The NBA Draft Stock Report checks in on which college basketball players have made a name for themselves in the past week; either helping or hurting their future draft position. With conference play underway, we get a better understanding of how NBA Draft prospects respond to playing better competition than some of the cupcake opponents they face in the non-conference.
Click here for The Sports Bank’s 2012 NBA Mock Draft.
BUY:
Dion Waiters, G, Syracuse, Soph.
Waiters continues to be an integral piece of Syracuse’s unbeaten run due to his breakout sophomore season. He has become the Orange’s best player due to his ability to score the basketball from the outside or attack the rim, and his tenacity on the defensive end. I actually see a little bit of a young Dwyane Wade in Waiters at times. He would certainly be a first round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and could possibly sneak into the late lottery if he continues to play at a high level.
Draymond Green, SF, Michigan State, Sr.
Averaging nearly a double-double a night, Green has been a huge reason for Sparty’s fifteen game win streak. The main concern with Green is that he is undersized to be a power forward in the NBA but not quick enough to be a small forward. Still, Green possesses all the intangibles to be an energy guy off somebody’s bench at the next level and I would not be shocked at all if he slips into the first round.
Brandon Paul, SG, Illinois, Jr.
Illini fans were saying, “FINALLY!” after his 43-point outburst in an upset of Ohio State. Paul was obviously in the zone hitting eight of his ten three-point attempts. It shows the potential that this young man has and now it will be interesting to see if he can snowball that performance to the rest of the season. Besides his hot shooting, I was really impressed with his play on the defensive end as well against the Buckeyes as he came up with a couple of big blocked shots and rebounds. He still has some flaws to his game; turns the ball over and relies on his inconsistent jumper too often. Still, he caught a lot of people’s attention against the Buckeyes.
Trey Burke, PG, Michigan, Fr.
Burke might be flying under the radar more than any other freshman on the national scene. He is logging a ton of minutes for the Wolverines and looking like a veteran running the show. Burke can score off the bounce, has a decent perimeter shot, and can effect the game in a number of ways; defense included. At 5-11 he is a tad small compared to other NBA point guards and I don’t think there’s any real chance of him turning pro this summer, but Burke is certainly somebody to keep an eye on going forward.
Jordan Theodore, PG, Seton Hall, Sr.
This is the third Pirate I’m buying in as many weeks (Herb Pope and Fuquan Edwin have appeared here) as Seton Hall continues to be one of the surprise teams in the nation. Theodore has been a terrific floor leader this season as he leads the Big East in assists. He wasn’t even on my draft radar coming into the season but might have worked himself into second round consideration.
SELL:
Ashton Gibbs, G, Pitt, Sr.
Since he is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body, there was little chance of Gibbs being drafted. Still, the possibility was alive due to his ability to shoot the rock. With Pitt’s struggles have come Gibbs’ cold shooting as his three-point percentage has dropped 15% from last season. There is really no chance he gets drafted this summer.
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.