NBA Draft Stock Watch: Round 1
With the first two rounds of the tournament out of the way a number of players have put extra weight on their draft stock. Some have helped their stock, some proved what we already knew and some player’s likely moved their stock in the wrong direction.
Here are some of the players that helped, hurt or maintained their stock through the first two games of the tournament.
Helped Themselves…
Kenneth Faried solidified his position as the tournament’s best rebounder with 17 rebounds against a Big East team. Louisville isn’t the biggest team up front, but Faried’s rebounds most certainly allowed for the Eagles to stay in the game and close it out at the end…
Any questions about PITT handling their business were silenced by the six three pointers made by Ashton Gibbs. 26 points on just 16 shots allowed for the Panthers to strut through round one..
Another example of coming out strong in front of the scouts and leading the team to victory? Kawhi Leonard. 21 points (3-5 from 3) 10 boards and 1 turnover in a walk over a scrappy Northern Colorado team…
Let’s not ignore Kemba Walker pacing himself, getting teammates involved and dropping a pretty easy 12 dimes…
Arizona’s Derrick Williams displayed the all-around talent that has scouts drooling. His key 3-pointer late in the game was cold-blooded as was the last second rim protection in the Wildcats’ two-point win against Memphis…
George Mason’s Mike Morrison performance against Villanova is example of an unheralded player stepping up on the big stage. He’s showing NBA-level athleticism on second chance points and the energy to get noticed. Keep an eye on him…
Despite coming up short in a loss to Washington, Georgia’s Trey Thompson solidified his draft position with a strong performance on both ends of the floor. He was simply dominant at times.
Maintained Their Place…
Despite making the game-winning hoop against a strong Princeton team, Brandon Knight didn’t help his stock in game one of the tournament. But he didn’t hurt it either. He moved the ball well and, like he’s shown all year, he displayed great patience in the final seconds and made a big shot…
Despite an upset loss Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins was solid offensively. He did nothing to hurt his draft status despite playing his last game of the season. If he comes out, I would say he’s a sure late first/early second round pick…
Florida’s Chandler Parsons opened my eyes with 10 assists from the forward position leading to 8-10 from the field from teammates Mackin and Tyus in an easy win…
Watch out for Cincy’s Sean Kilpatrick. Just a freshman, but strong, skilled and willing to take big shots…
Syracuse’s Rick Jackson had a standout game against Indiana State, but scouts need to see more. Motor still very much a question mark…
Scouts love Illinois’ Demetri McCamey’s size and playmaking ability and love when he plays within the offense and makes decisions. Both were on full display in an impressive first half for the Illini as they broke open their game with UNLV early…
Headed In The Wrong Direction…
A solid 3-point threat all season at the guard position (45%) Missouri’s Marcus Denmon hurt his possible draft stock with a poor shooting performance (3-11) in a loss to Cincinnati. Not only could he not get the look off the pick and roll, but he really struggled in finding his spot in catch-and-shoot situations…
Corey Fisher is going to have to have huge predraft camps if he wants to get drafted. Right now, he’s probably a second round pick, but over the last 4 weeks, he hasn’t shown the ability to be the scorer or playmaker that he was hyped up to be. That really hurt Nova late this season.
Like he did at times during the year, and especially during a mid-season home game versus Kentucky, Vandy’s Jeff Taylor disappeared in a big spot going 1-10 from the field with just 4 points in a last second loss to Richmond. He’ll need another year in the SEC, or have a huge pre-draft camp, to show scouts he has the skills to make an impact at the next level…
Dwight Hardy tried to do too much all night but in fairness the Zags shot incredibly lights out from the field. Still, when you are considered the leader of the team, you have to handled the responsibility of coming up short in the first round…
Scotty Hopson’s performance against Michigan comes as no surprise. Inconsistency issues have always plagued him.
Look for more notes from the Scouting Notebook as the Tournament goes on and make sure to check out the March Madness Page, which features in-depth game-by-game previews, insight from HOOPSWORLD’s Coach Anthony Macri and much more.
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