NBA Draft 2011: The 24 Most Effective Scorers
Even though scoring isn't always the most important way that a player can contribute, it's often the most glamorous way to fill up a stat sheet and gain popularity with fans.
Like it or not, scoring draws crowds more than good defense. And that is where these 24 players have a distinct advantage.
Some of these players have incredible jump shots, others can drive past seemingly any defender. Others still have a bevy of low post moves.
Regardless of how they do so, each player can simply get buckets.
Read on to find out which 24 players in the 2011 NBA draft class qualified for this exclusive list.
Keith Benson
1 of 24
If basketball was a sport that was only played on one side of the court and that side was the offensive one, Keith Benson would be a surefire lottery pick. The center for the Golden Grizzlies is simply that talented on the offensive end.
His defense is pushing Benson into the second round of the upcoming draft, but don't overlook his scoring prowess. After putting up 17.3 points per game during his junior season, Benson increased his output to 17.9 per game during his final season at the collegiate level with a dazzling display of low post moves and deft touch.
Marshon Brooks
2 of 24
Marshon Brooks has absolutely shot up the draft boards and is now drawing comparisons to current NBA superstars like Kobe Bryant. The Providence Friar played in the best conference in the country but still managed to score more than anyone not named Jimmer Fredette.
Brooks is a tremendous athlete with good scoring touch from anywhere on the court. He utilized his talents last season to average a spectacular 24.6 points per game.
Alec Burks
3 of 24
Another insanely athletic guard, Alec Burks also possesses the advantages that come with playing the 2-spot while towering over other players at 6'6".
Burks needs to put in a lot of work on his jump shot to even make it average, but his slashing ability and tendency to finish right around the rim helped him average 20.5 points per game during his sophomore season for the Colorado Buffaloes, one year after averaging 17.1 points per game as a freshman.
Norris Cole
4 of 24
Many people may not have heard of the guard from Cleveland State, but they will once he starts scoring in the NBA like he did in college.
Norris Cole is a very quick and well-rounded point guard who likes to create for himself just as much as he likes to pass. At 6'1", he needs that quickness to get around defenders that he can't necessarily just shoot over.
It worked for the senior last year as he averaged 21.7 points per game.
Jimmer Fredette
5 of 24
I haven't seen anyone shoot a basketball as well as Jimmer Fredette in quite some time. During his last season at BYU, it was not uncommon to see him pull up from well beyond the three-point line and drain a shot from downtown.
In fact, my friends and I started saying, "He Jimmered that!" whenever any player made a deep three. You have to be a pretty good scorer to inspire that.
Jimmermania happened for a reason though. The Cougar scored a nation-leading 28.9 points per game en route to being named the best player in college basketball during the 2010-2011 season.
Andrew Goudelock
6 of 24
Andrew Goudelock scored in obscurity at the College of Charleston, but man oh man did he do a lot of scoring.
Goudelock's quickness is how he creates so many good shots. His pull-up move is ridiculously fast and his jump shot is as pure as anyone else's in this year's draft class. It all payed off during his senior season when he averaged 23.7 points per game.
Jordan Hamilton
7 of 24
If he was as athletic as some other players eligible to be drafted, Jordan Hamilton may very well be a top five pick in the upcoming draft.
But as it stands, his shooting ability alone isn't enough to get him past the lower end of the top 20. That said, his shooting ability is pretty incredible.
Hamilton scored an average of 18.6 points per game during his sophomore season with the Texas Longhorns.
Justin Harper
8 of 24
A major part of the reason that Richmond made some noise in college basketball's postseason this past year, Justin Harper averaged 17.9 points per game for the Spiders during his senior season, a drastic increase from any of his other scoring outputs in college.
Harper has a very impressive jump shot, especially when you remember that he's a power forward by trade. His size and strength also allow him to create a lot of shot opportunities for himself.
Scotty Hopson
9 of 24
A lot of people ask how Scotty Hopson is such a good scorer. To those people: it's all in the flattop.
But seriously, Hopson is a fantastic scorer because he's big and athletic, yet still possesses a deft touch around the basket and has a streaky jump shot that likes to get hot.
Hopson put all of those tools together during his junior season for the Tennessee Volunteers to average 17 points per game.
Kyrie Irving
10 of 24
Kyrie Irving didn't have much time to prove to us that he could score effectively, just 11 games in fact, but he still managed to complete his task.
The sensational freshman point guard for the Duke Blue Devils averaged 17.5 points per game while shooting 53 percent from the field, a very high percentage for a point guard. While not the most athletic guard by any stretch, Irving has a great jump shot, great decision-making skills and the quickness to blow by many defenders.
JaJuan Johnson
11 of 24
The lanky 6'10" power forward for the Purdue Boilermakers possessed a bevy of post moves and an outside jump shot that made many people think of him as a guard.
JaJuan Johnson has the potential to be a great player in the NBA and is one of the biggest sleepers in this year's draft class since he's considered to be a borderline first-rounder.
He averaged 20.5 points per game during the All-American campaign he put together during his senior season.
Brandon Knight
12 of 24
Most definitely a score-first, pass-second point guard, Brandon Knight had a very successful freshman season for John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats.
Then in March Madness, he showed off his scoring ability over and over during each game's most crucial moments. Game-winning shots weren't a problem for this kid.
With a great jump shot and blinding quickness, Knight easily averaged 17.3 points per game during his first and only collegiate season.
Jon Leuer
13 of 24
How anybody managed to guard this guy while he was at Wisconsin will forever be an unsolved mystery. His skill set and size was almost an unfair combination.
Jon Leuer was 6'10" but his outside shot was just as good as his ability to put the ball in the hole from the paint. Part of an extremely efficient Badgers offense, Leuer averaged 18.3 points per game for his team during his final season in Madison.
Shelvin Mack
14 of 24
Shelvin Mack's fabulous ability to score the basketball was on full display during Butler's second-straight Cinderella-like run to the final game of the NCAA Tournament.
Mack doesn't have great size or quickness, but his jump shot and strength more than make up for it. Drafting this point guard who scored 16 points per game during his junior season will be a steal for whoever does so at either the end of the first round or the beginning of the second.
E'twaun Moore
15 of 24
The second member of the Purdue Boilermakers on this list, E'twaun Moore showed just how good he was at scoring when he absolutely exploded for 38 points in an upset win against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Moore is just a really good all-around offensive player with great size for a point guard at 6'4". He averaged 18 points per game during his senior season at Purdue.
Josh Selby
16 of 24
Immaturity and suspension kept Josh Selby off the court and on the bench for much of his freshman season at Kansas, but his first game with the Jayhawks gave a great indication of what he could do. In that contest against USC, Selby scored 21 points, including the clutch game-winning shot.
Selby only averaged 7.9 points per game but he has boatloads of scoring potential.
Iman Shumpert
17 of 24
With absolutely ridiculous athleticism, size and strength, Iman Shumpert is this drafts closest thing to a Derrick Rose prototype. Keep in mind though that when I say that, I am in no way suggesting that Shumpert will ever be as good as our reigning NBA MVP.
The Georgia Tech point guard will have to learn how to shoot a better jump shot, but he's making do with his ability to get into the lane and finish right now. He averaged 17.3 points per game during his third season with the Yellow Jackets.
Kyle Singler
18 of 24
Somehow, Kyle Singler managed to score a whole lot of points in a Duke Blue Devils lineup that could seemingly go anywhere for points.
Singler is a very cerebral, high-effort basketball player who does everything well but doesn't do any one thing extraordinarily well. Yes, this includes scoring, as evidenced by the 16.9 points per game he scored as a senior for Mike Krzyzewski.
Nolan Smith
19 of 24
The third Duke Blue Devil on this list, Nolan Smith is the best scorer of the bunch. He proved this when Kyrie Irving was in the lineup and he was playing off the ball at shooting guard. Then he proved it again when Irving injured his toe and Smith had to take over at the point.
With great dribbling skills and good all-around scoring abilities, Smith was able to average 20.6 points per game in that absolutely loaded Blue Devils offense. In my opinion, he was the best player in the nation during the regular season.
Isaiah Thomas
20 of 24
The shortest player in the 2011 NBA draft class, there is a misconception that Isaiah Thomas has a nice basketball pedigree thanks to his father's talents (on the court, not in the front office), but the reality is that his father was simply a basketball fan who lost a bet and had to name his son after the Pistons' star guard.
Thomas is incredibly athletic, he has to be because of his short stature, and he has a number of ways to score the ball effectively. As a junior at the University of Washington, the guard managed to average 16.8 points per game.
Trey Thompkins
21 of 24
If it wasn't for his inability to stay engaged and motivated during the big moments of crucial games (and a lack of athleticism), Trey Thompkins would be a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft.
But the underachiever for the Georgia Bulldogs will now have to be content with a second-half of the first round selection. Thompkins has a dazzling display of post moves and can shoot the jumper proficiently as well. He's dangerous from anywhere on the court, as his scoring average of 16.4 points per game during his junior season helps to show.
Klay Thompson
22 of 24
A 6'7" shooting guard, Klay Thompson's height makes it borderline unfair for other players at his position to even try to defend his sizzling jump shot. And trust me, sizzling is the best word to describe Thompson's shot, which is one of the best in this year's draft.
Thompson isn't tremendously athletic or fast, but his height and shooting ability helped him score proficiently in college at Washington State. He averaged 21.6 points per game during his junior season, just one year removed from posting 19.6 per game.
Kemba Walker
23 of 24
If you watched either the Big East Conference Tournament or the ensuing NCAA Tournament, then Kemba Walker's inclusion on this list really needs no explanation at all.
The Connecticut Husky carried the team's entire scoring load at times during the season and couldn't be stopped whatsoever by quite a few defenders. He can make you look silly off the dribble, blow right by you or pull up in your face. It really does't matter how good your defense is.
Or at least so it seemed. We'll see just how effective Walker can be at the next level soon enough. But during his final season with Jim Calhoun and the Huskies, Walker averaged 23.5 points per game before stepping up his game another notch during postseason play.
Derrick Williams
24 of 24
One of the most efficient players in the nation, Derrick Williams raised his game quite a bit during his sophomore season and elevated his draft stock all the way to the top.
This was partially due to his incredible ability to pick the right shots and score at the right moments. Williams scored 19.5 points per game on an incredible 59.5 percent shooting from the field. Until the very end of the season, his three-point field goal percentage was in the hunt for the greatest of all time.
Scoring at this kind of volume with remarkable efficiency makes Derrick WIlliams a truly special scorer.
