NBA Draft 2015: The 10 Biggest Wild Cards of the Class
Every summer, the NBA draft brings waves of hope and optimism to the fanbases of all 30 teams. The chance to find that year's wild card is alluring.
Whether it's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green or Klay Thompson, there always seem to be one or two players taken outside the top 10 who develop faster, and into more, than expected.
Who has the potential to be that kind of player from the 2015 class? We'll take a look at 10 prospects who have wild card potential and who are likely to fall outside the top 10 picks.
Each one has unique potential in combination with issues that have scouts and front offices leery. They're organized here alphabetically by last name.
Devin Booker, Kentucky, 6'6", SG, Freshman
1 of 10
2014-15: 10 PPG, 41.1% 3PT
Wild card: Shooting
NBA offenses depend more on three-point shooting every season. Three-point attempt rate (defined as "percentage of field goal attempts from three-point range" by Basketball-Reference) has increased in each of the last four years and has been on a steady incline since the line was added to the game in 1979.
That makes high-level three-point shooting a very valuable skill in today's game, even if a player's only decent at the rest of the game. If you can defend your position at an above-average level and hit anywhere near 40 percent of your threes, you can earn that "3-and-D" label.
Kentucky's Devin Booker has the size and shooting ability to do just that. ESPN's Chad Ford has more:
"His appeal is pretty simple -- he's one of the two or three best shooters in college basketball and with the rise of the Splash Brothers, everyone is clamoring after shooters. While Booker doesn't have elite size or athleticism for his position, he has a high basketball IQ and a great feel for the game.
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One of those Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, is exactly who Booker should look to emulate. They're already similar in terms of size and shot mechanics. If Booker can develop himself into anywhere near the on-ball defender Thompson is, he could become a highly productive NBA player.
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin, 6'9", SF, Junior
2 of 10
2014-15: 13.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 33.1% 3PT
Wild card: Matchup problems
Sam Dekker's NBA draft stock has been all over the place since he started his college career at Wisconsin. Fortunately, he managed to end on a high note with a strong performance in the 2015 NCAA tournament.
But will a five-game stretch (before a tough game in the final) hold more sway with NBA front offices than a somewhat inconsistent regular season?
Draft Express's Jonathan Givony wrote about Dekker's shooting struggles:
"The biggest question Dekker will face as he transitions to the NBA is his consistency as an outside shooter. He made 34.8% of his 3-point attempts for his Wisconsin career, starting his career shooting 39% as a freshman, but declining the following two seasons as his role increased. He also shot just 69.5% from the free throw line over the course of his career, which stayed consistent all three seasons.
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Because of his athleticism and feel for the game, poor shooting won't kill Dekker's stock. But it may be just enough to keep him out of the lottery.
If he does slip that far, Dekker could prove to be one of the bigger steals of this class. He has the size to play power forward in small-ball lineups (like Carmelo Anthony in New York), where he can beat opposing bigs with his quickness. He also has a good enough handle to play the wing and take smaller defenders inside.
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame, 6'5", PG, Senior
3 of 10
2014-15: 16.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, 1.7 STL, 47.8% FG
Wild card: Size
The line between positions is blurring, and that means traditional point guards are starting to get bigger. The Milwaukee Bucks' trade-deadline strategy was striking evidence.
They moved a productive, 23-year-old Brandon Knight for the less-efficient Michael Carter-Williams. It would be hard to see the reason just looking at a stat sheet, but MCW is four inches taller and gave the Bucks more options in their switch-heavy defense.
Notre Dame's Jerian Grant can be that kind of point guard. At 6'5", he can defend everywhere but right under the rim and should be able to give smaller opponents problems on both ends.
So why is Grant projected to go outside the top 10? Ford explains:
"If Grant were 19 or 20 years old, he'd be a top-10 pick. He has had as good a season as anyone on the board. However, he turns 23 before opening night of the 2015-16 NBA season, and that "older age" often scares teams from taking a player so high. But Grant actually put up slightly better numbers as a junior, when he was just 21. So Grant's season wasn't a fluke, nor was it good just because he was older than his opponents. I think he might be the most underrated guy on our Board.
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Front offices are always looking for "upside," something 23-year-olds aren't supposed to possess. But Grant is more likely to produce right away than most teenagers and still has four or five developmental years before he hits his prime.
R.J. Hunter, Georgia State, 6'5", SG, Junior
4 of 10
2014-15: 19.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.1 STL, 1 BLK
Wild card: Volume scoring
Based on raw numbers alone, R.J. Hunter is one of the most explosive scorers in the draft. The caveat on that, of course, is that he played at a mid-major school.
It's tough to gauge how much of his success will translate to the NBA when he's spent most of his career against players who will never sniff that level.
It could get even more worrisome when you look at his three-point percentage of 30.5, but ESPN's Kevin Pelton explained why that shouldn't be a concern.
"If you're looking to predict how well a player will shoot 3s in the NBA, it turns out college 3-point percentage isn't the best predictor. In fact, it barely even helps the prediction at all, which instead relies on free throw percentage and the percentage of a player's attempts that come from 3-point range. Hunter scores high on both of those measures; he has made 88 percent of his free throws the past two seasons and took more than half his shots from beyond the arc. Based on those facts, we'd guess he'll develop into a 39 percent career 3-point shooter in the NBA...
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If Hunter can get to that level of shooting in the NBA, he could be an instant-offense option off the bench like Jason Terry or Jamal Crawford.
Kevon Looney, UCLA, 6'10", PF/SF, Freshman
5 of 10
2014-15: 11.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.3 STL, 0.9 BLK, 41.5% 3PT
Wild card: Stretch 4
Kevon Looney's baseline production may be a bit low, but that's mostly due to his role on a team that featured two ball-dominant guards in Norman Powell and Bryce Alford.
When you actually watch Looney play, his size and fluid athleticism are clear on offense. Even at 6'10", he possesses perimeter skills in abundance.
Mark Stewart of The Journal Sentinel wrote about Looney's versatility after the big man was named Wisconsin's Mr. Basketball in 2014:
"Though Looney was often the tallest player on the floor, he was one of the Wildcats' primary ballhandlers. He could score from anywhere on the floor — he hit three or more three-pointers five times — and, in perhaps the greatest testament to his ability, drew enough fouls to get to the line more than 250 times.
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He still needs to get a bit stronger to attack NBA defenders, particularly power forwards, in that way. But he clearly has the potential to become a solid floor spacer who's athletic enough to defend as well.
Trey Lyles, Kentucky, 6'10", PF/SF, Freshman
6 of 10
2014-15: 8.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG
Wild card: Matchup problems
Because Kentucky was stacked with talent up front, big man Trey Lyles was forced to play a lot of small forward. He struggled playing out of position and made just 4-of-29 three-point attempts.
Givony explained the impact that had on his draft stock:
"Lyles is somewhat of a divisive prospect among NBA scouts. He has some very obvious tools, with his size, length, high skill-level and strong feel for the game, but wasn't overly productive (15.5 points, 9.3 rebounds per-40) or efficient (55% TS%) in college, which is easy to understand due to the circumstances. Power forwards who aren't great perimeter shooters, athletes or shot-blockers are not the most en vogue players in today's NBA, so he'll have to be drafted into the right situation with the understanding of what his strengths and weaknesses are to reach his full potential. Nevertheless, only being 19 years old, time is clearly on Lyles' side.
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Lyles is less likely to be played out of position in the NBA, but he does have some experience at the 3 now. If he applies some of the ball skills he picked up at Kentucky to one-on-one matchups with opposing bigs, he can be a dangerous face-up 4 off the bench.
Cameron Payne, Murray State, 6'2", PG, Sophomore
7 of 10
2014-15: 20.2 PPG, 6 APG, 37.7% 3PT
Wild card: Pure point guard
Like Hunter, Murray State's Cameron Payne spent his college career at a mid-major. His draft stock reflects that. But regardless of competition, it's easy to see Payne's NBA skills.
He has a tight handle, great vision and a willingness to pass. All three translate into the pick-and-roll, where CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie thinks Payne could shine:
"...start with that ability in the pick-and-roll, which is Payne's bread-and-butter in the halfcourt. He utilized the screen on 35.2 percent of his possessions, according to Synergy, and was much more likely to attack himself as opposed to passing off for a potential assist. That probably had to do with how effective he was as a scorer. His .944 points-per-possession in the pick-and-roll was a terrific number, placing him in the 89th percentile among all college basketball players and fifth among guards on my top-100 board.
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Pace, space and motion-heavy offense are all the rage in the NBA now, but pick-and-roll skills are still critical. Payne's ability to pilot a second unit could earn him playing time right away.
Bobby Portis, Arkansas, 6'11", PF, Sophomore
8 of 10
2014-15: 17.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.4 BLK, 1.1 STL, 46.7% 3PT
Wild card: Utility man
As you can see from the stat line, Bobby Portis, the 2015 SEC Player of the Year, can do a little bit of everything.
Ford broke it down for ESPN:
"Portis is the classic jack of all trades, master of none. He's got good size and length for his position; is a good, but not elite athlete; is a good, but not dominant rebounder and a good, but not lethal, offensive player. He does everything well; nothing great...
'He's solid,' one scout said of Portis. 'And that's not a dig at him. He's solid at everything he does. I don't see a lot of holes in his games. If you want to reach for the stars, this isn't the player. But if you say, 'I want a guy that at the very least will be a solid rotation guy and at the very best will be the fourth- or fifth-best starter on my team,' I don't think you can go wrong.'
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The scout's assessment puts a pretty low ceiling on Portis's development, something the 20-year-old big man can disprove by becoming a master of just one or two of his trades.
One thing he has complete control over is shooting. If he puts plenty of work into it and proves that his high percentage is more than a small sample size aberration (he only took 30 threes last season), he can develop into a stretch 4.
Delon Wright, Utah, 6'5", PG, Senior
9 of 10
2014-15: 14.5 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.9 RPG, 2.1 STL, 1 BLK
Wild card: Size
With his size and creativity, Utah's Delon Wright could create plenty of mismatches right away in the NBA. He's not particularly explosive, but he knows how to use changes in pace to keep his defenders off-balance.
Givony explained further:
"From an athleticism standpoint, Wright is unique, as he is not particularly quick or explosive by traditional standards, but rather relies on a very herky-jerky style that helps keep defenders off balance. Wright plays at a variety of different speeds, changing directions frequently with slithery ball-handling moves and crafty footwork. His distinct pace and shifty style of play makes him difficult to guard, as he utilizes a variety of different Eurostep moves, ball-fakes and other deceptive techniques from his huge bag of tricks—helping him draw fouls at a very nice rate.
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He'll have to continue to hone each of the tricks in his arsenal in the NBA, where defenders will be quicker, stronger and smarter.
But Wright's proven capable of rising to the level of competition on each step of his career, from high school to junior college to the Pac-12.
Joseph Young, Oregon, 6'3", SG/PG, Senior
10 of 10
2014-15: 20.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 35.7 percent from three
Wild card: Instant offense
Oregon's "Mighty" Joe Young has two things working against him: age (he turns 23 in June) and size for his position. Despite putting up huge numbers throughout his college career, those factors have impacted his draft stock. He may even slip out of the first round.
But there is plenty of evidence in the league right now of players who managed to find success with both those red flags attached to their profile.
For two specific examples, look no further than a couple of other Pac-12 products: Jason Terry and Isaiah Thomas.
Terry was a 6'3" guard from Arizona, who played four years of college ball before making the jump to the NBA. Sixteen seasons later, he's a former Sixth Man of the Year and ranks third all time in threes made with 2,076.
Thomas may be an even better comp, as he's more recent and even smaller than Young or Terry. The 5'9" point guard was the 60th and final pick in the 2011 draft, but has averaged 15.6 points over his NBA career.
If Young can figure out how to use his quickness to beat the initial defender off the bounce and isn't afraid to take contact at the rim, he could carve out a similar instant-offense-off-the-bench role for himself.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
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