By
Mark Sandritter
1. Derrick Rose, PG
Rose is a premier prospect in the truest sense. He is explosive with the ball in his hands and can finish around the rim as well as any point guard in the country. Yet at the same time he is a complete point guard with the skills to run a team. Some have compared Rose to Jason Kidd but Rose will be a much better scorer in the NBA than Kidd has been with the potential to average 20 points per game while still dishing out six or seven assists. Instead, with his size and ability to score while also effectively running the offense, Rose compares very favorably to Chauncey Billups.
NBA Comparison: Chauncey Billups
2. Russell Westbrook, G UCLA
Despite coming off the bench for much of his college career Westbrook remains the best NBA prospect from UCLA. He improved immensely from his freshman to sophomore seasons and will only continue to get better as he develops his point guard skills. Westbrook has the size (6-3 190lbs) and athleticism to become one of the premier perimeter defenders in the NBA. That said, he is also a fantastic finisher and is developing a very good midrange jump shot. Westbrook still needs time to develop and would be wise to remain at UCLA for another season but there is no doubt he will become an effective NBA starter.
NBA Comparison: Rajon Rondo
3. Kevin Love, PF UCLA
Love may not have the athleticism of some of the
other prospects remaining but what he lacks in vertical leaping ability
he makes up with a tremendous basketball IQ as well as the best passing
skills of any big man in the country. Love is a very skilled player and
he knows how to operate around the basket allowing him to rebound and
score despite playing against more athletic post players. If he were to
enter the draft Love would instantly become one of best passing big men
in the NBA. While he may never develop into a superstar, Love will be a
starter and key contributor for a decade. He is a similar to
NBA Comparison: Nick Collison
4. Darrell Arthur, PF Kansas
Despite not leading
NBA Comparison: Kenyon Martin
5. Wayne Ellington, SG North
While Ellington may be a bit undersized at 6-4 to play shooting guard in the NBA, there is no question he is one of the best scorers in college basketball. Simply put, Ellington is a lights out shooter with a complete offensive arsenal. He isn’t a top athlete but he is quicker than most give him credit for allowing him to take defenders off the dribble. He has tremendous range on his jump shot and is a deadly spot up shooter in transition. Ellington would flourish in an up tempo offense similar to Monte Ellis of the Golden State Warriors.
NBA Comparison: Ben Gordon
6. Darren Collison, PG UCLA
Collison is one of the quickest guards in
NBA Comparison: Leandro Barbosa
7. Tyler Hansbrough, PF,
Hansbrough is a tremendous college player and he embodies everything great about NCAA basketball but his relentless effort and high energy game may not translate as well into the NBA. With that said, he will still be a very good NBA contributor and could be a multiple time sixth man of the year. He has developed a solid outside jump shot that will help his NBA success but needs to work on becoming more consistent from 15 feet. Hansbrough will at worst provide energy and rebounding off the bench ala Reggie Evans or Anderson Vareajo but he is more skilled offensively then either of those two.
NBA Comparison: Jason Maxiell
8. Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG Memphis
Its hard to imagine Douglas-Roberts has could fly under the radar but with Derrick Rose as well as a slew of other NBA prospects on the Memphis roster CDR has become somewhat of a draft sleeper. At 6-7, Douglas-Roberts has the size to play either the two or three position in the NBA and will be a scoring threat at either. He has very good athleticism and could be a Tayshawn Prince type of slashing scorer not to mention his improved accuracy from deep this season. It’s not unreasonable to think CDR could develop into an elite scorer and possible NBA All-Star.
NBA Comparison: Kevin Martin
9. Joey Dorsey, PF Memphis
Dorsey may have the quickest NBA impact of any remaining prospect. At 24-years-old he is older than the average prospect and already has an NBA ready body. He is an ultra athletic bruiser who will have a major impact in the post both rebounding and blocking shots. Dorsey plays a similar fashion to Danny Fortson but is a much better athlete. Dorsey is not a great scorer and will most likely get most of his points on lobs and put backs under the basket. He’s best suited playing alongside good scorers or in an up tempo offense.
NBA Comparison: Ben Wallace
10. Ty Lawson, G
Lawson is a lightning quick guard who sees the floor well and can finish around the basket despite lacking prototypical size. He is a solid outside shooter but will most likely score most of his points off the dribble or in transition. He has shown the ability to generate offense for his teammates as well as apply good on ball pressure defensively. Lawson projects more as a score first point guard in the Tony Parker mode but may not have quite that high of a ceiling.
NBA Comparison: Mo Williams