2011 NBA Mock Draft: Projecting The Top 10 Freshmen and Where They Should Go
Assuming there's no extended lock-out in the NBA next season, the 2011 Draft is shaping up to be a festival of phenomenal freshmen parading their way into the pros.
From North Carolina's Harrison Barnes to Duke's Kyrie Irving to the crop of youngsters at Kentucky, there is seemingly no shortage of precocious kids in the college game today who are primed to shine and leave their coaches crying after one season.
As such, here's a look at the top 10 freshman in college basketball which team(s) would be most likely to take them.
10. Patric Young, Florida
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Florida's Patric Young has yet to take off this season, but has plenty of "upside", as NBA scouts like to say.
Young checks in with a lean, muscular frame at 6'9 and 225 pounds, with a solid feel for the game of basketball.
On the downside, Young is still very raw, and his numbers bear that out–3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15 minutes per game.
Additionally, Young possesses the size of a power forward, but the skill set of a center, making him something of a 'tweener on the professional level.
Should Young decide to enter the draft, expect him to go somewhere in the latter half of the first round, to a playoff contender like Atlanta or Denver that can afford to let him develop.
9. CJ Leslie, North Carolina State
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Just ahead of Patric Young in the draft rankings, but far ahead of him in production, is North Carolina State's CJ Leslie.
Leslie has proven to be a valuable player for Sidney Lowe's Wolfpack thus far, accounting for 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.
At 6'8 and 206 pounds, Leslie has a tremendous combination of size and athleticism, highlighted by a seven-foot wingspan and an excellent frame.
Though he plays primarily power forward in college, Leslie projects as a small forward in the pros, a position that will require him to further develop his at-times thrilling perimeter skills.
Look for Leslie to fall just outside of the lottery, with teams like the Hornets and the Knicks hoping to turn him into a nightmare on the perimeter.
8. Brandon Knight, Kentucky
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Brandon Knight came onto the Kentucky basketball team with some gigantic shoes to fill.
John Calipari recruited Knight out of Florida to fill in for John Wall, the number-one overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
Tough gig, but Knight has proven thus far that he's up to the task, with averages of 17.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Knight has all of the tools to be the next Wall or Derrick Rose: he's 6'3 and 185 pounds who's smart, athletic, and knows how to get to the rim effectively.
However, to become a player of that caliber, Knight must improve his decision-making, as he currently has more turnovers on the season (36) than assists (33).
Knight currently grades out as a borderline lottery pick, with the likes of Phoenix and Portland possibly in the mix for a point guard of the future.
7. Josh Selby, Kansas
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Josh Selby is finally set to make his debut for the third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks against USC, and folks in Lawrence couldn't be more excited.
Selby came in from Baltimore will all the hype as the top-ranked player in his high school class.
At 6'1 and 180 pounds, Selby checks in as a combo guard who can score at will, using his superior quickness and athleticism to get to the cup or create his own shot just about anywhere else on the court.
The problem for NBA scouts, aside from the fact that they have yet to see him play at the college level, is that Selby is well proportioned to be a point guard but has shown himself in the past to be much more of a shoot-first kind of player.
Thus, should he end up with a team at the bottom of the lottery, like Houston or Charlotte, he'll still have to fine-tune his passing skills and his court awareness before he becomes a star in the NBA.
6. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
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Like Josh Selby, Jared Sullinger currently projects as something of a 'tweener.
At 6'9 and 280 pounds, Sullinger, a native of Columbus, Ohio, has the perfect blend of size and power to dominate at the college level, as borne out by his team-leading season averages of 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
And while Sullinger may be the most productive freshman in America, his blend of size and skills isn't necessarily ideal for the pro game.
Nonetheless, he would be a very good option for teams like Toronto, Detroit, and Charlotte, who all currently lack scoring punch on the interior.
5. Terrence Jones, Kentucky
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Jared Sullinger isn't the only freshman in the country who's leading his team in points and rebounds.
Kentucky's Terrence Jones fits that bill as well, thanks to nightly numbers of 18.9 points and 10.2 rebounds, not to mention 2.2 blocks.
Thus far, Jones has the look and feel of a prototypical NBA small forward, with a muscular 6'8, 244-pound build and the skill and athleticism to play out on the perimeter, both offensively and defensively.
Like most freshman, Jones still lacks polish, particularly in the ball-handling and outside shooting departments, but a team like Washington or Cleveland would do well to pick up a player of his explosive abilities.
4. Enes Kanter, Kentucky
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It's tough to classify Enes Kanter as a freshman, seeing as how he has yet to play a single minute in a college basketball game, and probably never will.
However, if he were for some reason ruled eligible to play by the NCAA, Kanter would immediately stand out from the crowd.
The seven-footer from Turkey comes ready with a well-developed body at just over 260 pounds and plays with a level of energy and athleticism that left scouts drooling at the 2010 Nike Hoops Summit.
Whether or not he ever plays in college, Kanter will likely end up just outside of the top three picks, with teams like Cleveland and Detroit looking to add size to their rosters.
3. Kyrie Irving, Duke
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The top three freshmen in college basketball are all somewhat interchangeable and are all likely to go within the first three picks of the 2011 NBA Draft, but someone had to end up third.
That distinction, good or bad, belongs to Duke's Kyrie Irving.
The point guard from Elizabeth, New Jersey currently leads the top-ranked Blue Devils in scoring at 17.4 points per game and is second on the team in assists with 5.1 per game.
Irving can pretty much do it all–pass, shoot, handle, get to the basket, rebound, defend–and with notable proficiency.
The only thing holding him back at this point, other than the careful hand of coach Mike Krzyzewski, is a toe injury that could have Irving sidelined for an extended period of time.
He would fit in quite well with the Clippers and the Timberwolves, both of whose rosters would benefit tremendously from the presence of an uber-talented point guard like Irving.
2. Perry Jones, Baylor
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Baylor's Perry Jones looks to be the next in a long line of tall, athletic players who have the size to play center but can mix it up on the perimeter.
Jones, at 6'11 and 220 pounds, sports an obscene amount of athleticism and length that make him a terror on the boards and against those brave enough to drive in for lay-ups against him.
What makes Jones so special, however, is his ball-handling, which allows him to attack bigger defenders off the dribble to either finish at the rim or pull up for a mid-range jumper.
Combine all of that with his humble attitude and his current stats of 13.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, and Jones has the potential to be the next Kevin Durant.
Expect him to end up with whoever ends up with the number two pick between the Clippers, the Kings, and the Timberwolves.
1. Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
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Harrison Barnes might not just be the best basketball player to ever come out of Ames, Iowa or the best prospect in his freshman class.
The North Carolina wingman may also be the best NBA prospect in the nation, period.
His numbers thus far for the Tar Heels are fairly modest–11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game–but, at 6'8 and 210 pounds, Barnes has all the makings of an NBA star.
Barnes is, essentially, the ideal blend of talent, skill, athleticism, leadership, and physical attributes for a pro-level wing player.
A player of Barnes' caliber would be more than welcome on just about any roster in the league today.
