2015 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Early, Sixers, Winslow

April 4th, 2015 at 10:10am CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks rookie Cleanthony Early has had a difficult season thanks to numerous injuries and his conditioning level suffering as a result, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “Cle’s had an up-and-down year physically with a couple of injuries that slowed down his development this year,’’ coach Derek Fisher said. “He’s continued to work hard and shows it every day. Getting more comfortable and confident out there with [the] opportunity he’s getting to play each night since he’s back and healthy. It’s great to see that from him. That’s what you like to see from young guys. He’s showing he has a bright future as long as he has the right attitude.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Coach Brett Brown is happy that five of the Sixers‘ six remaining games are against teams still fighting for playoff spots, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Brown likes that his young team will get a taste of playoff intensity from Philly’s opponents, Pompey adds. “I think it is fantastic,” said Brown. “I get so excited because we talk about it so much and they hear me,” he added. “I am privileged that I have this experience and can explain that it [postseason] is a different sport [compared with the regular season] and they are seeing it. They are feeling it.“
If the Knicks were to trade their likely top four lottery pick this year for multiple draft picks, one player the team could look to select is Duke freshman Justise Winslow, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal speculates in his look at the player. Winslow is currently ranked No. 5 overall by DraftExpress and No. 6 by ESPN.com.
Regardless of if he wins the Rookie of the Year award this season or not, the Sixers‘ Nerlens Noel has had a special year, Max Rappaport of NBA.com writes. “People have to really start talking about him for Rookie of the Year,” coach Brown said. “You don’t just repetitively bang out these types of performances and produce the numbers that he is producing. He is a complete game changer. He is a complete defensive presence when he’s lurking to block shots. He just continues to improve at this time of year. He keeps moving up the food chain and heading in the direction that we’re all so thrilled about.“

And-Ones: Temple, Powell, Vucevic

April 3rd, 2015 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Unlike Orlando’s past star big men such as Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, Nikola Vucevic is determined to be a member of the Magic for his entire career, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “Yeah. I’m here for the long haul,” Vucevic said. “I love it here. I really love the city. I’ve improved a lot as a player. I’d love to stay here for a long time and make something special happen. If it takes years, it takes years. I ain’t going anywhere.” The big man will have a few years before his loyalty to Orlando will be tested since his current deal runs through the 2018/19 season.

Here’s more from around the league:

Wizards swingman Garrett Temple began running and participating in drills this week and said he is at 80% strength, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post notes. Temple, who strained his right hamstring back on March 9th, was projected to be out approximately four to six weeks, putting his return date within the original prediction.
The Mavericks have re-assigned center Dwight Powell to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. This will be Powell’s 13th trek of the season to the D-League.
The 2015 NCAA tournament is winding down and only four teams remain standing. Chris Mannix of SI.com looks at the draft prospects who have the most to gain from standout performances in the Final Four and beyond. Mannix’s list includes Justise Winslow (Duke), Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), and Devin Booker (Kentucky).

Prospect Profile: D’Angelo Russell

April 3rd, 2015 at 5:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While he entered the school year not as highly touted as some of the other members of the 2014/15 freshman class, D’Angelo Russell emerged as one of the top players in college basketball. The sky would appear to be the limit for the young player, who has shot up draft boards as quickly as anyone this season. Russell played shooting guard in college, but many pro scouts are projecting him as a point guard in the NBA, which has definitely helped increase Russell’s overall draft stock. He is currently ranked as the No. 4 prospect by both ESPN.com and DraftExpress.com, No. 3 by NBA Draft.net, and No.2 by CBSSports.com. In 35 games this season Russell averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals in 33.9 minutes per outing.

The 6’5″ guard was named to the AP All-America team. He also made first team All-Big Ten, and was the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year as well. Russell led his Ohio State squad to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament, but the Buckeyes lost to No. 2 seed Arizona. He was stifled on the offensive end of the court by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whose aggressive defense helped hold Russell to a 3-for-19 shooting night, including going just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Russell is not a super athletic player, instead relying more on skill, feeling, and instincts, writes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com. His great size for a guard, and his shooting ability, give Russell an intriguing versatility since he can be paired alongside many different styles of guards and wings, Givony opines. This should allow the team that drafts him to use Russell to exploit mismatches and for his coaches to get creative with their lineups.

Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) broke down his thoughts on Russell’s offensive game, saying, “There are a number of things that Russell has done well. He has proved to be a terrific, efficient scorer despite the fact that defenses in the Big Ten keyed in on him every night as Ohio State’s only real weapon on offense. Russell took 45% of his shots from 3-point range and hit a terrific 41% . His 2-point jumpers are a little low at 40%, but his field goal percentage at the rim jumps back up to 65%. In short, he can score from anywhere on the floor.”

“There’s so much to love about his game,” an NBA GM told Ford about Russell. “Even when he has a bad game, it looks like a good one because every time the ball leaves his lands, it looks like it’s going in. He plays with such great confidence and has a terrific feel. I think he could be a James Harden-type player at the next level. That’s what kind of scorer and playmaker he could be.”

Like the majority of young players, Russell has a number of things he needs to work on in order to transition to a successful professional career. Offensively he needs to learn to attack the basket more instead of settling for long range shots. Russell also needs to improve upon his finishing ability close to the rim, and he also could stand to get to the free throw line more often. His lack of elite speed and athleticism will make this a bit of a challenge in the NBA, but Russell’s basketball IQ should help him overcome this deficiency. As a ball-handler Russell also needs to learn to be more careful, as his turnover rate of 2.9 per game is a touch high. The 6’5″ playmaker is also an effective rebounder, though he’ll need to bulk up if he wants to be a factor on the boards in the NBA.

The guard is a capable defender, though he’ll struggle at first with the bigger, faster players in the NBA. Russell doesn’t have great lateral quickness, which he’ll have to compensate for with his smarts. One big knock on Russell is that he does tend to be a touch passive on the defensive end, and the player has been known to coast and take a number of possessions off, Givony notes.

Russell’s limitations make him a player who is unlikely to be able to carry an NBA team on the offensive end his rookie season, which could place the guard in a difficult situation. He will need talent around him to best utilize his complementary skills, which isn’t something that lottery teams generally possess an abundance of. Russell isn’t a player who will be capable of turning around a franchise on his own, but he is a fantastic prospect who should continue to improve as he matures. A number of scouts have compared Russell’s upside to that of Harden and Manu Ginobili, both of whom are crafty, intelligent scorers who get by quite well in the NBA without being freakishly athletic. If Russell approaches the production level of either of those players, the team that drafts him will likely be overjoyed.

While Russell may not end up being the first guard selected in June’s draft, he’s a lock to be taken amongst the top five picks. His main competition is Emmanuel Mudiay, who is ranked No. 3 overall by both Givony and Ford. Mudiay is almost sure to blow away scouts with his athleticism once individual pre-draft workouts begin, something Russell won’t necessarily do. Russell isn’t as flashy a player, and his NBA upside may not be quite as high as Mudiay’s thanks to their physical differences. But Russell is most certainly a noteworthy talent who should improve any franchise that selects him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

And-Ones: Jianlian, McCullough, Draft

April 2nd, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Chris McCullough plans to enter this year’s draft despite tearing his ACL in January, but the player is confident he can sell NBA teams on his commitment to rehabilitating the injury, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes. “This is the kind of injury that players come back strong from all the time in basketball now, and the process has gone good so far,” McCullough told Wojnarowski. “I’m working hard at the rehab, trying to eat the right foods. I’ll be back on the court later this year.” In 16 games for Syracuse this season, McCullough averaged 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from around the league:

Wizards guard Will Bynum thinks that 2007 Bucks lottery pick Yi Jianlian has improved his game and could play in the NBA once again, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets. Bynum played with the big man in China this season. Jianlian’s last NBA action came during the 2011/12 season when he appeared in 30 games for the Mavs. His career stats are 7.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 22.2 minutes per night.
Kentucky could lose as many as seven players to the NBA draft this season, an NBA scout tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I think all seven leave,” the scout said to Zagoria. “If they win it all, there’s no doubt in my mind all seven of them leave. No doubt. The only ones who would stay [if they lose] would be a Trey Lyles, maybe a Devin Booker. The rest of them are all going, I don’t care if they win or lose. I think if they lose there’s maybe a moment [of pause] by Lyles or Booker. Those are the only two that I think may pause at all.” The other five players whom the scout believes will declare for the draft are Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Andrew Harrison, and Aaron Harrison.
Knicks GM Steve Mills says that the franchise has already received calls from two opposing teams that are interested in obtaining New York’s first round draft pick, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. The Ted Stepien Rule prevents the Knicks from trading this year’s pick, but New York could make the selection for another franchise and trade the player’s rights after the draft.
Team president Phil Jackson says the Knicks won’t solicit offers for their first-rounder, but admitted that they would “sit back and see what comes to them,” Begley adds in another tweet.

Walter Pitchford To Enter NBA Draft

April 2nd, 2015 at 8:53pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Junior Walter Pitchford, a center for the University of Nebraska, intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft, Brian Rosenthal of The Lincoln Journal Star reports. “I have put my past frustration of this past year aside and will do what is in my best interest in life,” Pitchford wrote in his official statement. “Basketball is my life. Moving forward, I will be pursuing my lifelong goal of playing professional basketball and will be entering into the 2015 NBA Draft.” The center was presumably referring to a difficult junior season that saw his shooting percentages plummet. Pitchford said he’s in the process of finding an agent and will be filing necessary paperwork with the NBA next week, Rosenthal notes.

Pitchford enters an NBA draft loaded with talented big men, which doesn’t bode well for his chances to be selected in June. He is not among the top 100 prospects on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s (Insider subscription required) or Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress‘ rankings. The center appears ticketed for the NBA D-League or an overseas deal if he wishes to continue his professional career, though that is merely my speculation.

The 6’10, 22-year-old began his college career at Florida, appearing in 13 games during the 2011/12 season for coach Billy Donovan‘s Gators. He then transferred to Nebraska and appeared in 62 contests for the team after sitting out the 2012/13 season. Pitchford’s career stats are an underwhelming 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks in 21.0 minutes per night. His career shooting numbers are .423/.343/.610.

Montrezl Harrell, Terry Rozier To Enter Draft

April 2nd, 2015 at 7:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 7:12pm: Rozier has officially signed with Verus Management, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.

MONDAY, 2:06pm: Louisville junior power forward Montrezl Harrell and sophomore combo guard Terry Rozier are entering this year’s draft, coach Rick Pitino said today during his season-ending press conference, as The Courier-Journal relays. Harrell is 21st on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 24th with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. There’s more of a gulf in opinion on Rozier, who’s the 26th-best prospect according to Ford but just 39th-best as Givony has it.

Harrell’s stock slipped during the season, as he was No. 12 with Givony and No. 16 with Ford prior to the season. He stands 6’8″, and he’s neither a natural power forward nor a true small forward, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors writes in our latest Draft Prospect Power Rankings. The 21-year-old averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds in 35.1 minutes per game this season, all higher numbers than last year, but his per-36-minute figures in scoring and rebounding declined as the Cardinals moved from the American Athletic Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The difference in projections on the 6’2″ Rozier were even more pronounced during the preseason, when Ford ranked him 11th and Givony had him 50th. Rozier, also 21, had a breakout campaign after failing to see much action as a freshman, putting up 17.1 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 35.0 MPG this season. He also averaged 3.0 assists against 2.2 turnovers per game.

Update On Traded 2015 First-Round Picks

April 2nd, 2015 at 12:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

The regular season is down to its final two weeks, and as teams clinch playoff spots and seedings, the draft order is solidifying in much the same way. The final order won’t be set until the NBA’s draft lottery on May 19th, but plenty will be determined by the end of the regular season. That includes the fate of some of the traded first round picks that have protection attached to them.

The Rockets have clinched a playoff berth, which means the Lakers have clinched the rights to Houston’s first-round pick this year. Similarly, it’s already mathematically impossible for the Celtics to receive the first-round picks that could have come their way from the Sixers and Timberwolves, and the Nuggets won’t be getting the Grizzlies’ pick this year.

Likely outcomes are apparent for all but two of the protected first-round picks that were liable to change hands this year, though the Sixers are the would-be beneficiaries of two picks that remain squarely in limbo. The next two weeks will determine whether Oklahoma City’s pick goes to Philadelphia, and the same is true for the Heat’s pick if they make the playoffs. If Miami doesn’t, the lottery will likely decide whether Philly gets that pick.

Our Reverse Standings help you follow the action on a day-by-day basis. The protection attached to each pick that has been traded is outlined at the bottom of the standings. Today, as we’ve done a few times since the start of the season, we’re taking a closer look. The traded first-round picks that involve protection are listed below and categorized by the relative likelihood of the picks going from team to team.

Tossups

Team: Thunder (42-33)
Pick traded to: Sixers
Protection: Top 18
Current position: tied for 18th

Team: Heat (34-40)
Pick traded to: Sixers
Protection: Top 10
Current position: tied for 15th

Traded picks likely to change hands:

Team: Pelicans (40-34)
Pick traded to: Rockets
Protection: Top 3 and 20-30
Current position: 14th

Traded picks that will change hands:

Team: Rockets (51-24)
Pick traded to: Lakers
Protection: Top 14
Current position: tied for 27th

Traded picks likely to stay put:

Team: Mavericks (46-29)
Pick traded to: Celtics
Protection: Top 3 and 15-30
Current position: 22nd

Team: Kings (26-48)
Pick traded to: Bulls
Protection: Top 10
Current position: 6th

Team: Lakers (20-54)
Pick traded to: Sixers
Protection: Top 5
Current position: 4th

Traded picks that will stay put:

Team: 76ers (18-58)
Pick traded to: Celtics
Protection: Top 14
Current position: 3rd

Team: Timberwolves (16-59)
Pick traded to: Celtics
Protection: Top 12
Current position: 2nd

Team: Grizzlies (51-24)
Pick traded to: Nuggets
Protection: Top 5 and 15-30
Current position: tied for 27th

Additional notes:

The Clippers will send their first-round pick to the Celtics regardless of finish, since there’s no protection on the pick. It’s the No. 26 selection as it stands now.
The Hawks have the right to swap picks with the Nets, and since Atlanta has already clinched a better record than Brooklyn, the exchange is set to take place. Brooklyn, which is currently tied for the 15th spot in the draft order, is poised to send that pick to Atlanta, which occupies the 29th spot.
The Heat’s pick is listed in the tossups category even though there’s a five-spot difference between their position and the protected range because they’re separated from the Hornets, who are in the 10th spot, by only two games. By contrast, the Lakers are likely to keep their top-five protected pick even though they have only the fourth worst record because their 20-54 mark is six games worse than the 26-48 mark that the Kings, current occupants of the No. 6 spot, have compiled.
To see what happens to traded picks that aren’t conveyed this year, check out the database of traded picks by round that Mark Porcaro compiled for Hoops Rumors. It runs down the protection on each pick through 2021.

Chris McCullough Plans To Enter Draft

April 2nd, 2015 at 9:06am CST by Chuck Myron

Syracuse freshman power forward Chris McCullough plans to enter this year’s draft, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. That’s somewhat of a surprise, since McCullough tore his ACL in January. Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him as the 43rd-best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress is already looking ahead to 2016 for him, listing him 21st in his mock draft for that year.

McCullough’s apparent decision is reminiscent of Spencer Dinwiddie‘s choice to enter last year’s draft after suffering a torn ACL in January 2014. The Pistons took Dinwiddie 38th overall, and he’s averaged 13.4 minutes per game in 38 appearances for Detroit this season. Still, he was a junior in college and had a longer track record of success than McCullough has. McCullough was 19th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of high school, but he failed to average double figures in points across 16 games with Syracuse before the injury, notching 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per contest.

The 20-year-old began the season with a more prominent role than he was playing at the time of his injury, and his best performance probably came in November against eventual NCAA Tournament No. 7 seed Iowa, when he had 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Syracuse and coach Jim Boeheim have a long track record of producing NBA players, though the recent big men to come out of the school haven’t been stellar, with Hakim Warrick, Fab Melo, Donte Greene and Arinze Onuaku perhaps the most prominent names.

Draft Notes: Jackson, Towns, Okafor

April 2nd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Draft decisions among underclassmen have been coming at a fast pace this week, and we’re tracking all of them with this post. The draft is still nearly three months away, but there’s plenty of focus on it already around the league. Here’s the latest:

North Carolina freshman small forward Justin Jackson will remain in school rather than enter the draft this year, as he revealed via Instagram (hat tip to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress). Chad Ford of ESPN.com had him listed as the 37th best prospect, though he indicated in a chat with readers Wednesday that he was in line to go in the late first round. Givony already has him slotted at No. 19 on his 2016 mock, so it looks like he stands to gain from another year with the Tar Heels.
Karl-Anthony Towns has surpassed Jahlil Okafor as the top prospect in Ford’s and Givony’s rankings, but It’s not as if Towns has become the consensus top pick amongst NBA teams, Ford also writes in the chat. A slight majority of teams have Towns on top, according to Ford, and scouts are “praying” that Kentucky and Duke meet in the NCAA final so the two can match up. It’ll probably come down to which player is better in the context of the team picking first, Ford believes.
An NBA executive who spoke with Zach Braziller of the New York Post agrees with the assessment that the choice between Okafor and Towns is a matter of which player is a better fit for the team with the No. 1 pick. Still, you couldn’t go wrong with either, the exec added.

Aaron Thomas To Enter NBA Draft

April 1st, 2015 at 4:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Florida State junior Aaron Thomas will enter the 2015 NBA draft, his agent Seth Cohen informed Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link). Thomas is no lock to be selected in June, and the guard didn’t make either Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s (Insider subscription required) or Givony’s top 100 player rankings.

The 6’5″ shooting guard’s junior season was interrupted when he was declared academically ineligible back in December. He only appeared in six contests this season for the Seminoles, averaging 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 28.3 minutes per game. Thomas’ career numbers are 10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.5 APG. His career shooting line is .441/.319/.771.

Thomas’ best hope to make it into the NBA is to snag a summer league invite from a team and turn that opportunity into a training camp deal. His odds are quite long, so heading to the D-League or overseas to play is the more likely scenario for the 23-year-old next season.