2008 NBA Draft Preview

[Bowtothebill23]

Here is the most detailed and comprehensive preview you'll find for this draft. I've poured over the draft file for hours, and I have my top 35 prospects, their strengths, weaknesses, and how I see them panning out in the NBA. At the end, I also give 5 guys I see as potential steals and 5 guys I see as potential busts. Hopefully this can give some lottery teams something meaningful to read while we wait through the playoffs, and it can give the eliminated teams from the playoffs a chance to check out this draft. Enjoy!

1) Kevin Love: PF, 6'10, 260 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Elite Scoring Ability: A potential inside and 3 pt, B from free throw line. Way too quick for Power Forwards with 52 quickness, plenty of strength and great jumping ability will allow him to draw fouls like crazy.
-Rebounding: A potentials in both. Already an elite defensive rebounder. Strength and jumping just accentuate his rebounding ability. Can grab offensive boards and finish immediately.
-Defense: A potential in Post defense. Already a good defender. Won't give up offensive rebounds. No one will be too athletic or too good for him. Will likely be able to stay out of foul trouble relatively easily.
-Handling/Passing: As a big man, having C potentials in each is incredible. Won't struggle too much with turnovers and won't be a ball stopper.
-NBA Ready- His ratings are so high already that he can come in and immediately be a key contributor.

Weaknesses:
-Perimeter Defense- League is finding more stretch 4's. He won't be awful at defending them, but stretch 4's detract from 2 big strengths, low post defense and rebounding.
-Positional Inflexibility- Likely can only play the 4. While he is probably capable of playing center, you wouldn't want him there for too long. Certainly can't play the 3.
-Blocking: While Love will be a good defender, he can't anchor a defense. He's in no way a shot blocker, and doesn't force turnovers.

Summary: Love will be one of the most dominant offensive players this league has ever seen. He combines original Larry Johnson's inside scoring, rebounding, and athleticism with Dirk Nowitzki's outside shooting and defense. Additionally, his floor is very high since his rebounding and defensive ratings are already very good, same with his athleticism. I see Love as a 27-10-3 guy while shooting over 40% from 3 in his prime while playing very good defense.


2) Russell Westbrook: PG, 6'3, 187 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Inside scoring- Elite inside scoring. Has everything you could ever want in a scorer. He's the prototypical perfect guard for an inside focused team. With A potential inside and a 100 jump rating, he'll be absolutely unstoppable at the rim. Additionally, due to his elite quickness and athleticism, he's going to draw fouls like crazy. And that's perfect with his A potential at the line.
-Perimeter Defense- Will be able to match up with any point guard. His athleticism will help him against bigger guards, and he has B potential in perimeter D and A steals. He's not going to be a total nightmare on defense, but he has the potential to be one of the best defensive point guards in the league.
-Handling/Passing- No one will confuse him for Chris Paul or Deron Williams but he's no slouch. One shouldn't be too worried with him being a ball stopper.
-Rebounding- Will be an elite rebounding point guard. Has a B potential for defensive rebounding and C for offensive rebounding. His elite jumping and adequate strength will also help. He's a walking triple double.

Weaknesses:
-Shooting- not an abhorrent shooter but every shot he takes from outside is a wasted possession. He's so good at scoring inside that one can only hope he's not one to fall in love with his jumpshot.
-Turnovers- With someone who handles the ball as much as he will be and for someone who'll be attacking the rim as much as he will be, his handling isn't quite as high as you'd like to see. He won't be bad by any stretch of the imagination, but he will certainly have some turnover problems every once in a while.
-System Inflexibility- In this age where we have better shooters than ever, Westbrook is best served on an inside focused team that attacks the boards hard. Any other system neutralize his 2 best characteristics that set him apart from other point guards.
-Raw- Westbrook is going to take a couple seasons just to become good. He'll likely take his entire rookie contract to become great. That's fine for a rebuilding team, but if someone is drafting him expecting him to lead their playoff run next season, they'll be disappointed. This also leaves Westbrook vulnerable to TC. If TC lowers his ratings, even with TC insurance, it'll take him an extra 2 seasons beyond what it already is for him to catch up.

Summary: Westbrook is going to make someone very very happy so long as they put him in the right system. I see a lot of Kevin Johnson in him with fewer assists. I see Westbrook as a 25-7-6-2 guy in his prime.


3) DeAndre Jordan: C, 6'11, 265 pounds, 19 years old.
Strengths:
-DPOY Potential- Jordan is an absolute monster on the defensive side of the ball. He's got A DRB, A PSD, and B block. But with his size and athleticism, I don't see him having any trouble stopping opponents or swatting shots. With his absolutely incredible athleticism, he will have no trouble staying out of foul trouble and playing long minutes.
-Athleticism- We just touched on this, but with good quickness for a center, 100 strength, 93 jump, and 91 stamina, Jordan is going to be have the athletic edge every single time he takes the court. Additionally he has good size for a center. His athleticism will allow him to dominate on the boards and will make him incredibly efficient on offense.
-Rebounding- I see Jordan leading the league in rebounding in his prime. With his size, athleticism, and A potentials in both offensive and defensive rebounding, Jordan is going to have no problem swallowing up any and all boards.

Weaknesses:
-Offensive Game- Jordan's athleticism will help him be efficient with his points, but he is absolutely no threat at all on offense. He has awful potential inside, nowhere close to a jumpshot, and his free throw rating is so bad, every trip that ends with him at the line is a waste. This is especially hurtful because with Jordan's athleticism and offensive rebounding, he's going to get to the line an awful lot. I'm not sure there's anything that can be done to mitigate this.

Summary: Jordan is going to be an absolute force on the defensive end. I don't forsee his offensive game causing him TOO many problems. He's going to lead the league in rebounding, and probably win DPOY at least once. I see some Ben Wallace in his game with less handling/passing and less versatility. I see Jordan as a 10-12 guy with 3 blocks in his prime.


4) Derrick Rose: PG, 6'3, 190, 19 years Old
Strengths:
-Scoring- Rose is a great scorer who can fit into almost any offensive system. You likely don't want him playing in an outside scheme with 3 pt usage 10 not because he can't do it, but because it mitigates his greatest strength. Rose is a lot like Westbrook on offense with a little less inside scoring and a little more outside scoring. He's got A potential inside, A at JPS, A at FT, and B at 3PT. His greatest strength is clearly his inside game which is helped by his 81 jump rating. With his 97 quickness too, he'll be able to penetrate the defense without problem and will finish at the rim with ease. He'll draw a lot of fouls and is an excellent free throw shooter. While not necessarily ideal, Rose's ability to shoot the ball is an advantage as it doesn't pigeon-hole his team into an inside focus.
-Athleticism- Great athleticism for a point guard. Quick as anyone in the league, stamina to go all game, good strength for a point guard, and great jumping which will help him inside.
-Handling/Passing- Good enough to hold his own. Not a bad facilitator, good enough to run an offense.

Weaknesses:
-Defense- In a league where point guard might be the deepest position offensively, Rose really struggles on defense. With a measly C potential in PRD and a dreadful D in STL, Rose will likely be beaten badly on defense. His athleticism should help a little bit, but come playoff time where seemingly every team has a great PG, Rose will have to hope to outscore the opponent rather than slow him down.
-One-Dimensional- Rose is very dependent on his scoring. On a night where his jumper is off or he's going up against a great defender, Rose offers little-to-nothing else. He isn't a good enough facilitator to cover for a bad night, he's not a great rebounder, and he certainly isn't helping on defense. In the playoffs where weaknesses are exposed, Rose might have a tendency to disappear in some series.

Summary: Rose can definitely be the centerpiece of an offense. A certain team does need to be built around him: one with good defenders at the 4 and 5 to cover for his mistakes. But Rose can be a lot like what Steve Francis was before he got nerfed, maybe even better. I see Rose as a 23-7-4 guy in his prime.


5) Omer Asik: C, 7'0, 255 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Rebounding- Asik is going to be a superb rebounder in this league. He's got good athleticism and great rebounding potential with A's in both offensive and defensive rebounding. At 7'0 tall, he won't have much of a problem dominating the boards.
-Defense- Asik is going to be an elite defender in this league. In his prime, he'll likely be a top 5 defensive center. With his good athleticism, he'll never be too overmatched so he'll likely avoid major foul issues. He can swallow up defensive boards and with A PSD and B BLK potentials, he's going to be a very good rim protector.
-Athleticism- Asik is by no means an "athletic freak" but he is certainly good enough to be very productive in this league. His quickness isn't bad, and he's got really good strength and jumping which should really help him on the boards. I don't forsee him shooting much, but his jumping should help him be relatively efficient.
-NBA-Ready- At 21, Asik is as ready to step in and contribute as anyone in this draft. Right off the bat, he can be a force on the boards and be a pretty good defender. He's at least 62 in ORB, DRB, PSD, and BLK right now.

Weaknesses:
-Offensive Game- Like Jordan, Asik will really struggle on the offensive end. He'll be lumbering in the paint during his offensive possessions, but with D potentials inside and in free throws, he'll struggle to be good offensively. He should eat up offensive boards which would help but hopefully he can be just efficient enough on free throws to not hurt his team too much.

Summary: Asik figures to be a lesser version of Jordan. Jordan has a higher ceiling due to his age and athleticism, but Asik is not a bad consolation prize at all for someone looking for a defensive center. I see Asik as an 8 point, 10.5 rebound guy in his prime while anchoring a defense.


6) Goran Dragic: PG, 6'3, 190 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Athleticism- A common theme with the top of this draft class, Dragic has elite athleticism for a point guard. He's a point quicker than Westbrook and Rose and incredibly strong for a point guard with 62 strength. He's a great jumper too with just below 80.
-Inside Scoring- Dragic will be a very good scorer in general, but first we look at his inside scoring. He's got a B potential there which is nice. His 6'3 frame is good for inside scoring as well. His jumping and quickness is what really makes his inside scoring dangerous though. He's quick enough to get around anyone in the league and his great jumping ability gives him the ability to finish among the trees. And when he inevitably gets fouled around the rim, he's a good free throw shooter.
-Shooting- He's on ok, but not too great jump-shooter, but where Dragic really makes his mark is from behind the 3 point line. He's got an A potential there. He can light it up from downtown.
-Defense- Has B potentials at both perimeter D and steals. With his elite athleticism, he should be able to more than hold his own on the defensive end.
-Scheme Versatility- Dragic is good at so many different things that he doesn't need a certain system to thrive. He can score inside and outside. He can play under control or he's athletic enough to play fast. Then he's good enough on defense and athletic enough to get risky or he can sit and defend in man or zone.

Weaknesses:
-Handling/Passing- Dragic really has to be a point guard in this league. He's just too small to be a 2 guard. Unfortunately, he's just not a facilitator. He's got B HNDL and C PAS potential, but not only that, he's already 21 and those ratings are 49 and 32 respectively. He's never going to be a great pure point guard. This limits teams that have wings or bigs that need to be set up by their point guard in order to be effective. It also means he's going to have big turnover problems, especially if he's attacking the basket or playing in a high motion offense.
-Jack-of-all-Trades/Master of None?- If one looks at Dragic's potentials, you'll notice a whole lot of B's. That's not really a bad thing, but for a guy who's going to be a top 7 pick, when all you really know for sure is that he'll be an athletic 3 point shooter, it's a little scary. If he takes longer to develop than believed or if he has one bad TC, all those B potentials might never be realized and he might forever be "just another guy."

Summary: Dragic is a very good versatile point guard who will probably fit in seamlessly wherever he goes. I could see him having a career similar to Iverson post nerf. I see Dragic as an 18-5-4 guy in his prime.


7) Serge Ibaka: PF, 6'10, 245 pounds, 18 years old
Strengths:
-Defensive Potential- Ibaka is going to be drafted for his potential as a defender and shot-blocker. He's got B potential in PSD and A potential in shot blocking. With 62 PSD and 80 BLK already, he can step in and immediately be an impact defender. Also, with his B potential in defensive rebounding, he'll be able to clean up the missed shots he forces.
-Rebounding- Ibaka has B potential in both offensive and defensive rebounding. He won't be an elite rebounder by any means, but being a good rebounder on both ends has value in the league.
-Shooting- We're still in an age where we have big lumbering power forwards who can't defend on the perimeter. Ibaka can certainly exploit those guys with his B potential in jumpshot and 3 point shot.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- He's got adequate quickness, good strength, and horrid jumping. It won't necessarily hurt his game too much, but it certainly won't help.
-Raw Offensive Game- His athleticism is going to hurt him on the offensive boards a bit, he's not a great inside scorer, and his ratings are very low for his shooting. Despite having B potential from 3 point land, he has a lowly 16 rating at the moment. That is going to take years and years to simply make it to adequate. That means he probably won't be a real offensive threat until at least his second contract.
-Positional Versatility- I think that for 4's especially, it's very important to have the ability to play either the 3 or 5 in addition to the 4. Otherwise, it really locks in your lineup come playoff time. He can't defend the perimeter at all, and he's not big enough to compensate for his lack of athleticism to probably play center.

Summary: Ibaka is going to be a very good defender in this league. In due time, he's going to be a nightmare matchup when he develops a 3 point shot. He'll never be a dominant player by any means, but he's going to be a very solid player for a long time. I predict a 12-8.5 statline with upwards of 2 blocks a game.


8) Danilo Gallinari- SF, 6'10, 225 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Size and Athleticism- For a guy who will primarily play small forward, Gallinari has very good size at 6'10 and he's got good athleticism with solid 60 quickness and elite 85 jumping.
-Inside Scoring- With B potential inside and 85 jumping, Gallinari is going to be a force inside in his prime. Plus, again, his 6'10 frame will allow him to tower over opposing small forwards. And he's got A potential in free throws for when he gets hacked.
-Shooting- Gallinari's got B potentials in both Jump shot and 3 point shot. While he might not be shooting 40% from 3 ever, the threat of his outside game will make him a very good scoring forward.
-Versatility- Can play both the 3 and the 4. Also fits in any offensive system. No system underutilizes him really. Can play fast or slow, low or high motion, and can score inside or outside. Also can fit in any defensive system but not necessarily for the right reasons.

Weaknesses:
- Defense- For a guy who likely will spend the majority of his career at small forward, Gallo has D potentials in PRD and STL. And when he does play at the 4, it's not like he'll bee too much better with his C potential in PSD and 48 strength.
-Rebounding- Being 6'10 and athletic, Gallo will grab his fair share of boards. But he'll likely always be below average on the glass. He's got D potential on the offensive glass and C potential on defense. And those ratings are a measly 20 and 24 right now respectively.

Summary: Gallinari is a going to be a pretty good scorer in this league. He's going to get his own, and he'll be very efficient doing so. The team that drafts him is just going to have to know that he has to be surrounded with defenders, rebounders, and passers. He reminds me some of Joe Johnson, and I see him as a 18-5-3 guy in his prime.

9) Brook Lopez: C, 7'0, 265 pounds, 20 years old
Strengths:
-Inside Scoring- With B potential and a 62 rating already, Lopez will be a very solid offensive player. His 61 jumping rating isn't spectacular but it's solid enough to keep him scoring at a good rate. Being a good offensive rebounder as well, Lopez will get easy looks for himself and he's going to finish them. And he's a good free throw shooter, especially for a center.
-Offensive Rebounding- Just touched on this, but he has B potential for offensive rebounding. He's not going to be on the perimeter so he should be in position for an offensive rebound each possession. He's got good enough athleticism and ability to grab a good amount and he's good enough scoring to finish those opportunities.
-Low Post Defense- He's quick enough to keep up with even the fastest centers. Then he's got good enough athleticism to not be overwhelmed in most situations. He's got B potential in both PSD and BLK. That's not elite by any means, but if you can get solid defense and rim protection from a center who can also score, you take it every time.

Weaknesses:
-Defensive Rebounding- For a guy who plays the position that's supposed to gobble up the most rebounds, he only has a C potential in that area. He's athletic but not overly athletic so I don't expect him to be able to compensate for his lack of skill in that respect.

Summary: Lopez isn't elite at anything, but getting a center who can give you offensive production while also being a good defender and rim protector? Any team in the league would take that deal. I see Lopez as a 12-8 guy with 1.5 blocks per game in his prime.


10) Nicolas Batum: SF, 6'8, 200 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Shooting Ability- Has B potentials in JPS and 3PS and A in FTS. Will be a solid shooter in his prime.
-Handling/Passing- Great ball handling and passing ability for a wing. Perfect wing for a team that wants to run a lot of motion. Has B potentials in both. Combined with his shooting ability, makes for a great wing to swing the ball around and knock down the open shot.
-Versatility- Good size. Could play up to 3 positions sparingly. Attributes to play a variety of roles: knockdown shooter, ball handler, etc. Defensively, not good at anything but not bad either. Can play down low and up top equally well. Allows flexibility for defensive scheming.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- Slow for a wing with 55 quickness. Decent strength but bad jumping as well. Will struggle against the more athletic wings in this league (that number is increasing).
-Defense- Not an awful defender but not particularly good either. C potentials in PSD, BLK, PRD, and STL. Doesn't need to be "hidden" but probably need a good defender next to him on the wing.

Summary: Batum is a very interesting player. You can't draft him and treat him like any other wing. Whoever drafts him must utilize his ability as a ball handler and passer. If you ignore that, he's a below-average wing. If he goes to the right team, I could see him as an 11-5-5 guy in his prime.


11) Timofey Mozgov: C, 7'1, 275 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Size/Athleticism- At 7'1, 275 pounds, Mozgov is a monster at the center position. He's got good quickness for a C, and he also has very good strength and jumping ability.
-Defense- Very good defender. B potentials in both PSD and BLK. Combined with his athleticism and defensive rebounding ability, should be able to be a starter on a very good team. Can probably anchor a formidable defense.
-Rebounding- Combined with his great size and athleticism, Mozgov boasts B potentials in both offensive and defensive rebounding. He'll be a very good competitor on the boards.

Weaknesses:
-Offensive Game- Don't expect him to contribute too much on offense. If he can reach his potential on the offensive boards, he's a good enough rebounder and free throw shooter to be efficient. But he's got D potential inside and is no threat outside. Must surround him with other scorers.
-Stamina- Only 57 stamina so will not be able to play a whole game. Playing 30 minutes is probably asking a lot. Some people might have a problem spending a lottery pick on a guy who physically will be ineffective after playing half the game. It's also a problem because it means you need to have another guy you're comfortable playing at center for maybe 20 minutes a game every game.

Summary: With Mozgov, you know what you're getting. You're getting a guy who can play 25-30 minutes a game and play good defense and be a very good rebounder. Mozgov is the ultimate "unsexy" pick. There's not much potential to be much better, and you're getting a guy who can't play offense and can't play long minutes. But he's just so safe and such a solid player at crucial areas for a center, that he's a guy who's high on my board. I see him as a 6-8 guy with 1.5-2 blocks a game.


12) George Hill: PG, 6'2, 180 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Athleticism- A lot like Dragic in his athleticism but slightly less. Not necessarily elite in any athletic area, but strong in all. One are he's close to elite is strength. Very strong for a point guard. But has good quickness and jumping which will help him.
-Inside Scoring- B potential inside, B FTS, and 62 Jumping. Will likely never be elite inside, but he's a good enough athlete and finisher that he can get to the rim and be efficient doing so.
-Shooting- Very good shooter. Great midrange game with A potential and a good 3 pt shooter with B potential. If he gets playing time early, his role will be as a shooter. Already a 71 three point rating and still raw.

Weaknesses:
-Handling/Passing- Hill's size limits him to only playing point guard, but he has just B potential in Handling and C in passing. That means he probably needs someone next to him who can handle the ball or be a primary option on offense.
-Defense- Good athleticism but only C potential in both PRD and STL. Additionally, has incredibly low present ratings at 39 and 40. This combined with his handling/passing probably relegates him to a 6th man role.

Summary: Hill most likely projects as a 6th man scorer for whatever team drafts him. He's going to be a good scorer, but he's just not a good enough facilitator or defender to start. Needs to go to a team that has an ok point guard that can defend and distribute but cannot go to a team with a very good point guard that'll eat up his minutes. I see Hill as a 13-3-3 guy in his prime.


13) Javale McGee: C, 7'0, 252 pounds, 20 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- McGee has good enough size and athleticism to be good, but he has B potential in PSD and A in BLK. He's going to be a very good defender and will challenge every single shot at the rim. He might struggle a bit with foul trouble, but he can definitely protect the rim while he's out there.
-Offensive Rebounding- Has good strength and B potential in offensive rebounding. He's going to be able to grab boards, and he's not an awful finisher inside or at the free throw line so he'll hopefully be able to get some points off those.

Weaknesses:
-Defensive Rebounding- Only a C potential there. Very important because 1) it's a center's job to dominate the boards on defense and 2) he's going to force a good amount of misses at the rim. He's going to need a dominant rebounding forward next to him to cover for his fault.
-Offensive Game- McGee is not a horrid offensive player like some of the guys ahead of him. But he's certainly not a great one. And whereas the guys in front of him had better defensive rebounding and athleticism, McGee's offensive game (C inside, C FTS, no shooting) is not good enough to be a part of the offense other than offensive rebounds and the occasional inside shot.

Summary: McGee has a lot of potential coming into the league. He's got good size and athleticism. If he can raise his DRB to low 60s or get a boost in TC, his defense, rebounding, and passable offensive game could make him the steal of the draft. Other than that though, as he is now, McGee projects as a 9-7 guy with over 2 blocks a game.


14) Nikola Pekovic: C, 6'11, 307 pounds, 22 years old
Strengths:
-Size/Athleticism- Nikola Pekovic is a MAN at 307 pounds, but he's no slouch athletically, boasting great 25 quickness for a center, 65 strength, and 73 jumping. This combination of size and athleticism combined with his ratings to come makes him a huge threat to outperform his draft position.
-Defense- Pekovic has B ratings in both PSD and BLK. Combined with his athleticism, he's going to be a good defender in time.
-Offensive Rebounding- Pekovic is going to be a monster on the offensive boards. He's got elite size and athleticism and an A potential in offensive rebounding. He's a decent finisher at the rim, and he's going to draw a good amount of fouls where he's a B potential free throw shooter.

Weaknesses:
-Age/Raw- At 22, Pekovic is the oldest player on this draft board to date. This certainly doesn't help as he's got an orange current rating. Despite projecting as a good defender, he's very raw there with a 37 DRB and 44 PSD rating. That's gonna take a few seasons just to become passable.
-Defensive Rebounding- As touched on in the last point, Pekovic is 22 and only has a 37 DRB rating and only has a C potential for it. As has been said, you'd really like a starting center to be able to swallow up defensive boards. He'll need a rebounding PF next to him.
-Scoring- He's not going to be an inefficient guy. In fact, I bet he'll be quite efficient. But he'll probably be "just another guy" on offense. No one will confuse him with an offensive weapon.

Summary: If Pekovic wasn't 22 years old, he'd be much higher on this list. He's just very raw and his second contract will take him up to being 30. But damn he's going to be good for the few years he's at his peak. He'll be a very good defender and an elite offensive rebounder. I see him as a 10-8.5 guy with 1.5 blocks a game.


15) Ryan Anderson: PF, 6'10, 240 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Shooting- Ryan Anderson is going to be an elite offensive power forward. He's going to absolutely stroke it from 3 with an A potential there, A FTS and B JPS. He's going to be a nightmare matchup for 4's who can't defend on the perimeter.
-Inside Scoring- Unlike most stretch bigs who have a virtually nonexistant inside game, Anderson excels on the inside as well with a B potential there and A FTS when he gets fouled. He lacks great athleticism which might cause a little bit of a problem but with his finishing ability and offensive rebounding ability, his inside scoring adds another weapon to his great offensive game.
-Offensive Rebounding- Anderson has it all for a stretch big on the offensive end. He's got a B potential for offensive rebounding. I don't think he'll be a great offensive rebounder because he's not imposing or athletic and he'll float around on the perimeter a lot, but his ability to grab boards at an above average rate and finish well is going to be huge for him.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- As could probably be expected from a guy who's going to make his living shooting 3's, Anderson has very poor athleticism. He's got decent quickness (43), but has below average strength (50) and horrid jumping ability (28). This limits his rebounding and inside game and drags down even farther his defensive game.
-Defense- As also can be expected from a stretch big, Anderson is going to be a mess defensively. He's so unathletic and has such bad defensive ratings and potentials (C in DRB, C in PSD, D in BLK) that he's going to need to be hidden on defense. This will likely relegate him to a 6th man role.
-Versatility- Anderson lacks versatility positional-wise and scheme-wise. He has to go to a team that's going to utilize his outside shooting capabilities. Additionally, he's unable to play any position besides PF. This really hurts since he's likely going to be a 6th man. Again, now a team has to get a starter who can play 20 minutes a game on defense at PF because Anderson is so inflexible.

Summary: Anderson is one of the most intriguing players in this draft. Whichever team drafts him will tell us a lot about the direction they want to go. If a team puts him in the right situation and is willing to put up with his inflexibility, he's going to take off and be a near unguardable 4. He's going to compete for 6MOY awards in his career. I predict a 16-6 stat-line from him while shooting over 40% from 3.


16) Eric Gordon, SG 6'3, 215 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Inside Scoring- While undersized, Gordon has very good jumping ability and he's going to be a pretty good finisher with B inside potential. With great quickness for a 2-guard, look for him to excel getting to the rim and finishing. And he has A potential for free throws.
-Shooting- While not a spectacular shooter, Gordon's B potentials in both JPS and 3PS will give him a nice alternative to his inside game. He's a good all-around scorer for a guard, probably not leading an offense, but maybe good enough to be a scoring option in certain situations.

Weaknesses:
-Size- At 6'3, Gordon is quite undersized for a 2-guard. He lacks the ball handling and quickness to be able to play point guard for long minutes, so his size is going to be a big disadvantage. This limits versatilty for guys who want their players to have the ability to play the 1/2 or 2/3.
-Rebounding- Normally, I don't worry about rebounding for guards because, unless they're great rebounders, they pretty much just grab whatever comes to them. However, Gordon is SUCH a bad rebounder, it has to be noted. He has F potentials in both and is going to be overmatched size-wise in every situation. You don't need your 2 guard leading the league in rebounding, but you'd like to see him be able to drop in a few rebounds here and there. Gordon probably needs to be paired with a pretty good rebounding point guard or a good rebounding frontcourt.
-Defense- C potentials in both PRD and STL aren't awful, but they're nothing to brag about, especially when you add in Gordon's size. He probably will need to be hidden on defense, and his inflexibility position-wise will probably relegate him to a 6th man role as a scorer.

Summary: Gordon is a modern sim league 6th man guard. He's going to be a good scorer, and he's too quick for starting 2 guards, much less tired starters and backups. He'll be able to draw fouls at a good rate, and he has a nice balance offensively. He probably won't get any better than that though as he's the definition of a guy who gives you scoring and nothing else. I see a 14-3-2 guy in his future.


17) Roy Hibbert, C, 7'2, 278 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Size- At 7'2, 278 pounds, Hibbert is a behemoth. His athleticism isn't great, but it's not bad, and his size will more than likely make up for that. His size will cover for some minor deficienceis he has.
-Defense- With B potentials in PSD and BLK combined with his size, Hibbert will be a good defender. He'll swat his fair share of shots and defend well enough to be a decent starting defensive center.
-Offensive Rebounding- At 7'2 with a B potential in offensive rebounding, Hibbert will be a fine offensive rebounder. Combined with decent finishing ability and B free throw potential, that will allow Hibbert to be an ok offensive player.

Weaknesses:
-Defensive Rebounding- This is a big problem for Hibbert. Whoever drafts him will have to hope his size will make up for it. He's got a C potential there, and he's also only got a 28 current rating there. That doesn't scream great defensive center. That'll probably be what keeps him as a good defender and not a great one.
-Raw- At 21, Hibbert only has an orange current rating, and he's years away from being a viable starting center. He needs at least 2-3 years to be respectable with PSD and he probably needs 3-4 years at a minimum to be decent enough at defensive rebounding to warrant a starting role. That's a lot of pressure for a guy who's already 21.


Summary: GMs will fall in love with Hibbert's size and defensive potential, but for every strength, he has a weakness that counteracts it. He'll be a solid player with some TC help, but he'll likely never make the leap to top 10 center or anything. I see a low-end starting role with an 8-6-1.5 statline.


18) Anthony Randolph: 6'11, 225 pounds, 18 years old
Strengths:
-Age/Athleticism/Potential- At just 18 years old, Randolph has B potential in every major defensive and rebounding category for a big. Additionally, he isn't very raw either. Randolph is also ultra-quick athletically, with decent strength and jumping ability as well. If you're looking for someone who's yellow potential now but might end up as a green or even blue, Randolph is the number one person to look at. He oozes potential.
-Defense- Randolph has B potential in DRB, PSD, and BLK. Not only that, but he's already at least 60 in every one of those... and he's still just 18! And athletically, he's not elite in strength and jumping, but he's not bad with those. And he's not going to get in foul trouble with quick power forwards. His C potential in steals is pretty good for a big man. It leads me to believe he's more suited to defend small ball lineups than most power forwards.
-Rebounding- As just touched on, Randolph has B potential in DRB. He also has B potential in ORB. His strength and jumping will likely keep him from being a dominant rebounder, but he'll be solid. And when he grabs offensive boards, he's so quick that he'll draw a ton of fouls when he shoots. And he has B potential at the line.

Weaknesses:
-Bust Potential- With all the potential in the world comes bust potential. At just 18 years old, Randolph has a lot of TCs ahead of him. And while he's got B potential almost everywhere you want, he doesn't have any A's and if these are mid-low B potentials, one bad TC could bring those to C's and athletically, he's not good enough to overcome that. He could be just one minor TC hit from being a bust. That's a little scary for a first round pick.

Summary: Randolph doesn't have a glaring weakness which is absolutely incredible for a guy who's going to be picked outside the lottery in all liklihood. He has huge potential, and while that comes with the ability to bust, Randolph could be a special player in this league. Whereas these draft spots are usually looking for role players, Randolph could be a guy who can start and play over 30 MPG if things break right.


19) Anthony Morrow, 6'5, 210 pounds, 22 years old
Strengths:
-Shooting- For anyone who knows me as a drafter, I'll take the guy who I know for sure can do one thing really well over the guy who might be able to do a few things pretty well. Morrow is going to be an elite 3 point shooter. He's got A potential there, and if his 92 current free throw rating is any help, he's going to get his 3 point rating into the 80s and maybe even the 90s. That's the symbol of a guy who can get his 3 point percentage to maybe even around 45%. That's someone who you KNOW will be in your rotation.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- At the root of all Morrow's faults is his lack of athleticism. He has decent quickness but below average strength and awful jumping ability. This will acceuntuate his problems finishing, rebounding, and defending. It also caps his ceiling at sharpshooter off the bench.
-Defense- Morrow will really struggle defensively in this league. He D potentials in every defensive and rebounding category save for a C in PRD and F in BLK. Combine that with his lack of athleticism, and Morrow will be regularly exploited on defense.

Summary: Morrow's 3 point shooting is gonna force whatever GM takes him to give him some rotation minutes. But his ceiling is very defined. He seems to be a player who is very safe: you know what you're gonna get with the 22 year old. His ceiling is probably a 20 MPG player off the bench that's top 5 in the league in 3P%. His floor is probably a 10-15 MPG player that's around 20-25 in 3P%.


20) Courtney Lee, SG, 6'5, 200 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Shooting- Lee is going to be a very very solid shooter in this league. While his potential for 3P is only a B, his rating is already 77, so he's likely toward the top of the B range. While he might never crack the top 25 3P% shooters, he should be right on the bubble outside of that. Additionally, he has B JPS and A FTS potential. He won't light it up from deep range, but he'll add efficient shooting to whatever team he goes to.
-Perimeter Defense- This is what will make Lee a tantalizing prospect for GMs picking in the teens. How often can you find a wing in the late lottery or outside of the lottery with B 3PS and B PRD? The potential to get a 2-way wing who can start and maybe play 30 MPG will be too hard for someone to pass up.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- Here lies the reason why Lee is so low on my board. His quickness and strength are below average and his jumping is very poor for a wing. Defense is predicated so much on both ratings and athleticism that I see Lee struggling mightily vs athletic wings.
-Will He Ever Be a True Defender?- Lee is already 21, and while his PRD potential is B, his STL potential is C. That leads me to believe he is likely on the lower end of the B scale. Also, he's already 21 and his PRD rating is only 41. That'll take at least 3 seasons to get to the point where he's an above average defender.

Summary: Lee reminds me a lot of Matt Barnes with a better 3 point shot. Even then though, Barnes has better athelticism compared to Lee. Lee will likely be a productive player due to his jump shooting, but I don't see him ever being the 2-way player his potential suggests.


21) Hamed Haddaddi, C, 7'2, 265 pounds, 22 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- Haddaddi has B potentials in DRB, PSD, and BLK. That's a little rare for someone who will be taken at least in the 20s. His size will help out even more with blocks and rebounds. His lack of athleticism is a little worrisome for defense, but for a backup center, he'll be a fine defender.
-Rebounding- As just touched on, Haddaddi has B potential in DRB, and he also has B potential in ORB. Someone with B defensive and rebounding potentials doesn't usually slip to the 20s. But that speaks to the strength of this draft (and to some of Haddaddi's faults).

Weaknesses:
-Age/Raw- Drafting Haddaddi at age 22, one would hope he'd come in and immediately contribute in his role. But Haddaddi has both rebounding ratings in the mid 40s so those are probably 2-3 seasons away from being passable.
-Athleticism- Haddaddi doesn't have awful athleticism in any one case, but he's consistently below average in every category. That'll hurt him when he goes up against athletic centers. It puts a dent in the skill advantages he'll have defensively. And it also accentuates his offensive woes.
-Offensive Game- Haddaddi is a mess offensively, with D's across the board except for a C in FTS and F in Passing. He's not going to be able to score very well with his lack of athleticism, and he won't be too good at the line either. Additionally, he's going to be a turnover machine. One will have to overlook his massive offensive warts in favor of his defensive potential to draft him.

Summary: Haddaddi has got to be one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft. On one hand you have a guy who has B potential in ORB, DRB, PSD, and BLK while being 7'2. On the other hand, you have a guy who's 22, O/Y, lacks athleticism, and has no resemblance of an offensive game. Overall though, everyone from here on out has massive warts and Haddaddi should be a fine backup center in this league.


22) Mario Chalmers, PG, 6'2, 190 pounds
Strengths:
-Defense- With B potential in PRD and A in steal, Chalmers has the potential to be a very solid defender at the point guard off the bench. His athleticism keeps him from being starter-caliber on defense, but as a backup, he'll be very solid and he should rack up a ton of steals against bad backups and tired starters.
-Shooting- For a likely backup point guard who's good at defense, you wouldn't expect Chalmers to have any scoring ability at all. But Chalmers is a pretty good shooter. He's a B potential in JPS, FTS, and 3PS. He needs to be in an outside or at the very least a balanced system to be fully effective. But having a 2-way point guard on the bench is very rare.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- Chalmers is lacking in athleticism, particularly in quickness and jumping. At just 82 quickness, he's a little slow for a point guard (though he should be fine vs backups), and he's only got a 33 jumping rating. This'll limit him on defense against more athletic point guards, and it'll make it even harder to finish in the paint and grab rebounds.
-Handling/Passing- Admittedly, this won't be a huge deal, but this combined with his athleticism is what will always keep him as a backup. His B potential in handling is perfectly fine, but combined with his C potential in passing, he'll never be a starting caliber scorer or distributor.
-Inside Scoring- With D potential, 82 quickness, and 33 jumping, Chalmers won't be getting anywhere near the rim, and when he does, he'll have major problems finishing. This is worrisome for a PG who should be the main attacker.
-Offensive Versatility- Chalmers needs to go to an outside focused team to be fully effective. A balanced focus is fine, but it slightly neutralizes him. He absolutely cannot play with an inside focus. You usually don't want your backup point guard to be "fixed" for only one system.

Summary: I think Chalmers can be one of the very best backup point guards in this league. If he goes to a team that utilizes his shooting ability, he's one of the few 2-way backup point guards in the league. He doesn't have much upside beyond that, but that's not a bad potential ceiling for a low-first round pick.


23) Greg Stiemsma: C, 6'11, 260 pounds, 22 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- This is Stiemsa's only strength, but it's a huge one. In addition to being a good post defender, Stiemsma is going to be a turnover-forcing machine. He's the only person in this draft class with at least B potential in both STL and BLK. And not just that, but he's got an A in BLK. And he's a center! He'll likely be a backup center, and there, he'll be going up against D/F-rated Handling and passing centers where he can force turnovers like crazy. He can be one of those guys who can "play offense" on defense. And he's also a fundamentally good defender and he can somewhat be an "anchor" for backups with his rim protection due to his PSD and BLK potentials.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- Stiemsma has a lot of faults, and it starts here. His strength and quickness are fine, but he has just 39 jumping ability. Also, and I've never seen this before, his stamina is 37!!!! Not only can he never start, but he can't even be a big minute backup. He likely has to be limited to 15ish minutes a game tops unless he can get that up.
-Rebounding- With only decent strength and bad jumping, Stiemsma's C potentials in both ORB and DRB are big liabilities. Additionally, he doesn't have elite size for a center, so he'll really struggle on the boards. The team that drafts him is going to have to have good rebounders on the bench to make up for this big liability.
-Offensive Game- Stiemsma is going to be a black hole on offense. He's got C potential in JPS, but that's not usually where you want your offensive possession to end. Then he's got D inside potential, and combined with his size and strength, he's going to really struggle scoring from inside. Then with his D HND potential and F PAS, he's going to be a turnover machine. He's probably best utilized setting screens and getting out the way.

Summary: Stiemsma is going to be an interesting prospect because of how many flaws he has and how big some of his flaws are. But he's very good defensively, and he's potentially so good, especially against backups, that he'll warrant a pick in the early 20s. If he's surrounded with other scorers and rebounders on the bench, he's going to be a solid player.


24) Luc Richard Mbah A Moute: SF, 6'8, 230 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- Mbah A Moute is a great defender for a small forward, especially for a guy who will likely be going very low in the draft. He is one of the few guys in the league with at least B potential in both PRD and PSD. His skill set is perfect for a guy who wants a 3/4 defender off the bench or maybe even a guy who can eventually start at the 3. He's fundamentally sound in both areas, and while he doesn't have great athleticism or good STL/BLK potentials, Luc will be very valuable to any team with his defense.
-Offensive Rebounding- Mbah A Moute's offensive rebounding ability is key as it'll make him a great rebounding SF and gives him the ability to slide over to the 4 just fine. With a B potential there, He's going to really help a team on the boards, especially if he sticks at SF.

Weaknesses:
-Offensive Game- All around, Mbah A Moute is a black hole on offense. While it's sometimes acceptable for a center to be awful at offense, you usually don't want your wing to be totally awful. He has D potentials inside and at JPS and F in 3PS. And with just average jumping, I don't see any way Mbah A Moute scores outside of maybe a putback. He also has D potential in PAS which isn't unacceptable for a 3/4, but it just furthers the fact that he's essentially useless on offense.
-Raw- Mbah A Moute, despite being 21, is only in the low 40s for both PRD and PSD currently. He's absolutely unplayable for his first couple of seasons. He may have to wait until his second contract to be a useful player on a good team.

Summary: Mbah A Moute has a wide range of potential draft spots. He might go in the early 20s due to his potential versatility as a defender. He also might slip out of the first round due to his rawness and total lack of an offensive game. I like him a good bit though as a guy who can eventually play 15ish minutes a game as a good 3/4 defender off the bench.


25) Kosta Koufos: C, 7'0, 265 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- Koufos has good size, strength, and defensive abilities as a center. With B potential in PSD and B in BLK, he's going to be a very solid defensive center. He's not going to be an anchor, but his strength, elite quickness for a center, and abilities will not only lead him to be a good defender, but will keep his foul rate low.
-Offensive Rebounding- With good size, strength, and a B potential in ORB, Koufos will be a solid offensive rebounder. Nothing exceptional, but he will certainly be above average there.

Weaknesses:
-Defensive Rebounding- With just a C potential there, Koufos won't be a stellar defensive rebounder. It's likely a big reason why he can probably never be a full-time starter in this league. If you're going to be a good defender and rim protector, you need to be able to clean up the misses.
-Offensive Game- With nothing more than a C potential and a D potential inside (with only 34 jump), Koufos is going to have problems scoring the ball. And with D HND and F PAS potentials, he'll likely struggle with turnovers too. He'll probably get to the line at a decent rate with his 30 quickness and good strength, and while he's not a bad FT shooter, he's certainly not great with only a C potential there.

Summary: In a draft deep on defensive big men, Koufos isn't spectacular, but he's solid. He's young, got good potential where you want, and can be a solid role player in this league. His warts are just in the wrong areas, and he'll likely never be a major contributor in this league.


26) O.J. Mayo: SG, 6'4, 210 pounds, 20 years old
Strengths:
-Shooting- With B potentials in all shooting categories and 74 current rating in 3PS, Mayo is already an NBA-caliber shooter. He'll force his way into minutes with his solid shooting. His FT rating is already 80, so it gives hope that maybe his 3P rating can push into the upper 70s/lower 80s and he can be a borderline top 25 3P shooter.
-Quickness- With 86 quickness already, Mayo has elite quickness for a 2-guard. He might be the quickest pure-shooting guard in the league.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- Despite having elite quickness, I'd classify Mayo's athleticism as below average/bad because he has awful strength and jumping ability. With both ratings in the low 30s, he's going struggle mightily at the rim, on defense, and rebounding.
-Defense- With just C potential in both PRD and STL, Mayo combines poor athleticism with bad fundamental defense. He's going to need to be hidden on defense. For some teams, having bad defense and no rebounding to go along with good but not great shooting isn't enough to warrant meaningful rotation minutes. Even with the C potentials, he's still extremely raw on the end with just 34 ratings in both PRD and STL. Will take a few seasons to go from awful to bad.
-Handling/Passing- As someone who will play shooting guard, Mayo doesn't need to be a great passer, but for a guard, being C/D potential in HND/PAS isn't good. He'll struggle in high motion offenses.

Summary: Mayo is the definition of a guy who can do one thing well and struggles everywhere else. Mayo may be far overdrafted because of his green potential, but ratings and potential never lie: Mayo is a good but not great shooter who has bad athleticism, no defense, no inside scoring, and no facilitating capability. Mayo looks to be a guy who can play 10ish minutes a game backing up the shooting guard.


27) J.J. Hickson: C, 6'9, 242 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- With B potential in PSD, Hickson provides the potential to be a solid post defender in this league. He's got average athleticism to go along with that, and he offers the potential to be a good defender in the league. With B potential in DRB, Hickson is one of the few guys you can ever get at the end of the first round or even the second round with decent athleticism, and B potential in both DRB and PSD.
-Rebounding- Hickson has B potentials in both ORB and DRB. Again, it's extremely rare to find a guy this late in drafts who has B potentials in ORB, DRB, and PSD. He's going to be a rotation player so long as those potentials hold up.

Weaknesses:
-Size- At just 6'9, 242 pounds, Hickson is massively undersized for a center. Unfortunately, he's too slow to play power forward for very long at all. This detracts a good bit from his rebounding and defensive potentials as he only matches that with average athleticism. It won't keep him from being a rotation player, but it'll keep him from ever being a starter.
-Offensive Game- Hickson won't be awful offensively, but where you might expect an undersized center to excel is in being quick and drawing fouls. He's only got average quickness, and he has no potential greater than a C on offense. He's going to be a nightmare turning the ball over as he currently has a 0 rating in PAS.

Summary: Hickson has very defined flaws, but his potentials are too tantalizing to pass up this low in the draft. This late, you have to take the guy who has the potential to be a very solid backup center with B potentials in PSD, ORB, and DRB. He can hopefully be a guy who can play 15-20 MPG and provide solid defense and rebounding, but that's likely a few years away.


28) Robin Lopez: C, 7'0, 255 pounds, 20 years old
Strengths:
-Athleticism- This low in the draft, it's rare to find a guy with B potentials in areas who also has very good athleticism. He has fine quickness, 71 strength, and 65 jumping. That's big because with guys this low in the draft, they need TC help to be key contributors. If Lopez gets a good TC and gains a B potential or 2, his athleticism is so good that he could be starting caliber.
-Blocking- Lopez isn't a great defender, but he's going to be a fine shot blocker. With great athleticism, good size, and a B potential in BLK, Lopez is going to be up there in BLK %. Again, this is big because if he gets one little TC boost to his DRB and/or PSD, suddenly he's a really good shot blocker with good athleticism and is borderline starter-quality.
-Offensive Rebounding- Lopez is a very good offensive rebounder. He has B potential there, and his current rating is already 68. With his size and athleticism too, he's going to be a force on the offensive boards, especially as a backup. And he's going to be a good finisher and he's a very good free throw shooter for a big man.

Weaknesses:
-Defensive Rebounding- Lopez is a bad defensive rebounder. He's got C potential which isn't bad, but it's only currently rated a 39. Compared with his 68 offensive rebounding rating, I don't know if he can ever be even an average defensive rebounder. Being a below average rebounder isn't a huge deal, but he's also an average-below average defender so he's going to be a liability on defense. That's key because he's not exactly a force on offense either.
-What Is He Without TC Help?- This is an important question. If Lopez just simply realizes his potentials, what is he in this league? He's a good offensive rebounder and shot blocker who's an average scorer and below average defender/defensive rebounder. Is that good enough to be in someone's rotation in the league? Probably, but maybe not if you're someone competing for division titles and championships.

Summary: Lopez has some risk, but he's a very high reward player this late in the draft. His size, athleticism, and ORB/BLK potential make him a desirable prospect. He should be a very low-end rotation player with the potential to be a total bust or borderline starter.


29) Jason Thompson: PF, 6'11, 250 pounds, 21 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- Thompson has a B potential in PSD. He has just a C potential in DRB and BLK and F potential in PRD, but drafting this late in the first round (or maybe second round depending on how the draft swings), Thompson's B defense and decent size and athleticism is as good as you're gonna get. This gives him the potential to be a solid defender off the bench.
-Offensive Rebounding- Not only does Thompson have a B potential in ORB, his rating is already 70. He's an NBA caliber offensive rebounder, and he looks to be a very good one. His athleticism is average-below average, but he's good enough to grab offensive boards and he'll draw some fouls with his quick feet and good size.

Weaknesses:
-Defensive Rebounding- With just a C potential in DRB, Thompson is limited in his effectiveness on defense. While his potential in ORB and PSD are good enough to push past his average athleticism, his DRB potential will just be accentuated by his lack of athleticism. This is likely the #1 reason why he'll never be a starter in this league.
-Offensive Game- Thompson won't be an awful offensive player, but since he won't be a dominant defender/rebounder due to his potentials and athleticism, his lack of an offensive game is scarier. He's got good quickness, but he doesn't finish well, and he can't shoot. He won't be a black hole on offense, but he can't be featured in any way.

Summary: We've officially reached the point in the draft where every single player has massive flaws and small strengths. Here, what you're hoping is that the player you draft just turns into someone who can stick to his strengths and overcome his flaws to be a low-end rotation player. Thompson has the potential to be a solid backup PF with his great size, quickness, and good ORB and PSD potentials. If those stick, he's worth the pick. But if he doesn't quite hit his potential or gets one minor TC hiccup, he's done for.

[Bowtothebill23]

30) Brandon Rush: SG, 6'6, 210 pounds, 22 years old
Strengths:
-Shooting- Rush will undoubtedly be drafting for his ability to shoot the ball. With B potential in JPS, FTS, and 3PS, Rush is a good shooter for someone this low in the draft. He won't be in the top 25 in 3P % or anything, but having good shooter off the bench, even if he's not in the rotation, is valuable. If someone can shoot well, there's always a spot on the roster for them.
-Positional Versatility- Rush has the size to play the 2/3. He's also equally adequate at PRD and PSD which is good for a SF. This is big because if he's a good enough shooter to play, a team can simply plug him in for 10 minutes at whatever position they're weaker.

Weaknesses:
-Athleticism- Rush has below average quickness for a SG and average quickness for a SF. He's got average-below average strength for both and bad jumping. It won't affect his shooting, but he's going to be a bad defender, inside scorer, and rebounder.
-Defense- His C potentials in each aren't awful on their own, but combined with his athleticism, he's going to be a liability on defense. He's not going to force turnovers with his D potential in steals, and he won't get too many blocks.
-Rebounding- With F ORB and D DRB potentials, Rush is going to be a bad rebounder for a 2 and horrific rebounder for a 3. It's not a deal breaker, but it's another knock against him.
-Handling/Passing- For a guy who's a guard/wing, Rush is awful in this area with D HND and F PAS. He's going to really struggle with turnovers which is not what you want from a guy who you just want shooting the ball.
-Inside Scoring- He has C potential here, but he's really just not a threat with his lack of jumping ability and athleticism in general. He really is only a shooter.

Summary: Rush's strengths and weaknesses are very defined. He does one thing well, shooting, and a lot of things poorly. Whoever drafts him has to know that he's not being drafted to be a starter, he's not being drafted to be a 6th man, and he probably can't even be drafted to be a big time rotation player. He's a very bottom rotation player or a guy who can step in for injuries or if a team needs an injection of shooting. As long as he can shoot, he has value, so he's safe, but his ceiling is pretty low.


31) Mareese Speights: PF, 6'10, 255 pounds, 20 years old
Strengths:
-Rebounding- Speights provide B potentials in both ORB and DRB. He has average athleticism and size, so he likely can be a fine rebounder off the bench as very few guys taken around his range have at least decent size and athleticism to pair with B potentials in both ORB and DRB. He's never going to start, but it's a nice prospect to have off the bench as a guy who can be a solid rebounder.
-Quickness- Speights has elite quickness for a PF. This is very beneficial as he'll have a knack for drawing fouls where he has B potential in FTS. His 57 quickness makes him at least a threat offensively.

Weaknesses:
-Defense- Speights is not a good defender. It remains to be seen whether he'll be average or bad, but he'll never be a plus defensively. With F potential in PRD, he's stuck as a big man despite his quickness. But he has just C potential in PSD and in BLK. Also, he's only got a 23 current rating in DRB, so he'll be a huge minus defensively for a while.
-Raw- This was just touched on. Despite having B potential as a defensive rebounder. His current rating is just 23. Even if he gains 7 points every year in TC, he'll still be just a 51 rating when his rookie contract is up. That means his one big strength, his rebounding, won't be a strength until midway through his second contract at the very earliest. He's also very raw offensively and defensively, his ratings are in the mid 40s in PSD and BLK. He is unplayable his first couple of seasons.

Summary: Speights is a guy who, in his prime, can certainly be a rotation player. His problem is just that his prime is so far away. He's a guy who may never touch his potential in areas like DRB. He has major bust potential, but he also has definite rotation player potential as he'll certainly be a very good offensive rebounder and if he can be a passable defender and get his DRB up, he's a valuable backup PF.


32) Michael Beasley: SF, 6'10, 235 pounds, 19 years old
Strengths:
-Size/Quickness- At 6'10, 235, Beasley is huge for a small forward, but he also has elite quickness for a SF. He's one of the only players I can remember with both elite size and quickness at the wing position.
-Shooting- Even with C potentials, Beasley has a 60 current rating in 3PS. He's already competent from there. A little bump in TC and Beasley is all of a sudden a competent stretch big, and with his quickness, he's a huge weapon from there.
-Positional Versatility- With his size and athleticism, Beasley can play either the 3 or 4, allowing him to simply slot in wherever a team might be weaker and thinner on their depth chart.

Weaknesses:
-No Real Strengths- How could a guy with green potential possibly be this low on a draft board? Well go look for his strengths. I just don't see where he finds his niche in this league. I can't look at him and say "oh, he'd fit really well on the ____" or "Oh this is a [insert GM here] type player." He has one potential that's B or higher, and that's in free throws. I just can't see what his role will be unless he gets a boost in TC.
-Defense- Beasley is a bad defender with just C potential in PSD, C in DRB, D in PRD, D in STL, and D in BLK. He can't defend any position despite his size and athleticism.
-Rebounding- Despite his elite size, Beasley has just D potential in ORB and C in DRB. He won't be able to fully utilize that size and be a monster on the boards like he should.
-Scoring- For a guy without great athleticism who can't defend or rebound, Beasley is a very mediocre scorer. He can put up points relatively efficiently, but not nearly well enough to make up for his other faults. He can draw fouls, and he can shoot the 3 relatively well, but you probably have guys you'd rather take shots than him.

Summary: I know Beasley won't slip this far, but I would love to hear the explanation on why he'd be drafted so high. You take away colors and names, I don't see what Beasley offers. Maybe if he can get a TC boost, he's effective, but I'd rather take the chance on other guys who are already good at something or who TC could help more. But at some point, he has to be taken not just in case he's an offensive threat, but because that green potential has trade value in this league.


33) D.J. Augustin: PG, 6'0, 180 pounds, 20 years old
Strengths:
-Shooting- Augustin will be drafted for his ability to shoot the ball from the point guard position. He'll have the ball in his hands taking it up the court, he's got good handling (more on that later), and his job will to just be a spark plug and shoot. He's got B potential in 3PS and A in FTS.
-Handling- With B handling, you just can envision Augustin's role. He probably won't be a regular rotation player, but if injuries happen or a team just can't score, Augustin can come in for a few minutes a game, dominate the ball, and hopefully get hot. His B handling will keep him from turning it over too much. It allows him to actually play point guard.

Weaknesses:
-Defense- Augustin is going to be a sieve on defense. He's C/D potential in PRD/STL, he's small, and he's got really bad strength. He can't play real minutes against any decent point guard or he'll be lit up.
-Rebounding- Really, this is never a weakness for a point guard, but he's small and has 0 ratings in both ORB and DRB (lol).
-Passing- Augustin can't play point guard for too long because not only can he not defend, but he's not a facilitator. He's got C potential in passing.
-Scheme Inflexibility- The only system Augustin can potentially have a role in is a fast, low motion offense where he can move up the court quickly and chuck. If he's not doing that, I don't see much of a role for him in this league.

Summary: We've officially reached garbage time in the draft at this point. Augustin could potentially have one role in this league, and that role is probably worth a roster spot, but I don't see Augustin ever being a rotation player barring a boost from TC.


34) Will Bynum: PG, 6'0, 185 pounds, 25 years old
Strengths:
Handling- With B potential in handling, Bynum could potentially play a bit of point guard in a squeeze. He can't play for long, but he'd be competent enough to run the offense during garbage time.
-Stealing- He has B potential there. Again, at this point in the draft, we're just searching for a guy who can do ANYTHING well.
-Inside Scoring- Bynum has above average athleticism which is nice. His inside scoring should benefit the most from that as he can finish decently enough to be a threat. And if he gets fouled, he has B potential in FTS

Weaknesses:
-Defense- With his small size and C potential on defense, he's going to be a bad defender. He likely can never be a rotation player in this league, and this would be the #1 reason why.
-Passing- With just C potential in passing, Bynum can't really be a facilitator. But with his size, he can only play PG so this limits him to an end-of-the-bench role.

Summary: Bynum has no real strengths. He has good athleticism though, so the one hope you can have is that TC maybe boosts his inside scoring, passing, and/or PRD to a B and suddenly, he can be in your rotation.


35) Steven Hill: C, 7'0, 245 pounds, 22 years old
Strengths:
-Defense- This low in the draft, Hill has A potential in PSD. That's really good, and it could push him up into the end of the first round. How often can you get a potential lockdown defender at the end of the first round or even the second round?
-Offensive Rebounding- Another A potential for a big man who might go in the second round! He has the potential to be an elite offensive rebounder to go along with being an elite defender.

Weaknesses:
-Literally everything else- He has more faults than anyone above him. He's red currently. He has no athleticism, no offensive ability whatsoever, he's a mediocre defensive rebounder, and he has absolutely 0 ability to defend the perimeter or block shots. He has C potential in DRB, D in INS, JPS, and FTS, and F in everything else. Is he worth it to try to get a good defender/offensive rebounder?

Summary: At this point, you might as well take Hill and see if he can become orange or yellow really quickly and become an absolute force on defense. If he isn't a top notch defender, he can't play. But hey, at this point, why not?



That concludes our big board. Those are my top 35 players. Let's get to our next section. 5 potential Steals and Busts:

Steals: These are guys who either 1) I feel are more prone to a TC bump or who a TC bump would push them well above their draft position and/or 2) will be underdrafted:
1) Anthony Randolph
2) Javale McGee
3) Robin Lopez
4) Eric Gordon
5) Nikola Pekovic

Busts: These are guys who either 1) I feel are more prone to a TC crash or who a TC crash would make them far less valuable than their draft position and/or 2) will be overdrafted:
1) Courtney Lee
2) OJ Mayo
3) Michael Beasley
4) Hamed Haddadi
5) Danilo Gallinari

I hope you enjoyed this draft preview. Good luck to all the teams in the lottery, and good luck to all teams in the draft.

[TheSyndicate]

Wow.

This should be a 10 point article, imho.

[coltsguy510]

Shit this is lit

[JNR]

Great job Ben!!

[IamQuailman]

Awarded 5 points! (2007-08 season)