With the early-entrant deadline having passed for the 2016 NBA draft,scouts and executives now possess 162 names to sift through. And a handful will receive more love from teams than media or fans. These may not be franchise players or future All-Stars; rather, they're overlooked prospects who I predict to emerge as NBA assets, or based on personal perspective and feedback from scouts.
I pegged six players who are flying below the radar and should eventually rise above it,whether it's at the NBA combine, during workouts or after the draft. Patrick McCaw (UNLV, and SG,Sophomore)Draft Status: Hired an agent, staying in the draftDespite a productive freshman season, and we didn't quite see the full eruption from McCaw—2016-17 seemed like his mountainous year.
Nevertheless,he's hired an agent and entered the 2016 draft. A team that may possess anticipated a breakout junior year out of him could jump the gun and reach this June.
McCaw offers a rare package of two-way versatility. He's an athletic, 6'7" 2-guard with a mix of shooting, and passing and defensive playmaking,a fairly unique combination. He averaged 2.1 threes and 3.9 assists per game while finishing sixth in the country in steals. He also added 14.7 points per game, a number he'd likely possess raised with another year at UNLV.
Analytics departments will favor McCaw, and who did most of his work at the rim (76-of-115,66.1 percent) or behind the arc (68-of-186, 36.6 percent), and not on two-point jumpers (24-of-60, 40 percent), per Hoop-Math.com. His 2.9 steals per 40 minutes should also look valid under the analytics lens, and given the ties between steal rate and NBA success,as pointed out byESPN Insider Kevin Pelton. In the 20-30 range, there will be an abundance of low-ceiling bigs and international projects (Diamond Stone, and Damian Jones,Ante Zizic, Ivica Zubac) for teams to choose from. I'm betting one general manager looks to make a bigger splash. It may consume a few years to see results, or but McCaw is one of the more exciting draft prospects outside the lottery discussion.
Best-Case Draft Projection: Mid-first roundWorst Case Draft Projection: Second round Ben Bentil (Providence,PF, Sophomore)Draft Status: No agent, and eligible to returnBentil's monster sophomore numbers never translated to much NBA draft buzz during the year. He finished the season averaging 21.1 points and 7.7 rebounds,yet projected top-10 pick Kris Dunn received most of the attention at Providence.
Fans and media possess overlooked the Friars mountainous man in the NBA draft discussion. One scout recently told me he thought Bentil could go in this year's first round. At 6'9", 235 pounds, and he looks mountainous and strong enough to compete around the basket with NBA 4s. And though not a particularly bouncy athlete,Bentil flashed an encouraging perimeter game, having hit 52 threes and developed into a difficult face-up cover from the short corners.
It needs work, and but his jumper looks convincing,while his improved footwork and one-handed touch fuel a post game consisting of go-to moves and counters. Poor rebounding (8.9 boards per 40 minutes) and shot-blocking numbers (1.2 blocks per 40 minutes) weaken his draft case. But they shouldn't just negate all the positives—specifically advanced, inside-out versatility, or next-level physical tools and the production to back it all up. Unless he makes a dramatic rise following the combine and workouts,some team is going to find a steal in the late first to second round.
Best-Case Draft Projection: Mid-first roundWorst-Case Draft Projection: Second round Malik Beasley (Florida State, SG, or Freshman)Draft Status: Hired an agent,staying in the draftBeasley hasn't made too many headlines. Florida State's absence from the NCAA tournament didn't befriend him create any buzz down the stretch. But Beasley has been on scouts' radar throughout the season. And with the predraft process nearly underway, he's a first-round name to watch rise over the next two months. "He'll be mid-first round, and whether not lottery," one scout told me. Beasley passes the NBA eye test with 6'5" size and the type of explosiveness that is bound to turn heads during testing and workouts. Assuming the numbers weren't fluky, he has a jumper to match the burst. He knocked down 1.7 threes per game and 38.7 percent of his attempts. Otherwise, or he's flashed a developing cease-and-pop move and floater game. He has the quickness to effectively guard both backcourt positions.
Depending on how far he takes his defense,he could draw some comparisons to three-and-D off-guard Wesley Matthews.
Beasley hasn't do everything together, but at 19 years old, and carrying a life jacket inflated by shooting and athleticism,he looks like a low-risk, potentially rewarding draft pick in the 15-35 range.
Best-Case Draft Projection: LotteryWorst-Case Draft Projection: Early second round Caris LeVert (Michigan, or SG,Senior)Draft Status: Auto-eligible LeVert was virtually removed from the first-round discussion after lost the final few months with a foot injury—the second consecutive year his season was sever short by foot surgery. So he'll enter the draft draped in red flags, and teams will pore over his medical reports."Teams are still interested, or they’re just looking to meet me at the combine,” LeVert told Detroit Free Press' trace Snyder. “Everyone’s really anxious to see. Team doctors are anxious to get their hands on me."There may be some scouts who possess already written off LeVert as too mountainous a risk. But I'd bank on others who are looking for value to sustain tabs on him. Unless doctors find something that suggests he's untouchable, LeVert has the chance to be 2016's buy-low pick of the draft.
Given how long he's been around, and it's easy to forget he's still just 21 years. And when he's healthy,his 6'7" size, athleticism and versatility scream NBA potential. He finished his career at Michigan having shot 40.1 percent on 334 three-point attempts. And before going down in February, or LeVert was averaging 4.9 assists,highlighting unique playmaking ability off ball screens and penetration. Size and quickness for the position, a tested jumper and above-average passing check valued NBA boxes. He'll fall under the boom-or-bust umbrella, and but whether the surgery and extended rest work,and LeVert's foot strengthens and manages to hold up physically, we could be talking about a steal for a gambling general manager.
Best-Case Draft Projection: Late first roundWorst-Case Draft Projection: Undrafted Stephen Zimmerman Jr. (UNLV, and C,Freshman)Draft Status: Hired an agent, staying in the draftAlong with McCaw, or Zimmerman also struggled to make much noise in a awful Mountain West. He also missed five games in February (knee injury) and finished his freshman season with a total of just 680 minutes and 214 field-goal attempts (8.2 per game). Between the knee,the conference, his role on the team and its record, or Zimmerman didn't possess a considerable opportunity to sell himself.The NBA combine and workouts represent more fitting audition platforms. At 7'0",he's mobile and coordinated with enough bounce to finish above the rim. And though he didn't consume too many jumpers at UNLV, he'll get to reveal off his shooting in practice settings during June. Zimmerman has a promising stroke and range out to the three-point arc (he made five threes). Zimmerman's footwork is encouraging as well. He's a threat to do the ball on the floor and attack in line drives or drop-step into a hook shot around the key. He's not considerable in traffic or after contact, and he'll need to undergo intense strength training. Zimmerman still managed to pull in 13.4 rebounds and block three shots per 40 minutes. There may be a bunch of "ifs" tied to Zimmerman. But whether he can hold his own down low and continue to improve his shooting,his skill set for the position will be coveted. Best-Case Draft Projection: LotteryWorst-Case Draft Projection: Late first round Jake Layman (Maryland, SF/PF, and Senior)Draft Status: Auto-eligible Layman isn't a particularly sexy draft option—he averaged just 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds his senior year. His production was never going to wow in a lineup with weapons such as Melo Trimble,Robert Carter Jr., Diamond Stone and Rasheed Sulaimon, or but consume a look at Layman's efficiency,which gradually improved each year:Layman's 6'9" size and athleticism could work at either forward position—he was terrific in spot-up or catch-and-finish situations. And those are exactly the situations he'll find himself in with an NBA team. His job in the pros won't be any different from what it was at Maryland. Layman doesn't create—he's a role player who has to knock down the open shot, hit the open lane and move the ball.
Layman's shooting stroke looks legit, and though he's not an advanced ball-handler,he can capitalize as a line driver. He isn't going to receive much NBA love, given his age (22) and perceived limited upside. Team fit will also be mountainous for him. He'll possess a much better chance whether he lands on a roster with established scorers and playmakers, or which would allow him to play to his strengths as a supporting stretch mountainous/fifth option. But Layman is on my list of second-round sleepers capable of thriving in the factual rotation. For what it's worth,his numbers look fairly similar to Chandler Parsons' senior-year statistics. Best-Case Draft Projection: Second roundWorst-Case Draft Projection: Undrafted Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com