NBA Draft 2010: Prospect Update

by Ed Weiland

Right now I would rank the 2010 class as below-average. The potential at this point would rank somewhere between weak and slightly above-average at this point. I could see as many as 9 impact players in this group. But none is a sure thing and if they all come up short, as is the case more often than not, it will be a very weak draft. The strength of this draft will be the forwards, be they power, combo or small. They’re a strong group that could get stronger if some emerging players keep their current pace. The perimeter players are a weak group. There’s no depth at PG behind Wall. There are a few intriguing SGs behind Turner, but most are the usual upperclassmen suspects. 

These rankings are for at this point in the season and should be considered fluid. Think of these rankings like a marathon at the 15-mile mark. There is a group of 4 packed tightly at the front. DeMarcus Cousins has a slight lead and will probably toss a forearm shiver at anyone who tries to pass him. Wall had an early lead, but the others have caught him. Now they’re wondering if he has another sprint in him. The 3 others are surprised to find Turner running with them, but the longer he keeps up, the more obvious it is that he belongs. Aldrich could win the race by default if the top 4 all fade. Greg Monroe has found his stride. I think you get the idea. What I’m trying to say with this stupid marathon metaphor is don’t consider these anything close to a final ranking. Continue reading NBA Draft 2010: Prospect Update…

NBA Draft Update

by Ed Weiland

Right now the 2010 draft class is a little tough to gauge. As with recent drafts the strength will be in the freshman class. My feeling is that this class is somewhat below-average. Other than Wall and Henry the guards are a very weak group. The big guys look OK now, but the conference games are starting and that always thins their ranks out. This list is a little scattershot and not exactly a top 60 that’s in a strict order of the ability and future of the players. After the first 15 or so I have players bunched in groups, because that’s where they are at this point in the season. While my guess is that Avery Bradley will move into the lottery and possibly the top 5 by season’s end, his numbers just aren’t quite there yet. I do it this way because the season is early and when the analysis is based mainly on statistics, like this one is, it takes a full season before things really come into focus. 

1. John Wall, PG Kentucky: This is a shakier vote than most. Wall has been impressive. He clearly can be dominant when he wants to be. There is one number that concerns me though. If you take out games against small college opponents his A/TO is 1.08, which is unacceptable for a PG. I’ll just throw that out there as something to think about as the conference season gets going. Wall seems good enough that this will get corrected, so it shouldn’t be a concern unless it continues to happen.  Continue reading NBA Draft Update…

NBA Draft 2009: Draft Grades

by Ed Weiland

This is a draft of a few good and several slightly-above-average prospects. Right now I would say that Rubio and Evans have the best shot to become great players. After that we have a few good-to-very good in Griffin, Harden, Lawson and Blair. One who would be called potentially valuable in Thabeet. There are a few projects who could pay off down the road in Derozan, Claver, Daye, Johnson, Holiday and Mullens. I think when this draft is finally analyzed it will look a lot like the 1989 draft. That draft featured several good PGs and perimeter players. The best big players in that draft were all taken later in the process. I could easily see 10-12 points and wings from this draft becoming effective players. I could also see BJ Mullens and Dejuan Blair becoming two of the best inside players taken in this draft. Continue reading NBA Draft 2009: Draft Grades…

NBA Draft 2009: Centers

by Ed Weiland

Going over the centers has been somewhat of a revelation. I expected that I would be knocking both Thabeet and Mullens while bulding myself to a near freak out over the fact that no one seems interested in John Bryant. I thought I might even call this the worst center class ever. It isn’t. Both Thabeet and Mullens have a chance to become very good NBA players and I still like Bryant. What’s lacking in this class is depth. There just aren’t many players worth talking about after the top 3.  Continue reading NBA Draft 2009: Centers…

NBA Draft 2009: Power Forwards

by Ed Weiland

The 2008-09 college basketball season saw a couple of historically great rebounding performances by Dejuan Blair and Blake Griffin, the top 2 players in this group. Here are the best rebounding seasons ever, or at least in the past 20 or so years, as measured by rebounds per 40 minutes by NCAA sophomore PFs:  Continue reading NBA Draft 2009: Power Forwards…

About Hoops Analyst:

Hoops Analyst is the premier destination for in-depth basketball analysis, insight, and commentary.