NBA Draft: Players I Like, Dislike, And Am Intrigued By
The NBA Draft has once again snuck up on the national sports scene. With about 1/100th of the hype of the NFL Draft, our annual pro basketball meat market and guessing game takes place this evening in New York City.
Perhaps one reason why there has been less buzz about this year’s draft is the fact that John Wall has been the consensus No. 1 overall pick since December. That lack of intrigue does take out a little of the fun, but in what I believe is one of the biggest gambles in sports there is very little that is decided behind that top selection.
With a drawn out NBA playoffs, the World Cup in full force, and with baseball dominating the betting landscape I didn’t have as much time for NBA mock drafts or other pre-draft analysis. However, I still wanted to get some things on record and give a little breakdown of some of the players whose careers I’ll be watching.
First, here are 10 overrated players in this year’s draft:
Luke Babbitt – Listen, the guy can play a bit. But he’s no Adam Morrison (whose game is very similar to Babbitt’s) and even Morrison has been a bust in the NBA. The WAC is an incredibly weak basketball conference and features a ton of teams allergic to defense. So let’s not get that excited about this big fish from a puddle.
Ed Davis – Yeah, maybe Davis could develop into something in the NBA over the next five or six years. But are you kidding me? This guy is being listed as a Top 10 pick in many mocks and could be among the top guys taken. Huh? Davis is incredibly raw and is just a worker. I have seen no polish, he’s already had injury issues, and he wasn’t even the best player on a team that didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. I don’t understand all the buzz at all.
Gordon Hayward – Here is another guy that people love that I just don’t understand. My prediction is that Hayward either won’t be in the league in five years or he won’t have elevated past 10th man. But the idea that this kid is a future starter is a farce. Again, let’s do a quick comparison. Mike Dunleavy Jr. is the guy that I think is most comparable to Hayward. Dunleavy was an excellent player on an outstanding Duke team, and he played against the best competition in the country during his time with the Blue Devils. And he hasn’t exactly blown it up in the NBA. So I would say that Hayward is about 1/5th of what Dunleavy was in college. So if that’s what you’re into, then he’s all yours. All I know is that he is a wasted pick and the most overrated player in the draft pool this year.
Avery Bradley – Texas was the biggest underachiever in college basketball this past season and Bradley was a total bust. Maybe he has the tools to develop, but I just know that I didn’t see anything – no jumper, no vision, no handle, no anything – that made me sit up in my chair while I was watching him and say, “Yeah, he’s going to be good.”
Lance Stephenson – The problem with Stephenson is that he’s been playing like he’s already an NBA player for the last couple seasons. He has the athleticism and a nice handle for a big man. But he can’t shoot. And he doesn’t have the form on his jumper where I think he’ll ever improve past the point of being OK. And that’s a big gamble on a guy who didn’t dominate anything in a down college year and a guy whose attitude could hold him back.
A.J. Ogilvy – When he was a freshman I thought he had pro written all over him. But between last summer and this year he got fat, got out of shape, and generally took on the attitude of some D-III senior who just didn’t care about his playing career anymore and was just going to party and be BMOC. Ogilvy knows he can play in Europe or back home in Australia so there is no motivation for him here.
Craig Brackins – This is a guy that I was very, very high on coming into this year. But then I just never saw it. He’s another guy that looked puffy and soft rather than athletic and ripped. He’s got some nice tools. He can shoot and rebound well for his size. But I wonder about the athleticism, and that’s something I never thought I’d be questioning after watching this guy two years ago.
Three more overrated players: Xavier Henry, Hassan Whiteside, Solomon Alabi
Here is a list of several underrated players that I would definitely be happy if my favorite team picked them up:
James Anderson – is athletic, is perhaps the best scorer in college, and over the last two years was forced to rebound, defend, handle and pass the ball at a hifh level. And he always came through. He reminds me a bit of Brandon Roy. I think that no matter where he goes - outside of No. 2 overall - he’s going to be a steal.
Dominique Jones – I know he was just a dude at South Florida. But I think he offers some great value in the second round and could be a solid NBA scorer.
Four more underrated players: Elliot Williams, Terrico White, Jordan Crawford, Ekpe Udoh
And here are my favorite seniors, all of whom I think are underrated:
Jerome Randle – Mark my words: he will be an excellent pro point guard. Randle can do it all and had an incredibly underrated college career. He won’t end up being better than Wall over his career, but there is no doubt that he’ll be a better value. Along with Anderson, Randle is a player that I would love my team to get if I were a fan. I think he’ll be a steal.
Stanley Robinson – I would definitely gamble on his athleticism and the fact that he is more mature than a lot of the kids in this draft.
Trevor Booker – This guy is a rock and had one of the better careers in ACC history. There’s no doubt that he couldn’t step up and have a solid 10- to 12-year NBA career. I’ll take that out of my first round draft pick.
Four more underrated seniors that I like: Quincy Pondexter, Greivis Vasquez, Luke Harangody (a little), Lazar Hayward.
