NBA Mock Draft 2011: Projecting Duke's Kyrie Irving and the Rest of the Lottery
The college season is well underway, and a bevy of underclassmen have wasted no time knocking the socks off rabid fans and casual observers alike with their outstanding play.
Whether it be Kyrie Irving at Duke, Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight at Kentucky or Perry Jones at Baylor, this year's freshman class is chock full of tremendous one-and-done talents.
However, with a lockout looming in the NBA next season, it's far from a sure thing that these kids will make the jump right away.
And even if the 2011-2012 season in the NBA does happen, the new collective bargaining agreement may force these phenomenal freshmen to stay for their sophomore years under a "two-and-done" rule.
Mitigating circumstances aside, let's have a look at how the 2011 NBA Draft might shake out.
14. Derrick Williams, Sophomore, Forward, Arizona
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The back-end of the lottery is always the most difficult to predict, but Arizona's Derrick Williams looks like a solid bet to land in the middle of the first round.
The 6'8", 240-pound sophomore is having an excellent year in Tucson thus far, scoring 19.5 points on 57.4 percent shooting and grabbing 7.4 rebounds per game after bursting onto the Pac-10 scene as a freshman.
Williams projects as a highly productive "jack-of-all-trades" type of player, whose size makes him a bit too slow to guard small forwards and just a hair too small to make it as a power forward in the NBA.
Physical limitations aside, Williams will create a niche for himself in the pros with his ability to get to the cup and his nose for the ball.
13. Josh Selby, Freshman, Guard, Kansas
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Josh Selby has all of the talent and ability in the world to be a top-five pick in the NBA Draft.
The only thing holding him back at this point is the fact that he has yet to play a single game on the collegiate level.
That being said, everyone will finally get to see the former No. 1 ranked high schooler in America on display as third ranked Kansas takes on USC this Saturday.
Selby made a name for himself on the AAU circuit as a high flier who has no trouble creating his own shot and putting the ball in the basket at will.
His one big shortcoming is his height–6'1"–which would have Selby projected as a point guard, though his skill set suggests that he will be more of a scoring combo guard.
12. Jan Vesely, International, Forward, KK Partizan Belgrade
3 of 14The trend of selecting international prospects in the lottery has fallen off in recent years after the poor performance of the likes of Darko Milicic and Yaroslav Korolev in the NBA, but the early portions of the upcoming draft could feature four players from overseas.
One of those four is Jan Vesely, a 20-year-old from the Czech Republic who, at 6'11" and a slender 240 pounds, is known for his ability to get up and down the floor and throw down thunderous dunks.
Vesely opted not to enter the 2010 draft, citing a desire to improve his game under the auspices of Partizan head coach Dusan Vujosevic.
11. Mason Plumlee, Sophomore, Forward, Duke
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It looks as though the first of the balling Plumlee brothers to play in the NBA will be middle brother Mason.
The sophomore from Warsaw, Indiana has already notched three double-doubles this season for the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils, with averages of 8.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
At 6'11" and 230 pounds, Plumlee possesses the kind of size and athleticism that scouts salivate over.
And though Plumlee currently lacks the strength and hustle to make him an elite prospect, he has potential in abundance, having demonstrated an ability to operate on the perimeter as well as battle in the post.
10. Donatas Motiejunas, International, Forward, Benetton Treviso
5 of 14The string of tall, wiry, athletic forwards continues with Lithuania's Donatas Motiejunas.
Like Vesely, Motiejunas had the opportunity to enter the 2010 NBA Draft but decided instead to return to his European club–Benetton Treviso of Italy's Lega Basket Serie A–to develop his game and his body.
And, at 7' and 215 pounds, there's a lot of development left for Motiejunas to do.
Thus far, the 20-year-old Motiejunas has reminded scouts of everyone from Channing Frye to Andrea Bargnani to Pau Gasol.
9. Kemba Walker, Junior, Guard, UConn
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Tempering the plethora of big guys with "upside" is Kemba Walker, a little guy whose game is part polish and part persistence.
At a squat 6' and 180 pounds, Walker isn't exactly the prototypical NBA point guard in the mold of a Derrick Rose or a Deron Williams, but he's proven to be more than capable of doing everything a true leader needs to do.
And let's not forget about the fact that the junior from the Bronx is leading the country in scoring at 28.1 points per game and has almost single-handedly willed UConn, which was picked to finish at the bottom of the Big East in the preseason, into a top-10 ranking.
In short, Walker is about as pure a point guard as there is in the college game today.
8. Jonas Valanciunas, International, Forward, Lietuvos Rytas
7 of 14Another lottery spot, another tall, lanky forward from Europe.
This time, it's Jonas Valanciunas, an 18-year-old from Lithuania whose middle name might as well be "Upside."
At 6'10" and 230 pounds, the young Lithuanian doesn't have quite the outside game that the other two European big men on this list possess, but he is still rather athletic and plays primarily inside.
As a big man should.
7. Brandon Knight, Freshman, Guard, Kentucky
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Like so many Kentucky freshman these days, Brandon Knight came onto the college scene as one of the top prospects out of the high school ranks and has thus far delivered the goods.
Knight's scoring average of 17.4 points per game is quite impressive for a freshman, though his assist numbers—3.7 per game—aren't exactly eye-popping for a player in charge of a roster as talented as UK's.
And though Knight is no John Wall, he is still an excellent point guard prospect in his own right, with plenty of size and athleticism to boot at 6'3" and 175 pounds.
6. Jared Sullinger, Freshman, Forward, Ohio State
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Few freshman have managed to dominate the competition this year quite like Jared Sullinger has.
The 6'9" forward is averaging 18 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for his hometown Ohio State Buckeyes, including 40 points—a school freshman record—and 13 boards against IUPUI.
As the son of a basketball coach, Sullinger's knowledge of the game and ability to score in the post and the mid-range makes him one of the most productive players in the college game today.
However, from a pro perspective, Sullinger is undersized and overweight, at 280 pounds, for a NBA power forward.
Nonetheless, as the likes of DeJuan Blair have proven in recent years, undersized forwards with bulk can be very effective at the highest level.
5. Terrence Jones, Freshman, Forward, Kentucky
10 of 14Slightly edging Sullinger in the Freshman of the Year Race, and in most 2011 NBA Draft projections, is Kentucky forward Terrence Jones.
The forward from Portland, Oregon has emerged as an explosive leaper and scorer for John Calipari's Wildcats.
Jones has demonstrated a rather impressive and diverse skill set thus far, showing his ability to operate inside and on the perimeter to post averages of 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per night.
At 6'8" and 244 pounds, Jones has the build of a prototypical small forward, though his perimeter skills still have a ways to go before he becomes the NBA star that so many feel he can and will be.
4. Enes Kanter, Freshman, Forward, Kentucky
11 of 14Ironically enough, the Kentucky Wildcat freshman likely to go highest in the 2011 NBA Draft might never set foot on the hardwood in college.
That distinction belongs to Enes Kanter, a forward from Turkey who arrived in Lexington by way of Stoneridge Prep in Los Angeles.
The NCAA ruled Kanter permanently ineligible to play because he allegedly accepted payments while playing in Europe as a teenager, thereby nullifying his amateur status. Kentucky is currently appealing the NCAA to have a second look at Kanter's case in light of the recent ruling in the case of Auburn's Cam Newton.
Regardless of whether Kanter ever plays in college or not, he is likely to go in the top five in the upcoming draft, thanks to the usual metrics of size, athleticism and upside that he scores so well in.
Unlike his other tall European counterparts on this list, Kanter actually has some bulk on his 6'11" frame, with 262 pounds to boot that will likely be added to once he starts working with an NBA trainer.
3. Kyrie Irving, Freshman, Point Guard, Duke
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As successful as Mike Krzyzewski has been as the head basketball coach at Duke, it's not every season that he has a player on his roster good enough to make the leap to the NBA after one year.
Then again, it's not every year that a guy like Kyrie Irving ends up in Durham, North Carolina.
Irving has seemingly accomplished the impossible already this season—emerge as a star for Coach K as a freshman—while putting up 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game for the top-ranked Blue Devils.
From an NBA perspective, Irving has everything that talent evaluators love to see in a point guard. He has the size—at 6'2" and 180 pounds—the athleticism, the shot-creating ability and the intangibles to be the next superstar point guard in the pros.
Now, if only Irving could shake the foot injury that will keep him out for an extended portion of the season...
2. Harrison Barnes, Freshman, Forward, North Carolina
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A short drive down Tobacco Road, yet another freshman is preparing himself for a jump to the NBA.
North Carolina's Harrison Barnes came into Chapel Hill as arguably the best basketball player in his graduating class nationally, along with all of the hype that accompanies such a distinction.
Though Barnes has struggled somewhat to live up the hype thus far, he hasn't exactly faltered either.
Barnes is currently averaging 11.9 points and 6.4 boards per game for a Tar Heels squad on the rebound after a dismal 2009-2010 season.
In his own right, Barnes is a terrific NBA prospect, with the size, skills, smarts and athleticism to be a prototypical wing at the pro level.
All he needs to do now is produce.
1. Perry Jones, Freshman, Forward, Baylor
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There are many things that can be said about Baylor's Perry Jones, and just about all of them are glowingly positive.
Some scouts have described Jones as a 6'11" forward with the fluidity and perimeter skills of a guard.
Some have pontificated about Jones' athleticism and finishing ability on the court, as well as his humble demeanor off it.
Jones' stats may not be particularly eye-popping—12.8 points, nine rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game—but that would seem to only highlight the fact that he is still a work in progress with a wealth of upside.
All of this points to one thing—he will be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft.
