NBA Draft 2011: Derrick Williams and the 10 Most NBA-Ready Prospects
One of the most overlooked aspects of an NBA prospect's game is his NBA readiness.
While some guys may have the athletic ability, the shooting stroke or the court vision necessary to play at the sport's highest level, not all of those players have the ability to come in and immediately be ready to face off against LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the superstars in the NBA.
NBA readiness is a hard thing to gauge, which is the primary reason that it is forgotten about so often. But it is clearly important.
Read on for the 10 prospects in the 2011 NBA draft class that are the most ready to move on to the next level. Keep in mind that these are sorted alphabetically and not ranked.
Marshon Brooks
1 of 10
Not many people have heard of the senior from Providence, but they really need to start doing a little bit of research before he starts contributing to an NBA team.
Marshon Brooks is a 6'5" shooting guard that possesses a solid game across the board while still excelling at putting the ball in the hoop.
Brooks averaged an insane 24.6 points per game despite playing in a Big East conference that prides itself on defense. Against some of the stiffest competition he faced during his senior season, Brooks scored 43 points against Georgetown and 52 against Notre Dame.
The guard increased his scoring output during each of his four seasons on the Friars and has gotten everything he can out of the collegiate level. NBADraft.net gives him an 8/10 in the NBA Ready category and compares him to Jordan Crawford and Josh Howard.
Norris Cole
2 of 10
Another great scorer from an unheralded school, Norris Cole averaged 21.7 points, 5.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game during his senior season at Cleveland State. He was remarkably consistent throughout the year and didn't even fail to reach double digits in scoring once.
He also improved across the board in every single counting statistic, just as he has in each of his other college years. That demonstrates to me that he's ready to make the jump to the next level. As his coach just said, Cole has the ability to stick around in the NBA for a long time.
Despite the fact that Cole called the Horizon League home, the guard earned himself an 8/10 rating from NBADraft.net in the NBA Ready category.
Kenneth Faried
3 of 10
Kenneth Faried's scoring stats might be slightly inflated because he played in the Ohio Valley Conference, but his rebounding stats are quite legitimate.
Faried stands just 6'8" but used his tireless energy and athleticism night in and night out en route to passing Tim Duncan as college basketball's all-time leading rebounder.
Now that his senior season is over, though, it's time to take his 17.3 points and 14.5 rebounds per game to the next level. Faried will never be a scorer in the NBA, but neither was Dennis Rodman, and the Worm is considered to be quite successful.
NBADraft.net gave Faried an 8/10 NBA Ready rating.
JaJuan Johnson
4 of 10
JaJuan Johnson was an All-American during his senior season, and he absolutely deserved the honor. That's just what tends to happen when you become the leader of a team and average 20.5 points, 1.0 assist and 8.6 rebounds per game while playing good defense and making smart decisions.
Johnson is projected to go late in the first round or early in the second round, and his length and skill will help ease the transition to the NBA. He's 6'10" but can handle the ball like a guard and shoot from the outside just as proficiently as he posts people up.
The power forward is also known for being quite mature off the court and should be able to handle the rigors of the NBA schedule without succumbing to the temptation that often sinks the ships of many rookies.
Johnson received an 8/10 rating in the NBA Ready category from NBADraft.net.
Marcus Morris
5 of 10
The better of the two Morris twins, Marcus may only be a junior, but he's ready to play in the NBA. He's making the right decision to declare for the draft and move on.
Marcus averaged 17.2 points, 1.6 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game during his junior season with the Kansas Jayhawks thanks in part to a very polished offensive game. His midrange jumper is pure, and his post skills coupled with athleticism make him a very tough player to guard.
Additionally, he is a year old for his grade, meaning that he's more mature than the average college junior.
NBADraft.net gives him a 9/10 in the NBA Ready category.
Markieff Morris
6 of 10
The "worse" of the two Morris twins doesn't really deserve to be called that. Markieff still has a chance at being selected in the top 10 of the 2011 NBA draft and will almost assuredly be drafted in the lottery, making he and his brother the first set of twins to ever be drafted in the same lottery.
Also a junior, Markieff averaged 13.6 points, 1.4 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game for the Jayhawks during the 2010-2011 campaign, giving him his best stat line by far.
He is bigger, faster and stronger than his twin, making him a more complete player, but he isn't anywhere near as good on offense.
Markieff did, however, receive the same 9/10 NBA Ready rating from NBADraft.net that his brother did.
Nolan Smith
7 of 10
In my opinion, Nolan Smith was the best player in college basketball during the regular season. But then Kemba Walker took over that role during the postseason by dominating the competition in both the Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament.
Smith averaged 20.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, but the most impressive thing he did all year was keep Duke afloat when Kyrie Irving went down with a toe injury and Smith had to switch from playing off the ball to playing on the ball.
Most players' production would have declined in such a situation, but Smith adapted and actually improved.
Don't get me wrong—Smith is by no means a perfect player. He's not too big or strong, and the ceiling is a little lower for him than it is for other prospects in this draft class. But when it comes to NBA readiness, Smith is well ahead of most people.
NBADraft.net gave the Duke senior an 8/10 ranking in the NBA Ready category.
Trey Thompkins
8 of 10
Although he is by no means the most athletic player in the 2011 draft class, Trey Thompkins has more than enough skill to make up for his lack of hops.
It's not uncommon to see the 6'10" forward dribble the ball up the court to break a full-court press. He can shoot the three-pointer proficiently, passes extraordinarily well for a big man and can dazzle opponents with a vast arsenal of post moves.
Really, the only thing lacking from his game is the mental aspect. Thompkins has a tendency to check out of games and has occasionally disappeared entirely during crunch time.
However, his skill and body are both NBA-ready, as indicated by his 8/10 rating in the category by NBADraft.net.
Kemba Walker
9 of 10
In the last month of the college basketball season, Kemba Walker blossomed into the best player in the country, won an unprecedented five games in five days for the Big East title, eliminated malaria as a threat to third-world countries, carried the Connecticut Huskies to an NCAA championship and solved the United States' fiscal troubles.
Walker is an incredible leader and a great scorer who plays vastly underrated defense. As his junior season progressed, it became clear to Walker, Jim Calhoun and everyone else in the country that this would be his last year at the collegiate level because, quite frankly, he didn't need any more seasoning before he went pro.
The point guard will immediately be one of the fastest players in the league, and his talent should make up for his lack of height. NBADraft.net recognized his readiness by giving him an 8/10 in the category.
Derrick Williams
10 of 10
Derrick Williams is in a fight for the right to be drafted first overall with Kyrie Irving right now, and there's no telling who will come out on top.
If you change the question to which draft prospect is the most NBA-ready, though, Williams is the unquestionable top choice.
The sophomore from Arizona was the most efficient player in the country last season and completed his short journey from unheralded college recruit to highly coveted NBA prospect. Williams averaged 19.5 points, 1.1 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game during the 2010-2011 season while shooting a ridiculous 59.5 percent from the field.
He's athletic, has great fundamentals, is a tireless worker with a good attitude and plays well in every aspect of the game. Williams is truly ready to take the next step.
NBADraft.net agrees with my assessment, giving Williams the only 10/10 in the NBA Ready category.
