Generally, NBA teams do not use high picks to draft defensive-minded players unless those players are 7 feet tall. Everybody seems willing to take a major risk to get the next Dikembe Mutombo, but few want to gamble that they might find the next Tony Allen.
Which brings us to Victor Oladipo of Indiana, whose draft stick is rising according to our own Joe Kotoch because of his defensive versatility and Indiana’s success.
And at the next level, he may be a more versatile player in the long term than his teammate, Cody Zeller, who was once being spoken about as the possible overall No. 1 pick.
Oladipo and San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin were two of the big risers in terms of their draft stock over the first four days of the NCAA Tournament, and both will be first-rounders and likely lottery picks when the draft is held in late June.
Until then, we have the Heat’s 26-game winning streak to discuss, along with the Nuggets’ 15-game streak that should reach 16 before it is put to the test Wednesday night at San Antonio when the NBA is providing a nifty doubleheader–Heat vs. Bulls and Nuggets vs. Spurs.
(RELATED: March Madness: NBA Draft Consequences)
All of that and more in this chat with CineSport’s Noah Coslov.