NBA Draft 2015: Top Players to Watch at 2015 Final Four
The Final Four is one of the grandest spectacles of the entire sports year, but it is something else for scouts and front offices of NBA teams—a pressure-packed tryout session.
It should come as no surprise that the 2015 edition of the Final Four is loaded with elite prospects who will hear their names called during the lottery of future NBA drafts. After all, the best teams typically have the best players. This season is no exception.
Kentucky alone has NBA-caliber players two or three deep on its bench.
There are a handful of prospects who will truly stand out Saturday at the Final Four as not only future NBA draft picks but future NBA stars. Here is a look at a few of them to watch.
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
The question that has dominated early coverage of the upcoming 2015 NBA draft is who will go first between Duke’s Jahlil Okafor or Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns. It feels appropriate that the two could square off in the national championship game a la the showdown between Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston at the Rose Bowl before the NFL draft.
The case for Okafor boils down to one thing—he is an offensive machine.
Okafor is the rare throwback to yesteryear when back-to-the-basket centers dominated the NBA game with low-post moves, nimble footwork and overwhelming strength on the blocks. Okafor is nearly impossible to stop in one-on-one situations in the post, but he can also face up to the basket and hit eight-to-10 footers with soft touch.
His offensive game is already NBA ready, and he is yet to reach his 20th birthday. That should mean something with years of development on the horizon.
The one issue with Okafor is his defense. He gets caught in pick-and-rolls far too often, doesn’t have the lateral quickness necessary to be a rim protector in today’s NBA game and isn’t exactly a shot-blocking force. Whichever team drafts Okafor will have a difficult time anchoring its defense around him down low and will probably need another rim protector alongside him.
Ultimately, Okafor's offensive excellence far outweighs the defensive concerns, which is why he will likely be the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft. It is just something to watch at the Final Four and beyond for the Duke superstar.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky
Okafor’s biggest weakness is Towns’ biggest strength, which is what makes this debate so intriguing.
Sports Illustrated’s Luke Winn believes Towns is the top pick over Okafor:
"Towns. As much as I love Okafor, who's the most advanced freshman post scorer I've ever seen in college basketball, Towns has the higher ceiling and is more of a fit for today's NBA. He's still growing into his body and can get much stronger. His 81.7% free-throw shooting—with good form—suggests potential to stretch the floor in an NBA offense. And his defensive impact around the rim projects to be much greater than Okafor's.
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Towns averaged 2.3 blocks per game this season in only 20.8 minutes a night. That is nearly five swats an outing if the numbers are projected to a 40-minute game, which is borderline absurd. He is so productive as a defender because of his overwhelming athleticism that allows him to cover the entire baseline and bound over as a help defender if any guards get to the rim.
He is certainly an intimidating force on that end and has the potential to develop into an NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate for years to come.
Towns may not be the offensive player Okafor is, but his versatility stands out because he can score down low, hit from mid-range and beyond with an underrated touch, get out in transition with impressive speed and dominate teams in pick-and-roll scenarios that create lobs and openings to the rim.
NBA teams can plug him into any type of offense imaginable, and his ability to adapt and thrive will stand out. There is a reason DraftExpress has Towns as the No. 1 pick in its latest mock draft.
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
There are other prospects at the Final Four who are seen as potentially better NBA prospects than Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker, including Duke’s Justise Winslow, Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein and his own teammate Frank Kaminsky.
However, Dekker is on here because of what this Final Four could mean to his draft stock as he continues to flash his full potential in this NCAA tournament. DraftExpress has Dekker as the No. 16 pick in its latest mock draft, but another vintage performance against Kentucky’s stifling defense and future pros could skyrocket his stock to new heights.
There has been a not-so-subtle shift in today’s NBA to more versatile forwards who can shoot from the outside, attack off the dribble and body up on defense. These forwards, like Dekker, are matchup nightmares unless the opponent has its own version (read, Trey Lyles at Kentucky or Winslow at Duke).
There is very little Dekker cannot do on the floor as a perimeter shooter, a slasher and someone who can battle down low for rebounds or stick with smaller ball-handlers.
He has also displayed a propensity to step up in the biggest moments with 27 points against Arizona on 8-of-11 shooting from field and 5-of-6 from three-point range in the Elite Eight and 23 points in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina on 10-of-15 from field.
Teammate Bronson Koenig commented on that clutch gene, per Gary D’Amato of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "I think Sam always plays his best when he's under the most pressure in big games, on big stages, like he's been in the past few games. I think he's peaked at the right moment."
Saturday will be Dekker’s most important audition yet. If he seizes it, his draft stock will continue to climb.
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