In the 2012 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz select...

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Craft is sneaky good. I was really impressed with him in that Duke game. I have to question his athleticism though...

I'm starting to sour on Austin Rivers. So far he looks like he might need another year. I haven't been very impressed with anyone on Duke so far.

Perry Jones is going to be a monster as long as he keeps a level head. I wouldn't mind seeing the Jazz take a gamble on him. He sure looks like a pro when he plays.

I feel like Sullinger has little upside, almost seems like he's already hit his ceiling. I bet his stock slides come draft time.

Outside of the obvious top two of Drummond and Davis... So far I'm liking Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes, Thomas Robinson and Quincy Miller.

I really need to watch more of Patric Young, Gilchrist and Beal.

I'll be happy with a top 15 pick in this draft. I think it's pretty loaded till about 15 assuming everyone stays in.

[babyjax13]

Watch Craft again, I don't think he's a bad athlete (in fact, I think he is a great one) but his ball-handling (which is below-average for a point guard but doesn't make him turnover prone) sometimes makes him look slow.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Watch Craft again, I don't think he's a bad athlete (in fact, I think he is a great one) but his ball-handling (which is below-average for a point guard but doesn't make him turnover prone) sometimes makes him look slow.

I'm just thinking he's no John Wall, Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook type athlete. I can see him being a great backup but I don't know if he could be a starter.

[countrybama24]

Ok, I'll give you props on Craft babyjax. Boy is pretty sick, and a fantastic defender. He'll definitely make it in the league, but I still have the following concerns:

-His handle didn't look especially tight, lost the ball a few times and duke doesn't have good perimeter defenders. I'd definitely be concerned about his ability to handle the ball under intensive, full court pressure from a contender caliber perimeter defense.
-His ability to score in the lane. While he looks like an adequate (not great) shooter, his lack of elevation is a bit concerning.

He seems like a more athletic, better defending eric mayor. I wonder how his playmaking skills will translate to the next level where his handle won't be able to allow him to penetrate as easily (and where help defenders are much better). He seems very polished, especially in terms using screens, so while he'll be solid in the NBA, I think his upside is rather limited. He seems like a PG you'd want on a team like the thunder with other elite scoring options, but on the Jazz I question if he can be productive enough on offense to keep us competitive. Definitely take back some of the stuff I about him before that Duke game though, kid can definitely ball.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Watched the UNC and Wisconsin game tonight.

I gotta say, one thing I really like about Harrison Barnes is that he plays both ends of the floor. He doesn't dog it on D like most lottery prospects do. He still needs a lot of work on his ball handling and his ability to shoot off the dribble but it's hard to ignore his NBA body and overall athleticism. He could use some work on leadership and confidence too. He's almost too level headed. Overall, he needs to improve on the offensive end but he's killer off one dribble.

I really don't like Kendall Marshall. I didn't like him last year and I still don't like him this year. He doesn't have any sort of offense outside of his passing (which he forces at times) and his size/athleticism is questionable for the NBA. He might end up being a decent backup somewhere down the road but he didn't leave any kind of impression on me.

However, I was really impressed with Dexter Strickland. I believe he's a better pro prospect than Marshall. He played great D and is killer off the dribble. He needs to work on his shooting and his passing is questionable but he's impressive.

John Henson is a less jumpy, more skilled Jeremy Evans. Personally, I feel that Evans is a better prospect for the NBA. Nuff said.

Tyler Zeller is hard to get a read on. He can really move for a big man, he was able to hold his own against the Wisconsin guards in isolation on a few different occasions but sometimes it seems like he takes plays off. I wonder if he has enough weight and strength to compete with NBA bigs. Didn't see much offense from him either.

Mcadoo showed me nothing. I didn't see it with him other than a nice put back dunk.

One side note, I didn't see Kansas play tonight but I saw highlights and that Thomas Robinson had a monster game. I need to watch him play more but I really like him as a prospect.

I'll be watching the Florida and Kentucky games over the next couple days so I'll give a prospect breakdown once I see them play.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Just finished the Kentucky and St. Johns game.

Anthony Davis: What can I say? The kid is a beast. He will be a defensive force in the NBA, especially with weak-side help. Hard to judge his post game cause Kentucky doesn't run any post plays for him but the star quality is easy to see in him. He is loooooong but he needs to add some weight to his frame to really compete on the NBA level. He will go #1 easily unless Drummond decides to explode.

Glichrist was really disappointing. I was really excited to see him but he hardly made his presence known through the whole game. He needs to work on his shooting mechanics badly. He plays solid defense, seems like a team player and has an undeniable NBA body and athleticism but still has work to do.

Terrence Jones was really impressive. I don't understand the hate on him. He plays hard and with lots of energy. He is a very under-rated athlete and has an NBA body. The biggest thing I liked about him outside of his intensity was his defense. He's a very good defender and it should translate to the NBA with his size and athleticism. His shooting and ball handling have improved from last year. I was really impressed with him overall. He may not be a star but he's going to have a good NBA career.

Teague is really hard to get a read on. I like his aggressiveness and willingness to pass but I'm not sure if he's anything more than Brandon Knight was. If he can become a pass first point guard then I feel like he could be a good NBA point but it didn't look like he knew exactly how to play with his teammates yet. It will be interesting to see how he develops and grows over the course of the season.

Miller is a senior but I think he would be a great guy to invite to camp if he goes un-drafted and would probably be worth a 2nd pick. Good overall player who has an NBA body and good athleticism.

Lamb impresses with his scoring but I'm not sure if he can do anything else. He forces things at times and is mostly over-shadowed by everyone else on the team.

I'm excited for the UNC and Kentucky game on Saturday. I think it will show a lot about the players on both teams in terms of NBA potential/talent.

[babyjax13]

Terrence didn't play anything like he has this year before, he's answered a lot of concerns.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Just finished watching my DVR Florida and Syracuse game.

Bradley Beal had a horrible offensive game. Couldn't get into a rhythm all night and made a couple bad plays. However, I did see a lot from him that I liked. He's clearly a team player and very unselfish. He's got great passing ability and willingness for a lottery bound talent. He's also got a great NBA body and good athleticism; he looks like an NBA 2 guard. He's had the best shot mechanics out of anyone I've seen in college so far this year. He also plays fairly well on defense but he needs to work on his man to man D (Kris Joseph abused him off the dribble a couple times). He has the potential to be a great defender with his size, athleticism and length. He also looks to be a good rebounding guard which is important for guards in the NBA. I want to see him play again when his offensive game is more on par with what he's capable of but I liked a lot of things I saw from him. Disappointing performance but showed flashes.

Patric Young was a huge disappointment. He got beat badly on the boards and was a non-factor on the offensive end. He showed nothing special through the entire game and was in foul trouble early. He's got the body and athleticism for the NBA but I didn't see anything from him that I liked in this game. I loved him last year so this was a big let down performance from him.

Boyton (Florida) was fun to watch. He can shoot, run the offense, defend and plays really hard. He's pretty small and I don't think he could make it in the NBA but I could see a team inviting him to camp at the least. He's just tough and plays hard.

Kris Joseph (Syracuse) was impressive. Perhaps a guy to keep an eye on for the 2nd round.

Scoop Jardine (Syracuse) was impressive but I don't think he could contribute on the NBA level. Just doesn't seem to have an NBA skill or the athleticism.

[slc24]

Kris Joseph is definitely going to be drafted. Like 99 percent chance

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Kris Joseph is definitely going to be drafted. Like 99 percent chance

My bad, I was thinking 2nd round pick. Fixed.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Kentucky vs UNC game was awesome. Hope you guys either watched it or set your DVR.

I'll start with my breakdown of the Kentucky guys first.

Anthony Davis: He had an average but very solid game overall but he's not to blame for not putting up big numbers. It's amazing how little he actually touches the ball on the offensive end for Kentucky; almost everything he gets comes off of garbage points or alley-oops. He's just fundamentally solid in all aspects of the game. He showed some range by putting up an early 3 ball which he missed but it's clear that his shot mechanics and range are the real deal. Showed his great rebounding and defensive abilities again. He may not have put up the biggest numbers in the game, but he made the biggest plays.

Terrence Jones was a monster in the first half. He had at least 3 NBA caliber plays in the first half which really impressed. His defense, high motor and aggressiveness were again on display. He was clearly the best player in the game during the first half... but he kinda disappeared in the second half. He started settling for 3 point shots, which he missed and never got back into the flow of the game. Despite his 2nd half, I was still very impressed.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist looked a lot better in this game than the last time I saw him. He was great on defense, hustled, rebounded and had some good flashes of offense. He's clearly got the athletic ability and mind-set to play at the NBA level but he still needs to refine his game. I loved his rebounding and defense throughout the game. Overall, I was really impressed with him throughout the game. I want to see him play with that kind of effort and aggressiveness on a more consistent basis but he's a very intriguing prospect.

Marquis Teague was really disappointing. He showed bad decision making and just poor overall play throughout the game. There really isn't much to say about him other than he was a big let down.

Doron Lamb was great on offense. The kid can score but his size and defense aren't going to impress you. I'm not sure where he would fit in on an NBA team. He's not a point guard but he's too small to play the 2 guard at the NBA level. I can only see his best case scenario being a combo guard in the NBA but I don't know if his game will translate.

Darius Miller was again really impressive. I really think that he would be worth a 2nd round pick or at least a camp invite. He's a solid player overall who could contribute at the NBA level, especially if he improves his outside shooting.

Now for the UNC guys...

Harrison Barnes had a disturbingly average game. He's a great spot up shooter but he is still struggling to shoot or take his man off the dribble. Again, you can't ignore the fact that he plays both ends of the floor really well (he's an under-rated defender) but his lack of offensive polish leaves a lot to be desired. His stock is starting to slip on my board because he hasn't shown the improvement from last year that I had expected and guys like Beal, Lamb, etc. are showing more promise and star potential. UNC didn't go to him in the most important stretch of the game and that might be saying something. He needs to become more of a leader on this team. He's going to have A LOT to prove when March rolls around.

Kendall Marshall: I'm still struggling with this guy... He has elite vision and passing but there's not much else to like about him outside of that. He plays average defense, his shooting/scoring is probably below average and he has average size and athleticism. His passing and vision are winning me over but I can't get over his offensive inconsistency. I'm going to struggle placing him on my board for a long time....

Tyler Zeller: I don't get this kid. He has all the tools but he seems to be disengaged a lot of the times. He needs to be more aggressive on offense, defense and on the boards. He put up a good line in the game but he was practically invisible for the entire game. He had one good, quick post-up on Davis but that's it. I'm not very high on him.

John Henson started the game really well but struggled more and more as it went on. He has a good skill set but he needs to add more size if he's going to be effective at the NBA level. He's average on the boards and is an effective help side defender but I don't think he has a very high ceiling. His post game and offensive skill set is impressive but his lack of size negates a lot of the moves he makes in the post because he struggles to finish through any kind of contact.

P.J. Hairston is an impressive outside shooter. I could see him contributing on the NBA level with his shooting. He has good form and a quick release which would translate to the NBA game. I haven't seen enough of him to make a solid judgement call on his NBA potential but he is someone to keep an eye on if you're watching UNC.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Gotta hand it to you man... Craft is the real deal. The more I watch him, the more I fall in love with him. Hard to not love a guy who plays as hard as he does.

[StocktonShorts]

I like these scouting reports. I don't have the patience to watch college BB myself.

[phrizzo]

Do we have a second round pick this year? I'm a Weber State grad and I really like Damian Lillard. Good all-around game. Athletic, can shoot, good court vision. He's averaging 28 ppg on 50% shooting. Not a big conference but I've watched him play and he has skill. Draft Express has him going in the second round right now:
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Dam ... lard-6152/

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

I like these scouting reports. I don't have the patience to watch college BB myself.

I can keep doing them if you guys want, just to keep everyone updated. I just stopped because the thread got to the 2nd page. I've watched a bunch of games since my last post. Got stuff on UConn guys, Florida guys, more Kentucky stuff, Ohio State guys, Kansas guys, etc. Obviously I'm no pro scout and it's all my personal opinion but it's something I like to do in my free time.

To respond to the Lillard talk... I also like him. I wonder if he can run an offense though... he's got such a big scoring load to carry on Weber State that he hardly ever runs any sets. He's lightning fast/quick though. If I'm a GM, I'd probably take a gamble on him in the late 2nd round. I need to watch him more, I've only seen him a couple times and never for a full game.

[phrizzo]

To respond to the Lillard talk... I also like him. I wonder if he can run an offense though... he's got such a big scoring load to carry on Weber State that he hardly ever runs any sets. He's lightning fast/quick though. If I'm a GM, I'd probably take a gamble on him in the late 2nd round. I need to watch him more, I've only seen him a couple times and never for a full game.

I would say...I don't know. He has passing and playmaking ability (he had 31/9 tonight by the way), but I would compare him to Fredette in that he really has very little reason to pass the ball. I think Jimmer's success as a point guard and playmaker this year could give us something of an idea.

Also if you are taking him in the second round, I would be pretty confident that you are getting a quality back up.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

I would say...I don't know. He has passing and playmaking ability (he had 31/9 tonight by the way), but I would compare him to Fredette in that he really has very little reason to pass the ball. I think Jimmer's success as a point guard and playmaker this year could give us something of an idea.

Also if you are taking him in the second round, I would be pretty confident that you are getting a quality back up.

Ya, watching him in that BYU game it was pretty clear that he plays the Jimmer role for that team and therefore, he doesn't run many offensive sets. He shows flashes of great play-making and vision but it's just too hard to tell with the guys that are around him and the role that Weber St. needs him to play.

I just really love his speed and quickness. He just blows right by guys.