2020 Jayhawk NBA Draft Prospects

[Deleted User 295]

Center has changed a lot for sure. (Like randy said)There are really only a few handful of centers I can think of that still are played thru on offense as one of the main options on their teams (Jokic, Embiid, AD if we consider him a center with the lakers, Bam Adebayo, Lamarcus Aldridge, Boogie once he's back assuming he's 100% recovered, KAT, and then I start having to think really hard although wouldn't be shocked if I'm missing an easy 1).

Maybe Dok can be Clint Capella-ish.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Does not sound good for our prospects.

The point guard overload
Going into the season, we knew that one of the biggest strengths of this draft class was the number of point guards projected at the top of the class, something that has become even more pronounced.

Nine of the 14 players in our lottery projections are either full-time point guards or project to play the position part time in the pros. That extends beyond the lottery as well, as at least 21 PGs or combo guards occupy the top 45 spots in our Top 100 rankings. We're talking about some of the best players in college basketball, including potential All-Americans such as Cassius Winston (Michigan State), Tre Jones (Duke), Devon Dotson (Kansas), Jared Butler (Baylor) and Malachi Flynn (San Diego State). A bit further down in the rankings, there are notable prospects to monitor such as Payton Pritchard (Oregon), Myles Powell (Seton Hall), Markus Howard (Marquette) and Anthony Cowan (Maryland).

Does the NBA have the appetite to absorb such a huge number of players at such a deep position leaguewide? The best way for these players to solidify their standing in the draft: win, win and win some more. A deep NCAA tournament run could be the difference between players mentioned here being drafted in the first round, getting guaranteed money in the second round or missing out entirely.


The big man overload
While we expected this to be a deep point guard crop, the number of elite big men to choose from appeared limited in our preseason projections. That's changed dramatically since the start of the college season, as we've seen several collegiate big men put up impressive seasons, namely Obi Toppin (Dayton), Onyeka Okongwu (USC), Zeke Nnaji (Arizona), Tyler Bey (Colorado), Udoka Azubuike (Kansas), Vernon Carey (Duke), Daniel Oturu (Minnesota), Jalen Smith (Maryland), Filip Petrusev (Gonzaga), Reggie Perry (Mississippi State) and Nick Richards (Kentucky). All would have been strong candidates to be drafted in the first round a decade ago.

While there is no shortage of options, how many big men will the NBA actually want to draft? The 2019 draft saw just one college player over 6-foot-10 (Jaxson Hayes) picked in the first round, and only three centers overall among the first 30 picks (Hayes, Goga Bitadze and Mfiondu Kabengele). Our latest ESPN mock draft has just two centers projected in the lottery (Wiseman and Okongwu) but 18 players who are either centers or spend significant time at the position projected to be picked overall, making for a crowded field.

The NBA trade deadline earlier this month suggests there might not be as much of a market for big men as our projections suggest. We saw starting centers such as Clint Capela and Andre Drummond traded for relatively little value, and backups galore were dumped unceremoniously, often with cash and draft picks attached as enticement.

The supply of solid traditional big men is seemingly unlimited while the number of minutes available to them has dwindled dramatically. Where does that leave this host of ultra-productive players in 2020? We'll have to wait to see in June. In the meantime, standing out in March could make a huge difference for any of these prospects.



http://insider.espn.com/nba/insider/sto ... cial-march

[NDballer13]

#DokMedRed

[Cascadia]

How is Dok MedRed not happening?

[Soklous]

Dok has shot up to 32 this week. I struggle with these kind of jumps. I get he’s proved a ton defensively, but NBA personnel didn’t catch wind of anything before now?


http://insider.espn.com/nba/insider/sto ... -prospects






Udoka Azubuike | C | Kansas | No. 32

The newly minted Big 12 player of the year, Azubuike has established himself as a contender for national player of the year honors as well -- the best and most important player on the top team in college basketball.

Azubuike's junior year was derailed by a torn hand ligament that allowed him to play only nine games. He entered the draft for the second straight year but once again withdrew after drawing less interest than hoped. Then he spent the offseason getting into the best shape of his career.

He has been incredibly productive as a rebounder and finisher, as usual, but the other reason he's knocking on the door of the first round of the draft is that he has made significant strides on the defensive end as the anchor of a Kansas defense that currently ranks No. 2 in the country, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Entering this season, Azubuike was strictly a drop defender in pick-and-roll situations who would typically get carved up any time he stepped outside of the paint due to his heavy feet and below average feel for the game. His improved conditioning and significantly higher intensity level, along with his experience, have allowed him to emerge as arguably the most impactful defensive big man in college basketball, a complete wrecking ball in the paint with his shredded 270-pound frame and outrageous 7-foot-8 wingspan and 9-foot-4 standing reach.

This season he has hedged and even switched ball screens, keeping smaller players in front and making himself incredibly difficult to shoot over. His ridiculous length allows him to block shots from incredible vantage points, both on the perimeter and inside the paint, and with either hand (his 3.8 blocks per 40 minutes ranks No. 1 among ESPN Top 100 prospects). There are very few big men on the planet with Azubuike's dimensions, and the fact that he now covers ground adequately, contains drives and is virtually impossible to post up in the lane has added quite a bit of intrigue. In the NBA, he could have a huge physical advantage on a nightly basis with his unbelievable measurements.

Azubuike is a game-changer on offense as well, as he's extremely quick and powerful elevating off two feet and has shown significantly improved hands, timing and instincts as a finisher. Kansas' offense revolves heavily around getting him deep paint touches as a roller or post-up threat, as just throwing the ball in his vicinity has a high likelihood of resulting in a dunk. He's shooting 74% from the field due to his interior dominance and also posting a career high in assists.

Some NBA teams have had questions about Azubuike's listed age (20) and fit in the modern game, as well as his 44% free throw shooting and inconsistent approach, which has led to some friction between him and Kansas' coaching staff. But his freakish physical tools, dominance at the college level and improvements on both ends of the floor suggest he'll have a role in the NBA. A dominant NCAA tournament showing could move him firmly into the first round, possibly even the top 20 for a franchise that wants to buck the small-ball movement and force opposing teams to adjust to him on a nightly basis. -- Givony

[CrimsonNBlue]

There were some obvious red flags, but always felt he'd be drafted somewhere in the 2nd, because why not take a chance on him?

Then the weight loss happened. NBA teams have drafted so much less.

[TDub]

Inconsistent approach? Whats that even mean?

[PortlandHawk]

Inconsistent approach? Whats that even mean?

The way he approaches the line or how he shoots every shot?

Also what friction has there been between Doke and the staff over this?