NBA Draft 2011: Klay Thompson and Five Prospects No One Is Talking About
In what is widely regarded as the weakest class since the infamous 2000 draft (Stromile Swift, anyone?) you would be hard-pressed to find any prospect that qualifies as a potential superstar, all-star, or even a “sure-thing” starter at the next level.
Consensus No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving will likely never crack the top five in the league at his position. Highly-touted Turkish big man Enes Kanter—perhaps the only conceivable superstar of the bunch—hasn’t played organized five-on-five in over a year.
Due to widespread uncertainty from top to bottom, NBA general managers have accepted the fact they are drafting for role players, contributors off the bench, and glorified cheerleaders.
If you’re looking for your team to make a sexy pick, I’d suggest a dose of reality and a nostalgic flashback to successful drafts past.
With that said, here are five unheralded prospects who could be quality players on a good team.
Klay Thompson
1 of 5
The son of former overall No. 1 pick Mychal Thompson, Klay certainly inherited his father’s basketball DNA.
With a 6-foot-7 frame, long arms and a jump shot as pure as the driven snow, Thompson should be able to carve out a nice niche in the NBA as a poor man’s Ray Allen or a slightly wealthy man’s Kyle Korver.
He moves exceptionally well off the ball, utilizes screens to perfection, and is automatic if given even an inch of space. Thompson also has an advanced midrange game, a rarity in today’s day and age. He has a reliable floater and uses the backboard much more effectively than his college counterparts.
Just a hair over 200 pounds, Thompson will need to improve his strength as the years progress. He is somewhat limited athletically, which is often exposed on fast breaks.
He also set off some red flags after receiving a one game suspension for marijuana possession, but this doesn’t seem to have affected his draft stock. After all, we would be awfully naïve to assume he is the only college prospect to indulge in the occasional smoke.
Look for Thompson to be drafted in the 10-15 range by a team looking for a scoring boost at the 2-guard position. As long as he stays in the weight room and out of the head shops, Thompson should enjoy a solid career.
Jeremy Tyler
2 of 5
Two years ago, Tyler made the highly publicized decision to skip his senior year of high school and play professional basketball in Israel. Pretty much everything that could of went wrong overseas occurred, with Tyler eventually leaving his Israeli team and moving to Japan.
But as unlikely as it seemed just months ago, Tyler has propelled himself back into first round territory with an impressive showing at the Chicago pre-draft camp.
At 6-foot-11 and an athletic 260 pounds, Tyler showed the potential to be an elite defender in the NBA. Other prospects at the camp had an incredibly tough time scoring over him, to the point that he actually made everyone else look bad.
His offensive game needs work and he will certainly have to develop a few reliable post moves. But those things are teachable, whereas height and defensive instincts are not. Athletic, defensive centers are always a hot commodity in the NBA, and many teams would love to add Tyler for size and depth up front.
While I doubt he will be the lottery pick that he was once touted as, Tyler should be snatched up before the end of the first round.
Charles Jenkins
3 of 5
A 6-foot-3, 220 pound combo guard from Hofstra, Jenkins is an absolute physical specimen as far as guards go.
He averaged over 22 points per game his senior year and is the two-time Colonial Athletic Association player of the year.
He impressed scouts and opponents alike at the Chicago camp, drawing rave reviews for his physicality and shooting ability. He is an unselfish player and good decision maker with a high basketball IQ.
However, Jenkins lacks pure point guard skills and the height to defend most shooting guards. He should also find it much more difficult to score in the NBA as his strength and athleticism will not overwhelm opponents as easily as on the college level.
Jenkins may never be a starter in the NBA, but he can certainly earn himself a place in the league as a do-it-all guard off the bench, similar to James Harden or O.J. Mayo.
If he improves his ball handling and develops a score-first mentality, Jenkins will have a successful career. Look for him to be drafted late in the first round.
Kawhi Leonard
4 of 5
Leonard is more publicized than the other guys on this list, as most mock drafts have him going somewhere in the middle of the lottery.
He doesn’t have one thing he does exceptionally well on offense, and while this is often a dangerous caveat for a lottery pick, he makes up for it with his absurd athleticism and high energy play.
Leonard is 6-foot-7, 225 pounds and has great length for a wing player. He averaged double-digit rebounds in college, using his leaping ability, large hands and impeccable timing to snatch balls away from opponents.
His jump shot needs a lot of work, but it improved drastically from his freshman to sophomore seasons, so it is not inconceivable to think that he will eventually become a reliable shooter.
Leonard fits into the mold of a Gerald Wallace, and will find a place in the league by simply being incredibly athletic and playing harder than everyone else.
Markieff Morris
5 of 5
Morris is a muscular 6-foot-10 power forward with a reliable jump shot and a pleasingly nasty demeanor.
Although not as polished offensively as his twin brother Marcus, Markieff has a solid set of post moves and good range on his jumper. He should be very effective as a pick-and-pop big man in the NBA.
His main strength, however, is his ability to gobble up rebounds. Perhaps more than any other trait, rebounding translates very well from college to the pros. Morris has good timing, instincts, and leaping ability. Add in his bullying tendencies, and you have yourself a full-fledged rebounding machine. He averaged 8.3 rebounds in just 24 minutes per game at Kansas.
Morris is an active and focused defender, but will likely struggle against lengthy, skilled big men at the next level. However, if he learns to use his strength well and masters the art of defensive positioning, he should be just fine.
Markieff will probably be drafted behind his brother, but expect him to go in the 10-15 range, and be an immediate contributor on a decent team.
