With the NBA Draft set to tip off Thursday night in Brooklyn, it’s time to look at some potential sleepers and busts from this year’s crop of players.
The sleepers
C.J. McCollum, point guard, Lehigh – When’s the last time a player shot better than 50 per cent from beyond the arc and averaged more than 23 points per game?
I can’t recall (and my Google search didn’t turn up any results either.)
The fascinating thing is, McCollum did this while having opposing defences plan for trying to stop him as his teammates on Lehigh weren’t the same kind of scoring threats as he was. Imagine what McCollum could do with talented players on the court with him? The thought should send chills down the spine of coaches around the NBA.
Jeff Withey, centre, Kansas – How are Steven Adams and Alex Len ranked higher on mock drafts than Withey?
Withey improved every year he was at Kansas and won a NCAA Championship this past year while anchoring their defence. He pulled down 8.5 rebounds and recorded 3.9 swats per game and will look great in a couple years as a defensive-minded big man in the NBA. Some team will get a complete steal if he lasts to the end of the first round.
Reggie Bullock, small forward, North Carolina – After seeing what Danny Green did in the first few games of the NBA Finals it cemented the fact “3 and D” players are huge in the new NBA.
Bullock shot 42.9 per cent from beyond the arc last season and was North Carolina’s top wing defender. Having those two skills will give any player a long, successful career in the NBA.
C.J. Leslie, small forward, North Carolina State – He has the perfect build for a wing player in the NBA at 6’9” and 209 pounds.
Leslie is able to work out of the post, will be able to guard athletic marvels like LeBron James or Kevin Durant and can stick a perimeter shot. If he slips to the end of the first round or into the second round he will be a great value pick.
Dennis Schroeder, point guard, Germany – The Euro phase has move from fascination to fear as NBA teams are worried after getting burned on players they haven’t seen play since they were in high school.
The joke will be on NBA teams who pass on Schroeder in the lottery. He has blazing speed and his ability to create out of the pick and roll.
The busts
Alex Len, centre, Maryland – Sorry, but what has this guy done to warrant being considered as the top overall pick?
Sure, he won the genetic lottery as he is 7’1” and 255 pounds so he should be able to play defence right out of the gate.
Questions remain after his less-than-stellar sophomore season at Maryland. His team went 8-10 in the ACC and he only averaged 11.9 points as a sophomore although the guard play on his club was atrocious. As a freshman he only averaged 6.0 points per game and looked over-matched most games. Sorry, but I’m not buying the hype.
Nerlens Noel, centre, Kentucky – Is he an intriguing prospect? Sure. But for someone who’s offensive game looks unrefined and is coming off an ACL injury he scares me.
The fact he might be the top overall pick and not be ready until after the all-star break has to raise an alarm bell. If he slips to the third pick or lower he instantly becomes a value pick. Yes, I’m fickle like that.
Steven Adams, centre, Pittsburgh – Yes, I realize I look like I’m hating on all the big men in the lottery but do you remember what happened in the NBA Finals? Teams embraced small ball in a big way and it wasn’t a fluke.
The past few years have seen NBA teams scrap playing two big men when they had more athletic players to throw on the court. Because of the way the NBA is moving there shouldn’t be a need for a big man to be drafted in the lottery who only averaged 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Michael Carter-Williams, point guard, Syracuse – I’m amazed the “analytics” guys are drooling over a guy who shot 39 percent from the field and only averaged 11.9 points. Sure, his 7.3 dimes are impressive, but I’m not sold on Carter-Williams, especially if Trey Burke is still on the board.