NBA Draft 2011: 10 Prospects with Major Red Flags
Every NBA draft produces a number of players who fizzle. In hindsight, most of them had glaring red flags prior to being drafted.
What constitutes a red flag? It could be a nagging injury, potential holes in his game or character concerns, among other issues.
Let's take a look at 10 players in the draft who could be throwing up some major red flags prior to draft day.
Kyrie Irving
1 of 10
We could be looking at the second coming of Chris Paul. We might be looking at another number one pick with Greg Oden injury issues.
Irving's injury issues kept him off the court for most of his last season at Duke. His injuries aren't expected to follow him to the next level, but how many guys have injury concerns in college and remain healthy at the next level?
Before the Cavs invest heavily in Irving, they need to make sure he isn't a fragile basketball player. His disappearance from the Duke lineup and sudden return in the tournament threw off the schematics of the team. Nothing is worse than having your star point guard sidelined for a long duration.
Bismack Biyombo
2 of 10Bismack Biyombo might be the most athletic player in the draft. He has an incredible ability to bound off the floor and throw it down. Defensively, he owns the paint and is a tremendous shot blocker.
He's raw, though, and nobody has seen a whole lot of him. He looks uncomfortable on the court at times and could be a Mikael Pietrus type of basketball player. Some mocks have him going as high as sixth, but teams should proceed with caution.
Jonas Valanciunas
3 of 10Jonas Valanciunas may have problems getting out of his contract with Lietuvos Rytas. Whoever decides to go after Valanciunas is going to have to do their research and figure out exactly what the stipulations are.
Nobody wants to end up with the next Ricky Rubio. Wasting a draft pick on a Euro player who doesn't come to the NBA, regardless of how talented, can set a team back years. Ask the TWolves.
Alec Burks
4 of 10
Alec Burks is a shooting guard whose biggest flaw is that he has problems shooting the ball. He can get to the basket and is an above-average passer for the position. He takes a lot of high percentage shots, but force him to shoot jump shots and he has a habit of crumbling.
Having a two guard with a limited range is dangerous. Penetrating guards like Dwyane Wade are lethal, but without a consistent mid-range jumper, he could tank at the next level.
Jimmer Fredette
5 of 10
There is a lot to like about Jimmer Fredette. He can take over a game with his unlimited range. He's a great leader and an even better person.
He's also a useless defender and if his shots don't hit, he has no off switch. Fredette has more skills than the average pure shooter, but he still carries the same red flags that Adam Morrison did when he came out.
Josh Selby
6 of 10
Josh Selby has all the talent in the world. He's a top-10 talent who might slip to the mid to late first round. He can be selfish, which obviously doesn't bode well for his position.
If there is a player in the draft who can do to much, he's it. Solid defender, unlimited tools, but he doesn't have Kobe Bryant's stroke and he tries to emulate the way he takes over the game. He's not necessarily a "look at me" sort of O.J. Mayo guy; he's just a competitor.
Tobias Harris
7 of 10
Tobias Harris is a tweener. Is he a 3? Is he a 4? He's got the ball skills to be a 3, but he rebounds like a 4. It's good to be able to play multiple positions. The more versatile a player is, the harder he can be to guard.
The problem is that Harris could get caught up in the middle. He's got a ton of upside and could pose matchup problems, but he could get lost in the mix.
Darius Morris
8 of 10
Darrius Morris is a huge point guard. He's got the size, he can stroke the basketball and he is a solid defender. He has everything you would ever want in a point guard, most of the time at least.
He goes missing at other times. He's one-dimensional and fails to make an impact at times. Morris could make a huge splash as a sleeper pick in this year's point guard–laden draft, but his inconsistency issues might make him struggle.
Jordan Williams
9 of 10
Jordan Williams is slightly undersized for the center position. At 6'10", he doesn't have the length to camp out in the paint. He's got to be able to run the floor and quite frankly, he can't.
We've seen big men who can't keep up. Williams is one of those guys who won't be on the floor for extended periods of time. He's great at hauling in rebounds, but he's far more likely to be a bench role player on a good team than the next star center.
Jon Leuer
10 of 10
Jon Leuer is a huge forward. He can pass very well for a big man. He has great ball skills for his size and knows how to operate on the perimeter. He has a lot of the traits you look for in a shooting guard, he was simply born in the wrong body.
There isn't a line out the door for big men who can shoot and can't rebound. There comes a time when your front court has to step up and own the paint. Leuer is more of a finesse big man, which could be problematic.
With the NBA Draft approaching, NBA Mock Draft season is here. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updated mock drafts, along with the latest NBA Draft news, analysis, rumors and predictions.
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