2016 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Prospect Profile: Buddy Hield (Part Two)

April 11th, 2016 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

PROJECTED DRAFT RANGE: Hield made a steady climb on the major draft boards, thanks to his brilliant senior campaign. He’s now No. 5 overall and the top shooting guard prospect on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs him at No. 7. He’s firmly ahead of the other college seniors on their draft boards. NBA.com’s David Aldridge also ranks Hield No. 1 among shooting guards. Hield could go as high as No. 4, according to Ford, who doubts that Hield will slip past the No. 7 slot.

RISE/FALL: Freshman phenoms Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram are expected to be the top two picks in the draft and it’s difficult to see that changing. As a well-established player with a proven track record, Hield could conceivably inch his way up to No. 3. International teenage power forward Dragan Bender is ranked third by both Ford and Givony but he posted modest stats in Israel and will have to prove himself in predraft evaluations and workouts. Hield could also benefit from the teams in the third or fourth spot having a major need for a shooter. On the flip side, Hield’s defensive shortcomings, relative lack of size for his position and penchant for turnovers could make him slide a few notches. Most NBA analysts agree that Hield is not a superstar talent and that’s what most teams at the top half of the lottery are seeking.

FIT: Quality shooters like Hield can enjoy long careers in the current NBA landscape. The increased emphasis on 3-point shooting makes him a prized commodity. Virtually every team with a projected Top 10 lottery pick could use a player like Hield to stretch the defense. The Sixers need outside shooting to complement their stash of young big men. The Lakers, should they wind up with the No. 3 pick, desperately need a shooter to pair up in the backcourt with D’Angelo Russell. The Kings have been seeking a quality shooting guard for years. The Celtics, Timberwolves and Nuggets all rank in the bottom 10 in 3-point percentage. The Bucks could give themselves a formidable 1-2 wing punch with Khris Middleton and Hield. The Pelicans have all kinds of question marks at the guard spots, considering their injury and free agent situations.

FINAL TAKE: Hield could have been drafted in the first round last season but his decision to go back to school will pay off handsomely. He’s a surefire Top 10 selection and should be an immediate rotation player for the team that drafts him. According to Ford, Hield is comparable to the Trail Blazers’ C.J. McCollum, who developed into a 20-point scorer in his third NBA season. Hield is not a transcendent talent but he can be a starter on a championship-caliber team.

(For Part 1 of Buddy Hield’s Prospect Profile, click here.)

Prospect Profile: Buddy Hield (Part One)

April 11th, 2016 at 8:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Robert Deutsch / USA Today Sports Images

OVERVIEW: Buddy Hield demonstrated the benefits of staying in school and working on his game over a four-year period. The 6’4” shooting guard emerged as one of the Big 12’s best players as a sophomore and could have made the jump to the pros in each of the past two years. He chose to return to school both times and finished his college career with a marvelous senior campaign, leading Oklahoma to the Final Four. He averaged 25.0 points, second only to Howard’s James Daniel. Hield reached the 30-point mark a dozen times, including a 46-point explosion against Kansas that catapulted him into the national spotlight. He also had a 36-point outing against VCU and a 37-point outburst against No. 1 seed Oregon during the NCAAs and split up awards for the nation’s top player with Michigan State senior Denzel Valentine.

STRENGTHS: Hield improved from an above-average shooter during his first three college seasons to a nearly unstoppable force in his senior year. His overall field-goal percentage jumped from 41.6% to a whopping 49.6%, a stunning leap for a player who faced a variety of defensive strategies designed to shut him down. His 3-point percentage spiked upward in similar fashion, from 37.1% to 46.4%, and he averaged four makes per game. He’s adept at coming off screens or spotting up and makes defenses pay for any space given to him. He also has the body to succeed at the next level — long, athletic and yet powerful for his size. Not surprisingly, he’s an outstanding free-throw shooter and also rebounds well for his position, pulling down 5.6 boards per game as a senior. Topping off the checklist is his high character. As one talent evaluator told NBA.com’s David Aldridge, he’s an “elite shooter, elite human being.”

WEAKNESSES: For all of his offensive gifts, Hield does not shine at the defensive end. As Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress details in his evaluation of Hield, the NBA leans toward bigger wings who can guard multiple positions. Hield’s size limits his ability to switch defensively and he’s not adept at creating for others offensively. Hield’s passing metrics ranked third-worst among the 45 college guards or wings in Givony’s top 100 rankings. That’s part of the reason why Hield averaged 3.0 turnovers as a senior, a subpar figure for a shooting guard. He has improved as an off-the-dribble shooter, as Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress notes, but he still needs to attack more often and become a better finisher at the rim, according to ESPN Insider Chad Ford. These shortcomings are why Aldridge, through the talent evaluators he spoke with, believes that Hield is more of a complementary piece than a superstar talent that can turn around a franchise.

(For Part Two of our Buddy Hield Draft Analysis, click here.)

Diamond Stone To Enter Draft, Hires Agent

April 11th, 2016 at 6:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Maryland freshman big man Diamond Stone is heading to the NBA while his teammate, point guard Melo Trimble, will also declare for the draft but not hire an agent, sources told ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). The school confirmed in a release that Stone will hire an agent, while Trimble will also declare but not hire an agent, the Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs tweets.

Stone has signed with Tandem Sports & Entertainment’s Jim Tanner and Derrick Powell, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets.

The 6’11” Stone, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22.6 minutes during his lone college season, is considered a mid-to-late first-round draft pick. He’s rated No. 18 overall and third among centers on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board. He’s ranked No. 23 on DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospect list. Stone is considered an outstanding low-post player with a physical presence in the paint, though not an elite athlete.

The 6’3” Trimble has work to do to become a first-round consideration. Ford pegs him at N0. 58, while Givony provides a more optimistic view, rating him No. 36 overall. Trimble averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists in 32.7 minutes as the sophomore floor leader for the Terrapins. Trimble opted against the draft after his freshman season, when he was considered a mid-second rounder.

Indiana SF Troy Williams To Test Draft Waters

April 11th, 2016 at 12:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Indiana University junior small forward Troy Williams will enter this year’s NBA draft but has no immediate plans to hire an agent, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). The school has confirmed the news. The 6’6″ 21-year-old is a fringe second-round prospect, checking in at 83rd in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 86th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. Williams plans to get a clearer picture of his draft stock before deciding whether to withdraw or remain in the draft, Wojnarowski adds. He can retain his college eligibility as he takes part in workouts for teams and, if invited, the NBA combine, so long as he pulls out by May 25th and doesn’t hire an agent.

Williams upped his scoring average slightly this season compared to his sophomore year, from 13.0 points per game to 13.3, but his per-game rebounding average dipped from 7.4 to 5.8. Perhaps most importantly, he developed a 3-point game, hiking his number of attempts from 13 to 75 and nailing 34.7% of his looks from behind the arc this year. He connected on five of eight 3-point attempts during a 21-point performance in Indiana’s season-ending Sweet 16 loss to eventual finalist North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.

The native of Hampton, Virginia, earns high marks from Ford for his defense. He was 51st in the 2013 Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy.

Four Overseas First-Round Prospects Enter Draft

April 11th, 2016 at 11:51am CST by Chuck Myron

11:51am: Raznatovic client and first-round prospect Ante Zizic has also entered the draft, as the agent says and Eurohoops.net confirms (Twitter link). Zizic, a 6’11” center who plays for Croatia’s KK Cibona, is No. 22 on Ford‘s list and No. 26 on Givony‘s. The 19-year-old’s athleticism and frame offer promise, but his offensive skills need work, as Givony examined in February.

8:58am: Swingman Timothe Luwawu, shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz and center Ivica Zubac are the first-round prospects among a group of nine overseas players who’ve entered the draft, as their agent, Misko Raznatovic, revealed (Twitter links). Small forwards Marko Guduric and Rade Zagorac, point guard Ognjen Jaramaz, forward/center Alpha Kaba and centers Emircan Kosut and Jordan Shako are the others who’ve declared. All of them have until June 13th, 10 days before the draft, to withdraw.

Luwawu, a 6’7″ 20-year-old from France, has a decent shot to become a lottery pick as the No. 12 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings. Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him 19th. His strengths include an emerging 3-point game, passing and intriguing defensive skill, while ball-handling and a lack of willingness to finish inside are his weaknesses, as Givony observed in February. Luwawu plays for Serbia’s KK Mega Vizura.

Korkmaz appears poised to be drafted in the same range. Ford ranks him 13th while Givony has him at No. 18. The 6’7″ 18-year-old combines a well-honed 3-point stroke with impressive athleticism, but his defense lags behind, as Givony also examined in February. Korkmaz is with Anadolu Efes of Turkey.

The analysts are split on Zubac, with Givony pegging him 25th while Ford has him all the way down at 71st. The physical tools of the 7’1″ 19-year-old, along with his offensive upside and productivity, are his strengths while his defensive fundamentals, lack of polish and history of injuries are the trouble spots, as Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress examines in a pair of videos. Zubac is a teammate of Luwawu’s on KK Mega Vizura.

The 6’8″, 20-year-old Zagorac, another KK Mega Vizura player, has the highest ranking among the other prospects, coming in 72nd in Givony‘s rankings, though Ford doesn’t list him. The 6’10”, 20-year-old Kaba is Ford‘s 83rd-ranked prospect and 49th in Givony‘s 2017 mock draft, though Givony doesn’t list him among the top 2016 hopefuls. He along with Jaramaz, who’s 6’4″ and 20 years old, also play for KK Mega Vizura. Guduric, a 6’6″ 21-year-old, plays for a rival Serbian team, KK Crvena Zvezda. Shako, a 6’10” 19-year-old, is with Torrelodones of Spain.

And-Ones: Felder, Thibodeau, Neal

April 9th, 2016 at 10:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kay Felder has decided to hire Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier of the Athlete Management Group and remain in the draft, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The junior out of Oakland is the 47th best prospect, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express ranks him as the 70th best prospect.

Here’s more from around the league:

Hornets coach Steve Clifford believes Tom Thibodeau will return to the league next season, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. “I know he misses [it],” Clifford said.
Gary Neal is on track to start resuming basketball activities in June after undergoing surgery this week to repair a torn hip labrum suffered in December while he was a member of the Wizards, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). Neal, 31, was waived by Washington in March in order to clear a roster spot for the signing of Marcus Thornton. The point guard played well for the Wizards prior to his injury, knocking down 41.0% of his 3-point attempts as he averaged 9.8 points in 20.2 minutes per game across 40 appearances.
JaKarr Sampson has played well since signing with the Nuggets and he is focusing on improving in different areas of his game, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “My first year in the league I was just focused on defense,” Sampson said. “Now, my offensive side is coming out and I’m making progress. It’s showing.”

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Wright, Pistons, Draft

April 8th, 2016 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Villanova coach Jay Wright told Dana O’Neil of ESPN.com that he has a strong desire to remain with the school, but he left the door slightly ajar to the idea of jumping to the NBA. The 54-year-old who just led the Wildcats to the national title values the ability to fade from the spotlight during the offseason in Philadelphia and indicated that if that changes, it would be the most significant reason for him to leave, O’Neil writes. The Suns are reportedly interested in Wright for their head coaching job, but he said no team has made an offer. “I can say right now that in my mind I plan to stay at Villanova,” Wright said. “But I also don’t want to be a liar. I want to stay. I know I want to stay, but I just say I hope I can stay because I’ve learned from the past how crazy things can be. I hope I can stay at Villanova because this is where I want to be.”

See more NBA-related news:

The Pistons have decided against re-signing Lorenzo Brown and plan to keep a 14-man roster the rest of the season, barring injury, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told reporters, including MLive’s David Mayo and Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). The Pistons have three healthy point guards aside from Brown, so Van Gundy saw no need to keep him once his second 10-day contract with the team expired Wednesday, according to Ellis. Brown didn’t appear in a game during his 20 days with Detroit.
Iowa State junior point guard Monte Morris is eschewing a strong chance to become a second-round NBA draft pick this year to instead return for his senior season, the school announced. The 6’3″ 20-year-old was No. 47 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 57th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Conversely, long-shot draft prospect Chris Obekpa will at least test the waters, as he plans to enter the draft without an agent, a source told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). NCAA rules required the 6’9″ forward/center to sit out this season at UNLV following his transfer from St. John’s. Ford ranks the native of Nigeria as just the 177th-best prospect, while Givony, whose overall rankings don’t run past No. 100, pegs him as the 71st-best junior. Obekpa can return to college ball if he withdraws from the draft by May 25th as long as he doesn’t hire an agent.

And-Ones: Peters, Frazier, Hamilton

April 7th, 2016 at 10:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Valparaiso junior power forward Alec Peters intends to enter the 2016 NBA draft, the university announced. He doesn’t intend to hire an agent, according to the press release, so that will allow him to return to college ball if he withdraws prior to the May 25th deadline. Peters is the No. 34 ranked junior by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and he averaged 18.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 35 contests on the season.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Pelicans consider it a priority to hang on to Tim Frazier and James Ennis this summer, as Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate hears (Twitter links). New Orleans can make both restricted free agents this offseason with qualifying offers. New Orleans is poised to ink Ennis for the remainder of the season once his 10-day contract expires on Friday.
Vanderbilt first-round prospect Wade Baldwin is giving consideration to hiring Priority Sports to represent him, international journalist David Pick tweets. Baldwin is the 16th-best prospect according to Givony, and he’s No. 22 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Connecticut sophomore small forward Daniel Hamilton intends to hire an agent, which would eliminate the opportunity for him to withdraw from the draft and return to NCAA play for another season, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter). That’s a change from earlier, when UConn’s official announcement said Hamilton didn’t intend to secure representation.
Hawaii junior combo guard Aaron Valdes intends to declare for the 2016 NBA draft, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com tweets. The junior isn’t a projected 2016 selection according to Givony.
Projected lottery pick Jamal Murray is leaning toward hiring Excel Sports Management to represent him, Pick relays (on Twitter). The Kentucky freshman point guard is currently ranked No. 6 overall by Givony and is slotted No. 4 by Ford.
Boise State junior combo forward James Webb III has hired agent Charles Briscoe of Briscoe Sports Management to represent him, eliminating the possibility of him returning to school for his senior campaign, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Webb is a contender to become a second-round pick, ranking 69th in Ford’s listings and 81st on Givony’s board.

Mamadou Ndiaye To Enter NBA Draft

April 7th, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

UC Irvine junior center Mamadou Ndiaye has declared for the 2016 NBA draft, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. The big man doesn’t intend to hire an agent immediately but is planning on doing so later on in the draft process, Charania adds. It’s unclear if this means that Ndiaye is 100% committed to leaving school or if his intent to delay securing representation means he will only hire an agent if he doesn’t withdraw prior to the May 25th deadline.

Ndiaye, 7’6″, is one of the two tallest players in the NCAA along with UCF’s Tacko Fall. While height will always be a valuable commodity in the NBA, the 22-year-old isn’t guaranteed to be selected this June. Ndiaye entered school as the No. 84 overall player according to the Recruiting Services Consensus Index and is currently ranked as the No. 30 overall junior by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. He comes in at No. 166 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s big board.

The native of Senegal appeared in 35 games this season and averaged 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 23.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .667/.000/.642.

Derrick Jones To Test Draft Waters

April 7th, 2016 at 5:39pm CST by Eddie Scarito

UNLV freshman small forward Derrick Jones intends to test the waters and make himself eligible for the 2016 NBA draft, Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). Jones will hold off on hiring an agent, which will allow him the opportunity to withdraw prior to the May 25th deadline and return to school for his sophomore campaign, Rothstein adds.

Jones entered school as the No. 40 overall recruit according to the Recruiting Services Consensus Index and is a potential second-round pick according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who ranks him as the No. 48 overall freshman. The 6’6″ swingman appeared in 28 games for UNLV this season and averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 21.4 minutes per outing. His slash line for the campaign was .583/.189/.602.

The freshman’s season was cut short after he was ruled academically ineligible for the final four games because his ACT results were called into question by the NCAA. It’s unclear if the NCAA sanction will affect his eligibility for 2016/17, which could be a motivating factor in Jones trying his luck at the scouting combine this year, though that is merely my speculation.