NBA Draft 2011: 10 Prospects That Compare to Players from the 2010 Draft Class
There is an old saying that goes “the best way to understand the future is to look to the past.” The 2011 NBA Draft is fast approaching. Everyone is analyzing the draft prospects, and nit-picking strengths and weaknesses.
This is all fine and well, but it still does not provide a comparison for which players these prospects are similar to.
We are only 11 months removed from the draft class of 2010. Last year’s class was definitely stronger than the upcoming 2011 draft class. With that being said, many prospects from last year are eerily similar to the current group of players that are waiting to have their name called on draft night.
2010: Daniel Orton/2011: Jereme Richmond
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Jereme Richmond and Daniel Orton play differing positions on the court. Richmond is a swingman while Orton is a traditional big man.
The 6’10" 255 lb. Orton was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 29th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft. Richmond meanwhile is a 6’7" swingman that is projected to go in the late first or early second round of next month’s 2011 NBA Draft.
These two prospects are comparable in that they will both be drafted fairly high based on their potential rather than their production. Orton only averaged 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds at Kentucky, but his massive build and strength made him an enticing NBA prospect. Richmond meanwhile only averaged 7.6 points and 1.8 assists at Illinois as a freshman.
Both prospects left their respective schools after one season to pursue their professional careers. Their selections hinge on the hope of continued development and future greatness on the part of the players.
Daniel Orton spent his rookie campaign playing with the New Mexico Thunderbirds in the NBA Developmental League. He has yet to make an impact in the league. It will be interesting to see if Richmond can make any noise in the NBA as a rookie.
2010: Larry Sanders/2011: Keith Benson
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Virginia Commonwealth’s Larry Sanders was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The 6’11" 235 lb. Sanders is an undersized post prospect that is cut in a similar mold as Oakland’s Keith Benson.
Both Sanders and Benson were highly productive at their respective schools. Sanders averaged 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds as a junior at VCU. Benson meanwhile averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds at Oakland as a senior.
Benson and Sanders are polar opposites of Daniel Orton and Jereme Richmond in that they were selected based off their production rather than their potential and pedigree. Keith Benson will have to carve out a niche at the professional level despite playing as an undersized post man at 6’11" 230 lbs. The prospect may have to move over to the power forward position.
Larry Sanders averaged 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a rookie with the Bucks. Keith Benson will likely see limited minutes during his rookie campaign.
2010: Greg Monroe/ 2011: Jonas Valanciunas
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Greg Monroe and Lithuanian prospect Jonas Valanciunas have much more in common than one might immediately expect.
Monroe and Valanciunas are both 6’11" 240 lbs. Scouts rave about Jonas Valanciunas’s high level passing skills. Greg Monroe demonstrated great passing skills during his time at Georgetown. Monroe’s passing skills were one of his more alluring qualities as a prospect.
Monroe was selected with the seventh overall pick last year by Detroit. Valanciunas meanwhile is being mocked as a top 10 selection as well.
Scouts feel that Valanciunas needs to improve his strength and add bulk to his frame. He differs in that aspect from Greg. Monroe’s strength levels did not come under criticism from scouts.
Monroe had a highly productive rookie campaign with the Pistons averaging 9.4 points and collecting 7.5 rebounds per game. If Valanciunas can put together a rookie campaign that is comparable to Monroe it would be a great sign for the prospect.
2010: Willie Warren/ 2011: Josh Selby
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Willie Warren and Josh Selby were both five-star prospects coming out of high school. Both players have fantastic athleticism and unbelievable one-on-one breakdown skills. The potential for greatness can be seen in Warren and Selby, but neither prospect has put it all together yet.
Warren was actually a very productive scorer during his two seasons at Oklahoma, but scouts were wary of the prospect’s poor shot selection. As a rookie with the Clippers, Warren averaged 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds throughout 19 games of work.
Josh Selby meanwhile is one of the enigmas of this year’s draft class. As I mentioned earlier, Selby has great athleticism and can break down defenders in one-on-one situations.
Will Selby be more productive as a point guard or will he benefit more playing off of another player as a shooting guard?
Selby had trouble meshing with a veteran loaded Kansas team last season and only averaged 7.9 points and 2.2 assists per game.
Josh Selby will be a much higher selection than Willie Warren was last year. It will be interesting to see which franchise Selby gets drafted into next month.
2010: Quincy Pondexter/ 2011: Jordan Hamilton
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Quincy Pondexter and Jordan Hamilton are similar in that both prospects are athletic swingmen that are skilled at driving to the basket.
Hamilton is a more capable outside shooter than Pondexter. Quincy was an up and down shooter from behind the arc at Washington.
Both prospects have excellent length which helps them defensively. Pondexter stayed all four years at Washington, while Hamilton only stayed on for two seasons at Texas.
Quincy was selected late in the first round last year at pick 26. He played sparingly with New Orleans only averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.
Hamilton will likely be selected slightly higher in the first round. I also feel that Jordan will make more of an impact in his rookie campaign in comparison to Pondexter’s first season in the league.
2010: James Anderson/ 2011: Alec Burks
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A pair of high powered Big 12 scoring guards that are destined for the first round of the draft. Oklahoma State’s James Anderson was selected by San Antonio with the 20th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Colorado’s Alec Burks meanwhile is projected to be a Top 20 pick in next month’s 2011 NBA Draft.
Anderson averaged 22.3 points per game as a junior at Oklahoma State. Burks meanwhile averaged 20.5 points per game last season at Colorado.
Both players have great size for the shooting guard position at 6’6". Anderson is a slightly better outside shooter than Burks. Besides that though, both players are very comparable prospects. As I said, Burks might get selected a little higher than Anderson at pick 20, but not much higher.
James Anderson averaged 3.6 points and 0.7 assists in 26 games for San Antonio last season as a rookie.
2010: Andy Rautins/ 2011: Nolan Smith
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Andy Rautins and Nolan Smith both played four years on the college landscape at prestigious universities in Syracuse and Duke.
Both players also have rich basketball bloodlines. Andy’s father Leo played for Atlanta and Philadelphia in the early 80s. Nolan’s father Derek had a longer NBA career that spanned from 1982-1991.
Rautins and Smith are high basketball IQ prospects that have great intangibles. Both players have high character, are gritty competitors and very coachable. They are both point guard prospects, but Smith could also play some shooting guard.
The knock against these two players is that they have limited explosiveness and lack potential.
Andy Rautins was selected early in the second round last year at pick 38 by New York—fitting considering that he attended Syracuse. I am projecting Nolan Smith as a late first round to early second round prospect.
Rautins averaged 1.6 points and 0.6 assists in five games with the Knicks during his rookie season.
2010: Jordan Crawford/ 2011: Klay Thompson
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These two prospects are scorers that are always a threat to put the ball in the hoop.
Klay Thompson and Jordan Crawford are both proficient outside shooters as well. Thompson is a little more accurate than Crawford, but Jordan has a stronger drive to the basket than Klay.
Both players led their respective programs in college, and at times took over games with their scoring.
Klay Thompson is a little bit taller at 6’6" than the 6’4" Jordan Crawford, but both players have a similar build for the shooting guard position.
Jordan Crawford had an excellent freshman campaign with the Washington Wizards averaging 11.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. Crawford benefited from playing alongside point guard John Wall. Klay Thompson will experience his best production if he is drafted into a franchise that has a point guard that can set him up for open looks.
2010: Da’Sean Butler/ 2011: Kyle Singler
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Singler and Butler were two decorated college stars. The two players even faced off against each other in a National Semifinal matchup two years ago.
Singler and Butler both have well rounded offensive skill sets, possess great intangibles. Butler was selected with the 42nd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Singler will likely be a mid-second round selection as well.
There are questions about both prospects' ability to transition to the professional game, but their productivity in college should not be ignored. Singler and Butler have similar builds and were four year college players.
Scouts question Singler’s athleticism and potential at the next level. Butler meanwhile dropped to the second round because of a torn ACL that he suffered in the aforementioned National Semi-final matchup.
Despite the concerns, Singler and Butler are high character prospects that can have a positive impact on their respective franchise.
Da’Sean Butler is currently a member of the San Antonio Spurs. The franchise placed him on their developmental team shortly after signing him.
2010: Latavious Williams/ 2011: Jeremy Tyler
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Both Jeremy Tyler and Latavious Williams were former highly touted high school prospects that took non-traditional routes to the NBA Draft.
Jeremy Tyler skipped his senior year of high school, and instead opted to play for an Israeli professional team. He was the first high school player ever to do this. Tyler did not produce much for the Israeli team though, and only averaged 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds. He quit the team before the season ended.
Latavious Williams meanwhile became the first player to jump from high school to the NBA Developmental League. The Tulsa 66ers selected Williams in the first round of the 2009 NBA Developmental League draft.
It was originally thought that Latavious Williams would play for Memphis, but he opted to go the developmental league route. There was a concern over whether Latavious would be academically eligible to play for the Tigers. Latavious Williams continued to play for the Tulsa 66ers throughout the course of his rookie season.
It will be interesting to see what path Jeremy Tyler takes as a rookie.
Regardless, both of these prospects made history during their path to draft night.
