NBA Draft 2013: Comparing Nerlens Noel & Other Prospects to Current NBA Players

As the 2013 NBA draft quickly approaches, analysts across the nation have begun dissecting film and numbers to see who the best prospect will be.  However, for the casual fan, most of these numbers don’t mean anything. 

The shuttle time, bench press or height without shoes on means absolutely nothing to anyone who isn’t an NBA scout. Tangible pro comparisons are the only true way to see what type of player your team is drafting.

Gone are the days that there are true positions in basketball.  With the increase in athleticism and difference of body types, positions are only for paper.

The best way to judge a player now is to find the NBA player who has the same skill set and analyze how they apply that particular skill set to their team. 

I’m certainly not saying that these players will end up as good or successful as their NBA counterparts­; if I was, scouting would be a lot easier.  But if each of these players can improve on their weaknesses and excel on the team that drafts them, they very well could.

Here are six NBA prospects and who they most closely resemble in the NBA.

C.J. McCollum, PG/SG, Lehigh: Steph Curry, PG Warriors

Both went to small schools.  Both can shoot the lights out.  Both beat Duke in the NCAA tournament.  Both are undersized shooting guards.  The similarities are eerie.

It took Steph Curry three years to adapt to being an NBA point guard, and it will likely take the same time for McCollum.  If McCollum can come into the NBA and shoot the way he did in college, the transition will be seamless.  If he can’t get his shot, he will be on the bench like another big-time undersized college scorer—Jimmer Fredette.  

Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV: David West, PF, Pacers

Anthony Bennett has the exact game as David West.  For a man his size, most would compare him to a powerful power forward like Dejuan Blair, but he has much more to his game than Blair.

Bennett can stretch the floor and can shoot much better than you would expect for someone his size.  This is where the David West comparison comes into play.  West has a great mid-range shot, defensive tenacity and the ability to run the floor.  Bennett will have an easy time transitioning to the NBA if he can do these things at the NBA level.

Nerlens Noel, PF/C, Kentucky: Kevin Garnett, PF/C, Celtics

While any will link Nerlens Noel to previous Kentucky star Anthony Davis, Kevin Garnett is the more suitable comparison.  Noel’s defense is premier, just like the former No. 1 pick, but what sets them apart is Noel’s mean streak.  Noel plays with a chip on his shoulder, similar to the passion that Garnett harnesses each and every night.

Besides the mindset, their games are very similar.  When Garnett was just coming out of high school, he was a physical specimen who didn’t have a refined offensive game.  Remind you of anyone?

Noel has his work cut out from him coming off a gruesome knee injury, but if he can add the mid-range jump shot to his game like Garnett did, he will become an absolute force on both sides of the ball.

Alex Len, C, Maryland: Roy Hibbert, C, Pacers

Alex Len has been very up and down in the draft process.  He has shown a lot of promise when healthy, but a nagging ankle injury kept him from working out at the NBA combine.  But during his time at Maryland, Len proved he was a strong defensive presence and an improving offensive big man.

When Roy Hibbert was coming out of college, he was described the same way.  Everyone knew he could block shots and be a presence in the paint, but scouts worried about his raw offensive ability. 

In reality, Hibbert is a consistent player in the sense that you know exactly what you are getting from him.  If Len can learn a few more post moves and put on more mass, he can be dominant in the same way as Hibbert.  

Trey Burke, PG, Michigan: Mike Conley, PG, Grizzlies

Trey Burke was a dominant college basketball player because of his tenacity and clutch shot.  He’s a point guard who can control the tempo of the game while making each and every one of his teammates better.

This reminds me of Mike Conley.  Both are a bit undersized for point guards, but they have the quickness and basketball IQ to make up for their height.  Despite the fact that both point guards lost the national championship in their final seasons, they both played out of their minds.

Trey Burke has that similar ability to make his teammates better, much like Conley.  If you take Conley away from the Grizzlies this year, they would be a different team.  Burke will be a necessary element for a playoff team.

Cody Zeller, C, Indiana: Chris Bosh, PF, Heat

Cody Zeller is one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft this year. If he had declared for the draft last year, he would have been a top-three pick, but his lack of improvement has shot him down draft boards.

However, Zeller is a very hard-working player who can crash the boards.  But he is more than Reggie Evans or Tyler Hansbrough.  He has a refined offensive game and has begun to extend his mid-range game. While he will never have the long ball that Bosh has developed, he will be a very effective small-ball center in the NBA.