guard most SGs or if he is a SF. Lacks ballhandling which could limit him some in NBA. Would be great for Adelman.
No chance. http://nbadraft.net/players/anthony-davis Almost no chance. http://nbadraft.net/players/andre-drummond http://nbadraft.net/players/harrison-barnes Possible if Morey is willing to pay up to move up. http://nbadraft.net/players/meyers-leonard http://nbadraft.net/players/perry-jones http://nbadraft.net/players/tyler-zeller Might still be on the board at 14th, but I doubt it. http://nbadraft.net/players/arnett-moultrie http://nbadraft.net/players/john-henson Someone is going to use a late pick on this guy and he might end up being a great pick up. And no one expects a low first round pick to amount to much, anyway. http://nbadraft.net/players/fab-melo If the Rockets get Drummond, Meyers, Barnes, or Perry, I will be ecstatic.
This is pretty much how I feel, although Moultrie might be too risky. Do not want Terrence Ross, Quincy Miller, or Terrence Jones.
Leonard Zeller Melo We need to take 2 of these guys. Cut Dalembert, trade away all of our highest paid players and give these young guys some playing time and rebuild.
There are a lot of players that I like. The players I would like the rockets to draft would be Kendall Marshall (great court vision, true point guard) and Meyers Leonard (Center, need I say more).
Drummond - high risk and the highest reward. Could give Davis a run for his money in a few years. http://swishscout.com/?page_id=1632
I would not have used will, but it is possible. College players especially 18 year olds like Drummond are awfully difficult to project.
I think Terrence Jones is too much of a tweener to be on a team with a problem of having too many tweeners. Ross' shooting and more so dribbling/passing ability turns me off big time. Quincy Miller to me just seems like a DeAndre Jordan type pick in the sense that he was highly touted in HS, did so-so at the college level but left too many questions for him to be bargained with a high selection pick. Only worth a late first round pick, but just my opinion.
