We continue the KF.com Draft Big Board project with our fourth installment made up of players that should be drafted towards the end of the first round. These players would definitely be considered a reach at #6 and would probably only be targeted by the Kings if we trade for (or buy) a late first or very early second round pick. Players are not listed in any particular order.
Trade Down A Lot (approximate draft position 21-30):
Tyus Jones: (PG, Freshman, 19 y.o., Duke)
33.9 mpg - 11.8 ppg - 41.7% fgp - 37.9% 3pp - 5.6 apg - 1.9 turnovers - 3.5 rpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'2"
Weight: 185 pounds
Wingspan: 6'5"
Standing Reach: 8'1"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 32.5"
Analysis: Jones was considered the highest-ranked high school PG when he arrived at Duke. He had a reputation for being a clutch player, and he did nothing this past season to change that opinion, validated by carrying his team to a win against Wisconsin in the second half of the NCAA championship game. He hit many a clutch shot throughout the season. If there was one word to best describe Jones, it would be average. He's an average athlete, with average speed and leaping ability. But he makes up for it with above average intelligence, instincts, and skill level. He's an unselfish player who is an excellent passer with great court vision. If you're open, he'll find you. He always seems calm and in control, even when everything seems to be going south. He's a very good ball handler, but not a particularly good finisher, although he did get to the line regularly. He's a decent to good shooter. He shot 37.9% from beyond the arc, but he tends to be streaky. He's a better shooter coming off screens, or spotting up, than he is trying to create his own shot, which will only get tougher in the NBA. He was a poor defender at the college level, and I don't see any dramatic improvement happening in the NBA. He's not blessed with good lateral quickness, and at times, he seems to take plays off, sometimes failing to rotate. He likes to gamble in the passing lanes, resulting in 1.5 steals a game, but he also got burned a few times. I see him going near the bottom of the first round due to his size, and lack of athleticism. He's a tough kid, so I wouldn't count him out. --Bajaden
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (SF, Sophomore, 20 y.o., Arizona)
28.7 mpg - 11.2 ppg - 50.2% fgp - 20.7% 3pp - 6.8 rpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'7"
Weight: 211 pounds
Wingspan: 7'2"
Standing Reach: 8'8"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 38.0"
Analysis: One of the best athletes in the draft, and a great finisher inside as a result - .723 at the rim FG%. Along with quickness and length he has good strength for a SF. In his 3rd/4th season he will probably be able to play some PF. Loves to play defense and hustle: he gets lots of deflections, offensive rebounds, loose and 50/50 balls. At the same time he was listed as SF/PG in HS and has a very good penetration game - as a result he gets a lot of FTs (and has the best rate of getting to the line among perimeter NBA prospects per DX.com). Unfortunately Arizona experienced massive spacing issues this year and had 4 guys who like to dribble on the floor simultaneously, so it's no surprise that his most impressive plays of the season came early when he was playing off the bench, and had 2 good shooters on the court. When driving inside, he is always looking for an open teammate, rather than to score himself. While he very rarely turns the ball over his passing and ballhandling could definitely use improvement - sometimes he just moves much faster than his control of the ball allows. Now to the really bad: this guy can't shoot. There's nothing fundamentally wrong, but there's too much unnecessary movement and he often doesn't follow through. He started the season rather well, picking his spots on long ball and knocking down around .400 from mid-range, but at some point the jumpers just stopped falling. -- Gilles
R.J. Hunter (SG, Junior, 21 y.o., Georgia St.)
37.2 mpg - 19.5 ppg - 39.3% fgp - 29.8% 3pp - 4.7 rpg - 3.5 apg - 2.1 spg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'6"
Weight: 185 pounds
Wingspan: 6'10.5"
Standing Reach: 8'8"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 33.5"
Analysis: Hunter is a long and skinny SG who is known for two things. First, he's a big-time scorer who lives largely off of his jump shot with a lightning-quick release. This year he actually had a big drop in his three-point percentage as he was by far the best player on his team and opponents began to key on him on the perimeter. When he squares it up, his jumper is nearly unstoppable, but he forced a lot of tough shots in the face of the defense this year. The second thing is that he's a coach's son. While this usually implies a good knowledge of the game and solid fundamentals, it often comes with the no-athleticism curse. For Hunter, this is not the case, and while he's not an outstanding athlete, he ought to be able to hold his own and he has a very good wingspan and long strides that help his perimeter defense. He grabbed over two steal per game largely by playing the passing lanes and just being quicker and longer than his opponents anticipated. However, I would still say that his defense is lacking as far as rotations go, and of course being skinny he can't bang down low, so he's pretty much a liability anywhere but on the perimeter. Finally, he's a very good passer from the wing and sees the floor remarkably well. If you consider the swing guys above him (Winslow, Hezonja, Oubre, Booker) to be SGs, Hunter is probably seen as no better than the fifth-best SG in this draft - this may be a blessing for him because he'll end up at the end of the first round and join a playoff team with little expectation to play now and instead be able to spend a lot of his rookie year bulking up. -- Capt. Factorial
Delon Wright (PG, Senior, 23 y.o., Utah)
33.3 mpg - 14.5 ppg - .643 at the rim FG% - .404 off the dribble 2pt% - .356 3pt% - .836 FT% - 4.9 rpg - 5.1 apg - 1.9 TOpg - 2.1 spg - 1.0 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'5.5"
Weight: 181 pounds
Wingspan: 6'7.5"
Standing Reach: 8'5.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 31"
Analysis: One of the most ready players in the draft, Delon Wright offers an interesting mix of qualities on both ends of the court. Playing in an offense that is very slow, methodical, but at the same time one of those most closely resembling NBA offenses, Wright might be able to step into a backup PG role from day 1. Very good decision-making while running the P&R will be a main feature of his offensive game. When splitting double-teams, he's very quick to get to the rim, where he finishes very well using his SG-type length. He has improved his shooting off the dribble both from mid-range and outside, though he is still only passable from beyond the arc. His spot up shooting got a lot better as well as his FT%, which suggests further improvement is not out of the question. Very good at getting to FT line. Does well in transition, though he's not very pacey. Very unselfish, but is not a particularly gifted scorer, given limited shooting, lack of first step and strength. Where Wright truly shines is on the defensive end. He is tall for a PG, though he lacks strength and wingspan is not outstanding, though that is a result of his narrow shoulders rather than short arms. Wright averages 20.0 FG% against, gets a lot of steals and deflections, and even gets his fair share of blocks. He might be the best defensive guard of the draft. Wright is already 23, and though he made significant strides in the previous off-season, major improvements are unlikely in his future. -- Gilles
George De Paula (aka George Lucas) (PG, 19 y.o., Brazil)
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'5.5"
Weight: 197 pounds
Wingspan: 7'0"
Standing Reach: 8'8"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 34"
Analysis: This year's man of mystery. Has the same dimensions as SF Justise Winslow, but not the bulk or strength. Very good ballhandling skills, but lacks the first step and overall quickness to get to the rim at will. Rather bad at finishing inside given his size. Very nice court vision (height really helps), but timing of passes is not fine tuned resulting in a lot of TOs. Doesn't shoot well off the dribble, though set shot appears to be solid already. Makes good decisions in transition. Not a lot of footage available to go into specifics. Defense comes and goes as he's not used to defending against quickness. Will obviously handle switching onto wings and forwards with ease. At this point De Paula is all potential and likely "two years away from being two years away". Schroeder was much more poised when he participated in Nike Hoops Summit. Still, his combination of body, athleticism, handles and court vision is very intriguing. The team that drafts him will have to be very patient and not expect any production for 2-3 years. -- Gilles
Jarell Martin: (PF, Sophmore, 20 y.o., LSU)
35.1 mpg - 16.9 ppg - 50.9% fgp - 26.9% 3pp - 9.2 rpg - 1.8 apg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'9.25"
Weight: 239 pounds
Wingspan: 6'9.75"
Standing Reach: 8'10.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 34.5"
Analysis: Martin is the other half of the LSU two-headed monster along with Jordan Mickey. Martin differs from Mickey by having legit size for the PF position, even if his wingspan leaves a little to be desired. Martin's strength is his face up game. He has a consistent jumpshot from 16 feet, and because of his excellent ball handling, he's capable of putting it on the floor and attacking the basket, which also gets him to the line an average of 6.2 times a game. His 3 pt shot, where he averaged only 27% this past season, still needs some work. His post game is somewhat of a mystery. Less than 14% of his shots came from post ups, but when he did post up he was fairly successful. He doesn't shy away from contact, so that part of his game is likely to be explored in the NBA. Defensively he's not very good. With his athletic ability he should be much better. I don't think its lack of ability, I think its lack of focus. He doesn't show the same intensity on defense that he does on offense. He goes from being the energizer bunny, to the dead battery. Martin has all the tools, athleticism, and size to be a solid NBA player. But he needs to clean up some things first. -- Bajaden
Justin Anderson (SF, Junior, 21 y.o., Virginia)
27.8 mpg - 12.2 ppg - .631 at the rim FG% - .250 off the dribble 2pt% - .446 3pt% - .780 FT% - 4.0 rpg - 1.7 apg - 1.2 TOpg - 0.7 spg - 0.5 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'6.25"
Weight: 231 pounds
Wingspan: 6'11.75"
Standing Reach: 8'5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 43"
Analysis: Has very modest stats, first because his team plays at very slow pace, and second because he had to rush back from a middle of the season finger injury. He was one of the best pace-adjusted scorers in the country in the first half of the season. Doesn't have in-between game and can only drive in straight line, but Anderson became a very strong and versatile shooter this season while maintaining good finishing inside. Unselfish, has nice court vision and passing ability. Good cutter. Average rebounder. Just like Wisconsin players is taught to play positional defense without fouling rather than go aggressively after the ball, though as a freshman was quite a highlight reel. Plays tough defense and moves his feet well, won't really struggle defending bigger guys. Projects mostly as a good 3&D player, who has enough skills to fit into a starting lineup. The main question is whether his amazing shooting, which really improved this year, will stay. -- Gilles
Christian Wood (PF, Sophomore, 19 y.o., UNLV)
32.9 mpg - 15.5 ppg - 55.6% 2pp - 28.4% 3pp - 73.4% ftp - 10.0 rpg - 2.7 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'10.5"
Weight: 216 pounds
Wingspan: 7'3.25"
Standing Reach: 9'3.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: N/A
Analysis: Wood is a player you draft for his upside. He'll most likely be drafted by a playoff team, and spend most of his first year playing in the D-League. That said, he has the potential to eventually be a good player in the league. He's a good athlete, but not an elite athlete, who brings rebounding and shot blocking as two skills that should translate to the NBA. Aside from that, he's very raw. He shows potential for developing a face up game, although he only shot 28.4% from the three. His form, while decent, needs a little tweaking, and his release is a little slow. He has a good motor, but at times plays out of control, throwing up wild off-balance shots, or taking ill-advised, highly contested shots. He has no post game other than dunking, or layups in transition. He needs to add about 30 pounds of muscle. I saw players three to four inches shorter than him successfully defend him under the basket. He had no ability to move them, and at the other end, he was incapable of holding position. His perimeter defense was a mixed bag. Sometimes textbook perfect, and other times he looked totally lost. He handles the ball well, and is capable of putting it on the floor and going to the basket, but he's mostly a straight line dribbler. He's a very good weakside shot blocker, averaging 2.7 blocks a game. I like Wood, despite his flaws. More of a gut reaction than a logical one. If he works hard, I can see him being a solid, if not a good player in the NBA. But he's a couple of years away. --Bajaden
Cliff Alexander (PF, Freshman, 19 y.o., Kansas)
17.6 mpg - 7.1 ppg - .687 at the rim FG% - .348 jumpshooting FG% - .671FT% - 5.3 rpg - 0.4 apg - 1.0 TOpg - 0.2 spg - 1.3 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'8.5"
Weight: 239 pounds
Wingspan: 7'3.5"
Standing Reach: 9'1.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: N/A
Analysis: Energetic, physical big man with limited skill level and NBA ready body. Despite being ready physically got less than 500 minutes on a team that could have used big man play. At this point very limited offensively to just a finisher and garbage man around the rim. Jumper looks slow, mechanical, and needs a lot of work. Same for post moves. Handles and passing are really limited. When finishing with opponents close prefers lay-ins rather than dunks, which is a bit troubling - looks like he doesn't get a lot of lift from standstill. Good rebounder and solid weak side shot blocker due to very good length for a PF, but not ready to be an NBA defender as he blows assignments too often. Average at defending outside. Can step on the court right now and look like an NBA player, but game will be too fast and complicated for him for a while. Needs a lot of improvements to his skill level. Will need 2-3 years in D-League. -- Gilles
Robert Upshaw (C, Sophomore, 21 y.o., [Washington])
24.9 mpg - 10.9 ppg - 59.3% fgp - 8.2 rpg - 4.5 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 7'0"
Weight: 258 pounds
Wingspan: 7'5.5"
Standing Reach: 9'5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: N/A
Analysis: Upshaw is one of the toughest calls in the draft. You simply cannot discuss Upshaw without noting that he has been dismissed from college not once but twice in two years. Both Fresno St. and Washington decided that they were better off without his services - all indications seem to be that his dismissals were due to drug violations. The first dismissal is a red flag, but the second one (the "you mean you didn't learn the first time?" one) is the one that is going to make teams reluctant to draft him. That said, Upshaw was by far the NCAA leader in blocked shots this year with 4.5 per game - nearly a full block higher than his nearest competitor. Certainly some of that advantage comes from being tall and extremely long. However, Upshaw is a bit unusual as a volume shotblocker in that he gets the majority of his shot blocks on his own man as opposed to from the weak side. He gets very good lift when guarding in the post despite being quite heavy. That's about the extent of Upshaw's strengths. He's not very mobile and usually elects to stake out a spot in the middle of the paint when his man doesn't have the ball in the post. His reactions to jumpers that he should contest or to drives tend to be very slow. He's also not a terribly strong rebounder despite his size, partly because he does not put in full effort to box out and partly because he's not very mobile. Offensively, he has one or two average moves in the post but will probably never be mistaken for a low post scoring threat. Three years out of high school and twice dismissed from college, he had little choice but to declare for the draft. Somebody is going to take a chance on him, but with his history and one-dimensional play I really wouldn't want any piece of him in the first round. -- Capt. Factorial
Trade Down A Lot (approximate draft position 21-30):
Tyus Jones: (PG, Freshman, 19 y.o., Duke)
33.9 mpg - 11.8 ppg - 41.7% fgp - 37.9% 3pp - 5.6 apg - 1.9 turnovers - 3.5 rpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'2"
Weight: 185 pounds
Wingspan: 6'5"
Standing Reach: 8'1"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 32.5"
Analysis: Jones was considered the highest-ranked high school PG when he arrived at Duke. He had a reputation for being a clutch player, and he did nothing this past season to change that opinion, validated by carrying his team to a win against Wisconsin in the second half of the NCAA championship game. He hit many a clutch shot throughout the season. If there was one word to best describe Jones, it would be average. He's an average athlete, with average speed and leaping ability. But he makes up for it with above average intelligence, instincts, and skill level. He's an unselfish player who is an excellent passer with great court vision. If you're open, he'll find you. He always seems calm and in control, even when everything seems to be going south. He's a very good ball handler, but not a particularly good finisher, although he did get to the line regularly. He's a decent to good shooter. He shot 37.9% from beyond the arc, but he tends to be streaky. He's a better shooter coming off screens, or spotting up, than he is trying to create his own shot, which will only get tougher in the NBA. He was a poor defender at the college level, and I don't see any dramatic improvement happening in the NBA. He's not blessed with good lateral quickness, and at times, he seems to take plays off, sometimes failing to rotate. He likes to gamble in the passing lanes, resulting in 1.5 steals a game, but he also got burned a few times. I see him going near the bottom of the first round due to his size, and lack of athleticism. He's a tough kid, so I wouldn't count him out. --Bajaden
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (SF, Sophomore, 20 y.o., Arizona)
28.7 mpg - 11.2 ppg - 50.2% fgp - 20.7% 3pp - 6.8 rpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'7"
Weight: 211 pounds
Wingspan: 7'2"
Standing Reach: 8'8"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 38.0"
Analysis: One of the best athletes in the draft, and a great finisher inside as a result - .723 at the rim FG%. Along with quickness and length he has good strength for a SF. In his 3rd/4th season he will probably be able to play some PF. Loves to play defense and hustle: he gets lots of deflections, offensive rebounds, loose and 50/50 balls. At the same time he was listed as SF/PG in HS and has a very good penetration game - as a result he gets a lot of FTs (and has the best rate of getting to the line among perimeter NBA prospects per DX.com). Unfortunately Arizona experienced massive spacing issues this year and had 4 guys who like to dribble on the floor simultaneously, so it's no surprise that his most impressive plays of the season came early when he was playing off the bench, and had 2 good shooters on the court. When driving inside, he is always looking for an open teammate, rather than to score himself. While he very rarely turns the ball over his passing and ballhandling could definitely use improvement - sometimes he just moves much faster than his control of the ball allows. Now to the really bad: this guy can't shoot. There's nothing fundamentally wrong, but there's too much unnecessary movement and he often doesn't follow through. He started the season rather well, picking his spots on long ball and knocking down around .400 from mid-range, but at some point the jumpers just stopped falling. -- Gilles
R.J. Hunter (SG, Junior, 21 y.o., Georgia St.)
37.2 mpg - 19.5 ppg - 39.3% fgp - 29.8% 3pp - 4.7 rpg - 3.5 apg - 2.1 spg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'6"
Weight: 185 pounds
Wingspan: 6'10.5"
Standing Reach: 8'8"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 33.5"
Analysis: Hunter is a long and skinny SG who is known for two things. First, he's a big-time scorer who lives largely off of his jump shot with a lightning-quick release. This year he actually had a big drop in his three-point percentage as he was by far the best player on his team and opponents began to key on him on the perimeter. When he squares it up, his jumper is nearly unstoppable, but he forced a lot of tough shots in the face of the defense this year. The second thing is that he's a coach's son. While this usually implies a good knowledge of the game and solid fundamentals, it often comes with the no-athleticism curse. For Hunter, this is not the case, and while he's not an outstanding athlete, he ought to be able to hold his own and he has a very good wingspan and long strides that help his perimeter defense. He grabbed over two steal per game largely by playing the passing lanes and just being quicker and longer than his opponents anticipated. However, I would still say that his defense is lacking as far as rotations go, and of course being skinny he can't bang down low, so he's pretty much a liability anywhere but on the perimeter. Finally, he's a very good passer from the wing and sees the floor remarkably well. If you consider the swing guys above him (Winslow, Hezonja, Oubre, Booker) to be SGs, Hunter is probably seen as no better than the fifth-best SG in this draft - this may be a blessing for him because he'll end up at the end of the first round and join a playoff team with little expectation to play now and instead be able to spend a lot of his rookie year bulking up. -- Capt. Factorial
Delon Wright (PG, Senior, 23 y.o., Utah)
33.3 mpg - 14.5 ppg - .643 at the rim FG% - .404 off the dribble 2pt% - .356 3pt% - .836 FT% - 4.9 rpg - 5.1 apg - 1.9 TOpg - 2.1 spg - 1.0 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'5.5"
Weight: 181 pounds
Wingspan: 6'7.5"
Standing Reach: 8'5.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 31"
Analysis: One of the most ready players in the draft, Delon Wright offers an interesting mix of qualities on both ends of the court. Playing in an offense that is very slow, methodical, but at the same time one of those most closely resembling NBA offenses, Wright might be able to step into a backup PG role from day 1. Very good decision-making while running the P&R will be a main feature of his offensive game. When splitting double-teams, he's very quick to get to the rim, where he finishes very well using his SG-type length. He has improved his shooting off the dribble both from mid-range and outside, though he is still only passable from beyond the arc. His spot up shooting got a lot better as well as his FT%, which suggests further improvement is not out of the question. Very good at getting to FT line. Does well in transition, though he's not very pacey. Very unselfish, but is not a particularly gifted scorer, given limited shooting, lack of first step and strength. Where Wright truly shines is on the defensive end. He is tall for a PG, though he lacks strength and wingspan is not outstanding, though that is a result of his narrow shoulders rather than short arms. Wright averages 20.0 FG% against, gets a lot of steals and deflections, and even gets his fair share of blocks. He might be the best defensive guard of the draft. Wright is already 23, and though he made significant strides in the previous off-season, major improvements are unlikely in his future. -- Gilles
George De Paula (aka George Lucas) (PG, 19 y.o., Brazil)
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'5.5"
Weight: 197 pounds
Wingspan: 7'0"
Standing Reach: 8'8"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 34"
Analysis: This year's man of mystery. Has the same dimensions as SF Justise Winslow, but not the bulk or strength. Very good ballhandling skills, but lacks the first step and overall quickness to get to the rim at will. Rather bad at finishing inside given his size. Very nice court vision (height really helps), but timing of passes is not fine tuned resulting in a lot of TOs. Doesn't shoot well off the dribble, though set shot appears to be solid already. Makes good decisions in transition. Not a lot of footage available to go into specifics. Defense comes and goes as he's not used to defending against quickness. Will obviously handle switching onto wings and forwards with ease. At this point De Paula is all potential and likely "two years away from being two years away". Schroeder was much more poised when he participated in Nike Hoops Summit. Still, his combination of body, athleticism, handles and court vision is very intriguing. The team that drafts him will have to be very patient and not expect any production for 2-3 years. -- Gilles
Jarell Martin: (PF, Sophmore, 20 y.o., LSU)
35.1 mpg - 16.9 ppg - 50.9% fgp - 26.9% 3pp - 9.2 rpg - 1.8 apg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'9.25"
Weight: 239 pounds
Wingspan: 6'9.75"
Standing Reach: 8'10.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 34.5"
Analysis: Martin is the other half of the LSU two-headed monster along with Jordan Mickey. Martin differs from Mickey by having legit size for the PF position, even if his wingspan leaves a little to be desired. Martin's strength is his face up game. He has a consistent jumpshot from 16 feet, and because of his excellent ball handling, he's capable of putting it on the floor and attacking the basket, which also gets him to the line an average of 6.2 times a game. His 3 pt shot, where he averaged only 27% this past season, still needs some work. His post game is somewhat of a mystery. Less than 14% of his shots came from post ups, but when he did post up he was fairly successful. He doesn't shy away from contact, so that part of his game is likely to be explored in the NBA. Defensively he's not very good. With his athletic ability he should be much better. I don't think its lack of ability, I think its lack of focus. He doesn't show the same intensity on defense that he does on offense. He goes from being the energizer bunny, to the dead battery. Martin has all the tools, athleticism, and size to be a solid NBA player. But he needs to clean up some things first. -- Bajaden
Justin Anderson (SF, Junior, 21 y.o., Virginia)
27.8 mpg - 12.2 ppg - .631 at the rim FG% - .250 off the dribble 2pt% - .446 3pt% - .780 FT% - 4.0 rpg - 1.7 apg - 1.2 TOpg - 0.7 spg - 0.5 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'6.25"
Weight: 231 pounds
Wingspan: 6'11.75"
Standing Reach: 8'5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: 43"
Analysis: Has very modest stats, first because his team plays at very slow pace, and second because he had to rush back from a middle of the season finger injury. He was one of the best pace-adjusted scorers in the country in the first half of the season. Doesn't have in-between game and can only drive in straight line, but Anderson became a very strong and versatile shooter this season while maintaining good finishing inside. Unselfish, has nice court vision and passing ability. Good cutter. Average rebounder. Just like Wisconsin players is taught to play positional defense without fouling rather than go aggressively after the ball, though as a freshman was quite a highlight reel. Plays tough defense and moves his feet well, won't really struggle defending bigger guys. Projects mostly as a good 3&D player, who has enough skills to fit into a starting lineup. The main question is whether his amazing shooting, which really improved this year, will stay. -- Gilles
Christian Wood (PF, Sophomore, 19 y.o., UNLV)
32.9 mpg - 15.5 ppg - 55.6% 2pp - 28.4% 3pp - 73.4% ftp - 10.0 rpg - 2.7 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'10.5"
Weight: 216 pounds
Wingspan: 7'3.25"
Standing Reach: 9'3.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: N/A
Analysis: Wood is a player you draft for his upside. He'll most likely be drafted by a playoff team, and spend most of his first year playing in the D-League. That said, he has the potential to eventually be a good player in the league. He's a good athlete, but not an elite athlete, who brings rebounding and shot blocking as two skills that should translate to the NBA. Aside from that, he's very raw. He shows potential for developing a face up game, although he only shot 28.4% from the three. His form, while decent, needs a little tweaking, and his release is a little slow. He has a good motor, but at times plays out of control, throwing up wild off-balance shots, or taking ill-advised, highly contested shots. He has no post game other than dunking, or layups in transition. He needs to add about 30 pounds of muscle. I saw players three to four inches shorter than him successfully defend him under the basket. He had no ability to move them, and at the other end, he was incapable of holding position. His perimeter defense was a mixed bag. Sometimes textbook perfect, and other times he looked totally lost. He handles the ball well, and is capable of putting it on the floor and going to the basket, but he's mostly a straight line dribbler. He's a very good weakside shot blocker, averaging 2.7 blocks a game. I like Wood, despite his flaws. More of a gut reaction than a logical one. If he works hard, I can see him being a solid, if not a good player in the NBA. But he's a couple of years away. --Bajaden
Cliff Alexander (PF, Freshman, 19 y.o., Kansas)
17.6 mpg - 7.1 ppg - .687 at the rim FG% - .348 jumpshooting FG% - .671FT% - 5.3 rpg - 0.4 apg - 1.0 TOpg - 0.2 spg - 1.3 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 6'8.5"
Weight: 239 pounds
Wingspan: 7'3.5"
Standing Reach: 9'1.5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: N/A
Analysis: Energetic, physical big man with limited skill level and NBA ready body. Despite being ready physically got less than 500 minutes on a team that could have used big man play. At this point very limited offensively to just a finisher and garbage man around the rim. Jumper looks slow, mechanical, and needs a lot of work. Same for post moves. Handles and passing are really limited. When finishing with opponents close prefers lay-ins rather than dunks, which is a bit troubling - looks like he doesn't get a lot of lift from standstill. Good rebounder and solid weak side shot blocker due to very good length for a PF, but not ready to be an NBA defender as he blows assignments too often. Average at defending outside. Can step on the court right now and look like an NBA player, but game will be too fast and complicated for him for a while. Needs a lot of improvements to his skill level. Will need 2-3 years in D-League. -- Gilles
Robert Upshaw (C, Sophomore, 21 y.o., [Washington])
24.9 mpg - 10.9 ppg - 59.3% fgp - 8.2 rpg - 4.5 bpg
Stats (from 2015 NBA draft combine)
Height in shoes: 7'0"
Weight: 258 pounds
Wingspan: 7'5.5"
Standing Reach: 9'5"
Maximum Vertical Jump: N/A
Analysis: Upshaw is one of the toughest calls in the draft. You simply cannot discuss Upshaw without noting that he has been dismissed from college not once but twice in two years. Both Fresno St. and Washington decided that they were better off without his services - all indications seem to be that his dismissals were due to drug violations. The first dismissal is a red flag, but the second one (the "you mean you didn't learn the first time?" one) is the one that is going to make teams reluctant to draft him. That said, Upshaw was by far the NCAA leader in blocked shots this year with 4.5 per game - nearly a full block higher than his nearest competitor. Certainly some of that advantage comes from being tall and extremely long. However, Upshaw is a bit unusual as a volume shotblocker in that he gets the majority of his shot blocks on his own man as opposed to from the weak side. He gets very good lift when guarding in the post despite being quite heavy. That's about the extent of Upshaw's strengths. He's not very mobile and usually elects to stake out a spot in the middle of the paint when his man doesn't have the ball in the post. His reactions to jumpers that he should contest or to drives tend to be very slow. He's also not a terribly strong rebounder despite his size, partly because he does not put in full effort to box out and partly because he's not very mobile. Offensively, he has one or two average moves in the post but will probably never be mistaken for a low post scoring threat. Three years out of high school and twice dismissed from college, he had little choice but to declare for the draft. Somebody is going to take a chance on him, but with his history and one-dimensional play I really wouldn't want any piece of him in the first round. -- Capt. Factorial
