2011 NBA Draft: Why Kemba Is Numero Uno

The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery is set for Tuesday as those teams that did not make the playoffs gather to see in what order they will be selecting players come June. The Minnesota Timberwolves—who had the worst overall record in the NBA at the end of the regular season—have the highest percentage chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick while the Houston Rockets have the smallest percentage chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick.

However, there are still questions surrounding the 2011 draft. For example, who is the top player in this year’s draft? Is it former Duke guard Kyrie Irving who missed a part of the season with a foot injury, or is it former Arizona forward Derrick Williams—who had a very dominant tournament before his team lost to the eventual champions University of Connecticut? Should the team who gets the No. 1 overall pick look into trading the pick if it means acquiring an already established player or a combination of such players?

According to the draft experts, the 2011 pool of players is considered to be a “weaker” draft class compared to years past, but since the players coming out are predominantly underclassmen, one cannot be that sure of what level of performance to expect in both the short-term and the long-term.

Recently, looking at some 2011 NBA Mock Drafts, it has somewhat already been established that the first two picks are going to be either Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams, and the remainder of the lottery consist mainly of project-type players, including international players. However, there is one player that stands out in this draft class. That player is former University of Connecticut guard Kemba Walker.

If the Minnesota Timberwolves do obtain the No. 1 overall pick, they might be tempted to take Irving, as they have been really stockpiling point guards. See Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn and Luke Ridnour. If this does occur, the team has to move some of their guards.

How about taking a chance on Kemba Walker with the first overall pick? It was Walker who led the University of Connecticut in minutes and scoring and put on a very impressive performance during the tournament to lead his team to eventually winning the NCAA Championship against the Butler Bulldogs.

A combination of Walker, Kevin Love, Wesley Johnson and Michael Beasley—and possibly Ricky Rubio—would make for an interesting lineup. Walker at times had to do all of the scoring, but as the year went on, he did receive help from his teammates—such as Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriakhi—but was counted on to make the clutch plays down the stretch of games.

Walker has shown that even though undersized for the point guard spot in the NBA, he can lead a team and has the will to win. He is one of the few players in the 2011 pool that has already shown what type of player he is and would hope that the team with the top pick gives him a closer look before deciding on whom to draft. The bottom line with Walker—he is a winner, and he has proved it at the college level.

This is not a knock on Irving or on Williams. However, it is a fact that Walker has shown what type of player he was in college and what he can do at the professional level. In a draft that has so many underclassmen that still have a lot to prove, Walker stands out as being the cream of the crop.