Upper Class Sleepers

[CFAN38]

I have watched a significant amount of college ball this year and now the tournament. I think its safe to say this draft will yield a solid group of upper class-man.These are later 1st early 2nd round picks due to age but will make great rotational players in the NBA.

Bigs

Adrien Payne, has a complete skill set for NBA PF should be drafted just outside of lottery

Patrick Young, has everything a team should want for back up center. Should be smaller more athletic Perk. Nice late 1st early 2nd

Dwight Powell, well rounded PF. solid mobility some ability at SF and great bball IQ early 2nd

Corey Jefferson, great length and athleticism. Should be nice energy/defense 4 off bench early 2nd rd pick.

Jarnell Stokes, is a JR. less skilled Sully. But is equally a load under the hoop and has great RB instincts. His ceiling may be limited to rookie year sully but still a nice  player off the bench. early 2nd

James McAdoo, he has a nice physical profile for a 4/3 and was highly regarded out of highschool. Never has lived up to all the hype or developed enough perimenter skills. Should be able to give a team hustle off the bench and possibly develop into a lesser brandon bass type. mid-2nd rd




Guards

Russ Smith, perfect bench guard. Athletic scorer who can put defensive pressure on opposing PGs. Size makes him a late 1st.

Deandre Kane, great size and skill set but already 25. Still should be able to give a team solid bench minutes. Early 2nd

Nick Johnson, he is a JR. Combo guard with great athletism and scoring insticts. Skill set is really more SG. Bayless type bench guard. Late 1st rd pick

Shabazz Napier, solid well rounded PG. Should make for a nice backup. Early 2nd

Wings

KJ McDaniels, he is a JR. Admittedly haven't seen him play. Great athlete who fills a stat sheet. Mid-late 1st rd pick

Markel Brown, I see alot of TA in his game. He is a 6'3"-4" SG with no real combo guard skill. But like TA he is strong with solid length and great athleticism. He is a high energy player. Not the elite defensive player TA is but should be a better shooter. Another Comp would be Shannon Brown. Can really see him contributing off the bench for a team as a rookie. Late 1st-early 2nd rd pick

Cleanthony Early, great scoring instincts and solid athleticism. Not big enough to play stretch 4 so he will have to make it as SF. Early 2nd

LeBryan Nash, is a JR. alot of physical potential. Played the 3 his first 2 yrs but struggled to hit from outside. At least should be a solid defender at the 3 in the pros. If perimeter game improves he could suprise in the Pros. early-mid 2nd

Branden Dawson, is a JR. stat stuffing 3/4 needs to add 3pt shot to his game. mid 2nd

[pearljammer10]

Didn't watch any college ball during the season but since the tournament 3 out of my 4 that stood out to me are players you've mentioned. Really liked what I saw from:

Adrein Payne

Russ Smith

Cleanthony Early

And then of course Montrezl Harrel

[slamtheking]

I think the tourney may have put Bryce Cotton on the radar of some GMs if he wasn't there already.  Definitely worth a mid-to-late second rounder.  very capable PG that can score.   would like to see a team take shot on him

[CFAN38]

Didn't watch any college ball during the season but since the tournament 3 out of my 4 that stood out to me are players you've mentioned. Really liked what I saw from:

Adrein Payne

Russ Smith

Cleanthony Early

And then of course Montrezl Harrel

Didn't include Harrell because he is a soph and has been projected in first rd all season but I agree his tournament has definitely helped his stock.

[Dog_Lover106]

I have watched a significant amount of college ball this year and now the tournament. I think its safe to say this draft will yield a solid group of upper class-man.These are later 1st early 2nd round picks due to age but will make great rotational players in the NBA.

Bigs

Adrien Payne, has a complete skill set for NBA PF should be drafted just outside of lottery

Patrick Young, has everything a team should want for back up center. Should be smaller more athletic Perk. Nice late 1st early 2nd

Dwight Powell, well rounded PF. solid mobility some ability at SF and great bball IQ early 2nd

Corey Jefferson, great length and athleticism. Should be nice energy/defense 4 off bench early 2nd rd pick.

Jarnell Stokes, is a JR. less skilled Sully. But is equally a load under the hoop and has great RB instincts. His ceiling may be limited to rookie year sully but still a nice  player off the bench. early 2nd

James McAdoo, he has a nice physical profile for a 4/3 and was highly regarded out of highschool. Never has lived up to all the hype or developed enough perimenter skills. Should be able to give a team hustle off the bench and possibly develop into a lesser brandon bass type. mid-2nd rd




Guards

Russ Smith, perfect bench guard. Athletic scorer who can put defensive pressure on opposing PGs. Size makes him a late 1st.

Deandre Kane, great size and skill set but already 25. Still should be able to give a team solid bench minutes. Early 2nd

Nick Johnson, he is a JR. Combo guard with great athletism and scoring insticts. Skill set is really more SG. Bayless type bench guard. Late 1st rd pick

Shabazz Napier, solid well rounded PG. Should make for a nice backup. Early 2nd

Wings

KJ McDaniels, he is a JR. Admittedly haven't seen him play. Great athlete who fills a stat sheet. Mid-late 1st rd pick

Markel Brown, I see alot of TA in his game. He is a 6'3"-4" SG with no real combo guard skill. But like TA he is strong with solid length and great athleticism. He is a high energy player. Not the elite defensive player TA is but should be a better shooter. Another Comp would be Shannon Brown. Can really see him contributing off the bench for a team as a rookie. Late 1st-early 2nd rd pick

Cleanthony Early, great scoring instincts and solid athleticism. Not big enough to play stretch 4 so he will have to make it as SF. Early 2nd

LeBryan Nash, is a JR. alot of physical potential. Played the 3 his first 2 yrs but struggled to hit from outside. At least should be a solid defender at the 3 in the pros. If perimeter game improves he could suprise in the Pros. early-mid 2nd

Branden Dawson, is a JR. stat stuffing 3/4 needs to add 3pt shot to his game. mid 2nd

Bryce Cotton is as good as any point guard in the country.

[Fred Roberts]

Early was playing great in the UK game. Clutch long range shots, rebounds and put backs. He did himself favors playing so well.

[Celtics4ever]

Patrick Young is a tease, wild talent but gosh is he inconsistent.   Ben Wallace one game,  next game the invisible man.

[clover]

Bryce Cotton is as good as any point guard in the country.

I haven't seen him play at all, but I wonder what you think of this year-ago assessment from Draftexpress that also noted he was an elite shooter at the college level:

"While his 3.2 assists per 40 minutes pace adjusted can be partially explained by Providence's overall lack of scoring options outside of Cotton, he does not appear to be a very instinctive passer, with relatively mediocre court vision, recognition, and ability to control tempo. The threat he provides scoring off the pick and roll gives him some opportunities to create offense for teammates, but he is by and large not able to capitalize on the attention his receives, and this will be a major question mark for him moving forward, as his size limits his ability to play off the ball. "

[CFAN38]

Patrick Young is a tease, wild talent but gosh is he inconsistent.   Ben Wallace one game,  next game the invisible man.

This is why he will make a great backup and not a starter. He would work nicely as a backup to D Howard. Or in a the big man rotation that will ultimately replace Perk in OKC.

[Dog_Lover106]

Bryce Cotton is as good as any point guard in the country.

I haven't seen him play at all, but I wonder what you think of this year-ago assessment from Draftexpress that also noted he was an elite shooter at the college level:

"While his 3.2 assists per 40 minutes pace adjusted can be partially explained by Providence's overall lack of scoring options outside of Cotton, he does not appear to be a very instinctive passer, with relatively mediocre court vision, recognition, and ability to control tempo. The threat he provides scoring off the pick and roll gives him some opportunities to create offense for teammates, but he is by and large not able to capitalize on the attention his receives, and this will be a major question mark for him moving forward, as his size limits his ability to play off the ball. "

I follow PC pretty closely and I am a member of the Providence Scout forum board since before Cooley arrived.

Cotton simply had a fantastic year and improved greatly. Not a stretch to compare him with Ty Lawson. IMO, he also had the best individual performance of the tournament to date against UNC.

Really not a draft express guy and have done my best to avoid the media hype.
 
Here you go with a good description on what Bryce Cotton did against UNC.
http://q.usatoday.com/2014/03/24/superlatives-ncaa-tournaments-opening-weekend-mercer-duke-andrew-wiggins-jabari-parker-duke-kentucky-wichita-state/

[erisred]

Early was playing great in the UK game. Clutch long range shots, rebounds and put backs. He did himself favors playing so well.

Early has played like that the entire year. If Wichita State had *a* star, it was Cleanthony Early.

However, like a lot of college stars, who are big enough to be a PF in college, but not big enough to be a PF or skilled enough to be an SF in the NBA,  I'm not too sure he can be more than a role player in the pros. 

The more I see of what's out there in college, the more I think Danny is right about this draft. Lots of guys with potential for development, lots of guys who'll fit into the end of a rotation, but no "instant change your franchise" guys.

[hwangjini_1]

for what it is worth, payne is also very well known around the MSU community as a great person. he works very hard studying, even with a severe learning disorder. he puts the time in to do the best job he can in class. i know since he was in my wife's class and she mentioned him as a hard working student before she knew about him playing basketball.

but even more, he chose NOT to enter the draft last year because he has become good friends with a little girl who has cancer. payne decided to stay one more year since he wanted to be close to her and help her recover.

yes, he is a really nice guy.

[CFAN38]

for what it is worth, payne is also very well known around the MSU community as a great person. he works very hard studying, even with a severe learning disorder. he puts the time in to do the best job he can in class. i know since he was in my wife's class and she mentioned him as a hard working student before she knew about him playing basketball.

but even more, he chose NOT to enter the draft last year because he has become good friends with a little girl who has cancer. payne decided to stay one more year since he wanted to be close to her and help her recover.

yes, he is a really nice guy.

I have read a lot of great things about this kid. Having watched him the last month I think he will be a mid rd steal and long time starting PF in the NBA. The Bulls have two picks in the late teens, he would be perfect replacement for boozer.

[saltlover]

Patric Young is the next great NFL tight end.  Great college player, but I don't think he has much of an NBA future, and I'd be shocked if he were drafted in the late 1st round.

Scottie Wilbekin is a senior point guard for Florida, but he's very young for his class (turns 21 in April -- only 13 months older than freshman Joel Embiid.)   He might have a bit more development left in him than your typical senior starting point guard for a national title contender.  He'll probably go undrafted, but I'd love to see him get a shot in the Pressey role.

[D.o.s.]

Patric Young is the next great NFL tight end.

This is what we refer to as a perfect descriptor. TP.