2011 NBA Draft: Top 15 College Players Who Probably Won't Get Drafted
The NBA draft is, in many cases, a cause for celebration, as young men, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, take that first step toward fulfilling their dreams of playing professional basketball at the highest level.
A plurality of the 60 picks to be made in the 2011 edition will likely go toward underclassmen, with future stars like Arizona's Derrick Williams, Duke's Kyrie Irving and Connecticut's Kemba Walker being just a few of the most notable players who ditched college early for a shot at the big time.
However, for each of the future pros who will bask in a glow of jubilation on June 23rd, there will be many more whose dreams will be at least temporarily dashed, a significant portion of whom would otherwise have had the chance to continue to develop in college.
Those such prospects will look back at May 8th, the deadline to withdraw from the draft pool, as a day of missed opportunities and irreversible mistakes.
Here, then, are 15 players who, despite their gifts, will likely rue the day they ever signed up for the draft once the event comes and goes without their names being called.
Scotty Hopson, Tennessee
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You know a kid was born to play basketball when he has the word "hops" in his name.
Nonetheless, it looks as though Tennessee's Scotty Hopson will have to sing for his supper if he's going to bring his high-fly act to the NBA.
The 6'7" wing from Hopkinsville, Kentucky is a tremendous talent with the ability to take over a game, as he did in games against Pitt, South Carolina and Georgia this past season.
However, as is so often the case with supremely gifted athletes, Hopson tends to take his abilities for granted, choosing to coast far too often rather than maximize his capabilities to become the dominant force that he has the potential to be.
Those concerns about focus, desire and intensity have Hopson slated as a late second-round selection, at best, though he could just as easily drop off the draft board entirely.
DeAndre Liggins, Kentucky
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Kentucky's DeAndre Liggins seems to have the exact opposite problem.
The junior from Chicago has done plenty to fulfill his potential, at least on the defensive end, where the 6'6" Liggins is a pest on the perimeter.
What worries potential suitors is the fact that Liggins has a poor ratio of upside to developmental need. That is, Liggins is average at best on the offensive end and seems to have already hit his ceiling as a player overall.
With an improved offensive game, Liggins would be an excellent value pick in the second round. Without it, Liggins will have to work his tail off in the summer leagues and preseason camps while fellow Wildcats Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones can go about their business knowing their rookie salaries will be guaranteed.
Kevin Jones, West Virginia
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Liggins had the privilege of guarding in the 2011 NCAA tournament another potential draftee whose dreams seem destined to be dashed—Kevin Jones.
The 6'8" forward from Mount Vernon, New York made a name for himself on the West Virginia team that reached the Final Four in 2010, using his length ad hustle to boost the Mountaineers deep into March Madness.
Unfortunately for Jones, those assets wouldn't exactly distinguish him from just about every other role-playing forward in the NBA, nor would his limited shooting range and physical ability do much to entice GMs to even take a flier on him in the second round.
Which is something of a shame, considering Jones is a likable player who figures to carve out a niche for himself somewhere as an energy guy off the bench.
Terrence Jennings, Louisville
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In Jones' defense, at least he's been productive enough in college to warrant the thought of jumping early to the NBA.
Terrence Jennings, on the other hand, has yet to do enough as a collegian to be a legitimate NBA draft prospect.
Sure, the guy is an impressive specimen—a bouncy athlete at 6'9" and 220 pounds—whose combination of physical tools is difficult to come by in the NBA.
But is that really enough reason to overlook Jennings' glaring deficit of basketball skills?
Chances are, NBA GMs will respond to that question on draft day with a resounding "no!"
Ashton Gibbs, Pitt
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Productivity was never a problem for Pitt's Ashton Gibbs.
The junior from Scotch Plains, New Jersey led the 28-6 Panthers in scoring at 16.8 points per game while shooting a remarkable 88.9 percent from the free throw line and 49 percent from deep.
What's holding Gibbs back, of course, is his size. At 6'2", Gibbs is small for an NBA shooting guard and doesn't quite have the skill set to project as a draft-able point guard.
Hence, Gibbs' foray into the NBA draft will likely end with the disappointment of being left out of the field of 60 selections.
Hollis Thompson, Georgetown
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Count Hollis Thompson among the many underclassmen who should never have even put the words "NBA" and "draft" together in the same sentence.
Don't get me wrong: Thompson is a talented kid who has the build, at 6'7" and 205 pounds, and the budding basketball skills to be a prototypical NBA wing.
That being said, the kid from Los Angeles has yet to prove that he can perform when his team needs him to come up big night after night.
It's entirely plausible that Thompson's breakout performance of 26 points and seven rebounds in Georgetown's tourney loss to VCU spurred him on to thinking he was ready for the league.
Those already in the league seem likely to suggest otherwise on draft day.
Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech
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It's tough to argue with Iman Shumpert's decision to go pro a year early.
The junior from Oak Park, Illinois averaged 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds for a lowly Georgia Tech team that will be in rebuilding mode with Brian Gregory taking over for Paul Hewitt, who has fired following the 2010-11 season.
Unfortunately for Shumpert, he may still have trouble convincing an NBA team that he is actually ready for the big time or, for that matter, will ever be. Shumpert is on the small side for a shooting guard, at 6'5", and his shooting stroke—40.6 percent from the floor, 27.8 percent from deep—leaves much to be desired.
Reggie Jackson, Boston College
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Elsewhere in the ACC, Boston College will be a significant man down now that Reggie Jackson has made himself available for the 2011 NBA draft.
Not that the decision will necessarily turn out to be a wise one.
To Jackson's credit, he is capable of manning the point guard position effectively, as he led the Eagles in assists over the last two seasons, and has the size, at 6'3", to fulfill lead guard duties at the next level.
What's dragging Jackson down at this point is his reputation as a scoring guard, which wouldn't be a bad thing if not for the fact that he is undersized for the position.
If Jackson doesn't get picked up in the second round, he should still find his way onto a roster somewhere as an undrafted free agent.
Jeremy Green, Stanford
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Speaking of major conference teams that didn't make it to March Madness, the Stanford Cardinal never quite made it onto the bubble in the first place despite the best efforts of Jeremy Green.
The junior from Austin, Texas averaged 16.7 points per game for Johnny Dawkins' club, which, apparently, was good enough in Green's mind to merit considering the NBA draft.
However, Green is in for a rude awakening when he realizes that he is far from the only or even the best undersized scoring guard available in this draft class.
Add to that Green's average athleticism, which hinders his ability to attack the basket and stay in front of his man on defense, and he's got the look of a sure-fire free agent once the draft proceedings come to a close.
DeAngelo Casto, Washington State
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Jeremy Green isn't the only player from the Pac-10 poised for a disappointing draft day.
Up in the Palouse, Washington State's DeAngelo Casto's foray into the draft pool was doomed from the start.
The Spokane native was the third-leading scorer for a Cougars team that failed to reach the NCAA tournament and, at 6'8" and 255 pounds, isn't quite big enough to play the power forward position in the NBA.
Casto's choice, then, may turn out to be among those made over the past few months to prompt the most head scratching in the end.
Isaiah Thomas, Washington
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Like Casto, Isaiah Thomas will likely suffer on draft day for being undersized for his position.
Not that there's a position in the NBA that Thomas, generously listed at 5'9", wouldn't be small for.
The two-time First Team All-Pac-10 performer was terrific for Lorenzo Romar's Washington Huskies as a junior, averaging 16.8 points and 6.1 assists per game for a team that once again reached the NCAA tournament.
As far as the draft is concerned, Thomas has time and again been compared to fellow U-Dub alum Nate Robinson, as both are diminutive guards who can score in bunches.
That comparison doesn't exactly bode well for Thomas, as Robinson, who is more athletic and has a better shot than Thomas, has been inconsistent in the NBA at best.
Ralph Sampson III, Minnesota
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Isaiah Thomas and Ralph Sampson III have more in common than just being the namesakes of basketball legends.
They both figure to go undrafted in June.
Now, unlike Thomas, Sampson still has the option to return to school since he has yet to sign with an agent, and at this point, returning to Minnesota would be an excellent move for the son of (you guessed it) Ralph Sampson Jr. of Virginia Cavalier and Houston Rocket fame.
At 6'11" and 241 pounds, the youngest Ralph has the size, length and pedigree to be an NBA center, though he's still a bit thin through the chest. However, Sampson has yet to truly assert himself at the college level, with ho-hum averages of 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game as a junior.
Which begs the question: If a kid his size can't dominate against his collegiate opponents, how well can he hope to do against bigger, better centers in the NBA?
Laurence Bowers, Missouri
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As perplexing as Sampson's split to the NBA draft may be, it makes perfect sense when compared to the declaration of Missouri's Laurence Bowers.
Bowers was the Tigers' second-leading scorer and top rebounder, which is all well and good until you realize that, with 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as a junior, Bowers didn't exactly blow away the competition to the point that a jump to the NBA would make any sense.
Toss in the fact that Bowers is also a bit short (6'8") and skinny (210 pounds) to play the power forward position in the NBA, and you've got a recipe for draft-day disaster.
Kim English, Missouri
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It really would be a shame if Kim English decided to hire an agent and stay in the 2011 NBA draft once the May 8th deadline to withdraw comes around.
At 6'6" and 200 pounds, this Missouri Tiger would make for a quality swing man at the next level thanks to his size and athleticism.
Another year in Columbia would grant English the opportunity to round out his game and prove that his breakout sophomore season was no fluke, especially after the way he regressed as a junior.
As it stands, his numbers don't exactly stand out from the crowd, as English was only Mizzou's fifth-best scorer at 10.0 points per game on 36.6 percent shooting.
All of which suggests that he would struggle to find a home in the draft if he chooses to keep his name in the sorting hat.
Cory Joseph, Texas
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Perhaps no case of early-entry failure in this year's draft class would be more tragic than that of Cory Joseph.
The 6'3" guard from Toronto is undoubtedly a top-flight young talent, which he showed in fits and spurts during his freshman season, when he averaged 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 41.3 percent from deep.
Joseph decided to follow Tristan Thompson, his fellow Canadian countryman on the Texas Longhorns, into the 2011 NBA draft, though Thompson looks like a lock to go in the top 10, while Joseph would be lucky to go anywhere in the draft at this point.
Another year or two in school would afford Joseph the opportunity to hone his skills as a point guard and translate more of his raw ability into true basketball talent, which would, in turn, boost his draft stock potentially into the first round.
For now, though, it seems that Joseph may be slated for sorrow on draft day.
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