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Jazz will probably have two picks between 9 and 13. Guys to keep an eye on for that range and my thoughts on them:

Bradley Beal (SG, Florida): Great all-around player. Super smart, moves well without the ball, great form on his jumper, great finisher around the rim, good defender, great rebounder, good ball handler, good passer. Maybe not spectacular at anything, but good at most everything. Could probably do 16-5-3 in the NBA on good percentages with good defense.

John Henson (PF, UNC): Potential defensive force with great length and quickness, gets tons of rebounds and blocks, massively improved game with a jumphook and some dribble moves. Will struggle a great deal in one-on-one D at the beginning with huge lack of strength and his tendency to jump at most pumpfakes, but could be very good at a player type the Jazz need.

Jeremy Lamb (SG, UConn): Really good scorer, shoots very well, good handle, excellent catch-and-shoot player. Doesn't do too much other than score, can disappear and play too soft sometimes.

Terrence Ross (SG, Washington): Really good shooter and athlete, very little else.

Tyler Zeller (C, UNC): Athletic, hard working center with some skills and good defense. Stone hands and very thin.

Marquis Teague (PG, Kentucky): Played miserably at the beginning of the year, but is starting to play OK and has good athleticism.

Quincy Miler (SF/PF, Baylor): Talented lowpost scoring and spotup shooting forward. Very raw and may be too slow for SF and too weak for PF, but has big time scoring potential.


Jazz could also trade up for Kidd Gilchrist or Barnes, but I don't know if that would be great value. The guys that could be in that 9-13 range have good upside, but also some weaknesses.

Andre Drummond and Meyers Leonard are also possibilities I suppose, but I don't think the Jazz can have another super raw big man. Perry Jones III is also a possibility, but he plays no defense whatsoever and isn't nearly the scorer to make up for that.

Drummond, Perry Jones, and Kidd Gilchrist had rough games tonight. Gilchrist was pretty invisible, he seems to conserve his energy for big games, not sure if I like that. Perry Jones' shot was off. Andre Drummond went 5-13 from the field, 3-7 from the line, and 3 turnovers. He really doesn't have any touch and his decision making is really bad. I think he'll probably be available at one of the Jazz's picks, would this board be interested?

Zeller had a nice game and Lamb finally broke out of a slump.

Jazzfan12 wrote:Drummond, Perry Jones, and Kidd Gilchrist had rough games tonight. Gilchrist was pretty invisible, he seems to conserve his energy for big games, not sure if I like that. Perry Jones' shot was off. Andre Drummond went 5-13 from the field, 3-7 from the line, and 3 turnovers. He really doesn't have any touch and his decision making is really bad. I think he'll probably be available at one of the Jazz's picks, would this board be interested?

Zeller had a nice game and Lamb finally broke out of a slump.

Which Zeller?

Also, DX has Drummond as the 2nd overall pick right now. Seems unlikely he'd be available when the Jazz pick.

Tyler Zeller. 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals.

Well, there's only 25 games in the season.... i don't want to think right now in june and next november.

I think this can just be a log of how prospects did throughout the year for when most people start caring about the draft (or not caring if we manage to make the playoffs and GS unfortunately is top 7). Locke had alright scouting reports last year, but he didn't really look for the timeframe or context of how the games took place because he only watched games after the year was over and that can distort things.

I think the Jazz will have a very rough second half of the year, and we'll end up either 8th or 9th in the lottery. GS, with luck, will end up just better than us. I would love having 7 and 8 or 8 and 9. My ideal draft would have us getting both Gilchrist and Beal. That does not appear to be realistic, though. But I would love to get Beal and Henson or Young, and I think that IS realistic. Another guard who can shoot and/or defend at a high level and a defensive minded big that we can put into the pipeline and develop for a while to replace Millsap as our 3rd big in a few years.

We need a SF and a PG. Too bad where we'll end up is literred with 2s and 4s.

Even though I think he's still overrated, Harrison Barnes would really be a great fit. We're like what, 29th in the league in 3pt shooting? I'd give up a lot to move into the top 3.

Sure is great we tank our rookies trade value by benching them.

GS won today, probably going to give the pick to the Jazz.

pick the best player available is always a good rule. Brad beal is my pick

Gilchrist and Beal are my guys as well. I just hope the other Kentucky stars can over shadow him so he can someway fall a few more places to us. Beal should be there. If we trade Jefferson or Millsap, one of the NC bigs wouldn't be bad either.

Here is my board as of 02/13. Feel free to read my walls of texts or just skim through the bolded names/ranks.

1- Anthony Davis: This kid is special. His shot blocking is something to behold and as advertised, it's hard to find anything bad about him. His main strengths are clearly rebounding and defense but his offense is very solid with a high IQ to boot. For offense, he has a solid and improving jump-shot, solid post moves (although he seems limited in the post at times, especially against larger bigs), and good court vision and a willingness to pass. His defense is just about perfect, he controls the paint on D like no other big in college basketball right now; his shot-blocking is a big time game changer. He ha shown some struggles to guard larger bigs in the post due to his lack of size but his fundamentals and length often make up for it. The only thing I could point to as being a weakness is his size; he will need to fill out his lanky frame to be a dominating force in the NBA but I fully expect him to become an all-star caliber level big man in the NBA.

2- Jeremy Lamb: Yes, this is my boat rocking, apple cart upsetting, stunning, shocking and crazy pick. Most prospect boards have Lamb outside the top 10, let alone in the top 5 or 3 but I honestly believe that Lamb is a top tier prospect. UCONN has struggled this season to say the least and Lamb has taken much of the heat for it, but with Drummond being a huge disappointment, their PG play being sporadic at best and with their head coach going MIA, I can't blame them for struggling. The biggest thing to know about Jeremy Lamb is his offensive game. He is silky smooth in both off the dribble and catch and shoot situations, and he has a wide array of polished mid-range jumpers, floaters and isolation dribble moves. He is (by my standards) the most polished perimeter offensive player in the entire draft class (he's shooting 59% from 2 range, 84% from the FT line and 34% from 3 range). Another thing I like about Lamb is his size and athleticism. He has great height and length for his position (2 guard) and a frame that should be able to pack on more pounds. Lamb also has great athleticism which allows him to finish impressively at the rim with a big time dunk on occasion. In all honesty, his offensive game reminds me of Kevin Durant but if you want a comparison from last years draft, think of him as being a better and younger Marhson Brooks. His mentality and effort have been questioned but it's hard to put into perspective when some much turmoil has been happening with the UCONN basketball program this year. His defense is average most of the time (often credited to lack of effort) but his length and quickness allow him to be a lock-down defender when he wants to be (same goes for his rebounding). Before I keep ranting on about him... let me summarize by saying this: Lamb is a complete offensive players with all the tools to become a special player in the future. I really feel like he's improved a lot from his last season form and that he still has yet to fully bloom. I can see big time star-potential in him which I can't say for a lot of prospects in this draft.

3- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Ok, I really dislike putting Gilchrist in the top 3 for a few reasons but his level of play has landed him here for now. It's really easy to fall in love with Gilchrist because of his high production and high motor HOWEVER I have a hard time seeing him becoming an all-star caliber player at the NBA level, at least at this very moment. His shooting mechanics are a bit wonky and subsequently limit his game to more of a slashing style. He also hasn't shown consistent elite level isolation moves to free himself up off the dribble either, which again, limit his overall offensive game (although he does show flashes of this at times). However, where Gilchrist really excels is in the open floor/transition and slashing to the basket off ball. His size, athleticism and sheer effort make for a great slashing game because he is able to finish strong in the paint and on the break or collect garbage points. The problem is that his slashing game is a perfect fit for the ultra-talented Kentucky team so it hides many of his weaknesses. At the NBA level, he's going to struggle being "the guy" because he can't shoot well enough; it's that simple. You have Gilchrist on a team like Kentucky where he doesn't need to be the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd option and he really shines but if you put him into a situation where you're asking him to be option 1, 2 or 3 against guys just as big and who work just as hard, he's going to struggle. Other than his offensive game though, Gilchrist has plenty to love. He has an NBA body, elite athleticism, a great mentality and he works harder than anyone in the college game. He also has the potential to be a lockdown defender, which he's shown at the college level many times. Another thing that can't be ignored is his youth; Gilchrist is only 18 years old so he has plenty of room to grow and improve his game. His rebounding is where his high energy and effort level shows up, he's averaging 7.7 rpg. so far in the college season. He has everything you would want in a prospect other than a consistent jump-shot and overall polish on his offensive game. He does have star-potential but the big question is if he will be able to develop enough of a polished offensive game to ever become a big time scoring option at the NBA level; but regardless of if he ever becomes a star or not, he will be a great pro for many years to come because of his work ethic, mentality and effort. I just have a hard time shaking the feeling that he's going to make an amazing role-player/boarder-line all-star but not a big time star and I feel that top 3 guys should have that star potential/quality.

4- Harrison Barnes: I really like Barnes but he's shown a lot of things to make you worry. He's a great spot-up shooter and his size is certainly NBA ready but his overall offensive game is still limited and he hasn't shown as much leadership as you'd like to see. But let's start with the good; Barnes is shooting great overall #'s with 48% from 2, an amazing 42.5% from 3 range and 72.8% from the FT line. He is fire and forgot when his feet are set and shooting off the catch but he really, really struggles to shoot off the dribble. He's still solid when shooting off one dribble but anything more than one dribble and his shooting %'s drop significantly. He also struggles to create for himself off the dribble at times because he lacks elite level isolation dribble moves and as mentioned before, the more he dribbles the worst his shooting becomes. He also struggles to finish at the rim because of his average explosiveness; he's unable to finish at the rim with power and it hurts his game when teams pack the paint with bigs. His defense is also questionable, he's struggled to defend his man throughout his college career but his size and effort seem to give him the makings of being a good defender down the road, it still remains an area of concern though. One of the big things that I wanted to see from him this season was to step up into a leadership role but he's struggled to do that at times with the leadership often coming from committee or Kendall Marshall. The most worrisome thing is the lack of overall improvement from the previous year, he's still a great prospect and shows plenty of upside and star potential but his weaknesses remain glaring and in need of improvement. If he can improve his ball-handling, shooting off the dribble and defense then he is going to be a stud; adding a post-game would be lovely too considering his size. It's just hard to say "This kid is gonna be a star" right now but he does have plenty to love, especially his shooting. Barnes still has a lot to prove and he could really start to slip if he doesn't show up for the tournament but like-wise he could solidify himself as a top 3 pick if he has a great showing in March.

5- Andre Drummond: I really didn't like putting Drummond this high up but I can't convince myself to drop him any lower either. The kid is a physical beast to say the least, he has more than enough size and athleticism to be a dominating player at the NBA level. Much like Davis, his main strengths are shot blocking and rebounding. His offensive game has seemed extremely limited at times but his size and athleticism often hide his lack of post moves and terrible shot (35% from the FT line, nuff said). He does however, show flashes of having good court vision with some nice passes out of the post which is always good to see from a big man. He really needs at least another year in the college system to help him develop his game and confidence, and it looks like he very may well stay in for another year, but his size and athleticism alone will keep him in the top 5 conversation despite his major shortcomings in everything else.

6- Bradley Beal: The biggest thing with Beal is is his intangibles. He has a great mentality, work-ethic, willingness to learn, etc. but it also doesn't hurt that he's pretty good. Beal certainly has his weaknesses but the good about him far outweighs the bad stuff. Beal, as everyone knows, has great shooting mechanics which should translate into him becoming an elite level outside shooter, problem is that it hasn't translated yet. Beal is only shooting 32.8% from the college 3 which is shocking considering his reputation as a sniper. He is however, shooting 52.6% from 2 range and 75.4% from the FT which are respectable enough. Beal is decent enough shooting off the dribble but is best when shooting spot-up jumpers or shooting off-ball screens. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Beal's offensive game is his passing and basketball IQ. It's clear when watching Beal that he is more than willing to share the ball and play within the offensive system and he really showcases great basketball IQ while doing so by being where he needs to be, when he needs to be there and moving the ball to where it needs to go, when it needs to get there. He does struggle to take his man off the dribble at times and he really struggles to finish at the rim against bigger and more athletic big men but he does show a willingness to drive to the hoop. He tries to draw contact on his drives but his finishes often appear to be weak instead of powerful and explosive as they should be. It's not a big deal since it's something that should come with time, experience and coaching but it's been an obvious weakness in his game this season. He also appears to have the tools to become a good defender but he doesn't showcase the kind of effort on the defensive end you would like to see. He averages 6 rebounds a game though which is impressive for his size. It's really been hard to get a full grasp of what Beal is capable of because of the terrible PG play from the Florida pg's this year but he shows everything that you want to see in a prospect with high IQ, great intangibles and seemingly improving overall skills; his mental maturity seems to be far ahead of his skills and his peers. He's often compared to Ray Allen but I see him being more similar to Eric Gordon if he continues to develop.

7- Thomas Robinson: Let me start off by saying that I really like this kid. To start, Robinson has a great NBA body (6-9, 7-1 wingspan, 240 pounds) and elite level athleticism. He seems to have a good work-ethic and mentality and an overall good set of skills. The biggest things about Robinson are his physical tools. His size and athleticism alone make him a handful to handle on both ends of the floor. He's great a getting himself good post position by using his size and he's extremely tough to go up against in the post on both ends of the floor because of his combination of size, length and athleticism/quickness/explosiveness. His rebounding (12.1 rpg) is a big part of his game and should translate to the NBA level. He seems to have a decent enough array of post moves and a solid jumpshot but both are areas that should be improved if he is going to be a big time player in the NBA. If he was a bit taller he would be a top 3 prospect but his listing of 6-9 seems to be a tad bit generous. His passing and IQ isn't on the high end either but both aren't bad enough to be called glaring weaknesses. Overall, he's a very solid prospect and his athletic ability alone makes him a very intriguing prospect. One weakness I've seen from him is that he seems to disappear at times. He will absolutely dominate a game for a good 10 minute stretch but then go MIA for the next 10 minutes. I'm very tempted to raise his ranking into the top 5 though.

8- Perry Jones (the third):

9- Quincy Miller:

10- Terrence Jones:

11- Jared Sullinger:

Other guys I like and will rank later: Austin Rivers, Damien Lillard, Kendall Marshall, Aaron Craft, William Buford, Doron Lamb and others.

You are forgetting Meyers Leonard He is absolutely a top tier player in this draft, and would be in any draft. If Drummond declares my big board would be something like this:
1. Davis
2. Drummond
3. Leonard
4. Ghilchrist
5. Sullinger
6. Lamb
7. Beal
8. Jones III
9. Barnes
10. Henson

We won't be in the top three ad we'd pass on Sullinger (*I think*) but these are all great prospects

babyjax13 wrote:You are forgetting Meyers Leonard He is absolutely a top tier player in this draft, and would be in any draft.

I haven't been able to watch him play yet this year so that's why I don't have him ranked Don't want to put a guy high up on my board that I honestly have no clue about. Al the guys I've listed on my board I've watched at least 4 or 5 times.

You will like what you see, I think

babyjax13 wrote:You will like what you see, I think

I've heard a lot about him and I've seen a couple highlights; he seems like a really, really intriguing prospect with his combination of size and athleticism. I'll have to DVR some Illi. games soon.

Should Lamb and Drummond really be considered top 3 prospects? I mean, UConn isn't a good team. UConn has been better with Drummond or Lamb off the court in most of Big East play as well which never happens for top prospects.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player ... plus_minus

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player ... plus_minus

Drummond has potential and I like Lamb, but I think their team's lack of success is getting brushed away too easily.

Jazzfan12 wrote:Should Lamb and Drummond really be considered top 3 prospects? I mean, UConn isn't a good team. UConn has been better with Drummond or Lamb off the court in most of Big East play as well which never happens for top prospects.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player ... plus_minus

http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player ... plus_minus

Drummond has potential and I like Lamb, but I think their team's lack of success is getting brushed away too easily.

I think Drummond is more of the problem than Lamb, he's been extremely disappointing so far. You can't overlook the fact that their head coach has been MIA too. There's been lots of drama with that program this year...

Drummond has been much more of a problem (defenses flat out don't guard him and that kills UConn's offense), but Lamb hasn't really taken over to try to stabilize the offense much.

Whenever I watch Brad Beal, I can't help but love his style of play but he seems to miss a weird amount of jumpers considering that his form is basically perfect. Regardless, great help defender and rebounder and moves extremely well without the ball, passes well, excellent strength and body control, very quick and explosive, good handles. He showed off a bunch of really solid dimensions to his game last night against Alabama and could be really really good if he starts shooting well.

UNC playing against Miami tonight at 6:00 on ESPN.