2013 Draft Class Prospects for 2k13

[atomant94]

Pierre Jackson


Birthday: 8/29/91
NBA Position: Point Guard
Class: Senior
Ht: 5-10
Wt: 185
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
College: Baylor


Projected: Mid-Late 2nd


Scouting Report:



Pierre Jackson is the key piece of the Baylor offense. He affects virtually everything that happens offensively for Baylor, which can be both good and bad.

Jackson is an efficient scorer, with a true shooting percentage of 0.607. His offense comes in a number of ways. About a third of his attempts from the floor are at the rim, and he is a decent finisher at the rim, making 62% of these attempts. Jackson creates most of these opportunities for himself. Jackson also takes 44% of his shots from three point range, and he makes 44% of what he takes there. Interestingly, only half of his made three point shots are assisted, suggesting that he is effective at getting and making three point shots for himself, in addition to knocking down shots in "catch and shoot" situations. Jackson also makes plays for others, assisting on just under 40% of his teammate's made field goals while on the floor. He is a really important player for Baylor on offense.

Jackson's statistics on two point jump shots tell an interesting story. He is pretty disciplined about not settling for low percentage two point jump shots, but if you can force him to pull up and take one, his shooting percentage from this range is not particularly good. Very few of his made two point shots are assisted, suggesting that they aren't part of the flow of the normal offense.

Jackson's greatest weakness is that he struggles with turnovers. More than one quarter of the Baylor possessions that end with ball in Jackson's hands result in a turnover. Without the turnovers, Jackson would probably be one of the very best guards in the country, and Baylor would be substantially better than they are.

[atomant94]

BJ Young


Birthday: 5/26/93
NBA Position: PG/SG
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-3
Wt: 176
Hometown: Florissant, MO
College: Arkansas


Projected: 2nd Round

Strengths: Young is a 6’3 soph. guard who enjoyed a strong Fr. season in the SEC … Showcased some very promising potential and production … Playing in the up-tempo Arkansas scheme, Young flashed some explosive offensive talent … Has a natural ability to simply put points on the scoreboard getting his own shots or playing off the ball … Very good athleticism, has high level explosiveness, speed and quickness, and uses all of them to make impacts on games on both ends … An aggressive offensive player who can put points on the board in bunches … Possesses shot making ability ... Had outstanding per minute scoring numbers last season, especially for a guy who was just a Fr. in a tough league like the SEC … Really flies around the court, plays with a live motor … Excellent first step … Is a monster threat in the transition game, where his speed and ability to weave in and out of traffic allows him to get to the bucket and convert shots efficiently … Will finish above the rim with his leaping skills … Pretty shifty ball-handler, able to hesitate and blow by very quickly and effectively … Understands how to attack his man off the bounce, good at attacking defenders who aren’t moving their feet properly … Effectuve floater … Shot the ball well as a Fr., making nearly 40% of his 3’s … Has a very “unorthodox” quick and compact shooting motion, that allows him to get off shots against contests … Has range out to 25 ft., but is most effective around 20-22 … Could be a tough guard in pick and roll offense, given his quick jumper and his freakish speed … Is a threat in the passing lanes, having the length and quickness to get steals…Has good defensive potential, especially with his energy level…Still has untapped potential, which is scary given how efficient and productive he was a Fr. in a tough league

Weaknesses: A tweener lacking true PG skills and ideal size at the SG position ... Very thin and needs to fill out his frame, although he seems to have the build to do so … Can be knocked off his path by stronger, more physical defenders ... Some think he may be able to play some PG, but even though he’s unselfish, he doesn’t have the feel for setting tempo that a true PG has … Needs to develop a few more moves off the dribble, just in case his initial burst isn’t quick enough to get him blow by’s … He shot well as a Fr. from the perimeter, but he doesn’t have a natural jumper and it often looks like he just has the raw shot making ability to get a pass, but he will need to develop more touch and better form on his shot … Kind of a gambling defender, likes to take risks on D, for better or worse … Struggles getting through screens, given his size … Doesn’t have the best fundamentals on either end of the court … The Mike Anderson pressing style that he plays at Arkansas is highly effective in college ball, but he will have to learn some of the more intricate principles of man to man half court D in the NBA ...

Overall: Young is an intriguing offensive talent who lit up scoreboards for Arkansas in relatively limited minutes … He is a really tough assignment due to his jet-like speed and quickness, and he is also a threat with his ability to stick the jumper, so he will be able to score … Young needs to get stronger and learn to play with more pace to maximize his potential though …

[atomant94]

CJ McCollum


Birthday: 9/19/91
NBA Position: PG/SG
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-3
Wt: 190
Hometown: Canton, OH
College: Lehigh

Projected: Top 15


Scouting Report:


"McCollum is a 6'3” lanky combo guard with solid length. Coming into Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as a 160 pound freshman, McCollum has done a good job of adding strength to his now 190 pound frame, although he still must get stronger in order to effectively compete with NBA guards. McCollum isn't particularly explosive around the rim, but he's a quick, fluid and very smooth athlete with terrific ability to change speeds and utilize hesitation moves to create offense for his team.

McCollum has improved as a passer, averaging 4.2 assists per 40 minutes pace adjusted, by far a career best. Most intriguing has been his court vision coming off pick and rolls, particularly useful considering his ability to generate his own offense in those sets and the likelihood he will be placed in that situation at the next level.

That being said, McCollum is first and foremost a natural scorer. His 25.8 points per-40 ranked him 6th amongst NCAA prospects, while he was able to improve his efficiency significantly from his somewhat disappointing sophomore season, as his 2-point percentages rose from 43% to 50%, his true shooting percentage rose from 52% back up to 57%, and his three point percentage settled in at a much more respectable 35.3%.

McCollum is very comfortable shooting off the dribble, with a combination of pull-ups and step back jumpers that allows him to get shots off over bigger defenders. This allows him to be effective as a scorer off pick and roll sets, which will likely be his bread and butter in the NBA. This year he's also used that attention to set his teammates up better, a key ingredient to allowing him to become a better setup man than he has been in years past.

McCollum has also improved his mid-range game, shooting a solid 38.2% on those attempts, a vast improvement over the 27.3% he shot as a sophomore, according to Synergy Sports Technology. The development of a lethal pull-up jumper has been crucial for somebody who isn't a terribly explosive finisher at the rim, and makes him tougher to defend.

One area where he still at times struggles has been as a spot-up shooter, shooting just 35.5% on catch and shoot opportunities. Much of this could be attributed to the defensive attention opposing teams pay to him, as the majority of his catch and shoot opportunities are contested, something that should change as he moves to being more of a complementary player at the next level. He shot a more respectable 40% on uncontested catch and shoot opportunities, against 32.6% on contested shots, although this is on somewhat of a limited sample size, as McCollum has been the focal point of the Mountain Hawks offense since the moment he set foot on campus. He has also had some success shooting coming off screens, lending more credence to the belief that he could see some time playing off the ball if paired with another playmaker in the same backcourt.

In terms of creating off the dribble, McCollum has good, controlled ball-handling skills and does a very good job of changing direction and speeds, allowing him to get into the lane virtually whenever he wants. He's not the greatest finisher at the rim due to his average explosiveness at the rim, but he has good body control and touch around the hoop, and this year saw his field goal percentage around the basket increase substantially, to 50.5%, up from 35.6% the prior year.

He'll likely never be a Derrick Rose type finisher at the rim due to his average strength and explosiveness, but his willingness to go get into the paint and draw contact will serve him well. McCollum's 8.2 free throw attempts per 40 minutes pace adjusted ranks 6th in our database amongst top-100 prospects, further illustrating how much of a complete all-around scoring weapon he's become.

Another area where McCollum excels is in transition. Extremely fast with the ball in his hands, his excellent defensive rebounding ability (7.6 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted, #1 in our database amongst guards) combined with his ability to generate turnovers (3.1 steals per 40 minutes pace adjusted, #1 amongst all college prospects) provides him ample opportunities to get out and run.

On the defensive end, McCollum is still somewhat of a mixed bag. He is clearly undersized, both in length and in strength, to defend the shooting guard position. He also has a tendency to put himself out of position when gambling, although with the amount of steals he generates, this was likely by design. But the effort and especially the anticipation skills are there, and in a smaller role where he's not forced to shoulder an entire college team's offense, he has the potential to be fairly effective, especially defending point guards.

It's hard to take too much out of a short tournament run, but for a player who has clearly been one of the most productive guards in all of college basketball, McCollum success -- and the success of the team -- against Duke was an eye opening performance. While McCollum won't have the offensive freedom he had at Lehigh, he shouldn't have too many problems finding a role in the NBA, at the very least as a spark off the bench, something that is very much in need in today's NBA.

With his overall offensive ability and his excellent work ethic, it's hard to believe McCollum won't at least get the chance to prove he belongs if he decides to enter the draft this year. The success of smaller school players like Jeremy Lin and Stephen Curry—who he very much resembles—should work in his favor, and he's more than talented enough to do the rest, if given the opportunity."

[vtcrb]

Quote: Originally Posted by atomant94

CJ McCollum Birthday: 9/19/91 NBA Position: PG/SG Class: Senior Ht: 6-3 Wt: 190 Hometown: Canton, OH College: Lehigh Projected: Top 15 Scouting Report: "McCollum is a 6'3” lanky combo guard with solid length. Coming into Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as a 160 pound freshman, McCollum has done a good job of adding strength to his now 190 pound frame, although he still must get stronger in order to effectively compete with NBA guards. McCollum isn't particularly explosive around the rim, but he's a quick, fluid and very smooth athlete with terrific ability to change speeds and utilize hesitation moves to create offense for his team. McCollum has improved as a passer, averaging 4.2 assists per 40 minutes pace adjusted, by far a career best. Most intriguing has been his court vision coming off pick and rolls, particularly useful considering his ability to generate his own offense in those sets and the likelihood he will be placed in that situation at the next level. That being said, McCollum is first and foremost a natural scorer. His 25.8 points per-40 ranked him 6th amongst NCAA prospects, while he was able to improve his efficiency significantly from his somewhat disappointing sophomore season, as his 2-point percentages rose from 43% to 50%, his true shooting percentage rose from 52% back up to 57%, and his three point percentage settled in at a much more respectable 35.3%. McCollum is very comfortable shooting off the dribble, with a combination of pull-ups and step back jumpers that allows him to get shots off over bigger defenders. This allows him to be effective as a scorer off pick and roll sets, which will likely be his bread and butter in the NBA. This year he's also used that attention to set his teammates up better, a key ingredient to allowing him to become a better setup man than he has been in years past. McCollum has also improved his mid-range game, shooting a solid 38.2% on those attempts, a vast improvement over the 27.3% he shot as a sophomore, according to Synergy Sports Technology. The development of a lethal pull-up jumper has been crucial for somebody who isn't a terribly explosive finisher at the rim, and makes him tougher to defend. One area where he still at times struggles has been as a spot-up shooter, shooting just 35.5% on catch and shoot opportunities. Much of this could be attributed to the defensive attention opposing teams pay to him, as the majority of his catch and shoot opportunities are contested, something that should change as he moves to being more of a complementary player at the next level. He shot a more respectable 40% on uncontested catch and shoot opportunities, against 32.6% on contested shots, although this is on somewhat of a limited sample size, as McCollum has been the focal point of the Mountain Hawks offense since the moment he set foot on campus. He has also had some success shooting coming off screens, lending more credence to the belief that he could see some time playing off the ball if paired with another playmaker in the same backcourt. In terms of creating off the dribble, McCollum has good, controlled ball-handling skills and does a very good job of changing direction and speeds, allowing him to get into the lane virtually whenever he wants. He's not the greatest finisher at the rim due to his average explosiveness at the rim, but he has good body control and touch around the hoop, and this year saw his field goal percentage around the basket increase substantially, to 50.5%, up from 35.6% the prior year. He'll likely never be a Derrick Rose type finisher at the rim due to his average strength and explosiveness, but his willingness to go get into the paint and draw contact will serve him well. McCollum's 8.2 free throw attempts per 40 minutes pace adjusted ranks 6th in our database amongst top-100 prospects, further illustrating how much of a complete all-around scoring weapon he's become. Another area where McCollum excels is in transition. Extremely fast with the ball in his hands, his excellent defensive rebounding ability (7.6 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted, #1 in our database amongst guards) combined with his ability to generate turnovers (3.1 steals per 40 minutes pace adjusted, #1 amongst all college prospects) provides him ample opportunities to get out and run. On the defensive end, McCollum is still somewhat of a mixed bag. He is clearly undersized, both in length and in strength, to defend the shooting guard position. He also has a tendency to put himself out of position when gambling, although with the amount of steals he generates, this was likely by design. But the effort and especially the anticipation skills are there, and in a smaller role where he's not forced to shoulder an entire college team's offense, he has the potential to be fairly effective, especially defending point guards. It's hard to take too much out of a short tournament run, but for a player who has clearly been one of the most productive guards in all of college basketball, McCollum success -- and the success of the team -- against Duke was an eye opening performance. While McCollum won't have the offensive freedom he had at Lehigh, he shouldn't have too many problems finding a role in the NBA, at the very least as a spark off the bench, something that is very much in need in today's NBA. With his overall offensive ability and his excellent work ethic, it's hard to believe McCollum won't at least get the chance to prove he belongs if he decides to enter the draft this year. The success of smaller school players like Jeremy Lin and Stephen Curry—who he very much resembles—should work in his favor, and he's more than talented enough to do the rest, if given the opportunity."

Great Job on all the Profiles you posted. Thanks for all the hard work and keep it rolling.

[caveman87]

Cant wait to make this draft class

[atomant94]

Trey Burke


Birthday: 11/12/92
NBA Position: Point Guard
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-0
Wt: 185
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
College: Michigan


Projected: Mid-Late 1st Round


Scouting Report:

"Measured at 6-0 in shoes at the Lebron James Academy this summer, Burke has average size for a NBA point guard. His 6-5 wingspan will help him a lot in overcoming that, though, as will his excellent athletic ability and aggressive mentality.

As the primary ball-handler of the slowest tempo team in the Big Ten conference, with no real post presence and very few creators besides him, Burke is by nature a very ball-dominant point guard. A huge amount of his offensive possessions (nearly half) come in pick and roll situations, where he is pretty effective.

Extremely fast in the open floor, Burke is an excellent ball-handler, capable of playing at different speeds and showing a terrific burst blowing by opponents en-route to the rim. He does a good job of keeping his dribble alive and weaving his way around traffic, which allows him to draw the defense and find open shooters spotting up on the wing or cutters diving to the basket.

While much more of a scorer than a pure playmaker at this stage, Burke is capable of creating for others as well, doing a good job reading the floor and anticipating teammates getting open. He makes smart passes ahead in transition, and is very effective in particular on the drive and dish.

Burke's best weapon offensively revolves around his jump-shot, as he has very good shooting mechanics, and is equally effective spotting up with his feet set as he is pulling up off the dribble. He in fact took almost twice as many jumpers off the dribble last season as he did with his feet set, but made both at nearly the same rate (38-39%).

The thing that hurts Burkes' offensive efficiency the most is his propensity for losing patience and falling in love with the pull-up 3-point jumper, something he does on a couple of occasions per game, sometimes before any of his teammates get a chance to touch the ball. Nearly half of his field goal attempts come from beyond the arc, and he makes 35% of them. Pull-up jumpers from 3-point range aren't a particularly high percentage shot for anyone, but he takes plenty of them every game, sometimes by necessity. Now that he will have more help around him this season (Michigan's incoming recruiting class is very strong), it will be interesting to see how well Burke can utilize the new different options he has at his disposal, and whether he can improve his fairly paltry 0.73 Pure Point Rating.

The place Burke's size seems to affect him the most is as a finisher around the basket, where he makes just 50% of his attempts, and gets to the free throw line 4.4 times per-40 minutes, both average rates. While a pretty solid leaper for his size, Burke tends to struggles finishing in traffic against better competition. This could be an even more pronounced issue in the NBA, where everyone is taller, stronger, longer and more athletic, especially the big men. Getting stronger could help here, as could developing a better in-between game inside the lane to finish over the top of taller defenders.

The area where Burke might be scrutinized the most heavily this upcoming season by NBA talent evaluators is on the defensive end. Already projected to give up a couple of inches in most NBA matchups, Burke isn't the toughest or most attentive defender you'll find, not doing a great job keeping his man in front of him, and sometimes looking like he's only going half-speed on this end of the floor. While he has the length and quickness to be relatively effective here, and will show that in small doses from time to time when really called upon, he doesn't really put as much pride into his work on this end of the court as he does offensively.

Still very young, and shouldering an inordinately large share of responsibility as his team's primary ball-handler, facilitator and scorer, Burke looked pretty wore down by the end of last season. He has plenty of time to improve defensively, something that NBA teams would likely want to see considering the concerns that already exist due to his below average size.

There aren't a huge number of 6-0 point guards in the NBA right now, but the ones that are are similar to Burke-- extremely fast, excellent ball-handlers, and prolific scorers who can shoot with range, play the pick and roll and show great poise, confidence and toughness. There will surely be adjustments that he'll need to make to playing in the NBA, particularly if asked to start off in a backup role, but Burke looks to have the talent to do so.

Coming off an unexpectedly strong freshman campaign, NBA teams will be watching closely all season to see how Burke follows up as a sophomore and whether he's able to take his game, and his team, to the next level."

[atomant94]

Marcus Smart

Birthday: 3/6/94
NBA Position: PG/SG
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6-4
Wt: 225
Hometown: Flower Mound, TX,
College: Oklahoma State


Projected: Mid-Late 1st Round


Strengths: Combo guard with a team oriented, winners mentality. A strong, determined competitor ... Tremendous versatility and feel for the game ... Creativity. Great vision and passing ability. A natural playmaker. Strong one on one skills. Adept at creating shots for himself and others ... Strong shooting ability with a polished pull up jumper. Textbook form on his shot. Generates a nice rhythm on catch and shoot getting good elevation. Elbow extended. High release point. Consistent mechanics. Deep range ... Consumate leader ... Unselfish passer .... Seems to always be a step ahead of his competition. Great anticipation ... Extremely confident ... A tank. Strong frame and enjoys using his physicality to overpower opponents ... Can take the ball into traffic and finish with contact ... Explosive leaping off 2 feet ... Shows a willingness to get after it on the defensive end. Takes pride in being a guy that can lock you down defensively. Quick hands lead to a lot of steals ... Polished and advanced all around skills. Has a chance to be a difference maker the instant he steps on the floor for the Cowboys ...

Weaknesses: Solid athlete, but not spectacular. Not the quickest or most explosive guard ... Not likely to finish above the rim in traffic, but utilizes his athleticism well ... Uses hustle, brains and will power over sheer athletic prowess ... Lateral speed isn't the best ... Doesn't have a precise fit at either guard position. Undersized at the 2 and not a pure PG. A combo guard in every sense ... Can be a little too ball dominant at times. But that comes with the territory in high school when you're the star player ... Needs to learn how to run off of screens and play off the ball a little better, for times when he's asked to play the 2 position ...

[atomant94]

Solomon Hill

Birthday: 3/18/91
NBA Position: Small Forward
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-7
Wt: 225
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
College: Arizona


Projected: Late 2nd-Undrafted

Scouting Report:


"Standing 6-6 with a strong, thick frame and solid length, Hill is a bruising, attacking small forward of the Ron Artest variety, relying predominantly on his dribble-drive and short post game to contribute offensively. Hill shows very high levels of explosiveness, coordination, and mobility, though his thick build seems to hold him back in terms of leaping ability, where his athletic abilities are much less impressive in comparison.

Looking at Hill's offensive game, he does most of his damage attacking off the dribble, where he has a well-developed set of skills and a natural feel for breaking down a defense. He doesn't have typical advanced ball-handling skills, but he is excellent at utilizing spin moves, hop steps, up fakes, and other subtle change of direction to maneuver around his defender. He is extremely rangy in covering ground with his moves, showing a very good first step and excellent ability to create separation.

While Hill shows some excellent abilities in getting past his man and breaking down the defense, there are some concerns as he gets closer to the basket with the ball. Hill's leaping ability is not on par with his ability to get past his man, as he struggles to get up for power finishes at the basket, often relying on below-the-rim, contested lay-ups. He shows solid creativity in getting off shots, but his touch is lacking at times, especially when he has to resort to runners and floaters in the 5-10 foot range. Hill's attacking style also leads to problems with turnovers, as he's averaging 1.7 turnovers per game compared to just 5.6 field-goal attempts.

Looking at the rest of Hill's offensive game, he is attempting 1.3 three-point attempts per game and hit a respectable 35.4% of his attempts. His 78% free-throw shooting is also an encouraging sign, but he will need to put in the work to make this a more reliable and consistent aspect of his game. His shooting form is adequate enough, but further refinement and practice will be necessary to maximize his abilities.

Hill also does a good job utilizing his aggressiveness on the offensive glass, where his good second bounce and excellent strength lead to a lot of put-back opportunities. Cutting down some of his excess weight would allow him to leap higher for these finishes and do a better job converting them consistently.

Hill also shows some interesting potential with his passing game, where he's dishing out a solid 1.7 assists per game despite his low number of possessions. He actually was billed as somewhat of a point-forward later in his high school career, and this is something he could expand upon if he earns the opportunity, though now it is just an ancillary part of his skill set.

On the defensive end, Hill shows solid promise, having an aggressive and fundamental perimeter defensive stance, playing up into his man and constantly moving his feet and hands. He shows good focus and doesn't bite often for fakes, though his lateral quickness is just adequate, leading him to get beaten on occasion. In the post, Hill doesn't show a similar grasp of fundamentals as on the perimeter, showing very little use of good leverage and being beaten at a very high rate. With a better fundamental understanding of post defense, Hill could fare much better here given his physical attributes.

Looking forward, Hill has some intriguing skills and physical abilities, namely his explosive dribble-drive game, but developing into a more well-rounded prospect and losing some excess weight will likely be critical to his long-term prospects. NBA teams often look for both strong defense and off-the-ball offensive abilities from potential role players, and these are both areas where Hill could stand to improve."