HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

After spending time with prospects at training sites in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Florida, it’s easy to see why executives and scouts aren’t sure how this draft is going to play out. Many of the players look the same and there isn’t much disparity between the talent that will be available in the middle of the first round and the middle of the second round.

With so many players returning to school, the class has been watered down, but there are still plenty of players that will be able to make an impact at the next level. The bigger names like Kawhi Leonard and Alec Burks were very impressive in Vegas, but there were also several players that have flown under the radar, but could eventually pan out in the NBA.

This year, every team is looking for their Landry Fields – their diamond in the rough. They may not have to look much further than these players.

Malcolm Lee – As was the case with Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday, Lee wasn’t used correctly at UCLA. He looked robotic on the floor, often played out of position and was never able to display his full repertoire of skills with the Bruins.

Now, Lee is dominating workouts at Impact Basketball and climbing draft boards. There is a strong possibility that Lee solidifies himself as a first-round pick during individual workouts. He has an excellent mid-range game, explosive first step and a knack for finishing at the rim. Whenever he ran drills with the lottery talent – Leonard and Burks – he held his own, if not outplayed them.

Trainers raved about Lee and said that they see him having a long, productive career. Chauncey Billups has coached Lee during workouts and he also praised the prospect’s game. Lee also has a good head on his shoulders and he’s the epitome of mature and professional. Don’t be surprised if he makes a team fall in love with him and goes higher than expected on draft night.

Greg Smith – The big man out of Fresno State wasn’t even listed on most draft boards a few weeks ago, but now he’s exploding onto the scene. He participated in the New Jersey group workout and has also worked out with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, two teams who are searching for a center in this year’s draft.

Smith is a presence in the paint that has made a habit of blocking shots and dunking on opposing centers in the several weeks he’s been training Vegas. Smith is coming off of a disappointing season at Fresno State, but he has had no problem adjusting to the speed of the NBA game and he has looked great in workouts.

At 20 years old, there’s no question that he is a project. His jumper is suspect, but he makes up for it with solid post moves and jaw-dropping athleticism. The 6-foot-10 center has enormous hands, a 7-foot-3 wingspan and 35.5 in. vertical. He’s worth drafting for his upside alone.

Gilbert Brown – In wake of the Memphis Grizzlies’ success, executives are searching for perimeter defenders that can change their team’s culture and lock down opponents. These executives should underline Brown’s name because that’s exactly what he brings to a team.

Since arriving in Vegas one month ago, he has solidified his reputation as a defensive stopper and has drawn comparisons to Arron Afflalo and Memphis’ own Sam Young, who once played with Brown at the University of Pittsburgh. Brown has an NBA body and has continued to bulk up at Impact.

He has been working one-on-one with Corey Maggette in recent weeks, improving his offensive game and receiving individual training that is paying off during workouts. Brown is ready to contribute right away and he’ll further help his stock in workouts.

Willie Reed – If there’s one player that people aren’t talking about, but who deserves attention, it’s Reed. He’s a 6-foot-10 center with amazing length and athleticism. He has worked out in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and impressed everyone that has seen him play along the way. He has a surprisingly good jumper, but it was his multiple alley-oops in each pickup game that made him a favorite to play with among the prospects.

Reed’s problem is that teams have questions about his character after he left Saint Louis University last year. One of his former teammates, Kwamain Mitchell, had been accused of sexual assault in Reed’s apartment. However, Reed was in the living room watching a rerun of the Lakers-Thunder game when the incident took place in a bedroom on the other side of the suite. His presence alone led to a suspension from the university. Even after police declined to take action on the woman’s claim and an attorney said that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against either student, especially Reed, the school still wanted the center to serve a suspension and publish an apology letter. At this point, Reed’s parents became very upset and pulled their son out of school.

In the months that followed, Reed worked hard with trainers and prepared for the draft. Last year, he was a highly-touted player who received an invite to the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp, but now teams are backing off and he wasn’t invited to the combine. If you spend time with Reed, it’s easy to see that he’s a great kid and the last person you would ever expect to be linked to a situation like this. He has a ton of upside and the skill set to play at the next level. At the end of the day, he just needs to one team to get past the unfortunate incident wrongly associated with his name and then he’ll have a solid career in the NBA.

Xavier Silas – Not many players can say that they received training from two All-Stars from the time they were in elementary school.

James Silas, Xavier’s father, was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 1972 and played for the San Antonio Spurs when they were still part of the ABA. He was an All-ABA player and a two-time All-Star during that time. When the team moved to the NBA, he still played for San Antonio and today, he is just one of six players to have his number retired by the Spurs. But not only did Xavier have one All-Star down the hall to receive advice from; he has worked out individually with George Gervin every summer since middle school.

Silas was one of the top scorers in the country last season, averaging 22.3 points at Northern Illinois, but didn’t receive much attention because he played at such a small school. In Vegas, he displayed his excellent shot and was also one of the most athletic players in the gym. He has bulked up and improved defensively at Impact. He’ll have his first chance to showcase the strides he has made this weekend when he works out for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ridiculous Things Worth Noting: Throughout the draft tour, there were certain things that were so great, they just have to be written about. Some were captured on video, others were not. Without further ado, here are the ridiculous things worth noting:

The Hands of Greg Smith and Kawhi Leonard – Since the NBA started measuring hand sizes a few years ago, players who have enormous hands – such as Rajon Rondo – have received a considerable amount of attention for their freakish extremities. However, all hands pale in comparison to those of Smith and Leonard.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Smith broke the record for biggest hands when he was measured at the group workout in New Jersey, and he displays their advantages during workouts. When he was in the post, he often caught the ball by palming it with one hand, which amazed all of the trainers and spectators in attendance. It looked like he was catching a softball.

With that said, the only reason that Smith holds the record for biggest hands is because Leonard hasn’t been measured yet. When he’s measured at the Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago next week, don’t be surprised if talk of Leonard’s hands starts to heat up. His hands are even bigger than Smith’s and some believe Leonard will have the largest hands in the entire NBA. At one point during a three-on-three game, Alec Burks tried to whip a hard pass across the court, but Leonard stuck one hand out and caught the ball out of midair. Some called Leonard’s hands "catcher’s mitts" and there’s no question they’re going to help him going forward.

Josh Selby’s Athleticism – When Selby was trying to decide whether or not to leave Kansas after his disappointing freshman season, the school did everything they could to keep him for one more season. Apparently, that included convincing others that Selby wasn’t nearly as athletic as people thought. School officials had been telling people that Selby wasn’t a great athlete and the general consensus was that Kansas did it to lower his draft stock so that he would come back for his sophomore season.

However, that didn’t stop Selby from doing everything in his power to prove his athleticism in Las Vegas. He is one of the fastest guards in this class and possibly the best dunker. On Thursday, Selby had everyone in attendance circled around one basket as he put on a dunk show. He threw down a 360 between the legs dunk and afterwards told me, "That was my first time ever trying that." Selby is a phenomenal athlete and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won a dunk contest at some point during his career.

Darius Morris’ Dunks - Comparing Morris to Andre Miller is so easy because the two players look alike and they are both excellent distributors. But Morris is clearly a better shooter and he has something else that Miller lacks: freakish athleticism. When we were filming Morris’ workout in Los Angeles, he wanted to have some fun and show us some dunks. By that, I mean he threw down some of the hardest dunks of the trip, and nearly completed a dunk after bouncing it off of the wall of the gym. In the weeks that follow, Morris is going to be touted for his passing and shooting, but keep in mind that he’s extremely athletic and will likely break your favorite team’s rim if they’re not careful.

Jon Diebler’s Range – During shooting drills, some of the prospects clearly struggled as they tried to adjust to the NBA three-point line. Diebler, on the other hand, often completed the drills five steps back from the line. At times, he was closer to halfcourt than he was the three-point line, but he was still unconscious, proving that range clearly isn’t an issue for him. He would have made Jimmer Fredette proud with some of the shots he was making.

HOOPSWORLD Chats: There are two chats on today’s schedule. Susan Bible, who covers the Oklahoma City Thunder and NBA for HOOPSWORLD, will be taking your questions at 11am EST. I’ll be answering your questions at 3pm EST. As always you can check out our entire upcoming chat schedule.