NBA Draft 2011: Is Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams or Anyone a Franchise Player?
The 2011 NBA Draft is just about a month away, and with the lottery being held on Tuesday, speculation, mock drafts and arguments are starting to pop up left and right.
There have been many people saying that this is one of the weakest draft classes in a long time, and while I think the possibility for a star player is low in this draft, there are quite a few guys that could develop into good role players or even make it to a few all-star teams.
However, the biggest thing people ever look for in evaluating a draft class is how good the top guys are.
Last year was declared to be a decent draft class because it included John Wall, the guarantee of the class, Evan Turner, a high-risk, high-reward guy and a handful of big men with potential.
The players from last year's class, however, were spotty, with none of them making a good run at the Rookie of the Year Award, as Blake Griffin had that locked up about two weeks into the season, and many of the players drafted made little to no impact this year.
Realistically, it doesn't make sense to judge the depth of a draft class until three to five years after the actual draft, so I won't jump to any conclusions about either bunch right now, but I would like to speculate about a few guys in this class.
Kyrie Irving
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Most of the experts out there are proclaiming Irving as the best choice for the number one pick. He has some definite point guard skills and has a good jump shot, but there are some things that are worrisome when it comes to his transition to the NBA.
Irving has questions about durability, as a toe injury kept him out of all but 11 games this season, meaning he has only played 11 basketball games competitively above the high school level.
Also, Irving lacks physicality and some athleticism that has been shown off in many of the "New School" point guards like Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, which could give him problems at the next level.
Another question with Irving is whether his stats would have stayed as high as they were throughout the season had he avoided an injury. The only eight games he played in the regular season were against non-conference teams. The only good teams he faced were Marquette and Kansas State, against whom he struggled.
I would call him borderline when it comes to his potential of developing into a perennial all-star candidate, but whoever gets the top pick won't be criticized for taking Irving number one.
Derrick Williams
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During the regular season, I wasn't a huge believer in Derrick Williams, but as the year went along, and especially when the tournament started up, I started to dig Williams in a big way.
He has a lot of the tools that are coveted in the NBA right now, as he is an athletic freak, he has great footwork in the low post and he gets to the free throw line at a LeBron James-esq rate.
Williams also seems to be aware on offense all the time and is excellent without the ball, but that doesn't mean he is without flaws.
His jump shot is streaky, and he is undersized for the position that he played in college. If he were to play power forward in the NBA, he would need to bulk up or he would need a better jumper to play small forward.
Williams could end up being one of those 'tweeners that take a long time to figure out their niche, but if he does figure out what he can do right away, then he is the guy that I have the most confidence in with this year's draft class.
Enes Kanter
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If it weren't for a few injury concerns and the fact that he still hasn't played a game in the United States, Kanter could very well be the number one prospect in this draft.
Kanter is a big, strong center who always seems to know what he is doing when he's on the court. He is a typical European big man in that he can knock down the mid-range shot and has a very smooth offensive game, but he is unlike European big men in that he is physical and not afraid of bumping around down low.
However, Kanter has a history of knee problems, and if Greg Oden has taught us anything, it's that if a big man has a history of injury problems, he'll have a future of injury problems.
Kanter's knee issues are so bad that rumors are flying around that he might not pass an NBA physical after he gets drafted, which is a shame, because he could be the guy that could end the reputation that European big men have of being soft.
Jan Vesely
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Jan Vesely has been called the most NBA-ready international player, but that doesn't mean he could come in and turn a team around in his first season.
I haven't seen much tape of Vesely, but what I have seen of him are usually dunk mixes, and honestly, this dude can dunk. There are clips of him where he doesn't seem to be more than a foot off the ground, but he seems to be off the ground for way too long, like he's floating.
Vesely is developing on offense, with a better jumper and a three-point shot finding its way into his repertoire, which is always good news.
The biggest problem with Vesely is his size. He is listed at nearly seven feet tall, but he looks to be a forward, when he should really be adding weight to his tiny frame and learning to bang down low to try and be a center.
I'm not at all sold on Vesely as a potential star in the NBA; his ceiling to me is another jump shooting Euro big man that becomes a fan favorite.
The Others
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There are a few lower projected players that could possibly turn into something much better in the NBA than what they are currently projected.
Donatas Montiejunas is your typical no defense, jump shooting center from Lithuania, so as soon as Zydrunas Ilgauskas retires, Montiejunas can come in and replace him.
Kemba Walker is an exciting, quick little point guard with a great jump shot who could turn into a terrific point guard if everything goes right for him, but he has to do some hard work.
Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones are a couple of guys from Kentucky that can score the ball and are both NBA ready.
Finally, Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer will be a spot-up shooter at the best; anything better will leave me stunned.
