9. Dario Saric, SF, Croatia, 6’10”, 225 lbs
Saric is a skilled perimeter player with great length and enticing abilities to handle and facilitate an offense. Only 20 and with at least another year overseas, Saric is a draft-and-stash candidate and could be a great investment for a team missing out on one of the top 8 players. Saric could be an intriguing prospect for a lottery team looking to break the bank in free agency and not wanting to have a rookie deal on the salary cap this season.
10. Gary Harris, SG, Michigan State, 6’4″, 210 lbs
Smooth and aggressive are two of the first words many around the NBA use to describe Harris. In two seasons in East Lansing Harris showed he is a capable scorer that can attack the rim and defend but needs to improve as a shooter. While a bit short for your prototypical SG Harris is a prospect to watch during redraft workouts as I am told he is a strong competitor and very polished off the court too.
11. Doug McDermott, SF, Creighton, 6’8″, 230 lbs
McDermott was one of the most exciting players in college basketball the last few years and his ability to score will surely lead to a lot of teams paying close attention to him during workouts. The major question mark with McDermott is whether he is starting-caliber wing in the NBA or more of a reserve or specialist due to lack of athleticism. Playing against the competition he did will make his workouts even more important.
12. Tyler Ennis, PG, Syracuse, 6’2″, 180 lbs
Ennis is one of the more under-the-radar prospects having broken though as a freshman because of Syracuse’s impressive start. Ennis is not a Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook type of point guard, rather he is a more conventional crafty lead guard. While Ennis does nothing flashy, he proved as a freshman he is a leader on the court and will put his teammates in position to succeed.
13. Nik Stauskas, SG, Michigan, 6’6″, 190 lbs
Stauskas surprised many with athleticism while at Michigan, but make no mistake his calling card is shooting and that is what has most GM’s intrigued about him. With the ability to score from anywhere on the court and range well beyond the 3-point line Stauskas is a safe pick in the lottery because he at the very worst is a 3-point specialist but has the length and athleticism to develop into a borderline starting SG.
14. James Young, SF, Kentucky, 6’7″, 205 lbs
During Kentucky’s impressive NCAA Tournament run, a lot of players stepped up — but Young might have been the player to shoulder most of the load. Young is a smooth athlete that can score by attacking the rim or stepping out beyond the arc. While Young must improve his accuracy on his jump shot, he has sound form and is a hard worker.
15. Jusuf Nurkic, C, Bosnia, 6’11”, 280 lbs
Nurkic’s combination of size and skill at just 19 has teams watching closely. Nurkic must improve his conditioning but is a prime candidate to crack the lottery as teams get to see him up close. One executive I spoke to said that Nurkic is the most polished center prospect in the draft, which says everything you need to know about this position and the type of prospects in this draft cycle.
16. Jerami Grant, SF, Clemson, 6’8″, 210 lbs
Grant is a prospect to watch as there will be teams in the late lottery that will give serious consideration to him on draft night. Explosive and long wings who play with Grant’s motor are hard to come by and can be plugged into a rotation right away. While Grant is improving as a shooter his defense, rebounding, and ability to run in transition are what have teams interested.
17. Adrien Payne, PF, Michigan State, 6’10”, 245 lbs
There may not be another player who benefited more from coming back for his senior season than Payne, who played himself into a first-round pick. While Payne did many things for a Spartan team that fell short of their goals, his signature for NBA teams is being a stretch-4. Payne is a solid shooter with nice range who knows how to play defense.