Draft Notes: Kentucky, Leslie, Taylor, Drummond
Two lottery picks officially entered the draft today, in Andre Drummond and Bradley Beal. As the 2012 class continues to expand, let's round up a few of today's draft-related items….
- At Rivals.com, Brett Dawson writes that Kentucky coach John Calipari is anticipating losing five underclassmen to the NBA draft — Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Doron Lamb, and Terrence Jones.
- Sophomore C.J. Leslie, ranked 34th among this year's prospects by DraftExpress.com, is undecided on his future, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. People close to Leslie think he's a good bet to return to N.C. State.
- Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor has signed B.J. Armstrong as his agent, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter). The senior point guard is ranked 68th by DraftExpress.
- A lot of teams rank Kentucky's Davis as a better prospect than former first overall pick Blake Griffin was, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Howard-Cooper spoke to one executive who cited "substance over style" when comparing Davis to Griffin (Twitter link).
- Drummond has "other-worldly" potential and will be a top-five pick, an NBA scout told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Andre Drummond To Enter Draft
FRIDAY, 10:39am: Drummond made his decision official today, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.
THURSDAY, 4:22pm: UConn and Drummond will officially announce the big man's decision on Friday, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.
10:17am: Andre Drummond will forgo the rest of his NCAA eligibility and enter the NBA draft, reports Kevin Duffy of the Hearst Connecticut Media Group. Drummond will become the first one-and-done player in the University of Connecticut's history.
The UConn center averaged 10.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his freshman year, and is a virtual lock to be a lottery pick in June. DraftExpress.com lists Drummond as the second-best prospect behind Anthony Davis, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him fifth. Although Drummond is unquestionably an elite talent, teams at the very top of the draft may be reluctant to roll the dice on him, since he's viewed as a high-risk, high-reward selection.
Drummond joins UConn teammate Jeremy Lamb on this year's list of early entrants.
Draft Notes: White, Rivers, Jones, Drummond
As ESPN.com's David Thorpe (Insider link) looks back to June 2011 and re-drafts the top 20 based on what we know now, we'll look ahead to this June, with the latest updates on the upcoming NBA draft:
- Iowa State's Royce White has hired an agent and will enter the draft, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Goodman hears from several NBA execs that White has likely worked his way into the first round of the draft, though only one of the three mocks we looked at yesterday had White coming off the board in the top 30.
- One of those mock drafts came from ESPN.com's Chad Ford, who has received feedback from NBA GMs on his top 30 (Insider link).
- This draft may not be as deep as it looks, since many of the underclassmen who would go in the first round aren't locks to come out of school, says Ford.
- Multiple GMs told Ford they have Austin Rivers ranked considerably higher than where Ford had him in his mock (21st).
- Point guards may end up going a few spots higher than they should this year, since it appears there'll be a dearth of point guards in the 2013 draft, says Ford.
- Perry Jones III and Andre Drummond are viewed as high-risk, high-reward picks. "They get you fired either way," one GM told Ford. "Don't take them and they blow up, everyone asks you what you were thinking. Do take them and they underachieve and everyone says you shouldn't have taken the risk. It's a no-win situation so … you just take them. It's better to swing for the fences and miss than to bunt and miss the chance to hit a home run."
- Ford also answered plenty of draft-related questions in his ESPN.com chat today.
Bonnell On Bobcats, Top Draft Prospects
The Charlotte Bobcats have the league's worst record (3-18) and are headed to L.A. on Tuesday to face the Lakers. The consolation is the team is likely headed for a high draft pick in June. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer broke down some of the probable top picks and how they would fit in with the Bobcats. Some highlights:
- Kentucky's Anthony Davis, a Marcus Camby type, could help fix Charlotte's porous interior defense.
- Andre Drummond of Connecticut has raw athleticism and the body of a center, a position the Bobcats need to improve as much as any other, Bonnell says.
- Catch-and-shoot small forward Harrison Barnes could provide an heir apparent to Corey Maggette, and the fact he comes from North Carolina is a plus.
- Ohio State's Jared Sullinger is a big man with range and deft passing skills, but the power forward position is already too crowded in Charlotte.