NBA Draft 2013: Under-the-Radar Prospects Destined for Stardom
Anyone who has been casually following the NBA knows that Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Trey Burke and the rest of the big-name college superstars are destined to become high picks in the 2013 NBA draft.
However, there are some lesser-known prospects looking to sneak into the late-lottery pick range to the middle of the first round and take the Association by storm. These unheralded talents may not be the biggest names or have a large body of work, but project to be legitimate contributors at the next level.
Let’s take a glimpse at these under-the-radar stars in the making.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Georgia
KCP is a dynamic off-guard who should be able to carve out a long career based on his natural talents and ability.
With the shooting guard position one of the weakest in the league these days—James Harden, Klay Thompson and Bradley Beal are the only three sure things under the age of 30, although there’s an argument to be made for J.R. Smith, Jimmy Butler and Eric Gordon—many teams have been relying on platoons to fit all the basic requirements for the position.
This is what makes Caldwell-Pope so intriguing, as he’s able to spot up for a jumper from anywhere on the court, consistently create his own shot, defend his position and beat his man due to a 6’6”, 204-pound frame, facilitate at an above-average level and do everything else required from a 2-guard.
The only area where this Bulldogs product truly lacks is in his handle, but that will easily come with training and time.
Don’t be surprised if KCP becomes a lottery pick and winds up as one of the top five shooting guards in the league in a few years.
Dennis Schroeder, PG, Germany
While Schroeder will have many hoops to climb through on his way to the top, this young German import should eventually find his way up there.
The third-year pro is an extremely athletic prospect who has to work on bulking up, but the 19-year-old should easily be able to add weight onto his 6’2”, 165-pound frame with an NBA weight-training program and proper diet.
Schroeder has had no problems succeeding in spite of his rail-thin body, as he utilizes quickness, speed and handle to penetrate into the lane and finish with either hand or dish it out to an open teammate.
He certainly excels more at the former and projects more as a Stephon Marbury-type of scoring PG that can simply get to the rim at will and prefers to put up a shot. However, he doesn’t seem to have an ego and desires to get everyone involved, which means his facilitating should drastically improve with better teammates and more practice.
It may take a few years for Schroeder to develop and make his way onto a roster, but he’ll make an instant positive impact for the wise team that brings him over from Germany.
Jamaal Franklin, SG, San Diego State
Franklin is an uber-athletic swingman who can simply jump out of the gym and won’t stop hustling.
At 6’5”, 191 pounds, the Aztecs star can guard either a 2 or 3 with his long arms and freakish leaping abilities, which also translate well in the rebounding department.
Franklin battles for every board and seems to bring down a majority of them, as motivation has never been a question when it comes to his game.
The only knock on this kid has been his lack of a jump shot, which is something that is certainly fixable—if he lands with the right club.
Franklin reminds me a bit of Kawhi Leonard, who came out of San Diego State two years ago and couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with his awkward jumper that seemed impaired by his gigantic hands.
However, San Antonio Spurs shooting specialist Chip Engelland had a chance to work with Leonard and has developed him into a dangerous sniper that holds career averages of 49.4 percent field-goal shooting and 37.5 percent three-point shooting.
If Franklin can find someone to coach up his jumper and hone it into a weapon, he could easily become one of the top players to come out of the class of 2013.
