Portsmouth Invitational 2012: Scoop Jardine and NBA Prospects Who Must Shine

With the NBA draft only a few months away, there won't be many more opportunities for prospects such as Scoop Jardine to impress pro scouts, which makes this weekend's action at the Portsmouth Invitational quite important.

Let's look at three players who need strong performances throughout the final two days of the tournament in order to help their draft stock.

Scoop Jardine

The Syracuse star is averaging 9.8 points and 4.8 assists in the Portsmouth Invitational thus far, and he has led his team to the semifinals.

He had a good NCAA tournament with the Orange and played four years for head coach Jim Boeheim, and he is a fundamentally strong player.

As it stands now, it's unlikely that Jardine will be drafted in June, which means this tournament is vitally important for his future.

Ralph Sampson III

Just like his dad, Ralph Sampson III is a talented young big man with a strong offensive game. He played four years at the University of Minnesota. 

Even though Sampson can score effectively in the low post, his defense and rebounding is not at an NBA level.

He really needs to impress scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational or he won't be drafted in June.

Bradford Burgess

The VCU guard had a solid career with the Rams, helping lead the program to a Final Four appearance last season and a third-round appearance this year.

Burgess averaged 13.3 points per game for the Rams this year, and he can shoot well from the outside and take the ball to the basket effectively.

Burgess is a good player, but he will need a great Portsmouth Invitational and have other prospects struggle for him to get drafted.