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The Next Five: Last week in this space we covered The 2011 Top Draft Prospects, the week before that we hit on The Upperclassmen That Matter. In this week’s 2011 NBA Draft update, let’s take a look at the next five…

It is a safe bet that if Duke’s Kyrie Irving indeed declares himself eligible for the 2011 NBA Draft he and Arizona’s Derrick Williams will slug it out for top pick honors in June.

Perry Jones, Jan Vesely, Jonas Valanciunas, Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, Enes Kanter, Terrence Jones and International big man Donatas Motiejunas should round out the Top 10 in some combination.

The Next Five, the players likely on the board for the 11th to the 15th pick, maybe have more impact value than those taken in the ten spots higher, as teams with those picks tend to be one player away from the playoffs and can’t afford to wait for potential. This is also where guys with more proven ability tend to find a home, especially as you get into the teens.

Here are the next five names to watch:

John Henson – North Carolina, Sophomore – PF – 6’10" – 200 – 20

PPG	APG	3P%	RPG	BPG	SPG
11.7	0.8	.167	10.1	3.2	0.6

John Henson is going to be something of a project at the next level, but when you consider that Raptor’s rookie Ed Davis was labeled pretty much the same way last year and has been one of the better rookies in 2010 in the NBA, being a Project big is not always a bad thing.

Project “bigs” are fairly common and with the 10th, 11th or 12th pick Henson is likely a smart pick.

Henson is a solid defender. He has great length for a 6’10 player and NBA teams covet all of the tools Henson has. The big knock on Henson is his shocking similarity to former UNC alum Brandan Wright, who has yet to pan out in the NBA and it will be hard for Henson to shake the comparison, because it’s almost spot on.

It is possible that Henson opts out of the draft class, as word is follow UNC teammate Harrison Barnes is trying to get commitments from his teammates to stay on for a National Championship run, however the allure of the NBA is often hard to shake and while another year in school may help Henson’s stock, he is a safe bet to be drafted no later than 15 this year and with Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger opting to remain at Ohio State a National Championship run is far from guaranteed to UNC.

Kawhi Leonard – San Diego State, Sophomore – SF – 6’7" – 225 – 19

PPG	APG	3P%	RPG	BPG	SPG
15.5	2.5	.291	10.6	0.6	1.4

With UNC’s Harrison Barnes believed to be returning to school, Kawhi looks to be the top Small Forward in the draft class.

Kawhi is still outside of the Top 10 but his length, impressive for a small forward, and his emerging offensive ability will get him a long look by teams in the 10 to 20 range for sure.

Kawhi has drawn comparisons to Portland’s Gerald Wallace and Toronto’s Julian Wright – while he is clearly not either player, but it is a good typing as he is long, can rebound and score from outside and around the basket.

The fact that Kawhi is a decent rebounder is going to help his stock and if his college measurements hold true at the Draft Combine, Kawhi could have a few more suitors because he has physical tools that are uncommon, even in the top 15 of the NBA draft.

Kawhi is still a little inconsistent and he still has a lot of learn at the next level, but having success in the NBA always gets easier when you are legitimately 6’7 and can do the things Kawhi can do with the basketball.

Alec Burks – Colorado, Sophomore – SG – 6’6" – 200 – 19

PPG	APG	3P%	RPG	BPG	SPG
20.5	2.9	.292	6.5	0.3	1.1

Alec is the darling of NBA scouts, the problem is at the next level he may be better suited as a point guard, and that’s going to be a crowded field in this class.

Alec is best compared to Portland’s Brandon Roy before the knee injuries. He is nice with the basketball, has a great feel for the game. He is an impact scorer and at 6’6 he towers over some of the smaller guards.

Alec is going to have improve his outside shot if he plans to compete as a point guard, but even as a hybrid swing guard, he is flat out one of the best scorers in the class and unlike many of his peers, he gets his shot off quickly and he plays extremely hard and fast. If there is one player that could jump a few places higher than expected its Alec Burks.

Marcus Morris – Kansas, Junior – PF – 6’9" – 225 – 21

PPG	APG	3P%	RPG	BPG	SPG
17.2	1.6	.342	7.6	0.6	0.8

Word is the Morris twins could be leaving Kansas for the NBA and if they do, Marcus is the better of the two brothers.

Marcus is a big strong physical presence in the paint. Some have compared him to Al Harrington, a big stretch four type player that can bang down low, but also step out and shoot a nice midrange shot. Marcus is also a tough physical defender, which will endear him in this draft, especially with Jared Sullinger staying in school.

The big key for Marcus is exceeding expectations during the physical portion of the NBA Draft Combine, he can clock in over 6’9, even by a fraction of an inch, that could help his stock, if he measures in smaller than 6’9 he could face more competition in a draft class featuring a number of power forward types.

Jimmer Fredette – BYU, Senior – PG – 6’2" – 195 – 22

PPG	APG	3P%	RPG	BPG	SPG
28.9	4.3	.396	3.4	0	1.3

If you haven’t heard yet, Jimmer Fredette can score.

Jimmer is a flat out offensive machine, however at the next level it’s going to be hard for Jimmer to play his game, his way. Some have compared Jimmer to Orlando’s JJ Redick, Dallas’ Jason Terry even Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford. In short, guys that can come into a game and score at will on anyone, and that’s likely the career path Jimmer has at the next level.

Fortunately for Jimmer, names get drafted in the NBA and there is no bigger name than Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer is a suspect defender, something he’ll have to show teams he can do in individual workouts, but at the end of the day Jimmer is going to get drafted and it will likely be two or three spots higher than maybe he should and then it will be up him to prove his doubter wrong.

The 2011 NBA Draft is in just 79 days and HOOPSWORLD has already started updating our Mock Drafts and will start our annual Consensus Mock Drafts in May. You can always find the Top 100 NBA Draft Prospects here; the rankings are powered by our friends at DraftExpress.

Didn’t Look Like Pros Last Night: Congratulations to the University of Connecticut, their players, coaches and fans on winning the 2011 Men’s National Championship in college basketball.

UCONN’s Kemba Walker did win the Most Outstanding Player award, but like everyone who took the floor last night in Houston… he was far from outstanding.

As any coach in the country will tell you, a win is a win no matter how ugly, but on the biggest stage some of these players have ever played on, several players came up dreadfully short and did very little to help themselves on the NBA stage.

Kemba Walker is still a Top 10 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, but was 5-of-19 from the field with no assists for 16 points. A far cry from the 23.5 points and 4.5 assist average Walker had coming into the game last night.

Walker’s teammate Jeremy Lamb, who has been a tournament darling, owned the 2nd half, scoring the bulk of his 12 points in the second half. Lamb, a lanky 6’5 wing player with an impressive seven plus foot wingspan, looked out of his league in the first half and really proved that coming into the NBA this year may be a huge reach, but as they say, you go while your name is hot, and Lamb’s name is extremely hot this year.

Butler’s Shelvin Mack was terrible last night, as was the entire Butler team. But Mack, who was supposed to be the unquestioned leader, looked anything but that versus a tough UCONN defense.

Mack was a dreadful 4-for-15 from the field, with all four of his made shots coming from the three-point line. Mack who averaged 3.4 assists per game was only able to record one assist last night.

Butler big man Matt Howard was equally bad, going 1-for-13 from the field and was an absolute non-factor in the paint.

Throughout the game, the contest was lauded as the worst offensive showing in the modern era, with the Butler Bulldogs shooting a record low 18.8% from the field for the game, while attempting 33 three-point shots, which more than half of the team’s combined offensive attempts.

While last night’s game produced a NCAA champion, it may have tossed more doubt on the players who played and how effective they can be at the next level.

It clearly was not a good night of basketball.

Casspi Wants A Change: Kings’ forward Omri Casspi is not happy with his situation in Sacramento and in an open letter to Israeli sports website ONE, Casspi made it clear – he knows other NBA teams want him, and he’d welcome a change for next season.

{AUTHOR_BOX} "There are still six games to finish the season," wrote Casspi. "I will not say I count the seconds until the last moment, but yes I know I’ll get the decision at the end of this year and by then I try to keep fit, if they called me to play."

"I’m a player under contract," admitted Casspi. "I really love the fans, the city, the owner and the General Manager. Sacramento is the team that gave me the opportunity to play in the NBA and it would be selfish of me to say I want to leave, but I’m sure I’m good enough to play, whether Kings or another team."

“The situation in Sacramento is not like it used to be in the past. Coach Paul Westphal is experimenting and trying different things and I’m certainly not in his plans… It is clear to me that I will have to make some decisions at the end of the year.”

“I know that there are many teams, including some playoff teams, that want me ahead of next season,” Casspi wrote. “I hope to find myself in a team that appreciates me as a player and a person, a team that plays like a team.”

Casspi averaged 19.6 minutes per game in March including four Did Not Play Coaches Decision games. In the two games the Kings have played in April Casspi saw four minutes versus Denver and did not log minutes versus Utah.

In the 29 games Casspi has logged 25 minutes or more he is averaging 12.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

On the season, Casspi has scored 15 or more points nine times, including a season high 21 points and 10 rebounds versus the Clippers in November.

The biggest hurdle for the Kings in trading Casspi is that he is owed just $1.34 million next season, as he is still on his rookie contract, meaning Sacramento would have to package him with another player to return real value, unless a team with cap space of a traded player exception wants to absorb him in exchange for a draft pick.

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