 |
 |
 |
|
The 2008 NBA Draft is over.
Obviously, it's now time to start looking ahead.
|
|
| DeMar DeRozan, bound for USC, could be the first one-and-done player drafted in '09. (US Presswire) |
Put another way, there is no incoming freshman as promising as Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley or O.J. Mayo, or at least it seems that way.
But we'd all be wise to keep in mind that at this time last year nobody thought Russell Westbrook or Joe Alexander would go in the top 10, and at this time last week it seemed doubtful that Jason Thompson would be a lottery pick.
So what I'm trying to say is that this stuff changes. All the time. And it's hard to project.
But you know me, I'm always up for a good challenge!
So I've compiled a list of 30 NBA prospects who will play college basketball next season and ranked them from best to worst in terms of their NBA potential, which -- as Chris Douglas-Roberts learned late Thursday -- has absolutely nothing to do with their value as college players. Picking an All-American team is a totally different exercise than drafting for the NBA, which is why a guy like Tyler Hansbrough will be everybody's Preseason National Player of the Year despite being in nobody's projected top five of the 2009 NBA Draft.
Anyway, let's get to it.
Here are college basketball's top 30 prospects for the 2009 NBA Draft.
1. Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)
Griffin would've been a top 10 pick this year, probably as high as fifth to the Grizzlies. He's a big, strong, athletic power forward who averaged 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds last season, and he'll have the Sooners competing for a Big 12 title in 2008-09.
2. DeMar DeRozan (Southern California)
At 6-foot-6, DeRozan has an NBA frame and great athleticism to boot. He'll make USC a Pac-10 contender as a freshman, and as long as he stays away from Rodney Guillory, his only year in college should go smoothly.
3. B.J. Mullens (Ohio State)
Mullens was famously up-and-down on the AAU circuit, drifting back and forth between great and ordinary, and Thad Matta must fix that when the 7-foot-1 center enrolls at OSU. Either way, I'm a believer, probably because when I saw Mullens last summer he was spectacular, just grabbing and dunking everything in sight.
4. Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut)
I realize people are still down on Thabeet, waiting for him to be what he should be. But he showed flashes of brilliance last season, particularly when he averaged 5.6 blocks in his final 12 outings. In other words, what we have here is a 7-foot-3 shot blocking center, and those guys are commodities in the NBA. For proof, consider that Thabeet would've gone in the top 20 of this draft, and the guess here is that he'll be in the top five of the next draft after leading the Huskies to a possible Big East title.
5. Brandon Jennings (Arizona/Europe)
Jennings is included on this list because there's still a chance he could play in college, though it seems more likely every day that he's going to spend the next year playing professional basketball overseas. If so, he'll be the trendsetter Sonny Vaccaro has always wanted, and it'll be a huge hit to Arizona's dreams of a Pac-10 championship.
6. Tyreke Evans (Memphis)
Evans is the surest bet in terms of incoming freshman who will absolutely, positively never see a second year of college (barring injury or something similarly bad). He has an NBA body already and his ability to score is well-documented. So John Calipari's biggest challenge will be trying to make Evans understand how to play well with others, which hasn't traditionally been his strongpoint.
7. Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
If not for an injury, it's possible Patterson could've joined his classmates in this year's draft after a freshman season that produced averages of 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds before prematurely ending. As it is, he's back for a sophomore season, and barring an injury he's a lottery talent.
8. Earl Clark (Louisville)
Clark flirted with entering this draft, and by "flirted" I mean he was actually telling people he'd enter. Instead, he'll do another year in the Big East and star for a Final Four contender. If he can keep from driving Rick Pitino crazy with his inconsistency, he should be a top 10 pick next June.
9. James Harden (Arizona State)
Believe it or not, there are some scouts who follow the Pac-10 who liked Harden more than O.J. Mayo. Can't say I'm in line with that opinion. But it's worth noting that Harden averaged 22 points in three games against USC last season. So perhaps those scouts are on to something.
10. Ty Lawson (North Carolina)
Lawson was well down the list of point guards for this draft, behind Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin, etc. But assuming the UNC junior is healthy all next season, there's no reason to believe he won't be among the first point guards taken in 2009, particularly if he's coming off a projected national title.
The next 20
11. Jrue Holiday (UCLA)
12. Chase Budinger (Arizona)
13. Tyler Smith (Tennessee)
14. Darren Collison (UCLA)
15. Austin Daye (Gonzaga)
16. Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina)
17. Terrence Williams (Louisville)
18. A.J. Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)
19. Gerald Henderson (Duke)
20. Stephen Curry (Davidson)
21. Nick Calathes (Florida)
22. Jordan Hill (Arizona)
23. Damion James (Texas)
24. Devin Ebanks (West Virginia)
25. Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest)
26. Wayne Ellington (North Carolina)
27. Jeremy Pargo (Gonzaga)
28. Sam Young (Pittsburgh)
29. Greivis Vasquez (Maryland)
30. DaJuan Summers (Georgetown)