NBA Draft 2011: Brandon Knight and the 10 Best Leapers in the Draft
The men on this list are the YouTube sensations, the high-flyers and the star athletes of the college basketball world.
The vertical leap at the NBA scouting combine is one of the most telling signs of a player's athleticism. If you want to show an NBA team how athletic you are, you can start with a great showing in this essential drill.
Leaping is an important aspect in basketball. So let's hop to it and jump right into the top leapers in the 2011 NBA draft.
10. Jimmy Butler
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Jimmy Butler was the driving force behind Marquette's success in 2010. The 6'6" forward was a reliable scorer and a lockdown defender for the Golden Eagles and provided some highlight-worthy dunks during his college career.
Butler's vertical performance at the Chicago combine was surprisingly good. He was in the top five for the maximum vertical jump at 39 inches and his standing vertical of 32 inches was solid.
He's a projected second-round pick but he proved to be more athletic than he is given credit for. With some experience in the D-League, he could combine his stellar defense with his athleticism.
9. Shelvin Mack
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Shelvin Mack was one of the most talked about players in the NCAA tournament. The Butler point guard propelled his team to victory late in many of the tournament games and was the spark behind their improbable run to the national championship game.
Mack is projected to be drafted late in the first round mainly because scouts don't know if he is a shooting guard or a point guard.
But he, like Jimmy Butler, surprised a lot of people by posting a 39-inch vertical at the combine. He's got great strength for his 6'2" frame and by jumping at the combine may have disproved the notion that he is not an explosive player.
Mack is known more as a shooter, but he can leap with any of the guards in this draft class too.
8. Marshon Brooks
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Marshon Brooks was a dominant scorer for a bad Providence team, including a 52-point whirlwind performance during the regular season.
Brooks' complete offensive game and 7'1" wingspan have scouts drooling over his potential in the NBA. But it's his athleticism and leaping ability that were showcased in many of his games and at the scouting combine.
The 6'5" guard displayed an impressive 38.5-inch vertical. He's a very aggressive player and a good athlete. He will be a first-round pick and given the right coaching, could become a good scorer in the NBA.
7. Brandon Knight
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Brandon Knight can do it all at the point guard position. The 6'4" freshman led his Kentucky Wildcats to the Final Four in 2011. Knight has a very complete game and could be the most NBA-ready prospect in this class.
His leaping is not the best attribute of his game, but it's one of the reasons some scouts like him better than Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.
He had a good showing at the scouting combine (37.5-inch vertical). His athleticism allowed him to score in a variety of ways in college and it's the main reason he will be a top-five pick in this upcoming draft.
6. JaJuan Johnson
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JaJuan Johnson caught the attention of many NBA scouts with his terrific performance at the Chicago combine. He measured the highest vertical of all the big men in attendance at 38 inches.
The 6'10" forward averaged 20.5 points per game for Purdue this past season and Johnson threw down some rather impressive dunks night after night.
He's one of the most athletic players in this draft class and with his recent performance for the NBA scouts, JaJuan Johnson may have assured himself a spot in the first round of the draft.
5. Kemba Walker
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Kemba Walker is only 5'11" in shoes, but that didn't stop him from exploding to a 39.5-inch vertical for the scouts.
Every college basketball fan knows the Kemba Walker story. He was at times the most dominant player in the country and his staggering 23.5 points per game lifted his UConn team to a national championship.
Walker is projected from as high as seventh overall to as low as 15th in some mock drafts. His height may be his only pitfall as a prospect though.
He's an excellent athlete and certainly one of the best leapers in this entire draft class.
4. Isaiah Thomas
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The pint-sized Isaiah Thomas is another player that makes up for his 5'9" height with marvelous athleticism. His stellar play in the Pac-10 Conference Tournament caught the attention of the entire country.
He certainly didn't hurt himself at the combine either, posting a whopping 40 inches in the vertical leap. He also was stronger than expected, repping 185 pounds 13 times for the NBA scouts.
He will be a project for an NBA team. But this guy is a better, stronger scorer than his obvious NBA comparison, Nate Robinson.
And he can jump out of the gym too.
3. Travis Leslie
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Travis Leslie may be the most athletic player you've never heard of in this draft class.
The 6'4" guard from Georgia was in the top three in every leaping category of the combine and topped it off with a 40.5-inch vertical. He also possesses some of the best dunking ability in the entire draft.
His dunk on DeMarcus Cousins in the 2009-10 season still gives the Sacramento big man nightmares.
Leslie's leaping ability alone may warrant a first-round draft pick for the highlight-reel player.
2. Josh Selby
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Josh Selby was one of the most talked about players in college basketball for all of the wrong reasons. He missed the beginning of the season for taking illegal benefits and was very much hit-or-miss on any given night.
That being said, Selby is a potential lottery pick because he possesses great NBA talent. On top of being a very effective slasher, he leaped to the top of the scouting combine with a 42-inch vertical.
That kind of leaping ability shows just how athletic Selby can be when he wants to be. Time will tell whether or not he's mature enough to handle the NBA, but if he is a failure it certainly won't be because he didn't have the talent.
1. Iman Shumpert
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Iman Shumpert has been shooting up NBA draft boards since he declared for the draft and he put on a show at his hometown Chicago combine.
He had the top standing (36.5 inches) and maximum (42 inches) vertical at the combine and was impressive as a defender in workouts and drills.
Shumpert quietly scored 17.3 points per game for Georgia Tech and is one of the biggest point guards in the draft at 6'6". He is impressing scouts more and more and although he's far from a complete player, he's no doubt an athletic one.
And certainly the best leaper in this draft.
