NBA Draft Preview: Everyone Knows Wall & Turner, But Who Are The Other Guys?

With the World Cup going full force and the biggest NBA free agency period of all-time coming up, the NBA draft (it’s tomorrow?) is currently nothing but an afterthought in the sporting world.

There is another reason for that. It is probably one of the weakest draft classes we have seen in years. After John Wall and Evan Turner there is a huge drop in talent that is going to make the first round very interesting and challenging for certain teams.

After the top five picks many of the remaining clubs are looking to trade their picks for role players that will help them next year rather than take a chance on a rookie.

Assuming Wall and Turner go 1-2, let’s take a look at the remaining lottery players and where they might end up on Thursday.

Wesley Johnson (Syracuse) – #3 Nets/#4 T-Wolves

The Syracuse star will look to help teams in multiple positions. He will dominantly be a 3-man but is athletic enough to guard a 2 or smaller 4 man. I say smaller because he does need to bulk up so that he can use his athleticism to penetrate and use the post as another scoring option. The Nets are looking to land a big name PF this off-season so Johnson could step right in to start at SF.

Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech) – #4 T-Wolves/#5 Kings

Everyone was sucking Favor’s dick a couple weeks ago. Many believed the Sixers might even take him rather than Turner. However in the past weeks Favors has looked out of shape and just not ready to make the next step.
This is not entirely surprising considering he is only 18 and played for a mediocre Georgia Tech team. He is a freak of an athlete, especially in the open court, but that can only get you so far when you are going up against talent like Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Pau Gasol, etc.

Minnesota’s GM is not very high on Favors and DeMarcus Cousins has already expressed that he does not want to play for them (what a bitch move!) so it would not be a surprise to see them trade out of the 4 spot.

DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky) – #5 Kings/#6 Warriors/#7 Pistons

The head-case comes in highly touted by many teams after his impressive workouts. All three of these teams could use a strong presence down low and Cousins has the potential to be one of those players that can take over a game in the paint.

The Kings my decide to pass on Cousins due to the recent acquisition of Samual Dalembart and go for Greg Monroe who can give them more scoring from anywhere on the court. I know my fellow writers and I are looking forward to Cousins joining the league for all the JOCKpost material he possesses.

Greg Monroe (Georgetown) – #5 Kings/#6 Warriors/#7 Pistons

Monroe comes in at 6’11” with a wingspan of 7’2”. Teams should be licking their chops at that kind of size with the athleticism he possesses. With a lot of upside, teams are worried about his lack of intensity and strength. In other words he plays like a girl sometimes.

Should he decide to pull up his skirt and play like he should, Monroe could become a huge steal in this draft.

Ed Davis (North Carolina) #7 Pistons/#10 Pacers

The Pistons really need an athlete down low to make up for Charlie Villanueva’s lack of shitty play and Davis may be the player that has the most potential if Monroe and Cousins are off the board. He is another long, big man that can expand that paint and give defenders headaches.

The biggest knock on Davis is he has never really played significant minutes. So most likely he would not be able to help a team for a year or two until he gets some experience under him.

Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest) #7 Pistons/#8 Clippers/#9 Jazz

The Clippers are in need of a SF, so Aminu makes the most sense to take with the #8 pick. Aminu’s long ass (6’9”, 7’-3” wingspan!) will give a team a good midrange jumper and a high basketball IQ. He can jump out of the building but needs to gain some strength and work on creating his own shot.

Gordon Hayward (Butler) #8 Clippers/#9 Jazz/#10 Pacers/#11 Hornets

If the Clippers do not take Hayward, I cannot see the Jazz passing on him. He is a typical Utah Jazz player … a white shooter.

The entire county now knows what Gordon is capable of after watching Butler’s Cinderella run to the national championship, but he is going to have to start playing stronger if he wants to make an impact with the big boys. His shooting ability will have a lot of teams wanting to take a chance on him, but others will be afraid of his lack of athleticism.

Luke Babbitt (Nevada) #9 Jazz/#10 Pacers/#11 Hornets

The other white boy of the lottery comes in at 6’9” and is a smart, aggressive scorer. At his height he has a great 3-point shot (42% last season), so many teams will want to use that to their advantage by spreading the defense.

Although on the other side of the court teams will take advantage of his lack of size if he is put in the 4 position.

Ekpe Udoh (Baylor) #8 Clippers/#9 Jazz/ #10 Pacers

If you have not noticed by now this draft is full of big men. Udoh comes in with a mere 7’5” wingspan and a hell of a defensive skill-set.
He averaged almost 4 blocks a game last season and surprised a few people with his improved offense. Udoh is clearly a defensive draft pick with hopes he can give you some offense down the road.
Cole Aldrich (Kansas) #10 Pacers/#14 Rockets

Did I mention this draft was full of big men? Aldrich comes in as the one true center that you may see go in the lottery. He is a very experienced player and comes from a very successful program.

You will definitely never hear anyone question his toughness, but it remains to be seen how well he can keep up and run with up-tempo teams like the Suns.

Other notable lottery potential players:

Patrick Patterson (UK), Paul George (Fresno State), Xavier Henry (Kansas), James Anderson (OK State), Avery Bradley (Texas), Omar Samhan (Saint Mary’s)

Big name players you may not see until the second round:

Jordan Crawford (Xavier), Sherron Collins (Kansas), Jon Scheyer (Duke), Andy Routins (Syracuse), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Quincy Pondexter (Washington), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), De’Shean Butler (West Virginia), Dexter Pittman (Texas), Manny Harris (Michigan), Luke Harangody (Notre Dame)