NBA Draft 2011: Buying and Selling Top Prospects for Each Position
As the 2011 NBA Draft nears, much speculation has risen as to which players will fulfill their Draft Day expectations.
Many rookies in the past and heading into the future are never a sure thing, making it hard to predict how a young college player's professional career will pan out.
Regardless, teams select 19 and 29-year-olds as a means for a future roster foundation.
Whether they live up to those expectations are based solely on these young stars.
With that said, here are the top buy and sell NBA Draft talents for each position.
Point Guard Buy: Kemba Walker, Connecticut
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Kemba Walker might be the best all-around point guard in the Draft, adding much potential in other areas to add on top of his already superior scoring ability.
The 21-year-old is a seasoned college vet, proving he could win when it counts as he comes into the Draft as a National Champion.
If you're looking for scoring, Walker is the best point guard for the job.
After averaging 23.5 PPG last year, he's showcased his NBA ready explosiveness, late game clutch shooting, and his sometimes unstoppable play-making penetration.
As it stands right now, Walker could come out of this draft as the best value pick out of any player.
Point Guard Sell: Kyrie Irving, Duke
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Don't get me wrong, Kyrie Irving has a lot of talent considering he's only 19-years-old, but to gauge a point guard's NBA potential by basing his future on such a small college sample size, seems silly.
While other Draft Day options like Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette have played three or even four years at their rightful schools, Irving's total of 11 games in 2011 sort of comes up short.
Granted the Duke point guard shot very well from the field last year, a 52 percent field goal percentage while shooting 42 percent from downtown, his lack of basketball sharing and an overwhelming strong point has brought about many concerns.
Does he deserve to be drafted No. 1?
Can he take after Derrick Rose and John Wall at the NBA level? (Rose is much better than Wall)
And is his lack of college fermentation going to catch up to him in the pros?
I think Irving is going to be a fine point guard in the NBA, but all this No. 1 talk and conversations about him being the sure fire option at point may warrant some redaction.
Shooting Guard Buy: Nolan Smith, Duke
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Duke combo-guard Nolan Smith may be the best value pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Smith can not only use his speed and athleticism as a one guard, but he can use his evolving defense to trap most shooting guards.
The 22-year-old played four seasons as a Blue Devil, scoring over 17.0 PPG through his last two years.
Smith manned the point after Kyrie Irving went down to injury last season, so it's evident that he's more than capable of giving any NBA team off the bench versatility and significant lineup options.
With good speed, excellent defense, and a solid offensive artillery, Smith's only stock concern is his jump shooting consistency.
But with much practice alongside higher competition, he could be the biggest sleeper of the Draft.
Shooting Guard Sell: Klay Thompson, Washington State
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For me, Klay Thompson is a little too gumby-esk to be considered a solid NBA guard.
At 6'7", 206 lbs, his lack of explosiveness and overall strength take away from him playing as a two guard, while his frame and average speed make it difficult for him to compete with point players.
One upside, Thompson can shoot the heck out of the ball, averaging nearly 20.0 PPG over his last two years at Washington State.
However, for where he's projected to land on Draft Day, his stock is way overvalued when comparing him to Alec Burks, Marshon Brooks, and even the before mentioned Nolan Smith.
Small Forward Buy: Jordan Hamilton, Texas
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For some reason Jordan Hamilton's Draft Day stock has taken a major hit, falling behind Chris Singleton and nearly out of Kawhi Leonard's rear-view on many team's big board.
Hamilton may be the best pure shooter at the forward position in this draft, using outstanding range and polished shot selection to help him consistently provide his team with sufficient scoring.
The 20-year-old averaged nearly 19.0 PPG in 2010-2011 for Texas, adding 7.7 RPG.
He handles the ball as well as any forward can, unless your Lebron James, and Hamilton is no stranger to doing the dirty work that's needed to win close basketball games.
If a team really thinks he doesn't deserve a top-15 consideration, there's something wrong.
Small Forward Sell: Chris Singleton, Florida State
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With an inconsistent scoring ability and questionable game-time effort, Chris Singleton's defensive dominance has single-handedly fueled his Draft Day stock.
This raises many questions as to the future success that Singleton might have at the NBA level, or the lack there of.
If the 21-year-old is relying on his defense to win him a healthy contract with an NBA team, it could prove deadly in the long run.
Singleton isn't going to be covering ACC talent. He'll be matching up against some of the best forwards in the world who serve as a much bigger threat than he's ever seen.
With an improved offensive skill set, Singleton could end of having a nice career, but as it stands right now, team's need to be cautious with a one talent draftee.
I don't know, maybe I'm just overreacting.
Power Forward Buy: Tobias Harris, Tennessee
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Tobias Harris is too young and too talented to be overlooked on Draft Day.
He may be the biggest buy on this list.
At 6'8", 223 lbs, the 19-year-old has an NBA build to be either a three or four for any team in the league.
Harris has excellent ball handling skills, similar to many shooting guards.
He's working on his outside shooting, but can no doubt knock down open three pointers.
After averaging just over 15.0 PPG in his first and only season at Tennessee, Harris has been able to demonstrate his high basketball IQ, unselfish play, and ability to do all the smalls things.
Seems like the right NBA ingredients to me.
Power Forward Sell: Bismack Biyombo, Congo
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I'm selling Bismack Biyombo the same way I sold Chris Singleton.
Defense isn't everything.
Biyombo is nearly nonexistent on the offensive side of things and lacks true size as an NBA big man at 6'9", 240 lbs.
Sure he can block shots, but so can Kwame Brown.
Considering he's projected to go before Tobias Harris and in the top-15, it was fairly easy to sell the forward from Congo simply based on an over-expectated NBA career.
Center Buy: Nikola Vucevic, USC
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Not a lot of people are talking about the 7'0" center from USC.
Nikola Vucevic is a great scorer for his size, averaging just over 17.0 PPG for the Trojans in 2010-2011.
He can finish at the basket or drop back for an open mid-range jump shot.
He's the perfect size for an NBA center, maybe a little lighter, making him an ideal candidate to go just outside of the top-15 on Draft Day.
With a 7'7" wingspan, solid rebounding, and a good free-throw percentage (75), there's no reason to pass up on Vucevic.
Center Sell: Enes Kanter, Kansas/Turkey
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I believe Enes Kanter's character issues are going to play a major role in where he lands on Draft Day.
After being suspended for the entire 2010-2011 season at Kansas for receiving benefits from when he played professionally in Turkey, some people have gone as far as putting the 19-year-old in the top-five players.
However, besides this immediate red flag, Kanter's lack of upscale competition could hurt his adaptation at the NBA level.
While the European center does have some serious talent and can be a physical threat against any other big men around, his lack of explosiveness and experience could hurt his chances on Thursday.
With other options at the position in Jonas Valanciunas and Nikola Vicevic, Kanter could drop down the draft line.
