March Madness and the college basketball season are now over, which means that the NBA draft season is underway. The list of prospects to declare grows by the day, with one of the best classes in the past decade set to make the leap to the professional ranks.
During the NCAA tournament, some player’s stocks raised and some player’s stock dropped. Even though the season is over, these athletes must continue to prove themselves at the NBA combine and workouts, which means that player’s stock value still has potential to rise or fall.
This article will examine my top five draft prospects after the season and before the combines:
5. Dante Exum (Australia – Point Guard)
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
Dante Exum is a great athlete and a great point guard. He is great at taking over the offense and being a deadly scorer, not to mention he has great handles. During the 2013 FIBA World Championship, Exum dominated.
He has already signed with Kobe Bryant’s agent and has been working out in Los Angeles in preparation for the draft. If he could choose, he would probably choose the Lakers and Los Angeles would be lucky to have them with all their backcourt problems.
Wanting to play for the Lakers most likely won’t deter any team from drafting Exum, but its something that general managers need to be aware of. This 18 year old definitely has the talent to be a top 5 pick, but the lottery will most likely determine when his number gets called.
4. Joel Embiid (Kansas – Center)
Courtesy: CBS Sports
Joel Embiid did not get a chance to shine during this year’s NCAA tournament due to injury, which may cause some concern for general managers. Without a doubt, Embiid is filled with raw talent and is currently one of the best center draft prospects in years.
His injury has been reported to be an isolated incident and it should not linger long-term. When at full strength, he is nearly unstoppable, which should have team’s drooling over the idea of him joining their franchise. He can produce on both sides of the hardwood. Last season, he averaged 11.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in just 23.1 minutes of playing time.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a general manager go after Embiid with the first round draft pick, but with injury red flags potentially surrounding him, some teams might hesitate on pulling the trigger. Big men and injuries are tricky, we could see something similar to what happen with Nerlens Noels during last year’s draft.
3. Julius Randle (Kentucky – Power Forward)
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
Julius Randle helped improve his stock with his performance during March Madness. He was a key factor in taking Kentucky to the National Championship game. As a Wildcat, he averaged 15 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He also held an average of 50 percent shooting from field goal range.
Randle is a great pickup because he as the ability to play ball on the perimeter and can also play ball in the paint. He seemed out of character against Connecticut during the National Championship, which let’s general managers know that he still has kinks to workout. Kentucky players have been drafted fairly high when playing under John Calipari, so don’t be surprised if a franchise decides to take Randle in the top three.
2. Jabari Parker (Duke – Small Forward)
Courtesy: NBC Chicago
Jabari Parker has had high expectations for a long time and it was sad to not see him deliver during this year’s NCAA tournament. His tournament performance shouldn’t hurt his draft stock too much because Parker is just too talented.
Parker finally declared for the draft, after mulling over a return to Duke for a sophomore season. I’m sure he wanted to seek redemption for this year’s tournament loss, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a top pick in the draft. In the NBA Parker would be a great player to rotate between the 3 and the 4 spot because he can play in the post and also hit shots from behind the arc. Now that he declared, Parker will certainly not fall any lower than third overall.
1. Andrew Wiggins (Kansas – Small Forward)
Courtesy: Rant Sports
The next LeBron James. That’s what critics said about Andrew Wiggins even before the season started. He had a poor performance during the NCAA tournament but I’m sure general manger’s could care less because Wiggins is filled with raw talent. At Kansas, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He is a very special athlete that is filled with untapped potential.
Playing in college undoubtedly made Wiggins a better player. Wiggins is now more confident and a better shooter. There has been a lot of hype surrounding him for a long time, but Wiggins has the athleticism to back it all up. Without a doubt, he will be going top three in the draft depending on the lottery results and team’s needs. Right now, he is currently the top prospect for the number one pick.
