NBA Lockout: 10 NBA Rookie Prospects Who Were Better off Staying in the NCAA
Now that the NBA seems to be on track to cancel the entire 2011-2012 season, a whole bunch of current college players are thanking their lucky stars that they chose to stay in school.
In addition to getting more education, these players get a chance to hone their skills and play in competitive games while their former teammates who declared for the draft early have to struggle to get by.
Sure, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Jones and a few other players on this list would have been drafted in the lottery portion of the 2011 NBA Draft, but you can bet that they're thrilled they weren't now.
Read on for the 10 NBA rookie prospects who were much better off staying in the NCAA than leaving school early.
Harrison Barnes
1 of 10School: North Carolina
Year: Sophomore
Position: Small forward
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.7 steals
Harrison Barnes had expectations heaped upon his shoulders before his freshman season and he started out a little bit slowly. But as soon as Kendall Marshall entered the starting lineup for the Tar Heels, Barnes exploded and became one of the best players in the entire country.
If he'd gone pro after his freshman year, Barnes would have been one of the absolute top picks in the 2011 NBA Draft. Now, he has a chance to continue to improve, justify his inclusion on the preseason All-American squad and still be drafted as high as No. 1 in a stacked 2012 class.
John Henson
2 of 10School: North Carolina
Year: Junior
Position: Power forward
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 11.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 3.2 blocks, 0.6 steals
John Henson was a shot-blocking machine last year and averaged a double-double for the North Carolina Tar Heels as a sophomore, but that's nothing compared to what he's going to do as a junior.
During the Carrier Classic, Henson exploded for 12 points, seven rebounds and a jaw-dropping nine blocks against Michigan State while playing on an aircraft carrier.
Now that he's proved he can play on sea, he's going to spend the rest of the season shutting down everyone on land.
Perry Jones
3 of 10School: Baylor
Year: Sophomore
Position: Power forward
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 13.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 blocks, 0.5 steals
Perry Jones has as much athleticism as anyone in the country but he still needs to add some basketball skills to his arsenal. In terms of sheer physical ability though, no one on this list can match him.
Jones had a good but not great season last year and even though he's serving a six-game suspension, he'll be able to improve dramatically as a sophomore.
With Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller lining up alongside him, the potential is unlimited for this year's version of the Baylor Bears.
Terrence Jones
4 of 10School: Kentucky
Year: Sophomore
Position: Small forward and power forward
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.9 blocks, 1.1 steals
After a fantastically well-rounded freshman season for the Kentucky Wildcats, Terrence Jones declared for the NBA draft and was expected to be a top five pick before he withdrew his name and opted to return to Lexington for his sophomore season.
Now, the preseason favorite for SEC Player of the Year has an opportunity to learn how to do more than drive to the left on offense as he leads an ultra-talented Wildcats team.
Jones' numbers aren't going to be as great as they could be because he has to share the ball with Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the rest of the young Kentucky squad, but he's going to win a lot of games.
Kris Joseph
5 of 10School: Syracuse
Year: Senior
Position: Small forward
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.5 steals
I was a bit surprised that Kris Joseph didn't declare for the NBA draft after his junior season, but now it definitely appears to be the right decision.
Joseph recently scored the 1000th point of his career and appears to be improving, just as he has during each and every season he's spent with the Syracuse Orange.
The senior small forward will have to play well throughout the season to stay in the first round of most mock drafts but something tells me he will.
Jeremy Lamb
6 of 10School: Connecticut
Year: Sophomore
Position: Shooting Guard
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 blocks, 0.9 steals
Even though he took a backseat to the Kemba Walker show for the Connecticut Huskies last season, Jeremy Lamb was quite highly touted.
Now that he's been given the chance to shine, Lamb has seized the opportunity and already elevated his draft stock towards the very top. For example, NBADraft.net has him at No. 3 in their latest 2012 mock draft.
Lamb has already given us the early favorite for dunk of the season and scored 30 points in his first game of the season.
Khris Middleton
7 of 10School: Texas A&M
Year: Junior
Position: Small forward
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 14.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.1 blocks, 1.2 steals
Playing as a sophomore at College Station for the Texas A&M Aggies last year, Khris Middleton had a solid, albeit unspectacular, season. But because of the team's relative lack of recognition, Middleton flew largely under the radar. Still though, he had a chance to go pro and be drafted at the beginning of the second round at the very latest.
Now, Middleton has the potential to be a lottery pick in a very strong 2012 NBA Draft class. He'll have to overcome a knee injury that he suffered in the first game of the season to do so, though.
Mason Plumlee
8 of 10School: Duke
Year: Junior
Position: Power forward and center
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 7.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assist, 1.7 blocks, 0.9 steals
Mason Plumlee would have been a first-round draft pick if he'd declared for the NBA draft after his sophomore season but now he is ready to improve drastically for the Duke Blue Devils as a junior.
The best of the three Plumlees lining up in Durham for Mike Krzyzewski, Mason has all the talent in the world in addition to the height of a top-tier NBA center.
Jared Sullinger
9 of 10School: Ohio State
Year: Sophomore
Position: Power forward
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 blocks, 1.0 steals
Jared Sullinger led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman and was named to the All-American First Team after completing dominating in the low post.
If he had declared early for the draft, he would likely have been a top three pick but been forced to sit out for an entire year.
Now, the big man gets to dominate for one more season in a conference where Trevor Mbakwe is really the only player with the potential to stop him.
Tyler Zeller
10 of 10School: North Carolina
Year: Senior
Position: Power forward and center
2010-2011 Per-Game Stats: 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.2 blocks, 0.7 steals
Tyler Zeller had a fantastic season for the North Carolina Tar Heels as a junior, but he's going to have an even more monstrous one as a senior.
If Zeller can continue to put up big numbers in a loaded UNC lineup, he's likely going to rise up draft boards and become a lottery pick.
Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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