La Lumiere vs St. Benedict's Prep Scouting Notes

Tyler Ennis (#38 ESPN, #24 Scout, #23 Rivals) - One of my personal favorites of the 2013 class, Ennis will be heading to Syracuse next year where he will be asked to lead the team right away. And after years playing with Team Canada, St. Benedict's Prep, and CIA Bounce on the AAU circuit he has plenty of experience. There isn't a point guard in high school right now who is more well-rounded and ready for college than Ennis. He is outstanding in pick and roll action where he thrives both as a scorer and a passer. In this game, Ennis took over in the second half by getting to the line 8 times and scoring 16 of his 22 points during the final 16 minutes. He has great ball handling skills, great leadership, and his basketball IQ is mature well beyond his years. Ennis also has good height and while he isn't the great athlete, he has a good enough combination of size, quickness, strength, and explosiveness to the point where it doesn't hurt him. Ennis is the type of point guard who works best off pick and rolls and prefers to attack much more than shoot from the outside. That said, he has a very good mid-range game and is excellent from the foul line. Look for him to be a great player right away at Cuse and expect him to stick around for a couple of seasons.

Isaiah Briscoe (#16 ESPN Class of 2015) - Briscoe wasn't 100% in this game and it showed. He played just 14 minutes and committed 4 fouls during that time. Once pegged as one of the best freshmen in the country. Briscoe is now a year older and doesn't look like he's made the next jump. He's a powerfully built wing, but isn't that big or long and it seems like his competition is catching up with him. Still, its impressive that he's been able to be a key player on such a good, well-coached team from day one and he does play a mature game. We will see if how he continues to develop down the line.

Mike Young (#57 ESPN) - Young is heading to Pittsburgh and he's exactly what you'd expect a Pitt player to look like. He's 6'8 with a good build and can cover both forward positions. He's a great rebounder and looks stuck in between the 3 and the 4 spot on offense. He does have good touch on his jumper and could score in similar ways to JJ Moore once he arrives on campus. He's yet another building block for Jamie Dixon, but not a game changer.

Detrick Mostella (#77 ESPN, #68 Scout, #84 Rivals) - The Oklahoma State commit is a scoring guard who isn't shy when it comes to taking shots. He took 26 of them on Thursday including 8 from deep - all of which he missed. He is best when he is slashing to the rim and he was able to find ways to get himself plenty of shots at the rim as well. He is a creative finisher and is able to hang in the air, but he will need to get stronger to consistently finish in the paint at high major level. Mostella should eventually become a very good scorer for Oklahoma State and could even turn into their go-to guy down the road.

Scouting Report: Erick Green

Its rare for a player in a big time conference to lead the nation in scoring and it is even more rare for someone to do that and get as little publicity as Virginia Tech's Erick Green has gotten. Green is the first player from a major conference to lead the NCAA in scoring since Glenn Robinson did it in 1994 and the only other player in ACC history to do it was South Carolina's Grady Wallace back in 1957.

Green is used to traveling under the radar. Virginia Tech was the only ACC school that was willing to allow him to realize his dream of playing ACC basketball. Green spent his senior season in high school playing at Paul VI, a basketball power in the DMV area, and showed off the same impressive scoring ability that he has continued to do in college.

Green was a combo guard coming out of high school, and still is to this point, but that doesn't mean he is incapable of running the point position or making plays. Green is actually a very smart and unselfish decision maker and is certainly accustomed to having the ball in his hand.

After two seasons watching and learning from Malcolm Delaney at Virginia Tech, Erick Green took over the scoring load during his junior season. The Hokies had made the NIT the previous two years, but since Green has been the leader they've been relegated to the bottom of the ACC Standings.

While his lack of winning ways beg questions that need answering, it is important to understand what Virginia Tech lost after his sophomore season and the type of talent he is currently surrounded with. Green is the sole playmaker on the team and is asked to do virtually everything - including be their defensive stopper at times. While winning would have helped Green's talent get recognized more, it is very unfair to write him off as a prospect because he hasn't won in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech has been without a threat in the post or a secondary ball handler in each of the past two season.

It is a major bonus to his character that he hung around in Blacksburg and never showed any frustration. After Seth Greenburg left and Dorian Finney-Smith - their hope for the future - transferred, it was apparent that Green's senior year may be a long one and a rebuilding season for the program. Yet he didn't ever entertain leaving and came into this season as one of the most improved players in the country. He was always a positive influence at Virginia Tech, loved by both fans and teammates alike. Even though he was clearly the most talented player on his team, he never acted like he was above everyone else. NBA teams can breath easy knowing the have a good character guy on their hands if they decide to draft him.

Erick Green stands at about 6-3 with long, lanky arms (6'6.5'') and a slender frame. He is deceptively quick and extremely fast in the open court. Green does a ton of damage in transition, often refusing to be stopped until a defender is forced to foul him. Green is also an excellent shooter of the dribble, arguably the most prolific in the country, and has no problem getting shots off. His scoring exploits come from a combination of transition opportunities, off the dribble mid-range jumpers, and pick and roll plays. 

Green loves to use the pick and roll and head to his left, although he tends to finish with his right hand. He is very deceptive and crafty with the ball and handles the basketball like it is on a string. He can toy with defenders and is the cause of plenty of sore ankles. Green combines his crossover move with subtle head fakes, shiftiness, and hesitations to keep the defense completely off balance. He is able to create space in the mid-range at will and has hit these tough jumpers at over a 40% rate the past two years - most of the created all by himself off the bounce. Although Green creates space for his shots with his dribble, he also has a natural fade on his jumper and gets good separation that way. In terms of shooting closely contested twos, only Isaiah Canaan and Deshaun Thomas can call themselves his peer.

At the NBA level, scorers are usually asked to do more than hit contested two point shots though. No matter how good you are at making them, contested twos are something a lot of GMs and coaches have looked to get away from as the statistical evolution continues. It certainly doesn't render Green's skills useless, but he will need to be able to bring more to a team than just his mid-range game.

The main variable in whether Erick Green will be a successful NBA player is his frame. Right now, he is very skinny and has trouble getting all the way to the rim and finishing. Green does a great job of being creative and has mastered the appropriate footwork en route to the rim (as well as a nice floater), but his strength and average at best leaping is tough to compensate for. Green won't near as many transition opportunities in the NBA and will need to be able to get tough points inside in a halfcourt offense.

Green shares some similarities to the Pacer's George Hill who was also an excellent scorer in college as a combo guard. Hill has made the successful transition to point guard and I believe Green shares the same qualities as a basketball player. Green is smart enough to run an offense and has no trouble being unselfish. He has been a great leader during his stay at Virginia Tech while continuing to compete all the way until the end of his senior season. But again, the difference between Green and Hill comes down to their physical profile. Hill has put on weight since coming into the league, but he had the profile of a stronger guard coming out of college - complete with wide shoulders. Green's shoulders on the other hand, don't suggest much room for growth.

As a three point shooter, Green has hit shots at around a 38% clip in his final two years on campus - showing much improvement from his sub-30% figures his first two seasons. Green has certainly put in the work to improve his shot and has increased his range from 18 feet to beyond the college 3. Green's stroke however, is much more conducive to being a good mid-range/off the dribble shooter than it is for being a great NBA 3-pt shooter. For one, Green puts a lot of effort into his shot and it looks like stepping back a few more feet for NBA 3s will be a bit of an adjustment for him. Green also uses a lot of his legs in a swinging motion and fades on his shots - great for mid-range shots as I said - but his release is a little lengthy for a spot up shooter. I think Green will be a solid 3-pt shooter in the league, but I don't think that it will be his ticket for playing time.

As for his defense, Green has been very impressive with both his ability and effort on that end of the court. Considering his workload he handles on offense, it would be almost expected that he takes breathers on defense but it seems he takes great pride in both sides of the ball. Green has the length and lateral quickness to bother players and is disruptive in the passing lanes. He has great anticipation skills and rarely makes any mental errors. Some will look at him and project him as a versatile defender who can cover both guard spots while there will be others who will question his quickness to cover PGs and his strength in covering SGs. His defense may, once again, come down to how much strength he is able to put on. Regardless, I don't think Green will be a reliability on defense simply because of his length, effort, and basketball IQ.

Moving forward, a lot of Green's success will depend on his frame's development., but I like him as a prospect. He is certainly underrated and is one of the better senior guard prospects in the country. He could sneak up into the late first/early second round territory after teams are down evaluating the film and discover he may be the best immediate option if they need a scoring guard. As of now, I believe he is clearly the best senior PG ahead of Nate Wolters, Isaiah Canaan, Matthew Dellavedova, and Pierre Jackson and possesses the most upside as well. He shouldn't have a problem playing the NBA's version of PG as long as he has a solid ball handler beside him.

Five Low-Major NBA Prospects I Guarantee You've Never Heard Of

(and probably will never hear from again after this article).

These guys aren't on the level of other low-major guys like Nate Wolters, CJ McCollom, CJ Aiken, Robert Covington, or even Zeke Marshall. But I digress. These five guys had intriguing enough statistics that I wanted to evaluate their games to find out what they are all about. These aren't the five best low-major players, just five guys that have virtually no attention and hype in the draft world. Maybe there is a reason for that or maybe they are hidden gems. Either way, I decided to see from myself. I didn't expect to find a legitimate future first rounder. A second round selection even could be far-fetched for most of these guys. Last year Scott Machado went from a good passer whose inefficiency all but dismissed him as a NBA player to a guy who entered the draft conversation and should find a spot on a NBA roster.

6'4'' 170lb Senior SG George Beamon (Manhattan) - 19ppg 2ast 5.6reb 48FG% 42.7% 3-pt 80FT% 0.5blks 1.5stls 2.7tos

Beamon is heading into his senior year and is a much more complete prospect compared to some of the younger guys I will cover. Beamon is a young senior at 21 and has shown an immense amount of improvement during his time as a Jasper. His freshman year he saw the floor sparingly, but parlayed the experience to a sophomore season where he averaged 16.3 points per contest. A 19 year old prolific scorer is something to take note of, especially with the kind of jump he made, but his junior season is what makes him so intriguing. He scored 16 points per game his sophomore year with no 3-pt shot to speak of, but his junior season he turned his jumper into a huge strength, making nearly 2 threes a game at a 42.7% clip. Since December 4th, Beamon shot an incredible 53-103 from deep. This tells us a two things about him: 1) He is a very hard worker. 2) He can at a good rate even without a 3-pt shot.

Even weirder then his jump from shooting 6-40 from 3 the year before to his current 42% rate now, is the form he uses to be so successful. Beamon's jumper is ugly. His upper body flails around, his legs move in a scissor motion, yet he releases the ball high and quickly. The fact of the matter is it goes in. When I first saw it, I doubted he could shoot that way off the dribble, but somehow he was able to in a somewhat fluid matter. His free throw shooting also jumped from 73% to 80%. This kid is obviously a gym rat who loves the game. The question is what will he add to his game for an encore his senior year?

One thing he could add, is some more strength. At 170lbs, Beamon tries to fill the lane for his team and act as a forward, but he gets pushed around easily. Its obvious he hasn't hit the weight room at all, but then again, thats because he must spend his entire day shooting jumpers. Weight is definitely needed even to play his projected pro position - shooting guard.

Before he had the jumper, Beamon could still score. He is actually the 2nd leading scorer (34ppg) in Nassau County high school basketball history behind longtime NBA vet Wally Szczerbiak.  He is a capable driver who chooses his spots well. He looks to get the ball into the post a lot for some inside-outside plays, but when he has a screener set up when he has the ball, he will exercise his ability to drive. Beamon is quick for a low-major player, likes to go right, and has a long crossover move that is hit or miss. He can lose control of it or cause the defender to lose control of his footing. His ball handling is OK. He does a good job not overdribbling and can get to the rim, but his handle can be loose. As a finisher, his frail frame really hinders him. He also lacks a reliable left hand or the kind of explosiveness that is looked for in NBA wings. He does have nice touch on his floater and the funny thing is some of his inside shots can look just as awkward as his jumper. 

Defensively, Manhattan ran a lot of zone with Beamon playing down low, which in inadvertently puts him in a tough spot. Still, Beamon had plenty of chances to show off his good footwork and his commitment to that end of the floor. With Beamon, you are getting an unselfish guy who does a lot of little things, it just so happens he can score. Beamon is one of the most pro ready players I will touch on, but even he is a long shot to hear his name called by David Stern or Adam Silver next year. That is unless he makes another unfathomable leap in skill.

6'4'' 185lb Junior PG Frantz Massenat (Drexel) - 13.7ppg 4.8ast 3.1reb 43FG% 45% 3-pt 78FT% 0.4blks 0.9stls 2.1tos 35.8mpg

It wasn't uncommon to see Massenat in this position last year while on offense. Lack of conditioning or lack of heart?

Massenat got my attention with his great combination of size and shooting as the point guard for arguably the best team in the CAA last year. And that was already his sophomore year, but he has been starting at the point position since he walked on campus. Looking a little deeper, I saw that Massenat is apparently a great student and I figured that his smarts and work ethic carried over to the basketball court.

From a physical standpoint, he met expectations. He has great size even for a NBA point guard, a good build, and good quickness. He has a nice and long first step, moves well laterally, and is what I would call a rangy athlete.

From a basketball perspective, he has a lot of learning to do. He is not much of a passer, off the dribble Massenat is much more of a scorer. Even standing still, Massenat really doesn't pass too well - throwing way too many lackadaisical passes. As a scorer, Massenat is able to utilize his quick first step to get by defenders and uses his size to shoot floaters and off balanced mid-range shots over defenders with ease. He can get those shots at any time, but usually enters the lane out of control and doesn't leave himself any option but to force up a shot. As I said before, he doesn't pass on these drives and does a bad job of changing up his speeds to allow him to expand his game. In terms of his ball handling, Massenat is very left hand dominant. His dribble is too loose, although he does have some very nifty and quick moves. With his offense, his ability to improve all centers around him learning to change speeds.

While he has some work to do from a skills perspective, Massenat's body language was the biggest turnoff when looking towards his future. Coming into the evaluate, I expected to see a kid who was mature beyond his years and lead by example. Instead I saw a guy who took plays off, didn't hustle down the court, reacted negatively towards teammates, and was easily frustrated. There was no leadership. This effected his defense where he actually does have the tools to succeed. Instead of being a factor on that end, opposing teams went after him. He is highly susceptible to on-ball screens, making absolutely zero effort to fight through them. He either goes under them or more commonly, walks right into the screener and acts as if the guy is an unmovable force. Running the pick and roll against Massenat is easy offense.

Ultimately, Massenat is the opposite of what I was hoping to see. With low-major prospects, you need them to have good intangibles. They can't afford to cost and expect to get by on just talent. Luckily Massenat has two more years to mature, but the early returns don't look good.

6'7'' 227lb Junior Forward De'Mon Brooks (Davidson) - 15.7ppg 0.8ast 6.2reb 53FG% 37% 3-pt 72FT% 0.5blk 1stl 1.7to 22.8min

De'Mon Brooks was the 5th leading per minute scorer in the NCAA last year while only being 19 years old, playing for a NCAA tournament team, and winning SoCON's player of the year award. Yet his name is largely unknown and even his own coach refused to give him the minutes his numbers said he warranted. I took to the film to discover exactly why Brooks didn't even get enough respect last year on his own team.

First thing is first, Davidson does use a lot of players. Eight guys get at least 16 minutes a game so that helps answer the question of Brooks lack of playing time. That was about the only answer I found become Brooks really is a good player. When a guy puts up big number yet fails to get minutes, you usually are dealing with a selfish player or someone who is a defensive reliability, but neither are true for De'Mon Brooks. Brooks is undersized as a 6'7'' big man, but plays physical and with a good motor.

He has really good length, although it is still in his best interest to learn to play the wing, and moves his feet well on defense. He keeps his hands up at all times, hedges really well on pick and rolls, and brings double teams instinctively when the situation calls for it. He gives a great effort on defense. When in man to man, he doesn't get a chance to cover perimeter guys, but Davidson likes to run a 1-3-1 zone as well that features Brooks on the wing. There he doesn't look completely out of place, but he isn't notably good either.

Offensively, Brooks benefits from mismatches. He can get open looks from behind the arc when centers hesitate to vacate the painted area in coverage. Brooks is a good shooter from outside the arc, shooting a respectable 37%. That number definitely overstates his shooting ability though, as he doesn't take too many threes and the ones he does shoot are often without a defender in his face. His jumpshot is slow with a lot of bending action at the knees.

Brooks can also size up the outside shot and choose to instead blow by mid-major big men with a solid first step. He gets a lot of these looks by setting screens for the ball handler and then popping out behind the line. With the defender closing in, Brooks has no problem getting into the lane, but does have trouble taking the ball all the way to the rim. He likes to cut his loses from around 10-15 feet, where he will use a spin move to set up a contested shot. Brooks also attacks the offensive glass hard - 2.4 of his 6.2 rebounds come on the offensive end. Brooks doesn't do anything great on offense, but his versatility and opportunistic play enable him to put up points at an alarming rate.

Brooks just turned 20 in May and still has two years of college left. He should begin to get some national attention during that time as Davidson looks to be a good team over that stage and Brooks will be a big part of it. Ideally for Brooks draft hopes, he will transition to a SF during that time, but he appears to be more valuable at the mid-major level taking advantage of mismatches. Anyway, a transition to a fulltime wing looks like a stretch for Brooks. What Brooks needs to do is to get his rebounding numbers up to a dominating level. With his nose for the ball and toughness inside, he has the ability to do it. The NBA takes notice of rebounders and it could propel Brooks to some draft buzz. Of the 5 guys I am looking at for this piece, Brooks seems to be the best long term draft prospect with a shot at the second round after his senior year.

6'11'' 234lb Senior Center Mike Muscala (Bucknell) - 17ppg 1.8ast 9.1reb 50FG% 35%3-pt 85FT% 1.7blk 0.5stl 2.1to 29.9min

Seven footers are a rare breed and even though the NBA has been steering away more and more, they still hold a special power that at least warrants a look from NBA scouts. Jeff Foote is a recent example of a seven footer who isn't a great athlete, came from a small school, and didn't put up huge numbers but managed to work his way into NBA games. Based on Muscala's numbers, I felt he could have a chance to do the same thing.

The first thing to notice about Muscala is how skilled he is - even more skilled then Foote in fact. Muscala shot 85% from the free throw line and that carries over to a nice mid-range game that stretches out to 18 feet. He did shoot 35% from three, but on limited attempts. His jumpshot looks more like a guards, as he puts some bend in his knees and actually jumps. He also will put the ball on the floor like a guard and can even make some passes off the dribble. In general, Muscala has a nice feel for the game. Despite his skills, Muscala doesn't get great position down low and dominate the post. He only shot 50% from the field due to the lack of shots at the rim. He doesn't have great strength and he is an average leaper at best. For a guy like Foote, he is successful offensively because he is a high efficiency player who hangs around the rim and can finish with contact. Muscala is more finesse and thus, does not necessarily translate as well at the next level.

Muscala does mix it up inside, not shying away from contact, but you can tell it isn't a strong suit of his. He is a willing banger, but is much more comfortable playing away from the hoop. Muscala plays hard, runs the court well, and gets to the free throw line at a good rate as he can dribble and outhustle defenders to spots on the court.

Athletically, Muscala doesn't have good lateral quickness from side to side, although he is light on his feet and runs the court fairly well. He won't be able to cover power forwards at the next level and as a center, he doesn't present much of a shotblocking threat at the rim. He also needs to put on more weight, yet that will restrict his movement even more.

Muscala looks like a fringe prospect without much upside at this moment. A seven footer that can shoot free throws is somewhat interesting and at 85% from the line, Muscala led all big men in free throw shooting last year. In the past ten years, he is in a class with Paul Davis, Goran Suton, Kevin Pittsnogle, and Nick Fazekas in terms of top free throw shooting bigs. Still, none of those guys have had success at the NBA level and I'd be hesitant to say Muscala is on the same level as a Paul Davis.

For Comparisons Sake (Scotty Hopson, Iman Shumpert, Chandler Parsons)

This article is a bit hypocritical, but I enjoyed doing the research in order to find comparisons for this years draft class. So many comparisons get thrown around these days for fans looking for a simple answer, rather than taking the time to read a quality scouting report like those provided by draftexpress.com. There is much more to learn by taking time out to read in-depth reports, as no two players are exactly alike, but not everyone is a draftnik willing to spend their precious time reading delicate scouting reports.

That is where we get comparisons like the famous DeShawn Stevenson to Michael Jordan comparison by nbadraft.net. In their defense, comparisons can include a lot of things. You can compare one player to another because of how good they will be, their production level, college success, or their playing style. Rarely are you going to find two players with all those things in common.

For the sake of this article, I came up with some comparisons, but I will attempt to explain how they are alike as well as their difference. Most of these players are late first to early second round picks because I find that players with star potential are a lot more individually unique. LeBron James, Dirk, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Wade, etc are all their own player without anyone matching their style or production. Lesser players have more similarities because they are forced into their own role and style once they hit the NBA.

Note: My research was helped immensley by draftexpress.com's college stats search found here. If you want to search for all the years in their database at once, change the web address from what ever year you originally seached for and insert the word "all". Because I used their database, my comparisons are fairly recent, dating back only to 2001. I wouldn't be able to compare farther back anyway, though, due to my age.

Scotty Hopson
Hopson entered the college ranks as one of the best high school players in the country. He has improved each year at Tennessee, but has failed to become a star. He physically looks the part, but his college numbers are more similar to a role playing shooting type like Thomas Gardner. While Gardner was built for that role, Hopson has a higher ceiling and a different mindset. I find it hard to see him lasting in the league as strictly a shooter, unless his defense picks up.

The two guys I would relate him to over anyone else would be Rodney Carney and Rasual Butler. Carney had even better athleticism than Hopson, but wasn't able to put it to use either. With their average ball handling skills, they were both relegated to more of a jump shooting role, which takes away from their strengths. They both have solid form, but aren't what NBA guys would classify as shooting specialists. They need more from the defensive end. Despite their athletic tools, though, they both put up underwhelming numbers in college in terms of rebounds, steals, and blocks. They have the tools to defend, but haven't shown the consistent effort and awareness to be an above average defender.

With Rasual Butler, I think they played similarity offensive in college. Butler had a more consistent jumpshot, while Hopson is somewhere in between Carney and Butler in that area, although Hopson has also shown some promise with his shot. Statistically, they mirror each other with a bad assist to turnover ratio and the lack of free throw attempts. They both move well, but have proven to be more effective off the pass or one or two dribbles. They aren't the type of guys to make teammates better.

In terms of draft stock, I see Hopson going somewhere in between where Carney (#16) and Butler (#24 in round 2) went. He has above average athleticism, but not on Carney's level where he has a good shot at intriguing a team with a mid-first rounder. He's a late to early second round pick right now.

Iman Shumpert
Shumpert's strength is fairly obvious to even a casual viewer - his defense. Right now he is labeled as a late first to early second round pick which is right where Kyle Weaver's draft range was. Weaver was also a very versatile defender who could handle and distribute offensively, but lacked a jumper or anything to stand out on that end. He has bounced around from the D-League and the NBA, but I believe Shumpert has a lot better chance of making an impact.

While Weaver is a very good defender, he isn't as gifted athletically as Shumpert. When looking at college numbers, he rivals Dwyane Wade (a fellow Chicago guard - he also shutdown another guard out of Chicago, Evan Turner, in last year's tournament) and Rajon Rondo with his ability to rebound and rack of steals from the guard position. Shumpert, Wade, Mardy Collins, and Cedric Jackson are the only guys to have over 7 rebounds (per 40 min pace adjusted) and 3 steals ("") in a college season since 2001.

Not only does his athleticism give him more of a chance to be effective defensively than Weaver, but offensively too. He has a better chance of playing point guard and with Paul Hewitt coaching him his entire college career, I think some qualified NBA coaching could really help him. Shumpert was another top 25 recruit that failed to improve under Hewitt. Guys like Anthony Morrow, Derrick Favors, Will Bynum, Jarrett Jack, Chris Boh, and Thaddeus Young were all better off after leaving for the pros.

For a late first to early second rounder, Shumpert is a good guy to take a flier on. He can step in right away and be a great defender and there is plenty of untapped potential offensively too.

Chandler Parsons
Searching for comparisons for Parsons is a meticulous task, as Parsons is a rare kind of player. He won SEC player of the year despite not being a big time scorer or a great defender. Instead, he showcased a wide variety of skills and unselfishness that ultimately helped his team earn a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The first player that stood out to me as similar was Luke Walton. Walton has probably close to 35 pounds on him which has made him more effective posting up in the triangle offense, but the rest of their games are similar.

Like Parsons, Walton has a great feel for the game which shows up in the win column. During Walton's two years at Arizona, his team reached the Sweet Sixteen twice - one time making it to the Elite Eight. For their high skill level and feel for the game, both surprisingly struggled to shoot the ball, although Walton has gotten better over times. As I've said previously, I think Parsons will become a better shooter too, as he already showed signs of finding his stroke by shooting over 40% from three in conference play this year.

The second, and most accurate comparisons for Parsons, would be Mike Dunleavy. The Dukie, was yet another point forward type that was part of a winning college tradition. His physical strength more closely represent Parsons' than Walton, while Walton and Parson are more similar in their lack of consistent shooting. They all have an outstanding feel for the game in common though.

Parsons may be slightly behind these two in terms of stock, but he did outshine both of them in rebounding despite playing with Macklin, Young, and Tyus. He is one of my sleepers and he would make a fine choice early in the second round. He would fit best with a team that pushes the ball, just like Dunleavy.