NBA Rumors: Latest Draft Buzz and News on Potential Early Entries
Now that the college basketball season is in the books, much of the hoops talk will shift to the upcoming NBA draft. The NBA season is heading into the playoffs, but 14 teams won't be participating. Those squads have nothing but the offseason to ponder, and a big portion of that time period is dedicated to the NBA draft.
The main question right now is: Who should be the No. 1 pick? Many believe it will be between the Duke Blue Devils' Jahlil Okafor and the Kentucky Wildcats' Karl-Anthony Towns. Neither has officially declared for the draft, but according to Shams Charania of RealGM, the announcement for Towns could be coming up shortly:
Over the last few years, Wildcats underclassmen have declared as a group in an announcement with head coach John Calipari by their side. It would be a shock if Towns isn't one of the Wildcats who decides to declare for the draft.
While playing just 21.1 minutes per game on Kentucky's deep roster, Towns averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and an eye-opening 2.3 blocked shots per contest. He solidified himself as Kentucky's go-to guy in the NCAA tournament. In fact, he should have gotten the ball more during the team's national semifinals loss to the Wisconsin Badgers.
Okafor is more of a classic big man. He's 6'11", 272 pounds with a massive 7'5" wingpsan, according to DraftExpress. His hands are huge and his footwork is advanced well beyond his 19 years.
Okafor averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the national champion Blue Devils, but he only had 10 points and three rebounds in the title game. He's also a horrible free-throw shooter at just 51 percent, but he does have a decent touch from mid-range.
There's reason to believe he can improve in that area. Towns' limited sample size of minutes could create doubts, and he doesn't have a definitive position. While he has more upside, Okafor looks to be more of a sure thing.
It'll be interesting to see which man is able to make himself the top guy by the time the draft rolls around.
Unsure Wildcats Named Johnson
Dakari Johnson
While we figure Towns, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Trey Lyles and Willie Cauley-Stein will be among the Kentucky players declaring for the draft, we're not sure about center Dakari Johnson.
A source told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Johnson wants to leave but is undecided about his draft position.
Johnson is not an explosive athlete, and he doesn't have an imposing wingspan; thus, he's unlikely to garner lottery buzz. However, he is a hard-working 7-footer who is more skilled than he's had the opportunity to show. If he does declare, he'll probably have some work to do at the NBA Draft Combine to improve his stock.
Stanley Johnson
Arizona Wildcats freshman Stanley Johnson is a lock to be selected in the top 10 should he declare, but according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, sources said the 19-year-old is "torn" between leaving Arizona early and staying for his sophomore season.
Johnson's game is reminiscent of Metta World Peace's—without the craziness. He's 6'8", 243 pounds but has good athleticism and excels on the defensive end.
He could improve and enter the draft next year, but there's always the chance that he has a down year or, even worse, gets hurt. If a kid is a lottery pick, it's really hard to advise them to go back to school. The smartest decision would be to bolt and satisfy his educational desires with online courses should he choose to.
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