Anthony Bennett UNLV, 6’7” PF
The transition process so far has been seamless for Bennett. He went for 25 and 13 against California, not only overpowering defenders inside, but facing up and attacking them off the dribble from the perimeter. A hard worker and high character guy by all accounts, Bennett is sure to impress in workouts and interviews leading up to the draft.
He’s got talent and instincts to go with explosive athleticism and muscle. He’s simply too much to handle for most 18 and 19 year-olds. Bennett is an undersized (6’7) power forward, but with a 7’3 wingspan and enormous hands, he plays bigger than his height. He can face the basket and score, but his inability to defend on the perimeter limits his ability to play the 3 position. Behind a blazing hot start to the season, Bennett has moved into the top 10 on the 2013 mock.
Ben McLemore, Kansas, 6’5” SG
McLemore’s got all the makings of being a highly productive off-ball scorer, with elite shooting potential and an efficient in-between game. His rhythm is so sweet as a catch and shooter it could put a baby to sleep.
McLemore always looks under control, rarely taking bad shots and doing a nice job of choosing when to attack. I’m loving the Ray Allen comparison right now. McLemore could be the Bradley Beal of this year’s draft, and similarly sneak into the top three based on his mature game and high upside.
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse, 6’6" PG
Carter-Williams leads the nation in assists by more than 2 per game at 10.7 per and he has the Orange out to a terrific start to the year at 10-0. He’s become the premiere table setter in college and appears to be a more athletic version of Kendall Marshall. An intriguing prospect due to his 6’6 size and point guard skills. If he can improve upon his jumpshot, he could solidify a spot in the top 10 in this year’s draft.
Not even a shoplifting incident a week ago can slow Carter-Williams’ upswing in momentum. It remains to be seen how much the incident at Lord and Taylor, where photos of him being taken in handcuffs went viral, will ultimately affect his draft stock. He paid a $500 fine for allegedly slipping a bathrobe and gloves into a backpack in a changing room. It wasn’t as serious as, for instance stealing laptops, and there was no arrest made, but this will certainly be noted when team’s assess his character. His best option will be to own it and come clean with NBA brass in individual interviews and admit to his mistake, instead of saying it was "a misunderstanding", and denying any wrong doing, which could be perceived indicative of a potential character flaw.
Despite the off court concerns, Carter-Williams has moved into the top 10 of the most recent mock update.
Mason Plumlee, Duke, 6’11" PF
He’s no longer just a tip-in master or simple finisher at the rim, but someone capable of creating his own scoring opportunities facing up and with his back to the basket. His season low is 16 points. This type of consistency illustrates his pure dominance over anyone called on to contain him.
At 7’0” with top notch athleticism, his effectiveness is likely to translate. He’s tough to defend a foot above the rim in college, and that’s unlikely to change in the pros. The fact that he’s making 6.3 free throws at a 73% clip, compared to the 2.7 he made on 52% last year, eliminates a tally that was originally in the weakness column.
There’s little risk with Plumlee. Even if he’s not generating his own offense he should still be able to contribute in other areas of the game.
Alex Len, Maryland, 7’1" C
Len’s early season performance against Kentucky’s athletic frontline remains the biggest feather in his cap on the season. He has shown solid consistency this year and some mid range shooting touch to go along with his tremendous size and above average mobility for a 7-footer.
The Ukrainian bigman has been scoring a lot of ally oop dunks of late, showing good coordination to catch and finish and excellent efficiency. He’s 14-18 from the field over his last three games and averaging just under 14 ppg on the season. He’s moved up to the 5th spot on the mock in the most recent update.
Trey Burke Michigan, 6’0” PG
Burke went off for 27 and 8 assists against West Virginia, and has clearly taken the next step in his development as a prospect.
Burke’s appeal stems directly from his dribble creativity- whether it’s breaking down a defense to set up a teammate (7 assists/game) or using a dribble-hesitation to get to the rim off ball-screens. When Burke steps into his jumper, which is usually the case when his defender is forced to go under ball-screens, he shows confidence and balance pulling up from 20 feet.
With NBA quickness and added strength to his frame, Burke is now in the hunt for a late first round spot. He’s no sure thing, though. At 6’0, his upside is limited, and you can’t help but think of guys like DJ Augustin. But his floor-general qualities have stood out, and could ultimately help negate his size disadvantages.
Semaj Christon Xavier, 6’3” PG
Christon has good size and a confident handle for a point guard, which allows him to score easy baskets in the half court. He’s averaging 15 points 51% from the floor, an extremely high number for a scoring point guard.
Christon is a likely two-year college player with room to grow, especially as a shooter, where he’s only attempted 9 three-pointers all season, but he’s clearly entered the NBA draft conversation in just his freshman year.
Victor Oladipo Indiana, 6’4” SG
While Oladipo isn’t the most adept shot-creator, his quickness and athleticism contribute to 5 made field goals a game. He’s now scored at least 12 points in 8 consecutive games, almost all of which coming at the rim as a slasher in the half court, or finisher in transition.
He remains under control at full-speed, even when eluding defenders with with a shake or spin attacking the basket. Couple that with lockdown defensive tools and a relentless motor, and Oladipo has appeal as a hard-working reserve with the ability to inject life into a lineup. He’s slightly undersized for the 2 and isn’t the most skilled offensively, but a playoff team looking for an instant-impact off-ball contributor could choose Oladipo as early as the late-first round.
He’s currently at #37 on latest mock draft.
Falling
Tony Mitchell 2586
Mitchell had a solid performance in front of numerous scouts on Thursday but has been really struggling this season and will need to show more consistency if he plans on being a lottery pick. He’s surely got the talent, as he appeared to be a potential top 5 pick before the season.
His numbers remain down accross the board as he has had a number of disappointing games. It’s still early enough in the season, but with the low level of North Texas’ league play, now is the time for Mitchell to shine against a higher level of competition.
Adonis Thomas, Memphis, 6’7” SF
You want to believe Thomas has the potential to be an NBA stud, based on his immaculate physique in terms of strength and athleticism. But we’re not sure what his positional outlook is at the next level.
He’s not making any threes (16%) as a spot-up shooter, and isn’t finding ways to create easy baskets for himself. 43% from the floor and 3.8 rebounds per game are unacceptable numbers for someone with Thomas’ physical tools. At this point consider him an athlete, but not yet a basketball player. Without any visual improvements, another year at Memphis seems like the most appropriate move for his draft stock.
Despite considerable athelticism, he’s dropped out of the first round in the 2014 mock draft.
Lorenzo Brown NC State,
Brown’s numbers are inexplicably down across the board, most notably 20% from downtown, 42% from the floor and 3.8 turnovers a game.
it’s disappointing considering the heavy expectations coming in. Now a junior, this was supposed to be the year he makes a jump. It appears as if the goal has shrunk for Brown, who just can’t seem to score unless it’s a floater in the lane or an athletic finish at the rim.
He was completely shown up by Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart and Michigan’s Trey Burke, two prospects he’ll be directly competing against as potential NBA point guards. Backwards steps after two years of college ball is a bad look.The arrow is currently pointing down for Brown.
josh davis
Josh Davis of tulane university clearly should be on someone’s draft board somewhere. He is 1 of 3 players in the NATION with the type of stats he is carrying. He leads CUSA in scoring and rebounding. He was a double/double player last year and improved his game as evdenced by his stats this year. He has a NBA body and very athletic and skilled. What else does he have to do. Come on now. SHOW SOME LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!