9. Gary Harris, Shooting Guard, Michigan State, SO
Harris has impressed me greatly of late with his ability to make big plays down the stretch. His coach, Tom Izzo, has been seen urging him to be more and more aggressive in big moments and the Sophomore guard has responded. Gary has blossomed into a wonderful two-way player. Harris leads his injury stricken Spartans in scoring with an impressive 18.2 points per game whilst setting the tone defensively as well.
Izzo recently told Sports Illustrated’s Kelli Anderson
“There aren’t too many guys that you say, you have to play 35 minutes, score 18 points, and still lock down the best player on the other team,” says Izzo. “But that’s what Gary gives me. Sometimes when a player’s out you miss him one way, but I happened to miss him both ways. He’s as good defensively as he is offensively, and that’s about as good a compliment as I can give anybody.”
10. Tyler Ennis, Point Guard, Syracuse, FR
Another point guard in the top 10, and yet another Canadian.
Ennis has been a steady, reliable and vital component of the Orange’s successful start to season 2013/14. Tyler makes his teammates better, has a very solid handle and looks to be the best ‘true point guard’ on the board.
Former Syracuse star and soon to be New York Knicks free agent, Carmelo Anthony recently told Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog and SNY tv that he hopes Ennis stays another year at Syracuse.
“He’s legit, I gotta get him to stay, though. Gotta get him to stay,”
Check out Zagoria’s column on Team Canada, which is shooting for the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
11. Dario Saric, Power Forward, International – Cibona Zagreb
Like Exum, not a great deal is known in the States about the Croatian forward. He is a versatile player with good size. He should be able to play either forward position at the NBA level, depending on a team’s schemes.
Dario is smooth but not fast and lacks the strength to compete physically with the bigger NBA forwards. He will be a definite risk, but a risk that a team will be no doubt be taking. Somewhere toward the end of the lottery for Saric.
12. Rodney Hood, Small Forward, Duke, SO
The numbers: 16.9 points per game, 4.5 rebounds and stroking the 3-ball at a 44% clip. Hood is a legitimate scorer who doesn’t have great athletic ability but figures to be a relatively safe pick in the 12-20 range of this draft.
Playing alongside Jabari Parker for the Blue Devils has allowed 21-year-old Hood to blossom without as much media attention.
Think best case, Danny Granger circa 2008-2010.
Worst case, perhaps a solid NBA scorer like Gerald Henderson.
13. Zach LaVine, Shooting Guard, UCLA, FR
A very interesting prospect who has divided the opinions of many experts. He can shoot very well (43% from 3) and has incredible, explosive leaping ability. I’m talking breathtaking athletic ability.
LaVine could win an NBA dunk contest right now!
Granted, he needs to be more than that to warrant being a lottery pick, but Zach has an x-factor and exciting aura about him that separates him from some of his more fancied counterparts.
The interesting subplot is that LaVine has had his stock rise dramatically whilst being employed as an NBA style ‘6th man’, providing the spark off the bench for the UCLA Bruins. You will continue to hear comparisons to fellow UCLA alum, Russell Westbrook, but that might be a bit premature. LaVine is a better shooter than Westbrook was as a Bruin, but LaVine is not on the same level defensively that Russell was in college.
14. Nik Stauskas, Shooting Guard, Michigan, SO
Stauskas is ‘shooting’ his way up draft boards all around the country. He can flat out stroke it!
Nik doesn’t shy away from the big moments and has hit many big shots down the stretch for the Wolverines this year.
In today’s NBA, there is always a roster spot for a great shooter who can spread the floor, and Stauskas is making his 3 pointers at a tick under 45% for Michigan this season.
Measuring 6-6/6-7 he is a decent sized shooting guard who is improving his ability to create off the bounce. Pundits will highlight his apparent low ceiling defensively, due to poor athleticism and lateral quickness.
Nik is a leader and a very efficient basketball player. Hard to see him cracking the top 10, but he will be a very useful NBA player for many years given his outstanding shooting ability.
Jake Henson is an NBA writer from Australia who has recently joined the team at Sheridan Hoops. You can follow him on twitter here: @jwhenson_
The Iranians I know seem pretty smart to me. So do their offspring. Lots of successful buneesssmin, doctors, dentists, engineers, etc.They have a pretty impressive history, going back a few thousand years.