It's never too early to look ahead to the next NBA draft, as Magic fans would surely attest after this week's Dwight Howard trade. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld has been keeping up with the top prospects, and shared some of his thoughts via Twitter this afternoon. We'll round up the highlights here:
- Center Nerlens Noel sits atop the latest DraftExpress.com 2013 mock, but Kyler believes he has plenty of work to do at the University of Kentucky this year. He thinks UCLA shooting guard Shabazz Muhammad, No. 2 on the DraftExpress list, and perhaps center Isaiah Austin, going No. 6 in the mock, have made more progress in their development. Noel must get stronger and put in more time on the court to refine his raw talent, Kyler says (Twitter links).
- Kyler is a fan of Indiana center Cody Zeller, but Muhammad has an "it" factor reminscent of other NBA stars, and is Kyler's current top choice (Twitter links).
- The general consensus is that it will be a weak draft this year, and Kyler joins the chorus, tweeting that the 2013 draft class, like the one coming in behind it for 2014, offers no true star and plenty of projects.