Post by Spencer on Sept 30, 2008 16:44:35 GMT -5
Overall this draft can be viewed as the draft of the big man, but the best overall player is a small guy with a big game. With a lack of quality big men in the BBS seeing prospects like Josh Smith, DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton is exciting for BBS GMs. All 3 should be starters at PF or C within 2 years, but even though the need for big men is huge the 1st pick will be Austin Rivers. Son of former NBA'er Doc Rivers, Austin is a legit franchise point guard. He has drawn comparisons to Baron Davis and Tony Parker and will be the best player from this draft.
Heres a look at the players by position....
Centers...
Josh Smith is a huge body who can score and board. He will probably end up with A- inside and rebounding ratings, but his defense may not go above B.... DeMarcus Cousins reminds many of Elton Brand on offense. He has a wide body and is a load in the paint. A definite A- inside guy. His defense is not anything to write home about, but his size and strength make him a sure fire top 5 pick.... Daniel Orton is a defensive stud. He will come into the league as a 2 BPG guy and should develop into a 10 board a night player as well. Any offense he gives will be a plus.... John Riek is a solid defender and rebounder with questionable upside and potential on offense. He probably wont be more then a good defender who is a minus on the offensive end.... Ralph Sampson Jr is a very good defender, but his upside is severly limited. He'll be a nice backup, but nothing more.
Power Forwards...
John Henson is extremely skinny, but he can block shots and jump. He is raw on both ends of the court, but he looks the part of a big time help defender that could become a nice inside scorer down the line...Jared Sullinger is a great college player that may have trouble translating his game to the BBS. Solid in many areas, Sullinger may not be tall enough to be a productive BBS'er....Xavier Gibson, like Henson is slight of frame. Unfortunately Gibson doesn't possess elite athleticism like Henson and isn't as highly regarded. Gibson could be a solid backup at some point though...Yancey Gates is strong and powerful in the block. Gates is also one of the better rebounders in the draft. Much like Sullinger, Gates lack of height may hurt him in the BBS....Ater Majok is all upside. He has amazing athletic ability but is about as raw as you can get. Although Majok hasn't really shown any signs of being a basketball player some scouts continue to hold out hope for him.
Small Forwards...
Xavier Henry is an electric offensive player. He can score inside and out, and while he doesn't pass much, his handle is quite alright. Expect Henry to develop into a A- A- type of scorer...Harrison Barnes wont be a better scorer then Henry but may be the overall better player long term. Barnes will be a plus scorer, rebounder and defender for his position....Chris Singleton some scouts feel as though Chris Singleton will be better then both Henry and Barnes. Singleton has a nice balanced game and is the hardest worker of the bunch....Romero Osby is quite a drop off in talent from the top 3, but he could still be a viable bench player and a solid late Round 1 pick....Mamadou Samb has terrific length and ability to create havoc on defense. Samb reminds some of a Tayshaun Prince like defender. Samb is also a decent offensive player that could be a late Round 1 sleeper.
Shooting Guards...
Dexter Strickland is a superb player who can play 1 and 2. Strickland lacks elite point skills but eventually he could be a solid 1....Dominic Cheek is more of a true SG spect, but his upside is limited compared to Strickland. Cheek is more likely to be a bench player then a starter...Leslie McDonald is a solid prospect with a nice all around game. With some work on his handling and defense McDonald could be an excellent backup combo guard...William Buford is similar to Cheek in game play and size and also in limited upside. Expect Burford to be more of a bench player as well...J'Covan Brown is too small to be a full time shooting guard in the BBS, so he'll need to be transformed into a point. Brown already has offensive skills, so if someone works on his ball handling and passing he could be a great backup PG.
Point Guards...
Austin Rivers is the best player in this draft. Rivers will be a dominate scorer, ball handler and defender...Willie Warren is a very good offensive player with the talent and desire to be a top tier point guard in the BBS. Warren can shoot from long range and get to the basket. Ultra quick, Warren hasnt developed as a play maker but most scouts feel as though he will....Abdul Gaddy is the best pure ball handler in the draft and should be a starter in the BBS. Gaddy isnt ultra athletic which means he wont make the spectacular play...Thyago Aleo is a very nice looking point who can handle and distribute and also has a nice mid and long range game. His upside is limited mostly because of his lack of athleticism....Avery Bradley is an amazing scorer and play maker but he tends to go for the spectacular play instead of the sure thing. While his offense is All Pro, his lack of ball handling may put him on the bench.
Heres a look at the players by position....
Centers...
Josh Smith is a huge body who can score and board. He will probably end up with A- inside and rebounding ratings, but his defense may not go above B.... DeMarcus Cousins reminds many of Elton Brand on offense. He has a wide body and is a load in the paint. A definite A- inside guy. His defense is not anything to write home about, but his size and strength make him a sure fire top 5 pick.... Daniel Orton is a defensive stud. He will come into the league as a 2 BPG guy and should develop into a 10 board a night player as well. Any offense he gives will be a plus.... John Riek is a solid defender and rebounder with questionable upside and potential on offense. He probably wont be more then a good defender who is a minus on the offensive end.... Ralph Sampson Jr is a very good defender, but his upside is severly limited. He'll be a nice backup, but nothing more.
Power Forwards...
John Henson is extremely skinny, but he can block shots and jump. He is raw on both ends of the court, but he looks the part of a big time help defender that could become a nice inside scorer down the line...Jared Sullinger is a great college player that may have trouble translating his game to the BBS. Solid in many areas, Sullinger may not be tall enough to be a productive BBS'er....Xavier Gibson, like Henson is slight of frame. Unfortunately Gibson doesn't possess elite athleticism like Henson and isn't as highly regarded. Gibson could be a solid backup at some point though...Yancey Gates is strong and powerful in the block. Gates is also one of the better rebounders in the draft. Much like Sullinger, Gates lack of height may hurt him in the BBS....Ater Majok is all upside. He has amazing athletic ability but is about as raw as you can get. Although Majok hasn't really shown any signs of being a basketball player some scouts continue to hold out hope for him.
Small Forwards...
Xavier Henry is an electric offensive player. He can score inside and out, and while he doesn't pass much, his handle is quite alright. Expect Henry to develop into a A- A- type of scorer...Harrison Barnes wont be a better scorer then Henry but may be the overall better player long term. Barnes will be a plus scorer, rebounder and defender for his position....Chris Singleton some scouts feel as though Chris Singleton will be better then both Henry and Barnes. Singleton has a nice balanced game and is the hardest worker of the bunch....Romero Osby is quite a drop off in talent from the top 3, but he could still be a viable bench player and a solid late Round 1 pick....Mamadou Samb has terrific length and ability to create havoc on defense. Samb reminds some of a Tayshaun Prince like defender. Samb is also a decent offensive player that could be a late Round 1 sleeper.
Shooting Guards...
Dexter Strickland is a superb player who can play 1 and 2. Strickland lacks elite point skills but eventually he could be a solid 1....Dominic Cheek is more of a true SG spect, but his upside is limited compared to Strickland. Cheek is more likely to be a bench player then a starter...Leslie McDonald is a solid prospect with a nice all around game. With some work on his handling and defense McDonald could be an excellent backup combo guard...William Buford is similar to Cheek in game play and size and also in limited upside. Expect Burford to be more of a bench player as well...J'Covan Brown is too small to be a full time shooting guard in the BBS, so he'll need to be transformed into a point. Brown already has offensive skills, so if someone works on his ball handling and passing he could be a great backup PG.
Point Guards...
Austin Rivers is the best player in this draft. Rivers will be a dominate scorer, ball handler and defender...Willie Warren is a very good offensive player with the talent and desire to be a top tier point guard in the BBS. Warren can shoot from long range and get to the basket. Ultra quick, Warren hasnt developed as a play maker but most scouts feel as though he will....Abdul Gaddy is the best pure ball handler in the draft and should be a starter in the BBS. Gaddy isnt ultra athletic which means he wont make the spectacular play...Thyago Aleo is a very nice looking point who can handle and distribute and also has a nice mid and long range game. His upside is limited mostly because of his lack of athleticism....Avery Bradley is an amazing scorer and play maker but he tends to go for the spectacular play instead of the sure thing. While his offense is All Pro, his lack of ball handling may put him on the bench.
