By: David Kay
Every week The Sports Bank’s resident NBA Draft and college basketball nerd, David Kay takes a look at whose draft stock is on the rise and whose is falling. This week, he is selling three possible top-five picks. You can check out David’s 2010 NBA Mock Draft here.
BUY:
Matt Bouldin, SG, Gonzaga, Sr.
The more I watch Bouldin this season, the more I like his potential for the NBA. He is so incredibly intelligent on the floor, physical, can handle the rock, and stroke it from deep. While he lacks the ideal quickness for the next level, especially on the defensive end, I think he can be a great role player if he gets drafted by the right team. Whoever takes him in the second round could have a Chase Budinger/DeJuan Blair/Jonas Jerebko type steal of a pick in 2010.
Click here for an exclusive interview/profile of Bouldin
Darington Hobson, G/F, New Mexico, Jr.
If a college player wants to win me over, have an off night scoring the basketball, but still make major contributions in other areas. That is exactly what Hobson did Saturday in an overtime win against Utah. Despite being held to eight points on 1-10 from the field, Hobson showed off his versatility by grabbing ten boards and dishing out 11 assists. That performance followed up back-to-back double-doubles in big wins against Mountain West contenders San Diego State and UNLV. I don’t think there’s any chance Hobson declares for the draft this summer, but would be a borderline first round pick if he did.
Tommy Mason-Griffin, PG, Oklahoma, Fr.
With Willie Warren banged up and struggling as of late, Mason-Griffin has proven to be a big-time scorer. The Sooner freshman has topped the twenty-point mark in five of his last seven games including a 38-point performance against Iowa State and 30-point game Saturday against Oklahoma State. He has shown his ability from deep, shooting better than 45% from three this season. At a generous 5-11, Mason-Griffin is under-sized for the next level but makes up for that with his strength and physicality. Down the line, he could be a first round pick especially if he continues to score in bunches like he recently has been doing.
Randy Culpepper, PG, UTEP, Jr.
Anytime you score 45 points in a game, you are going to catch some people’s attention. For the second time this season, Culpepper hit nine triples in a game Saturday against East Carolina. At 6-0, the Miner junior is more of a shooting guard in a point guard’s body as he is only averaging two assists per game. If he can become a better floor general during the next year and a half, he could very easily find himself being drafted in the second round next year, if not higher.
Click here to check out which possible top-five picks’ stock is being sold week.
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