NBA Draft 2012: 3 Prospects Who Will Shock Scouts in the NBA

NBA scouts are divided on many future 2012 NBA prospects, including Kendall Marshall, Moe Harkless, and Jeff Taylor.  But all three have the talent and skills to shock basketball talent evaluators.

Here is everything you need to know about these three players and why they will succeed in the NBA.

Kendall Marshall, Point Guard, North Carolina

NBA scouts are divided on Marshall because they doubt he has the athleticism, scoring ability, and lateral quickness to be a lead guard in the NBA.

They are wrong. Marshall will succeed as an NBA point guard because he is the best pure passer to enter the draft since Chris Paul.  His basketball IQ is off the charts, he always knows where his teammates will be and he can make any pass on the court.

Marshall averaged nearly 10 assists per game in the regular season to go with his anemic eight points of scoring.  But he elevated his performance in the NCAA tournament, averaging nearly 15 points and 11 assists per game.  Many observers, myself included, felt North Carolina would have won the NCAA Championship if he did not get injured.

The bottom line: Marshall is too talented a passer not to succeed in the league.  He needs to go to a team that has a scoring two-guard and legitimate options in the post. In the right system, he can really be something special.

Moe Harkless, Small Forward, St. Johns

NBA scouts don’t quite know what to make of Harkless.  He is a one-and-done player with an intriguing mix of athleticism and skills combined with tantalizing production on the floor.  But he did not always maximize his talent and didn’t play hard on every possession.

Harkless will succeed because he has top-10 talent and the right mix of tools and skills.  He is only 18 and is 6’8” with an impressive wingspan and lateral quickness.  He has a swingman’s body and is extremely long and athletic.  He combines those tools with the ability to drive into the lane and finish at the rim, which is the most important intuitive offensive skill for a slashing scorer. 

Harkless also produced in his lone season. He averaged nearly 15 points and eight rebounds.  He knows how to block and rebound, so while he didn’t play great defense as a freshman, the foundational skills are there for the right coach to exploit.

The bottom line: Harkless is a talented, athletic specimen who knows how to produce.  He is neither very raw nor lazy and will be an effective NBA player on the right team.

Jeff Taylor, Small Forward, Vanderbilt

Many NBA scouts are skeptical of Taylor because they feel he has never maximized his talents.  But there is no skepticism here: Taylor is one of the most athletic, skilled, and experienced players in the draft.  With his arsenal of weapons, it’s almost impossible to see him as anything less than a very good role player and he definitely has the ability to blossom into a true NBA star.

Taylor spent four years at Vanderbilt and has improved every single season.  In four years, his scoring went up from 12 to 16 points per game and his three-point percentage from 22 percent to an exceptional 43 percent.  He learned how to shoot from mid and deep range and to mix that shooting with well-timed slashes to the rim.  Taylor has become a versatile offensive player and, combined with his extraordinary raw athletic ability that will make him an asset to any NBA team.