• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

2015 NBA Draft Thread

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Finally seeing Duke play on TV today and man, Okafor looks like the real deal. He might need to add on some muscle, but he'll be a force in the NBA.

If anyone can develop a competent 8-12 foot jumper on those polished inside moves...goodness.
 
Last year's draft was so deep that a guy like KJ Mcdaniels dropped to the top of the second round, one pick before we took Harris. Would have loved Mcdaniels on this team.

I really like Norman Powell from UCLA as a defensive stopper in the league but he's beginning to be projected as a late lottery pick by some.
 
Dawson out of Michigan State could be a damn good player if he could shoot. Terrific rebounder, defender, incredible athlete on the wing.
 
Last edited:
If anyone can develop a competent 8-12 foot jumper on those polished inside moves...goodness.

Have not seen many videos or watched him play much. However he has of the most smooth style I seen since LeBron. He Is just so smooth, Davis and Okafor are the big men of the future.
 
I think we should be talking about better prospects considering recent play. At this rate, we should be looking at Okafor or Towns :chuckle:
 
I think we should be talking about better prospects considering recent play. At this rate, we should be looking at Okafor or Towns :chuckle:

Keep in mind that, because of that Deng trade and based on the Cavs' record at this stage, the Cavs will likely be picking from the Bulls' slot. (Unless the Cavs don't even make the playoffs, that is.) So it looks like no higher than #24 or so, and, who knows, maybe as low as 29 or 30.

(Chris Grant, fighting for his job, executed the Deng trade, but I think it's safe to say ownership is to blame for it. Nice trade for Chicago though.)
 
Keep in mind that, because of that Deng trade and based on the Cavs' record at this stage, the Cavs will likely be picking from the Bulls' slot. (Unless the Cavs don't even make the playoffs, that is.) So it looks like no higher than #24 or so, and, who knows, maybe as low as 29 or 30.

(Chris Grant, fighting for his job, executed the Deng trade, but I think it's safe to say ownership is to blame for it. Nice trade for Chicago though.)

Chicago has had a charmed existence the past year or so with multiple bouts of good luck.

It looks like they will actually make that Sacramento pick this year and add a piece to an already stacked team.
 
I know everyone's prone to overreactions, specially when the conference play has just begun, but who is the last guy as good in the low post as Okafor is as a freshman? He's got just about every move in the book and even some you almost never see (specially that spin move over his left shoulder off one foot for the layup). He isn't consistent outside 10 feet (although he has shown to be able to hit a bank shot on occasion) and he's too right hand dominant at this time, but that's nitpicking when you consider his age.

Combine all those skills with a 6'11" frame, 7'6" wingspan, quick feet and gigantic, soft hands and you've got undoubtedly one of the best (in the last decade or two at least) low post center prospects to ever come through college basketball. Just about the only questions I have of him are how he'll deal with NBA-level bigs defending him, and if his lack of elite athleticism will limit him in space on the defensive end.

View: https://twitter.com/JayBilas/status/551755666374000640
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: JFT
Last year's draft was so deep that a guy like KJ Mcdaniels dropped to the top of the second round, one pick before we took Harris. Would have loved Mcdaniels on this team.

Stop kidding yourself, you know we would have passed on McDaniels even if he was there.

We don't draft athletes and that's the end of that. :chuckle:
 
Chad Ford Big Board 5.

insider_g_okafor-oubre01jr_576x324.jpg



Conference play is now in full swing and NBA scouts will get to find out if the strong starts for many of the top players on our Board during nonconference play was legit or a fluke.

Armed with better scouting reports and familiarity with what teams want to do, opposing college coaches and defenses aim to make life difficult for elite prospects. Many players, especially freshmen, typically see a dip in their production once they get into the grind of January and February.

The top of the Big Board continues to hold steady. We have only one new addition to our top 10: Kansas' Kelly Oubre, who started the season there. Freshmen continue to dominate the board. We have 10 of them in the lottery and 14 overall. Centers and power forwards are the strongest positions, though there have been several point guards who inched their way onto the bottom of our board. We've also updated our Top 100 to reflect the overall progress of players beyond our top 30.

Remember, the Top 100 reflects the consensus of NBA scouts and general managers about a player's relative value in the draft. Our Big Board is a more detailed look at the top 30 players (essentially the first round of the NBA draft) in our Top 100. It tracks player movement and stock fluctuation as well as offers the latest intel from NBA scouts.

Here's our fifth Big Board of 2015.

1
Jahlil Okafor

COLLEGE: Duke
HT: 6-11
WT: 275
POS: C
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 19.5
RPG 8.7
BPG 1.7
Okafor is one of the most dominant freshman big men I've ever seen. He's absolutely destroying defenses right now. In his past five games, he's averaging 23.2 PPG and 10.4 RPG while shooting a crazy 74 percent from the floor. Okafor now leads all players in the NCAA in PER. While scouts can nitpick about his pedestrian defense, the truth is that players his size with offensive polish come around once in a decade. He might never be Anthony Davis because of his lack of elite athleticism, but he looks like a lock to be a 20-and-10 guy in the NBA someday.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 1 | PLAYER CARD
2
Emmanuel Mudiay

COLLEGE: China
HT: 6-5
WT: 196
POS: PG


18.9 PPG | 6.6 RPG | 6.3 APG

We're all still waiting to see if Mudiay will play another game in China. He has been out since late November nursing an ankle injury. That injury, sources say, is healed. However, former NBA guard Will Bynum has taken his place in the rotation and is playing well. That could be the explanation, though many of the NBA scouts I've spoken with believe he has decided to shut it down for the season. However, a source close to Mudiay told me they do anticipate that Mudiay will return to the court. The question is when. Regardless, he continues to be in the mix for the No. 1 pick. If a team is looking for a guard, he's far and away the best prospect on the board.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 2 | PLAYER CARD
3
Karl-Anthony Towns

COLLEGE: Kentucky
HT: 6-11
WT: 250
POS: C
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 8.2
RPG 6.8
BPG 2.4
Towns has been pretty quiet offensively for Kentucky. He hasn't made more than three field goals in a game in a month and had zero against North Carolina. However, he continues to be a beast on the boards, for the most part, and an elite shot-blocker. Scouts don't seem to be deterred by Towns' offensive slump. He's playing in a unique setting, surrounded by eight players who all can score. While his case for being the No. 1 pick might be slipping, he still looks like a lock for the top four.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 3 | PLAYER CARD
4
Kristaps Porzingis

COLLEGE: Latvia
HT: 6-11
WT: 220
POS: PF


10.2 PPG | 4.1 RPG | 1.3 BPG

Porzingis continues to play in a way that should guarantee him a spot in the top five. He has the size, athleticism and skill set to be a terrific NBA power forward. The fact that he's shooting so well from 3-point range only adds to his value. He scored 13 points against Gran Canaria in just 21 minutes on Sunday. He shot 5-for-7 from the field and was 1-for-2 from beyond the arc. He's shooting a sizzling 50 percent from 3-point range in Eurocup play this season. He's averaging 8.7 PPG and shooting 37 percent from 3 in ACB play.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 4 | PLAYER CARD
5
Kevon Looney

COLLEGE: UCLA
HT: 6-10
WT: 210
POS: PF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 12
RPG 9.9
BPG 1.4
After a strong start to the season, Looney has been in a major offensive slump since the Kentucky game Dec. 20. He had just four points against Alabama, six against Colorado and eight against Utah on Sunday. Unfortunately, his elite rebounding numbers have dipped as well. UCLA, as a team, is a mess, but scouts seem less discouraged by Looney's poor play of late.

"I saw him in practice and the kid does so much more than he's really allowed to do on the court," one scout said. "UCLA needs him to play a certain way because they just don't have any real bigs to rely on. I think he has all the skills to be an NBA small forward. The more you see him in practice, the more you know there's more there than he's showing in games right now."

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 5 | PLAYER CARD
6
Justise Winslow

COLLEGE: Duke
HT: 6-6
WT: 222
POS: SF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 12.2
RPG 4.9
APG 2.2
Winslow continues to have the slight edge over Kelly Oubre, Mario Hezonja and Stanley Johnson as the first wing off the board. Winslow is now shooting 39 percent from 3, a rate that has scouts really encouraged. And he's shooting an impressive 71 percent at the rim. But his field-goal percentage on 2-point shots is an awful 12 percent. Figuring out some semblance of a midrange game is going to be a key for Winslow going forward.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 6 | PLAYER CARD
7
Willie Cauley-Stein

COLLEGE: Kentucky
HT: 7-0
WT: 240
POS: C
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 10.1
RPG 6.6
BPG 1.7
Cauley-Stein had a five-game stretch (against Texas, Eastern Kentucky, Columbia, North Carolina and UCLA) where he looked like the best player on the floor for Kentucky. He came back down to earth a bit against a physical and athletic Louisville team, which proved to scouts that he still has lot of developing to do. But as long as he continues to show more toughness and consistency, he's a lock for a top-10 pick. His ability to guard four or five positions on the floor is truly unique.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 8 | PLAYER CARD
8
Myles Turner

COLLEGE: Texas
HT: 7-0
WT: 240
POS: PF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 11.2
RPG 6.9
BPG 2.7
It has been a tale of two seasons for Turner. Against middling competition, Turner's performance has been incredible -- driving him into the top five in college PER. But against top teams (Iowa, Cal, UConn, Kentucky and Stanford), he has struggled. That trend continued on Monday when Turner scored just four points on 2-of-9 shooting and grabbed just five rebounds in 25 minutes during a blowout loss to Oklahoma. But scouts really like Turner's long-term potential. He has good offensive instincts, can score from anywhere on the floor and is a terrific shot-blocker. Until he adds strength and shows the ability to score against bigger foes, however, he really can't rise much higher on the board.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 7 | PLAYER CARD
9
Kelly Oubre

COLLEGE: Kansas
HT: 6-7
WT: 204
POS: SF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 7.3
RPG 4.2
APG .6
In four out of his past five games, Oubre has been the best player on the floor for the Jayhawks. He has two 20-point games (against Lafayette and Kent State) and two double-doubles in his past four. He appears to get more aggressive by the game. While his shot wasn't falling in the UNLV game, he made up for it with terrific defense onRashad Vaughn. Oubre is shooting 48 percent from 3-point range and has improved his 2-point shooting to 39 percent. If he keeps improving at this rate, there's a good change he's the first wing off the board.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 14 | PLAYER CARD
10
Mario Hezonja

COLLEGE: Croatia
HT: 6-7
WT: 200
POS: SF


7.8 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 40 percent 3-point shooting in 17 MPG

Hezonja is coming off a strong December where he saw his minutes and production increase dramatically. It was the first long stretch scouts got to see what he can do on a consistent basis. He has been athletic, attacking the basket and shooting well from beyond the arc. When he plays like this, he looks like a lock to be a top-10 pick and perhaps the first wing off the board. However, his numbers have dipped a bit recently. He had just five points in 18 minutes in his previous Euroleague outing versus Alba Berlin, and had zero points in 16 minutes versus Bilbao on Sunday.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 10 | PLAYER CARD
 
11
Stanley Johnson

COLLEGE: Arizona
HT: 6-7
WT: 237
POS: SF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 14.4
RPG 6.9
APG 1.7
The board is pretty fluid between Nos. 5 and 12. Johnson could end up just as easily going fifth or sixth as he could 11th. Johnson was replaced by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in the starting lineup on Sunday against Arizona State. However, by the start of the second half, Johnson was back with the first team. It appears that there have been some concerns about Johnson's defensive effort as well as a tendency for the ball to stop moving when he's on the floor. Those are minor issues overall and everyone expects Johnson to continue to play the alpha-dog role for Arizona. His shooting has been especially impressive this season; he's making 52 percent of his 2-point jumpers and 45 percent from 3. It's his percentage at the rim (just 48 percent) that has raised some eyebrows.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 9 | PLAYER CARD
12
D'Angelo Russell

COLLEGE: Ohio State
HT: 6-5
WT: 176
POS: PG
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 17.7
RPG 4.5
APG 5.1
Ohio State has come back down to earth, but scouts still are enamored with Russell, a silky smooth combo guard who looks more and more like he'll be able to play both the 1 and the 2 in the NBA someday. He had a career-high nine assists against Miami (Ohio) and has recorded at least four assists in 13 of the 15 games he has played this season.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 11 | PLAYER CARD
13
R.J. Hunter

COLLEGE: Georgia St
HT: 6-5
WT: 185
POS: SG
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 19.5
RPG 4.1
APG 3.6
After the first 12 players are off the board, scouts report a pretty distinct drop in talent. Hunter made a name for himself with a terrific summer performance, but his jump shot has not been falling of late, which is a major disappointment in a draft that desperately needs shooters. In December and early January, Hunter made just 11 of the 57 3-pointers he took. That amounts to an awful 19 percent. Scouts don't doubt he can shoot the basketball. It's his ability to get good shots that's the question right now. Scouts expect Hunter, who last season shot 39.5 percent from 3, to revert to the mean at some point.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 12 | PLAYER CARD
14
Jakob Poeltl

COLLEGE: Utah
HT: 7-0
WT: 230
POS: C
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 9.8
RPG 8.3
BPG 2.1
Poeltl has struggled a bit as well in the past few weeks after a red-hot start. He hasn't scored in double figures since Dec. 3 and he's grabbed double-digit rebounds in just two games in the past month. Foul trouble has had something to do with it. He also is not playing with quite the same energy that he did early on. Still, he posted a nice nine-point, 10-rebound game in 21 minutes against UCLA on Sunday. His offensive game is still very much a work in progress, but his defense could get him drafted in the lottery despite his challenges scoring the basketball.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 13 | PLAYER CARD
15
Montrezl Harrell

COLLEGE: Louisville
HT: 6-7
WT: 243
POS: PF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 16.7
RPG 9.5
BPG 1.1
Montrezl just keeps doing what Montrezl does. He might be the most consistent player on our board. Yes, Kentucky recently held him to his first single-digit scoring game of the season, but the Wildcats tend to do that to everyone. Harrell fought hard against Kentucky and scouts love that. He had one of his best performances of the season on Sunday against Wake Forest, posting 25 points and 13 rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting. He even went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Harrell is still trying to show that the 3-point shot is part of his arsenal; however, he's just 6-for-24 on 3s this season.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 16 | PLAYER CARD
16
Trey Lyles

COLLEGE: Kentucky
HT: 6-10
WT: 235
POS: PF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 7.8
RPG 5.8
BPG .3
Getting a great read on Lyles' draft stock has proven to be tricky. Some scouts believe he's a lottery pick. Others believe he's more of a late first-round pick. Nothing he's done this season seems to be moving the needle much in either direction. So take this ranking with a grain of salt. He could be five spots higher or lower on draft night. One area that has really stood out is his midrange game. Lyles takes 47.5 percent of his shots in this range, shooting 50 percent. Combine that with his numbers at the rim (81 percent) and Lyles is very efficient. His 3-point shot has been way off this season (14 percent), but at the next level, his ability to shoot that midrange jumper will be big.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 21 | PLAYER CARD
17
Frank Kaminsky

COLLEGE: Wisconsin
HT: 7-0
WT: 234
POS: C
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 16.6
RPG 8.5
BPG 1.9
Kaminsky is Okafor's top challenger for college player of the year. However, he's not considered nearly the NBA prospect that Okafor is. His main calling card in the NBA will be his shooting touch from beyond the arc. He has been a good, but not elite, 3-point shooter this season. While he's shooting 38 percent from 3 overall, in the past month he's just 3-for-10.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 20 | PLAYER CARD
18
Delon Wright

COLLEGE: Utah
HT: 6-5
WT: 178
POS: PG
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 15.1
RPG 4.9
APG 5.6
Wright continues to play like one of the top point guards in the country. However, he's putting up virtually identical numbers to the ones he posted last season. The only real difference is that his rebounding is slightly down and his 3-point shooting is slightly up. His performance against Kansas a few weeks ago got a lot of scouts on his bandwagon. Utah hasn't been challenged much since, and Wright has cruised with two 10-assist games against South Dakota State and USC. A big season in Pac-12 play should guarantee him a spot in the mid- to late first round.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 17 | PLAYER CARD
19
Jerian Grant

COLLEGE: Notre Dame
HT: 6-5
WT: 185
POS: PG
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 17.3
RPG 3.2
APG 6.3
Grant continues to make the case that he's the best point guard in college basketball. He can do everything. He's got great size, can score the basketball from anywhere on the floor and is sporting a ridiculous 3.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. There are some questions about his jump shot (40.5 percent from 2 and 35.1 percent from 3) but his numbers have been solid. When he gets to the rim, however, he's shooting an astonishing 85 percent. His explosive dunk against Georgia Tech on Saturday was one of the highlights of the season. Even when he's not scoring the basketball, like in Monday's win over North Carolina, he's making his presence felt in other ways (he had eight assists and just two turnovers against UNC). Age is really the only argument that you can make against Grant right now. He'll turn 23 before the start of the 2015-16 NBA season. In my mind, he's right there with Okafor and Kaminsky for college player of the year.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 27 | PLAYER CARD
20
Tyrone Wallace

COLLEGE: California
HT: 6-5
WT: 200
POS: PG
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 18.9
RPG 8.6
APG 4.2
Wallace was on fire in nonconference play, leading his team in scoring, rebounding and assists while shooting the lights out from deep. However, his shooting touch seems to have left him as the Bears have moved into Pac-12 play. He's gone just 8-for-34 from the field and 1-for-8 from 3-point range in his past two games (against Washington and Washington State). He doesn't have a lot offensive help right now outside of Jordan Matthews. Getting Jabari Bird back is a godsend. The good news is that Wallace continues to get to the line and essentially won the game for Cal against the Huskies on the free throw line on Friday. Scouts are mixed on Wallace's NBA potential. Some are skeptical that he's improved as dramatically as the numbers suggest and expect him to regress as the season progresses. Others think that his combination of size, athleticism, shooting touch and court vision make him an ideal point guard prospect at the next level. Wallace will have plenty of chances to prove himself against some top guards in the Pac-12. It will be interesting to see where his stock lands.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. NR | PLAYER CARD
21
Justin Anderson

COLLEGE: Virginia
HT: 6-6
WT: 222
POS: SF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 15.1
RPG 4.5
APG 1.8
Someone tell Anderson that he's supposed to regress to the mean! He shot 30 percent from 3-point range as a freshman and 29 percent as a sophomore, but is hitting a crazy 59 percent of his 3s this season. He's 30-for-51 from beyond the arc and shows no signs of cooling off. Add in that he's a terrific athlete, has an NBA body and length and can be a lockdown defender, and he could be the real sleeper of this draft if he can keep knocking down shots at this rate.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 30 | PLAYER CARD
22
Sam Dekker

COLLEGE: Wisconsin
HT: 6-9
WT: 230
POS: SF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 12.7
RPG 4.5
APG 1.3
Dekker seems to have recovered from the ankle injury that plagued him early in the season; he has been stronger the past few weeks. Shooting always has been the big indicator of his NBA worth from scouts. He shot 39 percent from 3 as a freshman, 33 percent as a sophomore and is back up to 39 percent this season. If he can keep knocking down shots, he has all of the other tools -- namely toughness, athleticism -- to make a terrific NBA small forward.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 23 | PLAYER CARD
23
Tyus Jones

COLLEGE: Duke
HT: 6-1
WT: 170
POS: PG
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 10.2
RPG 3.6
APG 5.3
You can make the argument that Jones has been the best "pure" point guard in the country this season. Sporting a terrific 3.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, the freshman has been highly efficient running Duke's offense. He's having a crazy good season. He's also come up big in the scoring department on nights when Duke needs him, and has been content to let others do the work on nights when they don't -- a hallmark of a terrific floor leader. It's really Jones' lack of ideal size or explosive athleticism that holds him this far down the board.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 25 | PLAYER CARD
24
Chris McCullough

COLLEGE: Syracuse
HT: 6-9
WT: 200
POS: PF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 10.1
RPG 7.5
BPG 2.3
McCullough's production plummeted in the second half of December. Maybe Jim Boeheim was right to be so incredulous at his soaring draft stock a month ago. After scoring in double figures in his first eight games (including three double-doubles), McCullough's offense has completely disappeared. In his past six games, he is averaging 4.5 PPG and shooting just 28 percent from the field. The only number that really hasn't dipped for McCullough is his shot-blocking. Scouts still insist that McCullough's defensive potential and ability to hit jumpers make him a great prospect, but if he can't figure out how to start putting the ball in the basket, his stock obviously is going to take a big hit.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 15 | PLAYER CARD
25
Cliff Alexander

COLLEGE: Kansas
HT: 6-8
WT: 251
POS: PF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 8.3
RPG 5.8
BPG 1.3
Alexander continues to be an effective energy guy coming off the bench. He took the most shots of his career on Sunday against UNLV and went 5-for-12 from the field for 10 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes. Alexander clearly has an NBA body and terrific athleticism and motor, but his basketball skills are lagging, and once again we saw him struggle a bit against the length of Goodluck Okonoboh and Christian Wood in the UNLV game. At this point, he's moving out of the lottery conversation and looks like he might be better off playing at least one more season at Kansas to polish his skills. Nevertheless, it's a long season and as Oubre proved, things can turn around quickly when the right opportunities come along.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 18 | PLAYER CARD
26
Terry Rozier

COLLEGE: Louisville
HT: 6-2
WT: 190
POS: PG
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 17.1
RPG 5.6
APG 2.1
Rozier has dramatically improved as a scorer. He has gone from averaging 7.0 PPG as a freshman to 17.1 PPG this season, and he's doing it while shooting a more efficient percentage from the field. However, questions remain about his point guard skills. He had a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a freshman, and that's dropped to 2.3-to-2.1. If Rozier is just an undersized scoring guard, his draft stock plummets. With Chris Jones taking the lead as a point guard, Rozier isn't getting a lot of chances to show what he can do as a playmaker.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 22 | PLAYER CARD
27
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

COLLEGE: Arizona
HT: 6-7
WT: 220
POS: SF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 11.4
RPG 6.4
APG 1.8
Hollis-Jefferson volunteered to come off the bench at the start of the season to give Arizona some scoring punch. He got his first start Sunday against Arizona State and responded with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal in 27 minutes. While his defense has been spectacular at times (Hollis-Jefferson can guard three, maybe four positions), his offense has been inconsistent due in large part to a shaky jump shot. His ability to find more consistent ways to score will largely determine whether he's considered a fringe lottery pick or a defensive specialist more suited to the late first round.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 24 | PLAYER CARD
28
Bobby Portis

COLLEGE: Arkansas
HT: 6-11
WT: 231
POS: PF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 16.8
RPG 7.8
BPG 1
I feel like Portis might be trying to get into the wrong draft. He has been good for Arkansas this season. Very good. It's just that there's such a glut of elite power forwards ahead of him on the board that he has struggled to stand out. Portis is one of those guys who does lots of things well, but doesn't necessarily excel at any one. Having a big game against Kentucky in late February might be his only real shot, given the weakness of the SEC, to show scouts he is better than they perceive.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 28 | PLAYER CARD
29
Caris LeVert

COLLEGE: Michigan
HT: 6-6
WT: 185
POS: SF
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 14.6
RPG 5.2
APG 3.9
Michigan is a mess, and after a fast start for LeVert, he seems to be enmeshed in it as well. Although his numbers for the season are strong, he has struggled the past few weeks, putting up poor performances against Eastern Michigan, Arizona, SMU and Purdue, all Wolverines losses. Scouts note that he has especially struggled this season against better teams such as Oregon, Syracuse, Arizona, SMU and Purdue. His only strong performance against a top team was a 16-point night against Villanova in late November. Some of that can be blamed on the lack of talent on this Michigan squad. But LeVert's ascension to being "the man" in Michigan just doesn't look that impressive right now.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. 19 | PLAYER CARD
30
Robert Upshaw

COLLEGE: Washington
HT: 6-11
WT: 255
POS: C
i


2014-15 STATS
PPG 11.1
RPG 7.6
BPG 4.6
Upshaw leads the NCAA in blocked shots despite averaging just 23 minutes per game for Washington. That's a remarkable stat. So, too, is the data that shows he blocks one out of every six shots an opponent takes when he's on the floor. Yes, there are off-the-court concerns. Yes, he lacks much in the way of polish on the offensive end. But he's got NBA size and length (a reported 7-5½ wingspan) and projects as an elite rim-protector. Teams are paying very close attention.

PREVIOUS RANK: No. NR | PLAYER CARD
Next five in: Dakari Johnson, C, Kentucky; Christian Wood, PF, UNLV; Chris Walker, PF, Florida;Egemen Guven, F, Turkey; Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky
 

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-13: "Backup Bash Brothers"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:11: "Clipping Bucks."
Top