2009 Las Vegas AAUs: Top ProspectsBy: Joshua Motenko

By Joshua Motenko
Scout, NBADraft.net

While this was surely a down year for scouting prospects in Las Vegas, there was
some standout talent nonetheless. Here are the top prospects that we saw over
the past week.

The Top 10

1. Perry Jones 6-10 220 SF Seawolves HSSr.

Perry was the most spectacular player in this tournament. His combination of size,
skill, and athleticism were simply head and shoulders above anyone else we saw,
including other special players like Wroten and Austin. Look for Jones to make
a big splash next year in college and be a potential #1 overall pick in 2011.

2. Tony Wroten 6-4 195 PG/SG Seattle Rotary HSJr.

Wroten may not have the size and strength – and therefore the upside – of a Perry
Jones, but he has the basketball IQ to make special plays on the court that help
his team, not just himself. Considering he is a class behind Jones, he’s got two
more years of high school left, he has a bright future ahead of him. Wroten is
one of those players that is difficult to compare to current or past NBA players
because there simply haven’t been many 6’4” point guards who have his athleticism
and passing ability.

3. Isaiah Austin 7-0 205 C Texas Assault HSSo.

Austin’s ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter is almost more intriguing
than how freaky and long he is at such a young age. To be a raw big-man project
and already have a distinguishable offensive skill that translates to the NBA
allows Isaiah’s ceiling to really be unknown. He now has a complete foundation
to build upon other skills and focus on improving his body strength. Every basketball
player wishes he had this kid’s length, but most of them wouldn’t have worked
enough on their game at the age of 15, to be able to stretch the defense and pass
the ball from the high post. Watch out for the kid with the goggles!

4. Anthony Bennett 6-7 210 SF Team Takeover
HSSo.

Another sophomore in the top 5. Bennett is a beast and is just going to get better.
His athleticism is on an elite level already, and although he’s not as fluid his
leaping ability is on the level with a player such as Andre Iguodala. It’s still
very early because he’s so young, but he does have the tools already to be a legit
NBA prospect.

5. Tristan Thompson 6-8 220 PF Grassroots
Canada HSSr.

He didn’t show much in the game we saw but played better throughout the tournament.
He has put on some weight though, and not very "good weight" so there
are concerns about his work ethic and attention on his body. Thompson was a real
disappointment considering the upside he showed last year. He needs to show that
he can put it all together and continue to develop because his talent is considerable.

6. Fabricio DeMelo 7-0 270 C Florida Rams HSSr.

Although he’s still raw and has a ways to go, his body size, mobility and adequate
athleticism make him a surefire prospect. His upside isn’t as great as the players
in the top five. He doesn’t display star potential but he will be a serviceable
big man in the NBA. Still has a ways to go offensively and needs to work on refining
his post moves.

7. Tony Mitchell 6-7 215 SF Team Brandon Bass
HSSr.

He’s got a lot of potential because of his athleticism and body on the wing. There
aren’t many players who can play inside and on the perimeter although he needs
to work on his ball handling. His shot looks good but he needs a lot of reps for
it to become a real consistent weapon. He has shown excellent improvement just
in the past 6 months with both his body and game, so he’s a player on a sharp
development curve.

8. Joshua Smith 6-9 300 C Seattle Rotary HSSr.

Smith is such a beast on the block that it’s hard not to put him in the top ten.
His combination of size, footwork, and soft hands was unparalleled at this tournament.
Look for Smith to be a top prospect in the draft, but don’t be surprised if his
weight and questionable work ethic limit how good he eventually becomes. A smaller
version of Eddy Curry with better character.

9. Roscoe Smith 6-8 184 SF Baltimore Select HSSr.

Smith has prototypical size and athleticism for the small forward position. He
attacks the basket with an aggressiveness that most players in high school are
lacking. His offensive game seems to be sufficient, even though he didn’t always
take or wasn’t always given the opportunities to shine in the game. He needs to
work on his defense and his ball handling, but he’s on his way to a nice career.

10. Adonis Thomas 6-5 SF Memphis Magic HSJr.

He needs to work on his offensive game in order to really establish himself as
a top prospect, but because of his natural gifts, including toughness, he is intriguing.
He certainly doesn’t have the demeanor or the skills right now to be a go-to scorer
and it may end up that this won’t be his role at higher levels of play, but he
has the potential to fit this role if he works hard, which all indications say
he will. Thomas has already gotten international experience playing for Team USA’s
under 16 team, so everyone is high on his coachability and likelihood to improve.
Despite being a 6-5 small forward, Thomas has a 7-foot wingspan allowing him to
play far bigger.

Others

11. Josh Selby 6-3 183 PG Baltimore Select HSSr.

His athleticism and guard skills are superb, especially his hang time. However
it’s unclear whether he can a.) play the point (he spent much of the time off the ball. or b.) whether
he has an attitude problem (he was clapping for the ball all game long when it
wasn’t rotated to him and after his team lost he ignored his coaches and
didn’t join his team in the post game meeting). These red flags are not stopping him
from being a pro prospect, but how good he can become is simply up to him. He’s
got the talent to be a star, for sure.

12. Terrance Jones 6-8 210 SF Portland Stars
HSSr.

Jones displays an inside outside game with the ability to face the basket and
attack off the dribble. He’s got a 7-foot wingspan and plays with good energy.
He still needs to add consistency on his shot and round out his perimeter skills,
but with excellent length and solid athleticism, he shows NBA potential.

13. Bryce Jones 6-5 185 SG HSSr.

One of the better offensive players we saw here in Vegas. Bryce has one of the
better looking jump shots, with a high arc on it, and can handle the ball extremely
well for a SG. His body is still quite thin, but his ability to involve teammates
and score the basketball is not far behind a guy like Wroten. He doesn’t have
the point guard mentality or the leadership of Wroten, but as a scorer, he’s already
got a fabulous array of skills.

14. DeAndre Daniels 6-8 190 SF Belmont Shore
HSJr.

Daniels showed us that he has the length and skills to be an NBA player. How good
he becomes depends on his ability to play the perimeter and his ability to add
weight to his incredibly thin frame, especially his upper body. Should we be concerned
with his concaved chest as a sign of weakness? Not with his mobility and help
out around the basket. He is projected as a SF who can also play in the paint,
but he usually wasn’t comfortable taking more than a couple dribbles, so
he must focus on that as his no.1 priority in the coming year, along with building
strength.

15. Ryan Harrow 6-0 165 PG J-Smooth Celtics HSSr.

Harrow was the one player from this list who didn’t seem to have the ability
to dig in and use his body well to get around players. His dribbling skills are
so spectacular that he didn’t need to use his shoulders to get around people
or play driving angles well. This could hurt his NBA chances, but his creativity
at getting his shot off, combined with his handle on the ball are transferable
skills, especially combined with his adequate shooting touch and passing ability.

16. Jelan Kendrick 6-6 185 SG Memphis Magic
HSSr.

Kendrick seemed to make a big play and then disappear for minutes at a time.
He didn’t show that he was a go-to player on offense, even though he’s
got good length and athleticism and skills to make plays. He’s had a lot of hype around
him and while he seemed to have the most basketball ability right now, and should
have been the best player on his team, he didn’t always show that. Compare
him to teammate Adonis Thomas, who seemed to not have the same skills yet, but
who looked much hungrier and had more of an NBA body.

17. Joe Jackson 5-11 160 PG Memphis Magic HSSr.

Seems like a potential ideal back-up point guard for the NBA. He has really freaky
athleticism and can finish around the basket, although his size (5’11) makes taking
contact a problem for him. However, he’s so steady when running the team,
so fast in the open court, and so good at making the right decisions and getting
teammates the ball in the right spot that the only thing holding him back is his
size. Led all scorers with 19 in the final helping Memphis win the 2009 adidas
Super 64.

Honorable Mention:

Brandon Ashley is a 6’7” rising freshman out of Oakland, CA. He is super long
and athletic, and has a great nose for the ball. He even shows flashes of possessing
guard skills, which for a big man is quite intriguing. Normally we don’t rank
freshman because they are simply too young. However Ashley is a prospect worth
noting for the future. At 6’7” he has a size 19 shoe, which is almost unheard
of. Doctors project Brandon to be 6’10” – 7’3”.

Final Day

The Memphis Magic won the adidas Super 64 tournament by a score of 64 – 62 behind 19 points from Joe Jackson. The Magic were the most impressive "team" we saw all week consisting of 3 top 50 level players in PG Joe Johnson and small forwards Adonis Thomas and Jelan Kendrick.

Team Detroit won the Reebok Summer Championships topping John Wall’s former team,
D One Sports 56-48. Top 50 seniors Troy Zeigler (16 pts) and Ray McCallum (11
pts) led the way.