NBA Draft 2011: Jimmer Fredette and 15 Prospects with the Biggest Question Marks
The dreaded question mark is the one form of punctuation that no NBA draft prospect wants to see next to his name.
A period is rather neutral and simply draws eyes and thoughts to whatever came before it. An exclamation point is meant to emphasize the point that was just made, and since these are the best of the best we're talking about here, those points are usually positive.
But a question mark represents uncertainty, and that has a negative connotation to scouts.
Whether there are questions posed about a player's skill-set, health, mentality or more, the questions usually don't mean good things.
Read on for the 15 prospects in the 2011 draft class with the biggest question marks.
Bismack Biyombo
1 of 15
While the Congolese center has an insane amount of potential, he's not without his fair share of question marks.
Bismack Biyombo, the proud owner of a 7'7" wingspan and the first and only triple-double at the Nike Hoops Summit, may or may not be 18 years old. Controversy still reigns supreme when it comes to the young man's age, as many speculate that he may actually be significantly older.
Then there's his offense. Biyombo is undoubtedly the most offensively raw player in the entire 2011 draft class, and as good as his defense is, his offense may keep him from getting consistent minutes for quite some time.
Kenneth Faried
2 of 15
College basketball's all-time leading rebounder after surpassing Tim Duncan during his senior season at Morehead State, Kenneth Faried possesses a rare ability to track the ball as soon as it leaves a shooter's hands.
But can that skill translate to the next level? Usually, good rebounders at the collegiate level remain good rebounders when they make the jump to the NBA, but good rebounders are also usually taller.
Faried stands just 6'9" and has to rely on his unrelenting energy to crash the boards. There are rare exceptions to the rule, like Dennis Rodman, but usually height is a necessary requirement if one is to become a prolific rebounder in the pros.
Jimmer Fredette
3 of 15
Perhaps no player eligible to be drafted in the 2011 NBA draft has more question marks associated with his name than Jimmer Fredette.
College basketball's reigning scoring champion dominated during his senior season at BYU, but he often relied on taking an inordinate number of shots to get his points. His shot selection in the NBA may have to be even worse, because no one is quite sure if he possesses the speed or athletic ability necessary to create his own shot at the next level.
Then there's the concern about Fredette's defensive ability, or lack thereof. To be fair, Jimmer wasn't asked to play much defense as a Cougar; instead, he was supposed to conserve his energy for the offensive end of the floor. But, questions still remain about whether he can ever step it up enough to earn minutes without being a defensive liability.
Kyrie Irving
4 of 15
This is one of those years when even a potential No. 1 overall pick has question marks.
Kyrie Irving played quite well during the 11 games he was on the floor while a member of the Duke Blue Devils, but therein lies the problem. The freshman point guard only played 11 games.
Throughout the rest of the season, Irving was bench-ridden with a bad big toe. Who knows if he got the experience necessary in college to make another big jump into the NBA?
Irving has tons of talent and potential, but he's eventually going to have to shake the experience and injury-proneness red flags.
Enes Kanter
5 of 15
The Turkish center is as talented as they come, but two questions still reign supreme when scouts evaluate Enes Kanter.
The first has to do with his knees. Kanter's knees have given him problems in the past, and no one wants to spend a top five draft pick on a prospect with a much shorter potential playing career than the other players projected to be drafted around the same time. This is especially true with the recent developments concerning the knees of Brandon Roy, as we've seen just how much damage balkiness in that area can cause.
A second concern is that Kanter hasn't played competitively in over a year. He was supposed to dominate college basketball while wearing the blue and white jersey of the Kentucky Wildcats, but he was instead ruled ineligible by the NCAA and forced to sit out for the entire season.
Will that lack of playing experience in recent times hurt him?
Kawhi Leonard
6 of 15
Kawhi Leonard saw his draft stock rise during the NBA Draft Combine, and the former San Diego State Aztec is now being hailed as a potential top 10 pick in the upcoming June 23rd festivities.
But does Leonard actually have a calling card that he can use as his ticket to success with the team that drafted him?
At San Diego State, Leonard was a do-everything forward that never really stood out in any one area. He rebounded well, he scored the basketball proficiently, he played good defense and so on. But, Leonard never truly excelled in any one area.
Most people agree that he will never be a great shooter, in part because of his ridiculously large hands with digits so long that they actually hinder his shooting form, so can he make up for that with his versatility?
Is that what you really want out of a lottery pick?
Travis Leslie
7 of 15
Blessed with absolutely ri-dunk-ulous leaping abilities and overall athleticism, Travis Leslie is good for at least one or two highlight reel plays whenever he steps onto the court.
But at this point in his basketball career, there are concerns about whether Travis Leslie is a tremendous athlete who happens to play basketball or a basketball player with tremendous athleticism.
Although those two profiles are worded only slightly differently, they mean two entirely different things. Leslie still has time to learn NBA-worthy basketball skills, but he has a lot of work left to do.
Moreover, his recent comments about Tony Allen raised another question about whether Leslie has an unhealthy level of confidence, bordering on cockiness, or not.
Lucas Nogueria
8 of 15
Go back and read the slide about Bismack Biyombo and then replace Congolose with Brazilian, and you'll basically have an accurate summary of Lucas Nogueira.
The seven-footer from Brazil is a very athletic big man with high upside, but he is still very limited on the offensive end of the court.
Also, Nogueira is a recent addition to the collective consciousness of NBA scouts, so he is still shrouded in mystery to some extent. For example, no one has any idea what kind of intangibles he'll bring to the table when he's put on an NBA roster.
Only time can reveal more about Nogueira, and with under a month to go until the draft, time is a luxury that we really don't have.
Josh Selby
9 of 15
Josh Selby was a highly touted recruit for the Kansas Jayhawks and showed why when he first took the court, scoring 21 points and the game-winning shot against USC while looking completely unfazed by the bright lights that are inherently part of playing ball at a college basketball blue-blood.
But maturity issues plagued Selby's one season for Bill Self and the Jayhawks' staff and resulted in both a slew of lost opportunities and a whole lot of time spent riding the pine. As soon as the season was over, Selby disassociated himself from the school as quickly as possible.
These character issues are quite worrisome for NBA teams looking to build their squads around not only talented players, but also ones that won't mess up the chemistry of the locker room.
Talent-wise, Selby is a top 10 prospect, but there's a reason he may not even be drafted in the first round.
Kyle Singler
10 of 15
A lot like Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Singler is good at everything but great at nothing.
In fact, he prompted certain commentators at the combine to say that he will be out of the league in two to three years after he fails to make the rotation of whatever team takes a chance on him.
Singler was a great player at Duke and played in a system that masked his athleticism, so I'm still a believer that he can make an impact in the NBA, but the questions exist for a reason.
From watching the combine, I can agree that Singler needs to find one area of the game that he can truly excel at. One thing is for sure, though. It won't be his speed, as the former Blue Devil looked a step slower than everyone else despite hustling enough to take a charge in a drill with no referees present.
Isaiah Thomas
11 of 15
With a ridiculous vertical leap and blazing speed, even while dribbling the basketball proficiently with either hand, Isaiah Thomas has all the physical tools necessary to be a successful point guard in the NBA. Well, all the physical tools except one.
Thomas is only 5'10" with shoes on.
Now, players have made it before despite being short. Mugsy Bogues, Spud Webb, Nate Archibald and Earl Boykins are just a few of the successful vertically-challenged players to grace the association, but the list of failures is even longer.
Thomas may end up overcoming his shortcomings (pun intended), but his height definitely raises a few questions about his potential.
Trey Thompkins
12 of 15
When Trey Thompkins weighed in with 15.5 percent body fat, the highest such number of any prospect present at the NBA Draft Combine, red flags were raised all over the place.
As he showed during his career with the Georgia Bulldogs, Thompkins is as skilled as a power forward can be. He possesses a bevy of post moves, can dribble well enough to be entrusted with the arduous task of breaking the press time and time again and can shoot the three-ball quite proficiently.
But, Thompkins' mental game is severely lacking. He often checks out in crucial situations and doesn't have the cutthroat mentality that is so easy to find among the NBA's elite.
That, coupled with his work ethic, is potentially problematic.
Klay Thompson
13 of 15
When being evaluated by NBA scouts, getting cited for marijuana possession tends to add question marks to your name.
I don't know Klay Thompson well enough to know whether or not this was just one bad decision or a more telling glimpse into his lifestyle, but concerns were still raised by the incident.
Other question marks also exist because of Thompson's lack of strength and speed. He has a silky-smooth jumper and a great knack for putting the basketball in the hoop, but he just may not be athletic enough to get by against the elite shooting guards of the NBA.
Jeremy Tyler
14 of 15
Jeremy Tyler's time spent playing professionally in Israel definitely hurt him more than it helped him.
After forgoing his chance to play college basketball for the allure of the overseas game and the opportunity to make some quick money, Tyler struggled immensely despite a lack of great competition.
The glitz and glamour of being a professional overwhelmed the youngster, and his game suffered as a result. Now, he appears to be back in good form, but who's to say that the same won't happen when he joins the NBA?
Tyler will have to prove that he no longer has the character issues that plagued him in Israel just as much as he'll have to prove that he has the skills that once made him a highly touted recruit.
Jonas Valanciunas
15 of 15
A very good pick-and-roll player with a still unfinished toolbox full of NBA tools, Jonas Valanciunas has everything you could ask for in an international prospect.
The only problem is that he might have to withdraw from the draft due to his contract issues, and if he doesn't and is drafted, he may have to remain overseas for a few seasons.
Valanciunas, a member of Lieutuvos Rytos, a Lithuanian team, does not have an NBA buyout clause worked into his contract. With three years and roughly 200,000 euros left on his deal, Lieutuvos Rytos holds all the power in the negotiations and can essentially create a hostage situation.
That said, though, the team is in dire need of a financial pick-me-up, so some sort of buyout may be able to be worked out.
