Ruzious wrote:In general, take the BPA with the one caveat that if it's real close, don't take a guard.
My feeling right now on the draft is that there are 7 elite players - in order of quality:
1. Nerlens Noel - tremendous athlete and very fluid with the ball - in spite of the criticisms of his offensive game. He's not Anthony Davis - because he doesn't have Davis' amazing BBIQ, but he is a legit #1 #1. He has the frame to fill out - and strength should eventually be a plus - rather than the negative it is now. Easily the #1 pick in my view.
2. Trey Burke - I know - most have him around #20, but this guy really is worthy of the #2 pick. He is the total package as a PG, and he does whatever he wants to do - and he wants to do whatever his team needs to win. He's short, but so is Chris Paul - and he's got solid length and good strength. He's got that tremendous balance that Paul and Tony Parker have.
3. Marcus Smart - Totally different type of PG than Burke. He's more of a hybrid guard in the style that Dwayne Wade was early in his career. Physcially imposing - even intimidating - which is amazing for an 18 year old frosh. A pure leader - which really sticks out on the court. He's still working on his shot, but it's improving. He was supposedly more of a 2 in HS, so he's still learning the PG position, but in the NBA - he'll probably be a Wade-style hybrid/tweener in a good way.
4. Shabazz Muhammad - As pure a scorer as I've seen come to college in years. Looks almost insanely motivated to get the ball in the basket. Still does it in the framework of the offense - not bogging down the offense with 1 on 1 nonsense. But to move up in my rankings, he has to show he can do more than score. So far, I don't think he has.
5. Cody Zeller - Tremendous offensive center and rebounds adequately. Competes hard. He's stronger than given credit for and will be thicker than his brother. His lack of length is an issue.
6. Ben McLemore - Really good all-around 2 with no weaknesses. Has Beal's game but is a little more talented.
7. Alex Len - He's below Zeller, because he's thinner, and he's not as consistently assertive. Being assertive seems to come naturally for Zeller; I don't think it does with Len on a consistent basis.
Players that I like for the 2nd round that I don't think people here have mentioned (pardons if they have):
1. Phil Pressey - my favorite college player to watch. I think he'll slip because of his lack o size. Perfect as a backup PG to run the other team into submission for spurts o minutes. And a phenominal passer. His shooting is inconsistent, but he does have 3 point range. He will be a crowd favorite.
2. Victor Olapido - Zeller's teammate reminds of Aaron Afflalo - physically tough big 2 who does everything well.
3. Kelly Olynyk - late blooming 7 footer with tremendous scoring ability. But pretty much all other parts of his game need a lot of work.
4. Mike Muscalla - doesn't even come close to passing the eye test, but he's a 6'11 240 lber who's super-productive and super efficient at Bucknell. Hook him up with a top personal trainer and eventually you might have a David Lee type player.
5. Travis Releford - McLemore's teammate was strictly a defensive specialist his 1st 3 years. Finally, he got the green light to shoot this season, and he hasn't missed many. He's still not even listed as worthy of being drafted by any mocks I've seen, but he's a spot-up shooter and a 6'6 210 lb outstanding defender. He will play in the NBA.
6. Seth Curry - also not listed as worthy of being drafted, because he's a small skinny guard, but play him with a big PG iike Wall, and he could be very effective. He's got the shooting gene just like bro Steph.
Great post, Ruzious. I love it when you and Dat2U check in with your early draft breakdowns. It provides a great starting point for me to get a flavor of the draft.