ESPN’s Fran Frischilla on draft prospects (per NY Post interview):
Q: Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham?
A: Cade Cunningham is not Luka Doncic, but he is a big, physical, power forward-looking point guard. Cade Cunningham was to the Big 12 what Luka Doncic was to the Euro League. He has the IQ of a smart, seven-year NBA veteran, he has great court vision, he can play in any system, he is tremendous in pick-and-roll, he will shoot it in the NBA at a high level. The question mark with him, like Doncic coming in: Is he going be athletic enough to dominate games? And Luka Doncic kind of put that to rest. Cade is the safest of the top four or five picks. It’s hard to see him failing because of his size, his skills and his unique basketball acumen.
Q: USC’s Evan Mobley?
A: He could be Chris Bosh’s little brother. Long, athletic, skilled two-way big man, shot-blocking ability, ability to face up, ability to score inside. The only thing he lacks is physical maturity. He’s 20 years old, he’s 215 pounds and he’s desperately in need of getting to 235. Then you’ll have a 7-foot, multi-skilled, two-way big man.
Q: Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs?
A: Mark Few told me he’s the most competitive kid he’s ever coached at Gonzaga. Jalen Suggs is a big point guard who can play off the ball, he defends, he can run a team, he can make shots. When you talk about mid-to-late career Chauncey Billups, you’re talking about borderline Hall of Famer, this kid has a lot of different areas of guard play to hang his hat on.
Q: Jalen Green out of the G-League?
A: Jalen Green could end up being the best player in this draft. I think he’s going be in that Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook, Dame Lillard, Zach LaVine area where he’s going be like a 28- to 30-point scorer once he hits his prime. He’s your classic bucket-getter. He should be an NBA All-Star wing player. There’s a chance for generational greatness here, like a once-every-15- years kind of greatness, but at worst he’s going be a high-level scorer in the league.
Q: The G-League’s Jonathan Kuminga?
A: Looks like Tarzan, but we’re not sure yet whether he’s gonna play like Tarzan or Jane. When they make the prototype of an NBA player, it’s Jonathan Kuminga. He’s athletic and agile, he has a good shooting stroke, the only thing he lacks right now to me is he is not a great ball handler. If there’s a question mark with him, [it] is, can he create his own shot? He has more of the fail factor than the other four, but he also has tremendous upside. He’s a feast-or-famine. Likely more feast than famine, but I wish he was a better ball handler and shot creator and play creator.
Q: Florida State’s Scottie Barnes?
A: One of the best kids you’ll ever meet. It worries me that he’s not a great shooter. I think he’s gonna be a good NBA player because he’s only 20 years old. He’s not as dynamic an athlete as Ben Simmons was, but a similar type of game.
ESPN basketball analyst and Brooklyn native Fran Fraschilla takes a timeout for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
nypost.com
