2014 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jordan Clarkson To Enter NBA Draft

March 31st, 2014 at 8:23am CST by Chuck Myron

Missouri combo guard Jordan Clarkson will enter the NBA draft, sources tell Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Most NBA executives have told Goodman that they see him as a late first-round pick, but he’s just No. 58 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress top prospect listings and No. 63 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings. Clarkson slumped in the second half of the season, Givony notes (Twitter link), so perhaps the information that he and Ford are hearing about Clarkson’s draft stock is more up to date. Still, Clarkson had to deal with off-the-court matters late this season, including his father’s diagnosis with cancer (Twitter links).

The 6’4″ 21-year-old averaged 17.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 35.1 minutes per game this season with the Tigers. He scored 20 points or more on 14 occasions, but none of those came during his final nine games, as Missouri went 4-5 and lost in the second round of the NIT. He dished out 3.4 assists per contest but averaged 2.7 turnovers, and he shot just 28.1% from behind the arc, though he did make it to the free throw line 5.6 times a night. His athleticism intrigues scouts, as does his size at the point guard position.

The junior was in his first season with Missouri after transferring from Tulsa and sitting out 2012/13. He has until April 15th to withdraw from the draft and return for his senior year.

And-Ones: Izzo, Harrison Twins

March 30th, 2014 at 10:51pm CST by Cray Allred

Most people close to Tom Izzo think the coach would entertain NBA offers, but wouldn’t leave Michigan State in the vulnerable situation they face next year, per ESPN Insider Jeff Goodman [subscription only]. Here’s a roundup of the rest of the night’s notes:

Kentucky coach John Calipari has previously indicated that Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison would return for their sophomore seasons, but a source close to the process tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that the twins have not made their decision.
NBA GMs and scouts tell Deveney they expect the Harrisons to declare for the draft, and think their performance in the NCAA tournament has significantly bolstered their value.
Many league executives tell Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com [subscription only] that their opinions of the Harrisons have changed for the better over the course of the tournament, but most still have them ranked in the 20-40 range of the 2014 draft.
Goodman says that the twins are polarizing for talent evaluators, and quotes some executives who are more pessimistic about drafting the brothers due to doubts of whether they could play well apart from each other.

Draft Rumors: Napier, Age Limit, Stauskas

March 30th, 2014 at 7:02pm CST by Cray Allred

Tim Kawakami of Bay Area News Group disagrees with the notion that a player like Aaron Gordon of Arizona should stay longer in college to develop his game. Kawakami argues that a player can develop their skill just as well or better in the NBA, but does think that personal maturation can be a benefit of staying in school longer. Here’s more on the draft:

Kawakami also clarifies that the league’s proposal to raise the age limit to 20 years old would also restrict players less than two years removed from high school from entering the draft. This would truly end the one-and-done process bemoaned by many.
Kawakami doesn’t see the value in such a proposal, writing that depriving the NBA from an extra year of transcendent talents like Anthony Davis is too high a price to pay to get an extra year of evaluation on potential draft busts.
Scouts tell Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News that Michigan’s Nik Stauskas is comparable to a taller, more athletic J.J. Redick (Twitter link).
A panel of Basketball Insiders writers all believe tanking in the NBA is an issue.
A veteran NBA scout tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that UConn’s Shabazz Napier is a first round talent. Napier is currently projected by both DraftExpress’s Jonathan Givony and ESPN Insider Chad Ford to go in the second round.
In the same article, former and current UConn coaches tell Zagoria that it isn’t fair to compare Napier to Kemba Walker, who won a championship with UConn while Napier was a freshman.

Draft Notes: Staten, Gordon, Wiggins, Parker

March 30th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Juwan Staten is going to return to West Virginia for his senior year, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Staten’s father, Billy, told ESPN.com that Staten, who averaged 18.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 5.8 APG, that his son would come back to Morgantown. Staten had started his college career at Dayton before transferring to West Virginia after his freshman season. He averaged 7.6 PPG as a sophomore, but had a breakout campaign this past season, writes Goodman. Chad Ford of ESPN.com had Staten slotted as a late second round pick or going undrafted in June.

Prospect Profile: Noah Vonleh

March 30th, 2014 at 10:32am CST by Eddie Scarito

Underclassmen are expected to dominate the lottery of the upcoming 2014 NBA draft. On Monday, Indiana freshman Noah Vonleh officially announced his intention to be one of them. This will make Vonleh the first player under Tom Crean to leave Indiana for the NBA after his freshman season. The last Hoosier to be “one-and-done” was Eric Gordon back in 2007.

Vonleh’s decision to enter the draft was widely expected. The 2013 McDonalds All-American came to Bloomington with his eyes on joining the NBA, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo, two former Hoosiers who were selected in the top four of last year’s NBA draft. Only 18 years old and with the skills to play the three and four, Vonleh is expected to have plenty of teams interested in him leading up to the draft. In recent mock drafts, Draft Express has him being taken sixth, CBSSports.com has him fifth, HoopsHype has him going sixth, and he sits at #7 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s “Big Board”.

Despite Indiana’s (17-15) struggles this season, Vonleh managed to shine, although he was never the focal point of the team’s offense. Vonleh was only utilized in 22% of his team’s offensive possessions. He averaged 11.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 0.6 APG, and 1.4 BPG in 26.5 minutes per game. His slash line was .523/.485/.716.

While being recruited, Vonleh was listed at 6’8” and only weighing anywhere from 210-215 pounds. At that point, most scouts were predicting that his most probable future position would either be at small or power forward, but after just one year at Indiana, he’s put on 30 pounds. and also grown two inches. Now, according to Draft Express, he’s 6’10” and weighs 242 pounds, and has a 7’3″ wingspan. He still projects as a power forward, but could play center for stretches against teams with smaller lineups.

One of Vonleh’s biggest strengths right now is rebounding. He averaged 9.0 RPG which led the Big 10. Thanks to his tremendous wingspan and athleticism, Vonleh is able to move out of his area to chase down a lot of balls, and he’s particularly good as an offensive rebounder. At this stage of his development many of his baskets come off of misses near the hoop. Another aspect of Vonleh’s game scouts are in love with is his hustle. He’s not afraid to hit the deck for a loose ball, and he’s a very unselfish and team-oriented player, which is sometimes rare for young, heralded prospects like him. He’s also known as a gym rat and responds well to coaching, both of which are required for young players to achieve their full-potential.

Vonleh also looks very promising on the defensive end. He’s not afraid to bang in the post, and he’s able to get a lot of blocks thanks to his size and hands. He also has a lot of potential as a perimeter defender because of his wingspan and quickness. Vonleh can defend about any frontcourt position effectively. His defensive win shares was 2.0, good for ninth in the Big Ten, and his defensive rating was 91.7, good for fourth in the conference.

Offensively, Vonleh is much more of a work in progress. He still needs to expand and improve his overall offensive arsenal if he wants to become an effective scorer in the NBA. Most of his baskets right now come down near the hoop on drive-and-dish plays or off of misses, which is where his offensive rebounding skills come into play. As of now, Vonleh doesn’t have a go-to post move, but this isn’t that unusual for a player of his youth. In high school, Vonleh spent a lot of time playing on the perimeter where he dominated on straight line-drives to the hoop. He has also shown some potential with his jump shot. His form and mechanics could use some refining, but with proper coaching and effort he could become a decent jump shooter in the near future. Vonleh has shown the ability to knock down three-pointers, converting on 16 of 33 attempts. It’s his inside-outside potential that could make him an offensive threat in the league.

Vonleh has the tools to play a significant role in the NBA for many years to come, but it will likely take a few years before he can accurately be gauged as to whether or not he has the skill-level, assertiveness and offensive upside needed to develop into a star. But his size, length, and rebounding prowess, coupled with the fact that he won’t turn 19 until late August, will almost certainly mean that a team with a lottery pick will be happy to select him and wait to see how he develops in the NBA. His ceiling has been said to be comparable to Chris Bosh or possibly Al Horford. If he can approach the production of either player, whichever team drafts him will consider it a pick well spent. My best estimate is that he is off the board before Julius Randle (profiled here), and is taken in the four to six range.

And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Draft, Izzo

March 29th, 2014 at 10:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When Kentucky squares off against Michigan in Sunday’s Midwest Regional final, the Wildcats may be looking for their 16th Final Four appearance without a big part of their lineup, center Willie Cauley-Stein, who is doubtful to play because of a sprained ankle. Even if Cauley-Stein is done for the season, it is unlikely to affect his draft stock, writes Josh Newman of SNY.tv. He is currently slotted No. 12 in June’s NBA Draft by Draft Express. “An ankle sprain, it’s nothing. He will be a top-20 pick regardless of him playing another college game. He could be a Lottery pick if he stayed another year at Kentucky,” a former NBA executive told SNY.tv per the article.

Draft Notes: Hairston, Bhullar, Randle, Parker

March 29th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Charlie Adams

P.J. Hairston has been able to find success in the D-League after walking away from the University of North Carolina basketball team in wake of suspension, as Nate Taylor of the New York Times details in his newest piece. The latest mock draft from DraftExpress sees Hairston going 22nd overall. Here’s the latest on the 2014 draft:

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders thinks New Mexico State’s Sim Bhullar could get selected near the end of the draft but isn’t sure he could succeed in the NBA (Twitter link). Bhullar’s main appeal lies in his massive size; the sophomore center is listed at 7’5″ and 355 lbs.
Kyler adds that the Raptors are a potential match for the Indo-Canadian Bhullar, as they hold a second round pick that will fall very late in the second round (Twitter link).
Kentucky’s strong tournament run has only helped improve Julius Randle’s draft stock, an executive tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The same executive compared Randle to Jamal Mashburn and Paul Millsap.
There’s still no word on whether or not Jabari Parker will declare for the draft, an executive tells Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. I profiled Parker’s game earlier this afternoon.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Prospect Profile: Jabari Parker

March 29th, 2014 at 3:54pm CST by Charlie Adams

Jabari Parker‘s season came to an abrupt end when Duke lost to Mercer in their opening matchup of the NCAA tournament. Despite the Blue Devils’ crushing early exit, executives around the league still see the explosive forward as a near lock to go in the top three of June’s exceptionally deep draft. DraftExpress has Parker going third in its mock draft, and he’s listed second on Chad Ford of ESPN.com’s Big Board. Certainly there’s been speculation that Parker’s might be the first named called come draft day, but the Kansas duo of Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins are generally seen as more likely candidates for the top overall selection.

While the consensus might be that he doesn’t look to have as high a ceiling as the freakishly athletic Wiggins, scouts who spoke to Ford are intrigued by Parker’s tantalizing offensive skill set and readiness to compete at the next level. He was the second-ranked recruit coming out of high school, and he didn’t disappoint in his freshman season at Duke. Parker led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.1 points and 8.7 boards per contest while shooting an impressive 47.3% from the floor in the process. His ability to score stems from his high basketball IQ and desire to put up big numbers, but he’s not a selfish player by any means. He’s just capable of getting to the basket and finds a way to the hoop often. His size and speed allow him to get around less capable defenders, and his willingness to attack the basket resulted in an average of six free throws attempted per night.

Parker isn’t going to shoot the lights out, but he’s got good mechanics and can drain jumpers from all over the floor. He was prone to hot and cold shooting streaks during his freshman season, but scouts were impressed at his ability to switch up his game and attack the paint while his shot was struggling. Still, he’s been known to put up questionable mid-range heaves and will need to be more selective if he wants his game to translate to the next level. His excellent passing skills and impressive ball handling abilities are rare in a wing of his size and definitely contribute to his knack for getting out and making an impact in transition plays. ESPN.com lists his wingspan at 7’0″ (Insider piece).

Scouts were initially a bit alarmed when Parker’s numbers took a hit during the start of conference play, and his performance in the tournament has pundits questioning his ability to carry a team. At just 19 years old, Parker certainly has some growing up do, and he will need to get used to playing with elite competition since he struggled at times against longer, athletic opponents. Guys who can get around Parker were able to expose his less-than-stellar defensive abilities that caused Coach K to actually bench Parker in the late minutes of Duke’s loss to Mercer. It’s true that there are more athletic players in the draft class, but Parker can hold his own because of his high motor and thirst to score.

There’s been speculation throughout the season that Parker might return to school for his sophomore season, and earlier this month Parker still said he was undecided about whether or not he’d be declaring for the draft. Parker’s desire to play with Blue Devil recruit and former AAU teammate Jahlil Okafor might impact his decision, but it would be hard to pass up such a sure shot at going as a top three selection. While Parker hasn’t declared anything yet, an executive recently told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that he fully expects Parker to enter his name as an early entrant.

Parker has lived up to the hype at Duke and been able to prove he belongs in the elite prospect category. Neither Embiid nor Wiggins is as NBA-ready as Parker, and although those two figure to have greater potential, Parker is definitely more of a “sure thing.” This isn’t to say Parker doesn’t have a high ceiling himself, however, and certainly any team would consider itself lucky to land him in June’s draft. In fact, Parker would be a lock to go first overall most seasons. He can score in bunches and in a variety of ways, and while his defense is far from elite at this stage of his career, he has character and he’ll work to improve at the next level. NBADraft.net lists his pro comparison as Carmelo Anthony, which isn’t a bad level of talent to be associated with. In a class that might go down as one of the deepest groups in the history of the NBA, Parker has found a spot sitting comfortably near the top.

Latest On Dario Saric

March 29th, 2014 at 11:52am CST by Cray Allred

Dario Saric will almost certainly declare for this year’s draft, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, who writes in a series of tweets. This contradicts earlier information that Saric would not be entering the draft on the heels of agreeing in principle to a three-year, $8.27MM contract with his European team. Yesterday, we noted that the agent critical of Saric’s decision-making was expected to part ways with the Croatian forward, but Givony tweets that the agent’s relationship with Saric had ended before making the comments, and asserts that the criticism was based more on a personal grudge than accurate information.

Givony also casts doubt on the report of Saric’s contract agreement in Europe, saying that the news is “bogus” and comes from former agents who have an ax to grind. The deal that Saric was to have signed didn’t include an NBA escape clause until 2016, when he would have been automatically eligible for the draft.

Whatever Saric decides will significantly impact how the 2014 draft shakes out. The 6’10” scorer is ranked 9th overall by Givony at DraftExpress, and 14th on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s top 100. He could always enter the draft and still opt to remain overseas, so clarity on whether he intends to jump to the NBA immediately would certainly help his draft stock, as most teams with lottery picks would want to avoid selecting a talent they couldn’t immediately begin developing. If he does declare and slide down draft board, he could be appealing as a value for teams with the luxury to wait on a “draft and stash” prospect.

Draft Rumors: Wiggins, Robinson, Harrison

March 29th, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Cray Allred

Chris Mannix of SI.com released a new mock draft, with Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, and Jabari Parker in the top three spots. Here are more rumors surrounding the draft:

Several executives tell Mannix that the poor tournament performances of Wiggins and Parker won’t impact their draft stock, but that concerns over Embiid’s back injury could significantly affect his value.
Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times discusses how Wiggins would fit with the Bucks in a video interview.
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com thinks Zach LaVine is over-hyped as a prospect, saying that the guard out of UCLA looks like a D-League player despite his first-round projections (Twitter link).
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com thinks that Michigan’s Glenn Robinson III needs to finish the tournament with a big performance, because his lack of assertiveness and spotty play has caused him to slip down draft boards from a potential lottery pick to a late first-rounder.
Scouts tell Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv that Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison would go in the 25-30 range in the draft, and that he needs to stay for another year and improve his stock (Twitter link).
Chris Mannix agrees with that take, tweeting that Harrison has the tools to become a lottery pick in the 2015 draft.
An NBA scout tells Mannix that UConn’s Shabazz Napier already has better ball handling ability than a lot of NBA backup point guards (Twitter link).
An NBA executive tells Mannix that Baylor’s Isaiah Austin is another player who should stay in school for another year, pegging the center as a late first rounder at best in the 2014 draft class (Twitter link).
Louisville’s Russ Smith made the right choice to stay in college after last year’s national championship, writes Adi Joseph of USA Today. Smith will likely be selected in the second round of the draft, and Joseph envisions him as a bench player who could eventually earn a starting job in the NBA.