NBA Draft 2011: Kemba Walker and the 10 Best Scorers in the Draft
Now that the NBA Finals have come to a conclusion, each NBA team can now turn their full attention to the upcoming NBA Draft and what they need to do to put themselves into the Dallas Mavericks' shoes come this time next year.
This year's NBA Draft is loaded with both clutch shooters and players capable of dropping 40-plus points on any given night. This slide show will feature some of those electrifying players, and do so in no particular order.
Kemba Walker
1 of 10
Last season, UCONN guard Kemba Walker averaged 23.5 points per game in just over 37 minutes per game and was a big part in the school's successful 2010-2011 season.
Come UCONN'S win over Butler in last year's title game, Walker had accumulated a career-high 965 points, 184 assists and 223 total rebounds in just over 1,500 minutes on the season.
He proved to be one of the NCAA's best, if not the best, clutch performer and led the young Huskies team to a national title.
Jimmer Fredette
2 of 10
BYU superstar Jimmer Fredette averaged 28.9 points per game last season, but was capable of going for 50-plus on any given night.
Come BYU's season-ending loss to the Florida Gators in the NCAA Tournament, Fredette had amassed 1,068 points, 127 rebounds and 160 assists in the 2010-2011 season. He was undoubtedly the best scorer in all of college basketball last season, something punctuated by his season-high 52 point performance against New Mexico.
Although many of BYU's wins were by double digits, Fredette was clutch when he needed to be. He hit a jumper with 10 seconds to go in a game against St. Mary's, as well as had huge second half performances against Buffalo, Colorado State and San Diego State, to name a few.
Marshon Brooks
3 of 10
Jimmer Fredette wasn't the only collegiate player to drop 52 points in a game last season.
Providence senior Marshon Brooks also scored 52 points in the Friars' 94-93 loss to Notre Dame on February 23. He consistently scored in double digit points for Providence and finished the 2010-2011 season averaging 24.6 points per game with a grand total of 788 points.
Brooks also acquired 225 rebounds and had 80 assists. He'll be an asset to whoever drafts him in the upcoming draft, as his long, athletic build will surely enable him to fit in and have a strong rookie season.
Jacob Pullen
4 of 10
Although some scouts are worried about his small stature and how he'll adjust to the NBA, Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen had another strong season for the Wildcats and will be an asset to whichever team he ends up on as well.
Pullen averaged 20.2 points per game last season en route to a 626 point season, just down from his 715 points from the season prior. He broke Kansas State's career scoring record and also became one of the NCAA's most consistent free throw shooters.
His consistency from the line made him one of the best finishers in the nation as well.
Derrick Williams
5 of 10
Arizona 6'8" forward Derrick Williams averaged 19.5 points per game, which is impressive considering he took a limited number of shots and spent a considerable amount of time in the paint.
He accumulated 314 total rebounds, blocked 26 shots and scored 741 points in 38 games played during his sophomore season at Arizona. For being a big man, Williams was also surprisingly effective from beyond the arc, shooting 57 percent.
Williams always seems to find his way to the free throw line, although he was only 74 percent from the line. He is very aggressive down low and a highly sought after prospect in this year's draft.
Klay Thompson
6 of 10
Washington State junior guard Klay Thompson has one of the quickest releases in this year's draft, something he used to his advantage late in the Cougars' game against Santa Clara to propel the team to an overtime victory.
Thompson averaged 21.6 points per game en route to a 733 point season with the Cougars. He shot a career high 44 percent from the field while playing just less than 35 minutes per game in the 2010-2011 season.
Thompson is not one of the showiest players in this year's draft, but is capable of leading his team to victory late in a game.
Jordan Hamilton
7 of 10
Texas sophomore Jordan Hamilton always seems to get himself into position to make a shot when his team is on the offensive end, which is why he's made his way onto this list despite averaging less than 20 points per game.
Hamilton averaged 18.6 points per game for the Longhorns last season. Although he scored more than 20 points in four Texas' first five games, he cooled down a bit during the middle half of the season. Regardless, Hamilton will be an asset for whichever team that decides to take him in the upcoming draft.
He scored nearly double (671) the amount of points he scored during his freshman season with Texas, and shot an improved 44 percent from the field. One of the biggest downsides to Hamilton's game, however, is his frequent inconsistency with his jump shot, which he often continues to shoot despite struggling.
Kyrie Irving
8 of 10
The man most expect to go No. 1 overall in the upcoming NBA Draft is not the best shooter in regards to points per game, but his shooting percentage wise enabled him to make his way onto this list.
During his freshman year with Duke, Irving averaged 17.5 points per game en route to his 192 point season. His season high point total was 31, which he did against the Michigan State Spartans in early December.
Although Irving's season was cut extremely short because of injury, he still showed glimpses of the player he's going to be in the NBA. He nearly carried the whole Duke team on his back in the NCAA Tournament, especially against Arizona, and showed his ability to perform in big-time games such as his 31-point performance against the Spartans.
Shelvin Mack
9 of 10
National Championship game aside, Butler's Shelvin Mack was one of the most clutch scorers in college basketball last season.
Although he averaged a slide-show-low 16 points per game, he made his way onto this list because of his shooting ability and the way he played late in the season and during the NCAA Tournament. Mack eclipsed the 30-point mark twice last season, once against Detroit and once against Pittsburgh, a game which saw him score a season-high 32 points.
All-in-all, Mack scored a career-high 609 points for the Bulldogs last season, came down with 170 total rebounds and played effectively even with a sprained ankle. He also shot 41 percent from the field, 77 percent from the line and 35 percent from beyond the arc.
Whichever team drafts Mack will gain not only a strong scorer but a fearless leader as well.
Alec Burks
10 of 10
Colorado shooting guard Alec Burks averaged 20.5 points per game during his sophomore season with the Buffaloes last season en route to making himself one of the top, if the not the top, shooting guards in this year's draft class.
Burks added more than 200 points to his season total from last year, finishing the 2010-2011 season with 779 total points and 247 total rebounds. He shot 47 percent from the field, 83 percent from the stripe and 29 percent from beyond the arc.
He eclipsed the 30-point mark twice last season, scoring 36 against the Missouri Tigers and 33 against Texas, both highly ranked teams and big wins for the Buffaloes last season.
