Draft Day Mock Draft

1. New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis

The only thing I know for sure.

2. Charlotte Bobcats - Thomas Robinson

Robinson is the pick if they Bobcats dont trade out. Beal will be the pick otherwise.

3. Washington Wizards - Bradley Beal

Wizards will pray Beal falls to them here.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Best player, character, and wing on the board. And also Kyrie's closest friend of the remaining players available.

5. Sacramento Kings - Harrison Barnes

This pick may be traded, but Barnes is BPA.

6. Portland Trailblazers - Damian Lillard

Blazers love Lillard and he looks likely to be the pick here.

7. Golden State Warriors - Dion Waiters

Waiters has seen his stock rise lately and the Warriors are a top landing spot.

8. Toronto Raptors - Austin Rivers

Theyd rather Barnes, Lillard, or Waiters but will settle for Rivers. In this scenario, they could trade the pick for a team wanting Drummond.

9. Detroit Pistons - Andre Drummond

Drummond is BPA and Pistons need a big. John Henson is the pick if hes off the board.

10. New Orleans Hornets - Moe Harkless

Hes been quiet, watch out for him to surprise and become a lottery pick.

11. Portland Trailblazers - Meyers Leonard

I stand by early reports that the Blazers really like Leonard as well.

12. Houston Rockets - Tyler Zeller

Typical Rocket pick.

13. Phoenix Suns - Jeremy Lamb

Suns pass on Marshall in order to get a adequate defender.

14. Milwaukee Bucks - John Henson

Bucks didnt imagine Henson being here and traded back for Dalembert, theyll be pleasantly surprised if hes still on the board.

15. Philadelphia 76ers - Kendall Marshall

Does Collins want a guy that can deal with his coaching or a guy he thinks his coaching can fix? The former, look for Marshall or Sullinger. The latter, he could go with Perry Jones.

16. Houston Rockets - Terrence Ross

Rockets get the BPA and fill a need. Ross makes sense here.

17. Dallas Mavericks - Evan Fournier

Mavs need a wing with good size.

18. Houston Rockets - Jared Sullinger

Rockets have been plenty active and have the picks to take chances. Maybe theyve been a team slandering Sullinger.

19. Orlando Magic - Perry Jones

The former Thunder GM goes with a extremely long and talented forward who is unselfish. Perry Jones can be of good value here as a super role player.

20. Denver Nuggets - Terrence Jones

Nuggets go for talent and have a potential replacement for Al Harrington. They need a forward to score.

21. Boston Celtics - Royce White

Late rumors they trade up for Rivers, they should stay and capitalize on a deep draft.

22. Boston Celtics - Andrew Nicholson

Local product with an actual post game.

23. Atlanta Hawks - Draymond Green

Hawks get another versatile player, a guy Larry Drew can appreciate.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers - Doron Lamb

Cavs close out their backcourt. Add MKG and teammate Lamb.

25. Memphis Grizzlies - Marquis Teague

Teague has too much potential to slip much farther.

26. Indiana Pacers - Quincy Miller

Talent wins out here. They can gamble.

27. Miami Heat - Fab Melo

Heat get lucky with Melo slipping.

28. Oklahoma City Thunder - Arnett Moultrie

Moultrie can provide what they havent had since Jeff Green left.

29. Chicago Bulls - Tyshawn Taylor

They need a ball handler bad, and Taylor will make a good back up PG once Rose comes back.

30. Golden State Warriors - Jeff Taylor

Best SF left. This pick could be traded.

6/22/2012 Mock Draft

1. New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis, F/C, Kentucky

The obvious pick. No chance of anything else happening here. Davis is on a whole other tier than the rest of the prospects. Hornets cant make it official until draft night due to NBA unwritten rules.

2. Charlotte Bobcats - Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

I think there are two options the Bobcats are now considering. Robinson or Barnes. Jordan has given approval of Barnes, but despite popular belief, the Cats havent selected a UNC player since Jordan has owned the team. Jordan took over after the May/Felton picks. Robinson is the better prospect and gives the Bobcats something to potentially call a strength sooner rather than later - their interior defense and rebounding. Hes a nice fit with Biyombo and would be my selection.

I have a feeling Barnes could be the pick here, though. Even if he does, it doesnt screw up much of my top 5. Barnes and Robinson would just swap places with T-Rob going to the Kings.

3. Washington Wizards - Bradley Beal, SG, Florida

This pick Im pretty sure on. Beal fills in their weakest position and is the best player on the board. His shooting will compliment Wall. They desperately need a skilled wing player and Beal brings that. The Wizards owner is focusing on high character players so thats another plus. With the Ariza deal, the Wizards have too many defensive SFs on their roster already to take MKG. Remember, they took Singleton and Vesely last year.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky

Lots think Barnes, citing his friendship with Irving. Well, Irving and MKG went to high school together in New Jersey and would be a nice pair themselves. The Cavs two big draft indicators are analytics and character and MKG grades out better than Barnes in both of those situations. In fact, they dont make Barnes look very good at all. MKG was impressive in his workout for the Cavs and I honestly think Waiters or Drummond could be bigger competition than Barnes here.

5. Sacramento Kings - Harrison Barnes, G/F, North Carolina

While the Kings could pray for MKG, Barnes is the guy who slips to them. Hes pretty much their only choice here as Drummond has been ruled out (too much of a project on a team with plenty) and Lillard and Waiters are too much of what they already have. This would be a decent situation for Barnes (well as good as playing for the Kings could be) as he can fill a role as a shooter. The only problem is he probably wont like playing in Sactown. He had already canceled his workout with them.

6. Portland Trailblazers - Damian Lillard, G, Weber State

Trailblazers have the #11 pick too so that plays a bit of a factor here. Its looking like Lillard wont be around there so if they want him, hes got to be had here. Word is, Portland really likes him and could look big with their second first rounder. The Blazers brought in a sports psychologist to interview prospects this year so I think that could have eliminated Drummond. Dion Waiters has an outside shot here.

7. Golden State Warriors - Andre Drummond, C, Connecticut

Size and defense for the Warriors. Theyve been stressing that, and they get it here with the draft's first player to slip. The took a project in Jeremy Tyler last year, so I dont think theyll be worried about Drummond much here. They were rumored to be interested in Tyler Zeller here and Drummond slipping makes this a much easier pick. Hes on a whole other tier. Waiters and Ross are options should they choose to go with backcourt help.

8. Toronto Raptors - Dion Waiters, G, Syracuse

I think the Raptors really like where they are sitting. Waiters, Lamb, Rivers, and Lillard have all been rumored to have Colangelo's eye. With Lillard gone and Lamb falling off, I think this is Waiters spot. I actually think this could be Waiters' floor to be honest. He has a lot of interest up top, starting with #4. Rivers could go here if Waiters is not on the board.

9. Detroit Pistons - John Henson, F, North Carolina

Pistons are building around Greg Monroe, so they need to get an athletic defender to play beside him inside. Henson has been the favorite all along and guys like Moultrie havent gained enough momentum to become serious threats. Henson is the pick here.

10. New Orleans Hornets - Austin Rivers, G, Duke

This is rumored to be where the promise to Rivers came from. Promises can be broken, though, and New Orleans has some other choices to consider here. Kendall Marshall, Moe Harkless, and Tyler Zeller are all said to be targets for this team. Personally, Id love to see Sullinger paired with Davis, but that looks unrealistic right now.

11. Portland Trailblazers - Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois

The Trailblazers most likely will look for a big here after taking Lillard at number 6. Ive heard they like Leonard over Zeller so thats the pick here. Lillard and Leonard would be the Blazers idea of playing it safe to make sure they get two targets they like. I doubt Sullinger is a possibility after the Blazers have witnessed first hand TWICE of what pre-draft medical red flags can cause.

12. Milwaukee Bucks - Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

Bucks really like Henson and it sounds like they think he can turn into a center. Theyve been interested in trading up and I think either him or Drummond would be their target. If they stay here, I still except them to go big. Zeller fits the Bucks mold and can provide depth. Perry Jones would have been an option had he not played his way out of a spot. He still has one final workout for the Bucks against Terrence Jones tomorrow to redeem himself. Right now though, Terrence Jones is the runner up here.

13. Phoenix Suns - Terrence Ross, SG, Washington

Suns are going to go with the best shooting guard on the board here. The want a defensive guy who can create his own shot and Ross fits the bill. Its a coinflip between him and Jeremy Lamb here.

14. Houston Rockets - Royce White, F, Iowa State

Tough call here. I decided between Terrence Jones, Kendall Marshall, Jared Sullinger, and Quincy Miller. Not many experienced players here that fit what Houston likes, but they really do need to take a risk on potential. White has the stats and is smarter and older than what his classification of a sophomore suggests. Hes got the numbers and character that Houston likes, but also provides the upside.

15. Philadelphia 76ers - Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State

Its hard to pinpoint what exactly the 76ers will target, but with Doug Collins running the team, I think they need to draft smart and coachable players that can deal with this critical style. Sullinger and Marshall would be good fits, while Perry Jones could crumble under the criticism. If Sullinger needs surgery, 76ers still have Brand signed for another year. The following year, Sullinger will be ready to take over for Brand.

16. Houston Rockets - Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

I dont see the Rockets keeping both picks and I wouldnt be surprised if they traded both. Marshall is BPA and can help a lot of teams, including Houston if they keep the pick. This is mainly a BPA pick for whomever is drafting here next week.

17. Dallas Mavericks - Evan Fournier, G/F, International

The Mavs will be operating under the assumption that they will have D-Will and Dirk to build their next championship team around. Donnie Nelson is certainly not afraid of foreign players, so I could see him reaching a bit for Fournier. A center like Melo or Nicholson is possible, but just as much of a reach.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jeremy Lamb, G/F, Connecticut

This would be a beautiful situation for the Wolves and a no-brainer pick. They are hoping at least one of the top SGs is available here. Terrence Ross is the other guy I could see being available at this spot. The rest all have lottery floors.

19. Orlando Magic - Moe Harkless, F, St. Johns

The Magic are a mess. They could swing for the fences with Wroten or Teague, or they could just get someone in there that can make them more watchable next year. Harkless is a bit of the best of both worlds, he'll be ready to help a team win before either of the young PGs.

20. Denver Nuggets - Quincy Miller, F, Baylor

In this case, Id actually listen to your PGs opinion (Lawson) and draft who he says. Miller would be great value here and the Nuggets have been stealing players late the past few years. Doron Lamb is someone else I think could help the Nuggets, by taking some pressure off of Andre Miller. He simply had too much on his plate in the playoffs.

21. Boston Celtics - Perry Jones, F, Baylor

Jones has slipped far enough that hes a very nice risk here. If Boston takes him, Id really hope they bring back Garnett back. As a basketball fan, itd be nice to see Jones' potential maxed out and Garnett could definitely show him how to play the game by example. Royce White might be their target here, but in this draft, they will have to move up to get him. Personally, I think they should keep both of their picks unless they fall in love with one player. There isnt a lot of separation in this draft.

22. Boston Celtics - Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky

Ainge likes talent and the talent is there in Teague. The Celtics have been without a backup point guard for awhile, trying to solve the problem with names like Marbury and Nate Robinson. They can get a solution to the problem in this draft and perhaps even a starter.

23. Atlanta Hawks - Fab Melo, C, Syracuse

Hawks are another team hoping Royce White falls, but thats a pipe dream at this point. Theyve got Boston in front of them. Rick Sund has an obsession with centers and they just happen to be in the market for one. Melo has some intriguing potential that will definitely catch their eye. I could also see them taking a versatile forward. Draymond Green, Moultrie, Crowder, and Nicholson are some other names.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers - Doron Lamb, G, Kentucky

Kentucky could end up with another UK player if they take Lamb here. Id love this pick and it fits their style. Hes got good character and graded out well in John Hollinger's number cruncher. With Irving as the playmaker, MKG as the slasher and hustle guy, Lamb could be the shooter and secondary defender. Thats an exciting backcourt trio.

25. Memphis Grizzlies - Tony Wroten, G, Washington

Ive heard about their interest in some of the local talent - Jenkins, Taylor, Barton, and Lamb. They are definitely looking backcourt. I think Wroten offers plenty of intrigue since he can start down the road and the Grizzlies need to eventually trade one of their current starters to save money. Conley could be the weakest link. A Wroten/Selby backcourt is very risky, but they could potentially do a solid job of complimenting each other. Selby can play the 2 since Wroten has the height to switch and defend SGs while playing PG on offense. Selby is the shooter while Wroten is the playmaker.

26. Indiana Pacers - Jeff Taylor, G/F, Vanderbilt

Pacers look for another solid role player here and another college senior. Taylor is an excellent defender and can defend both wing spots. Tyshawn Taylor is another option here.

27. Miami Heat - Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt

Chalmers proved he can step up in the Finals so the Heats biggest need is at center. Ezeli isnt great, but hes a big body who can play smart and hit his FTs. Riley likes guys with prototypical size and skills with a knack for defending.

28. Oklahoma City Thunder - Andrew Nicholson, F/C, St Bonaventure

Thunder might sell this pick, but either way, Nicholson should be off the board at this spot. Draymond Green is another option if the Thunder choose to keep the selection.

29. Chicago Bulls - Tyshawn Taylor, G, Kansas

The Bulls are going to desperately need a ball handler. Taylor is experienced and can step in for Rosoe and make some plays scoring and passing. When Rose comes back, they can use his defense and energy off the bench. Bulls always have a soft spot for winners and the last defensive Kansas guard who played in the Final Four had plenty of solid years for them.

30. Golden State Warriors - Will Barton, SF, Memphis

Barton is an interesting prospect. Hes got the size, numbers, and skills to be a player. Hes young and has that Baltimore toughness to his game. Hes still learning how to win, but hes a decent investment in the late first early second. The Warriors still need a SF after taking Drummond at #7. Darius Miller and Jae Crowder are other potential targets if the draft plays out this way.

Why Austin Rivers to Toronto Makes Sense

Rivers has been rumored to have a promise somewhere in the lottery. The prime candidates are Portland, Phoenix, and Toronto - all needing a scoring wing that can handle the ball. The curveball is there is another combo guard that is also rumored to have a lottery promise - Dion Waiters.

Now, Im not sure how great the chances are that BOTH these promises hold up, but there is certainly interests in these players between these three teams. And the team that has the most control is Toronto, picking ahead of Phoenix and Portland's 2nd lottery pick at #8.

I really like to take a look back at drafting history when trying to figure out what a general manager is doing. Some of it can be coincidence, but with guys like Colangelo and Stefanski running the front office, there is plenty of history to look at.

Rivers was a highly touted high school player, the #1 player in fact, and came into Duke with high expectations. His situation at Duke may not have been ideal - playing with a system coach who didnt fully let him do everything he wanted and alongside other talented combo guards without a true PG. By the end of the season, Rivers saw his stock drop out of the lottery after originally being thought of as a potentially top 5 pick.

Personally, I dont think his stock ever wavered that much amongst scouts. I dont think many saw him as a top5 pick then, nor do I think many scouts imagined him ever slipping out of the top 20. So here we are weeks before the draft and the media hype around him has worked his way up to a late lottery pick again...where he probably has been all along.

His great success in high school and a somewhat disappointing college career is where the Raptors Front Office comes in.

As the Raptors GM, Colangelo has gambled on Ed Davis and Demar DeRozan recently. As the head man for the Suns, he was rarely allowed to keep draft picks, but one of the few high picks he kept, was Amare Stoudemire.

What do these guys have in common? All were top 10 high school players. All were thought to be top 5 talents at one point. All had struggles between high school and the draft that knocked them down a bit.

For Davis, he had a chance to go top 5 his freshman year, but chose to come back. His next year was plagued by injuries and ultimately his stock suffered. He was still the same player as before and a smart GM like Colangelo never changed his opinion on him.

With DeRozan, he was heralded as the next big thing coming out of high school. Much talk surrounded him of being one and done and then going #1 in the draft. However, he was stuck in a bad situation at USC that really made him look bad. His stock dropped, but again, he was still the same player. Bryan (Colangelo) jumped all over him again.

Amare never went to high school, but teams had plenty of concerns about his attitude which sent one of the most talented players in the draft to tenth overall. Colangelo could never pass up such an immense talent as Amare.

Thats a decent sample size, but I wouldnt draw conclusion from that. Colangelo hasnt had many other high picks that hes kept . The few other ones were used on international players - also with very high upsides and young. There are no international players worthy of a top ten pick this year so lets continue to look at Americans.

Colangelo's right hand man in the front office is now Ed Stefanski. You might remember him from his time spend running the 76ers. In that time he selected Jrue Holiday and Marreese Speights as his only first rounders besides the slam dunk pick that was Evan Turner.

Holiday is the poster boy for what I'm talking about here. Top 5 talent heading into college. His season playing out of position next to Darren Collison had folks doubting he would even be drafted in the first round. 76ers stole him outside the lottery and have began to see the benefits.

Speights is a bit of an outlier here, as he was never projected to go top 5, but even out of high school he had the tools to develop into an NBA player and kind of got lost in the shuffle on the bench at Florida. Stefanski rolled the dice on his potential out of high school and has seen mixed results so far. They could have selected Koufos or Donte Greene here and would have also fit the mold, but there weren't many other options in 2008 that fit in their draft range.

So, back to Austin Rivers. I already typed a similar paragraph about him that would easily fit with the guys above. It also makes sense from a personnel standpoint.

The Raptors have Calderon at point, who could even be amnestied, but even if he isnt, they need a more aggressive guard that can handle to pair with him. Jose is one of the most vanilla PGs, so Rivers would fit great beside him.

The two main pieces the Raptors are building around are DeRozan and Valanciunas. Val might be the best building block (including Rivers), but hes not a big scorer. Val can make up for some of Rivers' deficiencies while Rivers can be the star scorer. DeRozan is ok, but he has proven to be more of a complimentary wing. He's a slasher, while Rivers would compliment him with shooting and ball handling. He'd also go well with Dwane Casey, who can cover for his defensive shortcomings.

While Rivers might be best suited for the bench, the Raptors really need an alpha dog type to come in there and change the locker room. Colangelo is in his last year of his contract and Rivers will show plenty year one to give ownership hope. And you know that Bryan has no problem with offense first players.

Colangelo normally zeroes in on his guys pretty quickly for the draft and I think there is a good chance he has already found his man. And based off of what Rivers has said, he wants to go there too (an NBA player that wants to go to Toronto!)

“I have kept up with teams that fit me and the Raptors are one of those places and that’s why I’m here,” Rivers said. “I think I fit in this program well. I like the way they play. I like the new coach, I like how he gets after it on defence. As far as offensively, they like to get up and down and go at them and that’s something I like to do.” Toronto Sun

“This is one of the places he likes a lot too,” Austin said of his dad, Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “There are only a few of them that we chose and my dad is even more of a critic. He likes this place and he loves their coach and so do I. Hopefully everything goes well.” Toronto Sun

The Lance Thomas Equation

****UPDATE: I drafted this write-up awhile back in December, but never published it. It turns out that another Dukie, Miles Plumlee might fit this category better than any of the guys I discussed. At the time, I didnt see him as much of a prospect, and still dont really, but he fits the mold and has a good shot to be drafted now. He only lost 6 games in his high school career and was right around the 100th best recruit in the nation. Not exactly the elite pre-requisites I looked for in the other guys, but he followed up high school with a NCAA career that certainly fits the bill.****

Seeing Lance Thomas on the Hornets preseason roster, and getting legit minutes, took me by surprise. Here is a guy that looked completely incapable of any offensive game at Duke and was pretty underwhelming from a physical standpoint. Still, a year later, here he was competing against NBA players. He's in the D-League now and putting up solid numbers with a solid chance of getting a call up at some point.

The appeal with Thomas is that he possesses many qualities that many teams look for in role players. Not the role players that get 20 minutes a game, but the role players at the very end of the bench getting their only run in practice. For those spots, teams have been known to settle for lesser talented players - guys who won't care if they get minutes, play hard in practice pushing the other players, and display good character. Towel waving classes are welcomed.

With Lance Thomas, you get a guy who will do the dirty work. He already proved that at Duke, and even as far back as his high school days at St. Benedict's Prep. He has always been on talented, winning teams and has always contributed in anyway possible. In High School, his team was one of the best in the nation, and he was a big time presence down low while also doing the small things to win. He wasn't the only great player on his team so he was fine making his adjustment to a role player at Duke.

He obviously has some talent, though, as there was a reason he was ranked in the top 25 in his recruiting class. He didn't bust in the sense of many top prospects - those who lack the understanding of the game, play selfishly, can't adapt to the team setting, etc. He just accepted a role on a great college team and it resulted in winning a championship his senior season.

I wanted to look for more players potentially like Thomas - guys who were highly regarded out of high school and then went on to have a solid, but unspectacular career on a great college team. Guys who are going to be in the draft either this year or next, who could sneak up on some people who have soured on them after never living up to their potential. Guys who have won at every level and do the little things that count. Preferably, Im looking for guys with a chance of making a bigger impact than Thomas - after all, I wouldnt argue that Lance Thomas should have been drafted - he shouldnt have. But there are some players out there with a similar background to Thomas that might warrant a draft pick.

First player that I found was Alex Oriakhi of UConn. He's a little more highly regarded than others on this list, but his stock is dimming now with not much of a chance of resurrection. He probably gets drafted, but I think he has a good shot at making a NBA team when he declares.

Like Thomas, Oriakhi played on a very good high school team, teammates with Jamaal Coombs-McDaniels, another UConn recruit. He won a National Championship last year at UConn as the starting center, but now has been miscast next to Andre Drummond. Oriakhi has high character, rebounds well, and is a solid defensive anchor like all UConn big men before him. His offensive game isn't polished, but is an efficient finisher at the rim. His 7'3 wingspan gives him respectable size for the NBA game. He should be a definite draft pick.

Next guy went from St. Patrick in New Jersey, a rival of St. Benedict's, to North Carolina, staying congruent on the opposite side of Lance Thomas. Dexter Strickland has been receiving solid minutes at UNC since stepping onto campus as one of the top 25 recruits in the country. However, he has played a complementary role the whole time, with no signs of it changing when he goes into his senior year next season. Still, he's a starter on one of the best teams in the country, providing great defense of team's top guards and displaying incredible speed and athleticism in the open court. As a guard, he's shooting over 50% this year from the field, mainly off easy buckets. His efficient play, lack of ego, and elite athleticism have helped him draw interest from scouting services as a potential NBA player. He's got his flaws, mainly shooting, but he could potentially be another Iman Shumpert type.

Delvon Roe would have been a good candidate this year had it not been for the unfortunate knee injuries. Then again, those knee injuries were a big part in why he didn't perform as well as he could have at Michigan State.

Ryan Kelly doesn't have the defensive and rebounding ability of a role playing power forward, but he fits the bill as a smart, efficient player. He's improved a lot in college, putting on weight, and his work ethic is promising for the future.

Andrew Wiggins: The Next Big Thing

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to check out the #1 ranked sophomore in the country up close at Washington DC's Trinity-Washington College. His name is Andrew Wiggins and he hails from Canada, but plays for a stacked Huntington Prep team located in West Virginia.

He shares a backcourt with 3 other high Division I prospects (Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Negus Webster-Chan, Javontae Hawkins), two of them seniors, but even at a younger age, he was leaps and bounds more impressive.

The first glipses I got of Wiggins was during warm ups. I saw him taking some jumpers and was unimpressed. His shot is all wrist and is very flat. I was prepared to be disappointed at this point. If this kid can't even shoot, just how impressive can this sophomore be against this high level of competition? Surely he isnt going to be able to just bully his way to the rim each possession...

The game started with Wiggins winning the tip against the taller Chris Obekpa. Obekpa is an impressive athlete in his own right and I will cover him later. After gaining possession, Wiggins took to the the post and began playing the role of a power forward. This was very good to see as Wiggins displayed plenty of positives signs while doing this. The first would be toughness. It is one thing to be a great athlete, but to be willing to battle inside when your true position is a guard is noteworthy. Secondly. he showed that he was a team player. He played his role in the offense, which looked like a relaxed version of the flex offense, and did the little things. He moved without the ball, set picks, and looked to find his teammates. He was very aggressive on the boards.

At the end of the first half, his team was trailing by 20 points. Wiggins had been efficient, but he hadn't asserted himself enough. That isnt to say he wasn't playing hard, he just didnt have the ball in his hands enough. On the opportunities he did get, he converted at a great rate. He is a terrific finisher at the rim, even when he isn't exploding out of the gym on dunks. He finished a couple of and-1 lay ups and converted all of his free throws for the game.

In the third quarter, Wiggins was ready to lead his team to victory. Our Savior's aforementioned center, Chris Obekpa, was in foul trouble and had to be taken out of the game. This opened up the lane for Wiggins, who took full advantage. Wiggins made everything look so easy, smooth, and graceful until it came time to elevate for thunderous dunks. He has that rare quick and explosive leaping ability and a calmness and smoothness to his game that reminds you of Ray Allen (minus the jumper of course).

At the end of the third quarter, Wiggins let his star shine, in what would be considered his coming out party for the game. He had a spectacular baseline drive dunk in the final minute, followed by a rebound and a buzzer beater from near halfcourt as time expired. His shot is ugly, but he can hit threes at a decent rate.

By the end of the game, Wiggins had finished leading his team to victory and I dont think he turned it over or missed more than one shot. He played a near flawless game and it is crazy to think that he is only a sophomore. Ive seen plenty of top 10 senior prospects the past few years and he is the best guard Ive seen at any age in high school. The kid is destined to be a star and I am pulling for him because he seems like a great, hard working kid as well.

Rookie Report

Thanks to a daily dosage of NBA league pass every night, I've had no trouble keeping tabs with last years draft class. After all, scouting players doesnt end when the graduate to the league. That is only the beginning. It is important to stay current with the NBA game and see how each player translates. After watching, you can reflect on why a certain player exceeded or failed to live up to your expectations for them in the league.

Kyrie Irving hasn't been a game changer, but thats not what should have been expected from him off the bat. He's been a decent court general and shot the ball very well - well enough to be leading all rookies in scoring. He won't be a bust, but it isn't a guarantee that he will be the top player from this class.

For the Cavs though, they might have elected to go with the best combination of selections since they also nabbed Tristan Thompson at #4. Thompson has played with a great deal of energy, cleaning up the glass and blocking shots. His post game is more advanced than many pundits gave him credit for, helping him scored over 8 ppg in just under 20 minutes.  He does need to work on his free throw shooting, especially since his best skill may be at getting to the line. If he does that, he will have a chance to be an all-star. Right now, he is shooting under 50% from the line.

I spent a lot of time covering point guards last year and so far, many of them have proven to be worth the time. Kemba Walker hasn't been given a chance to settle into a role yet, but he has been clutch at times. The question to remains with him about whether he can run a team and also be efficient. So far he hasn't shown either of them. The TJ Ford comparison might turn out to be appropriate.

I was a little down on Norris Cole heading into the season because I wasn't sure about his halfcourt offense, but he has been a steal thus far. It helped that he was drafted by the Heat, getting plenty of chances to run out on the break. Still, Cole has proven to be worthy of some of Mario Chalmers minutes already and looks primed to take over the starter role in time.

Jimmer Fredette is another guy I had a lot of questions about and they all still stand. He has looked like an electric scorer at times, but is shooting a poor percentage at this juncture. His shooting is not what is worrisome, though. We know that will come around. What is a problem is his defense. Nothing I have seen so far this year makes me think he can play good enough defense at this level to be effective. He cant stay in front of anyone and to top it off, he has even done a terrible job of getting back and preventing fast break points. Lucky for him, he's on the Kings and the only guy behind him to take minutes is another rookie, Mr. Irrelevent, Isaiah Thomas.

The decision to cut Pooh Jeter and just role with Thomas was a questionable choice. Thomas can't defend and is a inefficient scorer. Hes struggled when pressed and isn't big enough to get his shot of consistently. He's the sparkplug type, a dime a dozen, and I dont believe he is worthy of a NBA roster spot.

Josh Selby is a project, but he looks like an NBA player when he is on the court. He's got to either become a point guard or learn to be more efficient, preferably both, but the tools are all there. He has flashed the athleticism on a few impressive plays this season. He can shoot the ball and kill you in transition. I think his potential should have placed him in the first round.

I viewed Marshon Brooks as a similar case as Selby, despite him having three more years of college experience. Brooks could definitely score the ball, but there were questions about him being a winning player in college. After being drafted by the Nets, he hasn't been able to show he can fit into a contending team, but he has definitely shown he can score the ball as good as, if not, better than advertised. He's scoring 14ppg on 46% shooting on a team that needs someone to take the shots. So far, you can't complain about how he has been playing. He might be the best scorer in this draft class at the moment and his upside is looking towards Jamal Crawford.

I haven't seen too much of Brandon Knight yet as I can't fathom sitting through an entire Piston game. From what I've observed, he has been streaky, showing flashes of potential while also making rookie mistakes. Hopefully the rest of the guards ineptitude doesn't affect his development because he still has a great upside.

As a closet Wizards fan, I have also gotten a chance to look at Shelvin Mack. They were comfortable enough to go into the season with him as the backup point. So far, he has looked a little slow and below average athletically. I don't see anything that he brings to the table in the NBA, maybe he turns into a steady ball handler and can backup the point for years to come like Chris Duhon. Theres nothing to get excited about with him, though.

Andrew Goudelock hasn't gotten much burn. He is pretty much what we thought he was. His great shooting got him drafted and can be used in certain situations. The triangle would have been a better fit for him since you'd rather have him spotting up in the corner than running your offense.

Charles Jenkins has been solid in limited minutes for the Warriors. He is shooting a red hot percentage from the long two range, picking up where he left off at Hofstra with a stellar mid-range game. He has been used as a combo guard, sometimes bringing the ball up, but having to defer to Curry and Ellis a lot. It is critical that he gets used to playing off ball. Its something I picked up on that he needs to work on. He's a smart player and hopefully Mark Jackson turns this team in the right direction so they run a more structured offense - something that would benefit Jenkins.

Jenkins teammate, Klay Thompson, has not hesitated to adopt the Warriors mindset of shooting first, thinking later. He started the season off badly, but his jumper is starting to fall. His shot and quick release are picture perfect, making him a threat to go off for 20 point on any given night. He still needs strength in order to finish inside, evident by the fact that his FG% is lower than his 3-pt %. The biggest flaw for Thompson so far is that he's been completely loss on the defensive end. Especially on help defense, he just seems a step behind everyone else. He seemed like a smart player in college, I think he is just a little slow adjusting to the speed of the NBA game.

I dogged Markieff Morris a lot during his college days, but he has surprised me with his adjustment to the pros. His short wingspan hasn't proved to be a problem rebounding the ball and he's been automatic with his jumpshot - all the way out to the 3-pt line. He has shown good strength and athleticism. Definitely looks on his way to be a solid NBA role player, possibly even a quality starter on a good team down the road.

The #2 overall pick, Derrick Williams, has been solid playing about 20 minutes a game for the Wolves. Adelman hasn't been afraid to play him in crunch time and he seems to be developing chemistry on the second unit with Ricky Rubio. As long as Williams is running in transition, which he has no problem doing, he should get a couple of easy buckets a game. The rest of his game is coming along, he's shown nice shot selection so far. He can do a lot of the things Michael Beasley does, just at a much more efficient rate. Dont expect him to take over Beasley's starting spot, though.

Chris Singleton has lived up to the hype of ACC defensive player of the year, displaying great versatility on the defensive end. He's exactly the type of player the Wizards need more of. In the opening game of the season, he was trusted to cover Deron Williams in the 4th quarter. He can guard positions 1-4. His offensive game is based off open jumper and running in transition and he's been doing so effectively. His 3-pt shot has translated to the NBA distance.

I was a big Bismack Biyombo fan heading into the draft, but even I had my doubts in the back of my mind. Seeing him on a actual NBA court for the first time passed the first test of actually making it overseas. Seeing him in action for 5 minutes passed the second test of proving to be more of a threat than Saer Sene. In all honesty, I think he's adjusted fine so far. His athleticism has definitely translated and he is playing with a good amount of energy. Defensively he is already solid, he just needs to work on not fouling. When he gets the ball offensively, its a little shaky, but he somehow manages to due positive things even though its ugly. Right now he's shooting 38% from the line which obviously needs to go up. All in all, Ive liked what Ive seen from him so far. And unlike some African players, he didn't make it obvious he couldn't play at this level from the get-go.

I'll try to get to Jon Leuer, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, Chandler Parsons, Marcus Morris, Kawhi Leonard, Cory Joseph, Nikola Vucevic, Josh Harrelson, Iman Shumpert, and Trey Thompkins in the next few days.

Lincoln vs Patterson

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a ultra-competitive high school game at Towson University between Patterson High School (MD) and Lincoln High School (NY). The game ended up going into overtime and each team's stars came through with applaud-able efforts.

The last time I saw Patterson play was during last years State Championship game where they took on North Point. After watching Carr then, I wrote this report on him. Everything I wrote then still remains true, but after another experience watching this kid, I can say that he is the most exciting high school player I have seen to date for sure.

One concerning thing was how he was demanding the ball during crunch time. On a few possessions in OT he stood around the arc with a man shadowing him and didnt even attempt to work his way to the ball. Patterson could have won the game if Carr made more of an effort to get the ball because when he have the rock, he was unstoppable getting to the hoop.

During the state championship game last year, he settled for more threes than he should have as that isn't his strong point. In this game, he focused more on getting to the hoop and taking advantage of his outstanding speed, explosiveness, and body control. He made Sebastian Telfair's younger brother look silly on a number of occasions, culminating with this move here, 

On another note, Carr has only made 1 3-pt shot this year out of 22 attempts. He was money from the FT line against Lincoln (16-20), but his overall shot needs a lot of work. 

Telfair was one big name for Lincoln, but their best player was hands down sophomore Isaiah Whitehead. The 6'4 shooting guard had 11 less points than Carr (36 compared to 25), but showcased the complete game that has scouts calling him one of the best prospects in the 2014 class.

For a sophomore, I was very impressed with the tempo he played at. He picked his spots and was able to drive and dish when the lane collapsed on him. He found guys inside as well as kicking the ball back out. His passing ability and decision making are definitely advanced for his age. He had good handles, but his quick first step was usually all he needed to get past a defender. He got into the lane at will this game and I didn't see his mid-range jumper, but apparently that is another strong part of his game. He did hit a three, although he doesnt appear to be a sniper from behind the arc at this point in his career. Defensively, he showed signs of being a good asset. Athletically he is good, but not a freakish athlete. If I were to compare him to a current NCAA player, I'd go with Tim Hardaway Jr.