Watching a ton of college basketball, I want to share my opinion on the top prospects in this class.
First off, I'm having a hard time buying into the hype surrounding Perry Jones. He has been a huge disappointment at Baylor thus far, but yet somehow has risen to #1 in most mock drafts? People like to compare him to Kevin Durant because they both have the same long and tall build and play on the wing. But Durant absolutely tore it up at Texas and has continued to develop into the player he is today. Plain and simple, he wreaked havoc. Jones, on the other hand, has not. I've read things online about Jones that say maybe, "His numbers may not be too impressive, but you can't watch Jones play and not be impressed." I agree with this statement at times. He makes some incredible plays, but the problem is that he doesn't make them often enough. The majority of the time he seems to be just standing around. It reminds me of DeAndre Jordan a couple of years ago, or as some referred to him, "The Next Dwight". In college, he had his moments where he would have an unbelievable dunk over someone. Around this point three years ago, some mock drafts had him going as high as 6th overall. Ended up falling way down to 35th.
It's not all bad though with Jones. Unlike Jordan, Perry has more of a plus side than just the dunking and athleticism. He's a very good ball handler and has an ability to score the basketball. I know the odds are slim to none for Perry to return to Baylor for an extra year if he is still projected as a top 3 pick, but that would be very beneficial towards him in the long run. He would be able to take a much larger role on the team without LaceDarius Dunn and could further develop his game. If he starts to slip like Jordan did, absolutely he could be a great pickup in the later portion of the lottery. High risk, high reward type guy.
The other big disappointment thus far has been Harrison Barnes. He was projected as the top pick for this draft the last couple of years, but has lost that position with his subpar play this season. However, I still do have faith in Barnes. At North Carolina, it's almost like he was put in a position where they needed him to come in and be a superstar from day one. Barnes could not live up to the early expectations.
Still, he has been starting to look a little better as of late and I think he could break out in the second half of this season. A dominant athlete and a very good offensive player who could develop into a great one. He appears to have the attitude and work ethic necessary for him to polish up his game. One area of his game Barnes needs to improve upon is his rebounding. A 6’8” athletic forward should be able to grab more the 5.6 boards per game.
Kyrie Irving is the one player in this class that I can only say positive things about. He really excites me on the court, just thinking that the Cavs could get an elite point guard, the perfect piece to start this rebuilding process. Give him the ball and he knows what to do with it. He has such a smooth game and the transition from high school to college did not have any obvious affect on him. A toe injury set back his season a little bit (maybe even ended his season), but I don’t think it’s anything to be too worried about.
Jared Sullinger has been especially impressive this season. Came to Ohio State and instantly showed that he can not only compete at the college level, but be a star. He will be right up there with Kemba Walker at the end of the season in Player of the Year talks. He’s talented in the post, and has received comparisons to Kevin Love, Al Jefferson, Tyler Hansbrough, and Sean May. Let’s hope if the Cavs take him, he will turn out more like the first two than the last two. His height (6’8”) and athleticism are the two things the worry scouts the most about Sully.
If Irving is off the board, Terrence Jones seems to be a relatively safe pick. He’s another guy who’s game has not skipped a beat against D-1 players. He may not have quite the potential as Irving, Barnes, or even (Perry) Jones, but he is a guy that should be able to compete at the NBA level pretty quickly. Terrence Jones is very versatile, can score in a ton of ways, and is a one-man highlight reel. When he goes up for a dunk, he will throw it down with authority. Also is a particularly good rebounder.
Two other guys who really intrigue me with our first round pick are Enes Kanter and Donatas Motiejunas. Both are international big men who I have not seen play as much as some of the other guys in this class. I would really like to see the NCAA approve Kentucky’s appeal for Enes Kanter to play to watch him work against some D-1 big men, but both of these guys are very talented and have a lot of potential. Enes really excites me a lot with his dominance offensively, high energy style of play, and rebounding ability.
I follow NBADraft.net pretty consistently and have seen a constant drop for Brandon Knight. If he falls into the teens, I’d love to trade for an extra pick and draft him. He’s a baller with a terrific scoring ability and plays intense defensively. Kemba Walker is another guy worth looking at with a pick in the same range.
Here is my top 5:
1. Kyrie Irving (far and away)
2. Enes Kanter
3. Terrence Jones
4. Harrison Barnes
5. Jared Sullinger
(Just outside: Donatas Motiejunas, Derrick Williams, Perry Jones)
First off, I'm having a hard time buying into the hype surrounding Perry Jones. He has been a huge disappointment at Baylor thus far, but yet somehow has risen to #1 in most mock drafts? People like to compare him to Kevin Durant because they both have the same long and tall build and play on the wing. But Durant absolutely tore it up at Texas and has continued to develop into the player he is today. Plain and simple, he wreaked havoc. Jones, on the other hand, has not. I've read things online about Jones that say maybe, "His numbers may not be too impressive, but you can't watch Jones play and not be impressed." I agree with this statement at times. He makes some incredible plays, but the problem is that he doesn't make them often enough. The majority of the time he seems to be just standing around. It reminds me of DeAndre Jordan a couple of years ago, or as some referred to him, "The Next Dwight". In college, he had his moments where he would have an unbelievable dunk over someone. Around this point three years ago, some mock drafts had him going as high as 6th overall. Ended up falling way down to 35th.
It's not all bad though with Jones. Unlike Jordan, Perry has more of a plus side than just the dunking and athleticism. He's a very good ball handler and has an ability to score the basketball. I know the odds are slim to none for Perry to return to Baylor for an extra year if he is still projected as a top 3 pick, but that would be very beneficial towards him in the long run. He would be able to take a much larger role on the team without LaceDarius Dunn and could further develop his game. If he starts to slip like Jordan did, absolutely he could be a great pickup in the later portion of the lottery. High risk, high reward type guy.
The other big disappointment thus far has been Harrison Barnes. He was projected as the top pick for this draft the last couple of years, but has lost that position with his subpar play this season. However, I still do have faith in Barnes. At North Carolina, it's almost like he was put in a position where they needed him to come in and be a superstar from day one. Barnes could not live up to the early expectations.
Still, he has been starting to look a little better as of late and I think he could break out in the second half of this season. A dominant athlete and a very good offensive player who could develop into a great one. He appears to have the attitude and work ethic necessary for him to polish up his game. One area of his game Barnes needs to improve upon is his rebounding. A 6’8” athletic forward should be able to grab more the 5.6 boards per game.
Kyrie Irving is the one player in this class that I can only say positive things about. He really excites me on the court, just thinking that the Cavs could get an elite point guard, the perfect piece to start this rebuilding process. Give him the ball and he knows what to do with it. He has such a smooth game and the transition from high school to college did not have any obvious affect on him. A toe injury set back his season a little bit (maybe even ended his season), but I don’t think it’s anything to be too worried about.
Jared Sullinger has been especially impressive this season. Came to Ohio State and instantly showed that he can not only compete at the college level, but be a star. He will be right up there with Kemba Walker at the end of the season in Player of the Year talks. He’s talented in the post, and has received comparisons to Kevin Love, Al Jefferson, Tyler Hansbrough, and Sean May. Let’s hope if the Cavs take him, he will turn out more like the first two than the last two. His height (6’8”) and athleticism are the two things the worry scouts the most about Sully.
If Irving is off the board, Terrence Jones seems to be a relatively safe pick. He’s another guy who’s game has not skipped a beat against D-1 players. He may not have quite the potential as Irving, Barnes, or even (Perry) Jones, but he is a guy that should be able to compete at the NBA level pretty quickly. Terrence Jones is very versatile, can score in a ton of ways, and is a one-man highlight reel. When he goes up for a dunk, he will throw it down with authority. Also is a particularly good rebounder.
Two other guys who really intrigue me with our first round pick are Enes Kanter and Donatas Motiejunas. Both are international big men who I have not seen play as much as some of the other guys in this class. I would really like to see the NCAA approve Kentucky’s appeal for Enes Kanter to play to watch him work against some D-1 big men, but both of these guys are very talented and have a lot of potential. Enes really excites me a lot with his dominance offensively, high energy style of play, and rebounding ability.
I follow NBADraft.net pretty consistently and have seen a constant drop for Brandon Knight. If he falls into the teens, I’d love to trade for an extra pick and draft him. He’s a baller with a terrific scoring ability and plays intense defensively. Kemba Walker is another guy worth looking at with a pick in the same range.
Here is my top 5:
1. Kyrie Irving (far and away)
2. Enes Kanter
3. Terrence Jones
4. Harrison Barnes
5. Jared Sullinger
(Just outside: Donatas Motiejunas, Derrick Williams, Perry Jones)
