We have mere hours until the NBA Draft, so heading into it, let’s look at my big board heading into Thursday night. Potential Clippers picks at No. 28 have an asterisk next to their names. Leave your gripes and disagreements below.
- Andrew Wiggins, SF, Kansas — If you’re drafting first, it’s usually protocol to go with the two-way player. Wiggins has the potential to dominate on both sides of the ball.
- Joel Embiid, C, Kansas — The foot injuries may be a little scary, but if Embiid can stay healthy, he has a great chance to become the best player from this draft.
- Dante Exum, PG/SG, Australia — He’s still only 18 years old and is a remarkably raw defender, but with his 6-foot-6 height and 6-foot-9 wingspan, he has a high defensive ceiling and the ability to see over defenses at the point.
- Jabari Parker, SF/PF, Duke — Plenty of people have Parker going first overall, and he may very well end up the being the best offensive player from this draft, but his defense is still lagging behind that of Embiid and Wiggins.
- Noah Vonleh, PF, Indiana — Plenty have made the Chris Bosh comparison and it makes sense. At just under 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Vonleh could become a legitimate defender and his 46 percent shooting on jumpers is particularly impressive for a freshman big man.
- Aaron Gordon, SF/PF, Arizona — Gordon isn’t much of a jump-shooter or isolation player just yet, but he’s a Blake Griffin-like athlete and dunker with a tremendous motor who already plays top-tier defense.
- Marcus Smart, PG, Oklahoma State — Think Eric Bledsoe doppelgänger here. Smart is a long, athletic defensive pest, who can dominate on offense when he gets to the rim. However, he still needs to develop a shot.
- Julius Randle, PF, Kentucky — Randle is a dominant rebounder who pulled down 19 percent of available boards this past season, but he may never be a rim-protector. If he can average 20 and 10, though, he’ll make those concerns go away.
- Nik Stauskas, SG, Michigan — Stauskas came to Michigan as a shooter who would run off screens off the ball. He left as a ball-handler who can run an offense and create off the dribble.
- Doug McDermott, SF, Creighton — Being a three-time All-American is pretty darn impressive. Now, McDermott needs to learn to adjust his game to a more off-the-ball role, as he tries to do his best Kyle Korver impression in the pros.
- Jusuf Nurkic, C, Bosnia — Nurkic is a 6-foot-11, 280-pound beast who can shoot a little bit and averaged 25.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per 36 minutes in the Adriatic League, one of the most competitive international leagues in the world.
- Dario Saric, SF/PF, Croatia — Saric hurt his draft stock just a few days ago signing with a Turkish team, a deal that will likely keep him away from the NBA for at least two years. Still, a 6-foot-10 shooter with his smooth jumper is worth the wait if you take him in the first round.
- Tyler Ennis, PG, Syracuse — No other point guard in this draft runs the pick-and-roll quite as smoothly as Ennis. He may not be the best athlete out there, but his smarts and ability to run an offense should keep him in the league for a long time.
- Adreian Payne, PF, Michigan State — Payne may be the most undervalued prospect in the draft. A 6-foot-10 forward who can set screens, shoot threes, defend the pick-and-roll and rotate properly has value on any team.
- Zach LaVine, PG/SG, UCLA — LaVine is one of the best athletes out there, but he still needs to improve as a decision-maker and on the defensive end of the floor.
- Clint Capela, PF/C, Switzerland* — With a height of 6-foot-11 and a wingspan just under 7-foot-5, Capela has a chance to become an elite shot blocker. The 20-year-old averaged 2.5 blocks per 36 minutes playing in France last year.
- K.J. McDaniels, SF, Clemson* — McDaniels may only be 6-foot-6, but his 6-foot-11 wingspan allows him to get into the face of shooters to the tune of 2.8 blocks per game. That gives the 21-year-old a remarkably high defensive ceiling.
- Rodney Hood, SF, Duke — Hood didn’t get much attention playing next to Jabari Parker, but the Mississippi State transfer was remarkably efficient in his only season as a Blue Devil, posting a 59 percent true shooting.
- T.J. Warren, SF, North Carolina State — The ACC’s leading scorer can get to the rim with the best of them. Now, all he needs to do is improve his shooting from the outside.
- Vasilije Micic, PG, Serbia* — If Payne isn’t the most underrated prospect in this draft, it’s Micic, a 6-foot-6 point guard, who runs the pick-and-roll beautifully, makes proper decisions and has a decent jumper. We all know he’s destined to be a Spur, right?
- Elfrid Payton, PG, Louisiana-Lafayette — Payton may not have the best shooting numbers coming out of a small college, but he was able to dominate in the paint while at Louisiana-Lafayette.
- P.J. Hairston, SG, D-League — After leaving UNC in December, Hairston headed straight to the D-League, where he averaged 21.8 points per game on 45-36-87 shooting. With an NBA body at shooting guard, he looks like he could come in and make an impact immediately.
- Jordan Adams, SG, UCLA* — Adams has a little bit of Wesley Matthews in him. He may not be the best athlete, but he has the shooting ability and defensive smarts to become a capable two-way contributor on a competitive team.
- James Young, SG/SF, Kentucky — Young’s athleticism is freaky. His strength around the rim is superb. But he still has raw in so many areas of the game, including creating off the dribble and learning how to defend.
- Gary Harris, SG, Michigan State — Harris knew how to play on both ends of the floor in college, but his height 6-foot-4 and wingspan under 6-foot-7 may preclude him from becoming the defender we all hope he can be in the pros.
- Jerami Grant, SF, Syracuse* — Grant has the body and ability of a lock-down wing defender, but like with all Syracuse players, we have to ask one major question: Can he learn how to guard outside the 2-3 zone or was his defensive prowess in college merely a mirage?
- Jarnell Stokes, PF, Tennessee* — Stokes may not be the best athlete in the draft, but he pulled down 19 percent of available rebounds during his collegiate career, a number that puts him in line with Vonleh and Randle.
- Spencer Dinwiddie, SG, Colorado — If Dinwiddie hadn’t torn his ACL this past season, we’d probably be talking about him as a lock in the first round. If he can make a full recovery, whoever takes him could end up getting a steal.
- Shabazz Napier, PG, Connecticut — Napier may be the best shooting point guard in this draft, but like with Kemba Walker, whoever takes him has to ask if his size will be a problem in the NBA.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG, Serbia* — The appeal of Bogdanovic is that he does a little bit of everything. He’s a three-point-dominant ball-handler, who runs his team’s offense in the Adriatic League. At 21-years-old, he’s already learned how to carry an attack.
- Cleanthony Early, SF, Wichita State* — Early played plenty of power forward at Wichita State, but his 6-foot-7 frame will force him to move to the 3 at the next level. He has range out to the three-point line, but he’ll have to adjust to guarding on the wings.
- Markel Brown, SG, Oklahoma State — Brown is a dominant athlete whose shooting improved during each season as a Cowboy. His measurements are similar to those of Russell Westbrook. Plus, the people of Columbia, MO, are still recovering from this.
- Mitch McGary, PF, Michigan* — McGary had an up-and-down career at Michigan which saw him as a potential lottery pick if he had left after last season, when he helped take the Wolverines to the NCAA Championship Game. His rebounding numbers are elite, but he played in just eight games this season after back surgery.
- Damien Inglis, SF, French Guiana — Inglis has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, an NBA body and is already shooting the three with some accuracy, but at just 19-years-old, he is still an incredibly raw project coming out of France.
- Glenn Robinson, SF, Michigan — Robinson was supposed to be a lottery pick when he first got to Michigan, but like McGary, he fell once we got to see some more of him. His shot isn’t where he wants it to be, but he was still one of the best athletes in the country this past season.
- Jordan Clarkson, PG/SG, Missouri* — Clarkson seems to be spelling some of the criticism against his jumper during individual workouts, where he has apparently shot the ball well. If he can develop consistent range in the pros, at 6-foot-5, he could be a quality point guard to run an NBA offense.
- Xavier Thames, PG/SG, San Diego State — Thames may be off the map, but he was one of the most controlled players in the country this year as a pick-and-roll point guard, turning the ball over less than anyone. After bringing his true shooting up to 56 percent as a senior, he should be a legitimate point guard prospect.
- Artem Klimenko, C, Russia — Klimenko has been rotting away in the second division of the Russian League, which makes him one of the biggest unknowns in this draft, but he’s a 7-foot-1 center who is perimeter-oriented. Someone will be intrigued by that profile.
- Walter Tavares, C, Cape Verde — Tavares is the biggest player in the draft. Literally. At 7-foot-3 with a 7-foot-9 wingspan, he qualifies at this year’s Rudy Gobert.
- Deonte Burton, PG, Nevada — Burton is a supreme athlete who thrived as a score-first point guard at Nevada. Plus, he threw down what was probably college basketball’s dunk of the year.
- Jabari Brown, SG, Missouri — He may not give you much on the defensive end, but Brown is one of the five best shooters in this draft.
- Josh Huestis, SF, Stanford — Huestis is in a similar position to Early, having to learn how to play more on the perimeter in the NBA. Don’t let the afro and Stanford jersey give you Josh Childress flashbacks.
- C.J. Wilcox, SG, Washington — Wilcox may be undersized and at 23 years old, his age will hurt his stock, but he was a remarkably efficient player as a Husky, posting a 60 percent true shooting this past season.
- Nikola Jokic, C, Serbia — Jokic may have only made 22 percent of them this past season, but the 19-year-old center loves taking threes and looks good doing it. That can be pretty attractive in a 6-foot-11 center.
- Cristiano Felicio, PF/C, Brazil — Felicio is still a relative unknown. That wouldn’t have been the case had he been ruled eligible at Oregon last season. He did, however, show off his strength and athleticism at EuroCamp, probably insuring that he will hear his name on draft night.
- Kyle Anderson, PG/SG/SF, UCLA — Anderson may be the most polarizing player in this year’s draft. He was the nation’s ultimate stat-packer this past season, but does he have the athleticism and quickness to succeed in the NBA?
- DeAndre Daniels, SF, Connecticut — Daniels took his game to another level during the NCAA Tournament, helping lead Connecticut to another national championship. He’s an athlete, but his inconsistency could serve as a worry for whomever drafts him.
- Johnny O’Bryant, PF, Louisiana State — O’Bryant is a Reggie Evans-like body with skill around the rim. He may not be the best athlete on the court, but he has legitimate moves and can bully anyone.
- Russ Smith, PG, Louisville — Smith could be the smallest player to get drafted Thursday night. At just 160 pounds, he’s a shooting guard who has to play the point. Will his body be able to stand the rigors of playing in the paint in the NBA?
- Patric Young, PF/C, Florida — Speaking of bodies, young in the opposite situation as Smith. He can muscle with any player in the league, but he isn’t as strong a rebounder as you would want in a defensive-minded big man.
