Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Wednesday: Early Top 5 NBA draft prospects

Guess what day it is!


That’s right it’s hump day! And time for this week’s edition of my Top 5.
Now that the dust has cleared with who will enter the NBA draft, this year seems to be the most talented since 2003 when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade were all taken within the first five picks.
So even though this is still kind of early, this week’s topic: Top 5 2014 NBA draft prospects.

1.     Joel Embiid, Center, Kansas: I’ve talked about this guy before. Big, agile, smart. He’s got a lot of Dikembe Mutumbo in him with a ton of upside on the offensive end. He can already make free throws and knock down a 15-footer. Pro teams have been drooling to get their hands on him ever since they saw him play at Kansas. I think he’s the No. 1 pick right now and will be when the draft happens in June.
2.     Jabari Parker, Forward, Duke: He’s just too polished not to pick him second. He’s probably got the best chance of anyone in this class to contribute on a team right away. The best comparison I can give is Carmelo Anthony. Both have similar games and similar size comparisons. Parker has that kind of potential, and a much better attitude to go with it. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get picked one or two in this draft.
3.     Andrew Wiggins, Forward, Kansas: Wiggins’ status dropped significantly after a no show in the NCAA tournament. He looked distant, like he didn’t care about his team’s results. We all knew that he was going to leave after one year in school, but that kind of competitive fire made some scouts think twice. However, Wiggins has the biggest upside in this draft with his athletic ability. If he can develop a jumper, he might become the next NBA superstar.
4.     Julius Randle, Forward, Kentucky: If anyone helped their draft stock during the NCAA tournament it was Randle. The kid was an absolute beast. He was a double double machine, taking over games down the stretch. No one could guard him when he got on a roll. Of course, he won’t be able to push his way past defenders in the NBA, but he has a fantastic motor. He needs some more fine-tuning, but look for Randle to have a big impact right from the start.
5.     Dante Exum, Guard, Australia: Here’s someone that America hasn’t seen a whole lot of, but NBA scouts love him. Exum is a massive point guard at 6-foot-6 and has the ability to get to the rim. He’s kind of a wildcard though because he’s from Australia, but his upside is massive. I’d take him over Marcus Smart right now because he can shoot the ball better and seems to have a better attitude than Smart, who struggled with technicals toward the end of his collegiate career.

Top Videos:
-One NBA referee gets in the way of a Kevin Durant free throw during overtime.
-Adam Silver’s press conference and decision to ban Donald Sterling for life.
-Tom Izzo congratulates Nebraska basketball on a terrific season. 

Thanks for reading!

Reach me at: award6344@gmail.com

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