NBA Draft 2011: Jimmer Fredette and 5 Late-Rising Prospects

With the 2011 NBA Draft set to commence tonight at 7 p.m., the time for speculation is nearly over. Although all of the pre-draft workouts and interviews have been completed, there continues to be movement up and down the draft board to this very second.

As is often the case, mock drafts look extremely different from the time the draft process begins and now. Over the past couple of weeks, several players have either moved from second-round prospects to likely first-round picks, or from late-first rounders to possible lottery selections.

Physical ability, rectification of character concerns, positional scarcity, or perhaps a combination of all three have caused many impending draftees to garner significant interest in the latter stages of the buildup to the draft. 

While some of this second guessing is likely to backfire on the teams who buy into the post-workout hype, there is little doubt that one, or possibly multiple prospects, will show that they deserved their elevated rankings all along.

Here are the top five late-rising prospects in the 2011 NBA Draft.

5. Enes Kanter, C, Turkey

It may be difficult for some to consider a projected top-five pick a late-rising prospect, but Turkish center Enes Kanter has become quite the sought-after commodity at this point in the draft process. While Kanter is firmly on the radar of the Cleveland Cavaliers with their second pick in the draft (fourth overall), there are rumors that the Utah Jazz may be entertaining the thought of taking him with the third overall selection.

The Toronto Raptors at fifth overall and the Washington Wizards at sixth overall have expressed interest as well. One interesting tidbit to note is the fact that the San Antonio Spurs conducted a pre-draft interview with Kanter. The Spurs hold the 29th overall pick, and while there is absolutely no chance Kanter will fall that far, it begs the question of whether the Spurs are lining up a trade.

All-Star point guard Tony Parker is disgruntled and iis reportedly on the trade block. Perhaps the Spurs will dangle him in front of a team like Utah, who traded Deron Williams last season, in exchange for the third pick. Kanter would revitalize the aging San Antonio frontline.

Kanter certainly doesn’t come without question marks, though, as he hasn’t played organized basketball in two years. This is due to the NCAA ruling him ineligible to play at Kentucky. This could be a blessing in disguise for the teams picking third through sixth, as it is quite possible that Kanter would have been the top overall selection had he played last season. Regardless, Kanter is sure to hear his named called quite early on draft night.

4. Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State

As perhaps the premier shooter in the 2011 NBA Draft, it should come as no surprise that Washington State shooting guard Klay Thompson is starting to garner interest from teams picking in the top 10. It wasn’t long ago that Thompson seemed like a lock to go in the late-teens or early-20's, but thanks to some impressive workouts, it now seems unlikely he would slide that far.

Thompson comes from a great pedigree as his father, Mychal Thompson, was the top overall pick in 1978 by the Portland Blazers. It’s clear that Mychal taught Klay great fundamentals, as Thompson may be the most polished guard in the draft. He is also incredibly versatile, and even at 6'7", is capable of playing shooting guard, small forward and even point guard in stretches.

College Basketball expert gave Thompson his seal of approval in calling him one of the fastest risers in a recent tweet. He also gave him the ultimate compliment, calling him a “flat out Reggie Miller shooter.”

Thompson’s ascent up the draft boards hasn’t come without adversity, however. Thompson has had to answer plenty of questions about a marijuana possession charge in March. He claims that he hasn’t used since, and it seems as though most NBA teams believe it is in the past. Charlotte, Milwaukee and Golden State all seem to be logical destinations for Thompson, as they will pick ninth through 11th.

3. Jeremy Tyler, PF/C, Tokyo Apache

Projected as a second-round pick by most draft experts just a couple weeks ago, Jeremy Tyler seems to have solidified himself as a first-round prospect likely to go somewhere in the 20's. Tyler’s story is well-documented. He was a star player in high school who decided to forego college and play overseas instead. After leaving his team in Israel on poor terms, Tyler moved on to play in Tokyo with varying degrees of success.

Despite Tyler’s perceived character issues, he has been moving up draft boards for a couple reasons. For one, this draft looks to be razor thin on centers. While it isn’t certain whether Tyler will play center or power forward at the next level, he measured out to a legitimate 6 feet 10 ½ inches and 262 lbs. Those measurements seem to suggest that Tyler has a body capable of handling the rigors of the center position in the NBA.

Perhaps the biggest reason for Tyler’s surge, however, has nothing to do with his on-court skills or physical tools. Carrying the burden of most considering him to be a prima donna, Tyler reportedly wowed team representatives in his pre-draft interviews. If nothing else, this should allow Tyler to be considered by teams who may otherwise have crossed him off their draft lists. While there have been rumblings that the New York Knicks could take him with the 17^th pick, a more likely landing spot is Boston at 25.

2. Nikola Vucevic, C, USC

Once considered a second-round pick at best, USC center Nikola Vucevic is now almost guaranteed to go in the first round thanks to an incredibly poor crop of centers. While Vucevic would never be considered tough as nails, and his defensive acumen has been questioned, his dimensions of 6'11" and 260 lbs. make him perfectly capable of playing center in the NBA.

Although Vucevic needs to work on his rebounding, he brings a diverse offensive game to the table that should prove effective in pick-and-roll offenses. Not only does he possess good touch around the basket with a vast repertoire of hooks and other moves, but he can also step out and hit the mid-range jump shot consistently. He also shot a solid 35 percent from beyond the arc, making him a rare threat who can draw opposing centers out of the paint and open up space for his teammates.

Speculation following the pre-draft workouts suggests that Vucevic may have outshined all of his big man counterparts, including Enes Kanter. Vucevic’s defensive deficiencies will be enough to keep him in the bottom third of the first round, but league-wide interest has certainly ramped up concerning the 20-year-old Serbian. He is currently linked to every center-starved team in the draft, including the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics.

1. Jimmer Fredette, PG, BYU

It was only a matter of time, but it appears that “Jimmer Mania” has finally infected the NBA. For weeks, draft experts projected BYU guard Jimmer Fredette to go somewhere in the early-teens due to positional issues and a complete disregard for defense. None of that seems to matter anymore, however, as Jimmer now looks to be a surefire top 10 selection.

After a so-so NCAA Tournament, many began to question whether Fredette could dominate against top competition. He decimated his Mountain West Conference foes during the regular season in 2010, but struggled against the likes of Florida during March Madness. Fredette’s NBA Combine performance seemed erase all doubts, though. Not only did Jimmer show better athleticism and agility than most scouts had expected, but he throttled all other guards in the bench press, showing his toughness and competitive fire in the process.

When you add those attributes to the ones that were already apparent during his time at BYU, such as his unmatched shooting range and ability to get to the rim, it almost seems silly that Jimmer was doubted in the first place. While he will have to work on becoming a better distributor, Fredette should be able to handle NBA point guards due to his ample size for the position (6'2" inches and 195 lbs.).

It is now possible that Jimmer could go as high as fifth overall to the Toronto Raptors, but more likely destinations include the Sacramento Kings at seven, Milwaukee Bucks at 10 and Golden State Warriors at 11. No matter where he ends up, Fredette is sure to add another offensive dimension to the team that selects him.

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