The Power Forward and Center Class.

For the power forward and center class, there is a lot of potential everywhere. The top four prospects go as follows: Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson, Andre Drummond, and Terrence Jones. The first prospect I will talk about is Anthony Davis from Kentucky. This kid has superstar written all over him. With his 7'4 wingspan, he can lock down the paint for the next10-15 years in the NBA. One season at Kentucky, Davis averaged 15 points per game, 10 rebounds, and close to 5 blocks a game. They are comparing Davis to Kevin Garnett. The next prospect is Thomas Robinson from Kansas. Thomas is a freak of nature. He is long, strong and well-built He can dominate the boards at any time. Thomas is tough, never-back-down defender. He loves to play physical and is an elite scorer from the low-post. He reminds me of an Amare Stroudamire type or Ben Wallace type. The next prospect is Andre Drummond from Connecticut. This kid is a freak in the gym. At 6'11 with a 7'5 wingspan, Andre can be the next Dwight Howard. Drummond averaged 10 point per game, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks with only one season with Connecticut. He needs to develop more of an offensive game to have a true impact on an NBA team. The next and final prospect on my list is Terrence Jones from Kentucky. Jones played along the side of Anthony Davis during the title run. Jones is 6'8 around 240 pounds and looks to play power forward in the pros even though he is undersized. Jones has a 7'3 wingspan that helps his very consistent jump shot that he has from 15-20 feet away from the hoop. Jones handles and passes the ball like a guard when he dribbles almost Lamar Odom like when he was in his prime.

The Small Forward Class

The small forward class in this draft does not have that many good players so I will only talk about the top 3. The third best small forward in this class has to be Moe Harkless from St John's. Moe may have been only a freshman at St John’s, but whenever he set foot on the court he was always ready to play. He put forth everything he had in every game he played. At 6'8 weighing in at 210 pounds, he averaged 9 rebounds, and he managed to score 15 points a game! That is pretty good for his size and weight if you ask me. The second best prospect at small forward is Harrison Barnes from North Carolina. Barnes was the number one prospect coming out of high school 2 years ago and now he is one of the best small forwards to come out of the draft. This year Barnes averaged 17 points and 5 rebounds a game. Most NBA scouts compare Barnes to Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng. He has very good athleticism and wing span to make a even better impact Deng has done on the league. The next and final Prospect for the small forward class is Michael Gilchrist from Kentucky. He has the perfect ideal size you would want in a small forward. At 6'8 235 pounds, He can cover anyone on the court. He is not very good at shooting the three ball, but he can drive to the rim very well. Many people compare Michael to a Gerald Wallace or an Andre Igudola. He has very good play making ability on defense. Whatever team Michael Gilchrist gets drafted to he will make an immediate impact, because he has star power and is definitely a center piece for a franchise in the near future.

The Shooting Guard Class

The shooting guard class in the NBA Draft this year has some impact players. Starting at the fifth best shooting guard will be Austin Rivers from Duke. NBA scouts and general managers are torn on Rivers. Some think his ball handling skills and shooting ability are great enough to make him a future starter, while others question if he’ll ever be more than just a solid bench player.SomeW of the league’s best players are at the shooting guard spot and if Rivers can’t guard them he’s going to have a hard time ever becoming a starter. His work ethic and background help build confidence that he’ll be able to do so. The fourth best prospect is Dion Waiters.Waiters role on the Orangemen definitely limited his draft stock, but with his workouts for teams, he is a top 10 prospect that is compared to a raw Dwayne Wade. Waiters very well could end up being a lottery pick as long as he sells teams on his individual defense. That’s where teams have the most questions about him since he played nothing but zone at Syracuse. The third prospect is Terrence Ross from Washington. Ross comes into the NBA with a reliable jump shot all the way out to the NBA three point line. His ball handling skills need some polish, but by no means are they a major weakness. Due to his size there are a lot of people who believe he’ll eventually be able to play small forward too once he adds some strength. The second prospect is Jeremy Lamb from Connecticut. Lamb is a natural scorer who can fill it up in a variety of ways. He’s long, explosive and a very capable shooter. His handles have improved, making him just as much of a threat to drive and finish as he is to hit a jumper. The number one prospect has to be Brad Beal from Florida. Beal has the ability to help a team without scoring is what makes him such a promising prospect. Beal can help with his rebounding, passing and defense just as much as he can score. He’s not ball dominant or a volume shooter. Beal’s bread and butter in the league will likely be his jump shot

The Point Guard Class

The point guard class for this draft does not have that many superstars, but with working with some professionals this class could turn out better than what most people thought. I will give you my top 5 prospects at this position. My fifth best point guard in this draft has to Marquis Teague from Kentucky. He is a very skilled shooter who can make plays with the ball. He doesn't really have a ready NBA frame only being 6'2 and 190 pounds. He did engineer Kentucky though to a NCAA Championship so that will give him a look. The forth best prospect is Scott Machado from Iona. He is a dual threat point guard. He can score and pass the ball very well. He shot 49.5% from the field this season. Some people compare him to be the Rajon Rondo of this draft. The third prospect is Tony Wroten from Washington. He is definitely more of a combo guard then a point guard. He can make plays and shoot the ball very well as a 6'5 point guard. The second prospect is Kendall Marshall from North Carolina. He can definitely step on to the NBA court right now and make plays playing point guard. He almost averages a double double in his last year at North Carolina. He is a clutch player who will show up to games when his team needs him.  The best prospect out of all the point guards though has to be Damin Lillard from Weber State. Yes, I know Weber State is a Division II college, but he lite it up at that level. He averaged 24 points per game with 5 assist and rebounds to go with it. He has the ability to become the best player out of the whole draft with his potential and work ethic on and off the court.   

The Sleepers and Top Prospects

This following blog will be about the 2012 NBA Draft. This draft has a lot of young good NBA talent. You have Anthony Davis from Kentucky, Michael Gilchrist from Kentucky, and Andre Drummond from Conneticut etc. All of these players are still in there teens! These kids have so much potential. Drummond is compared to a Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudamire, Davis is compared to Kevin Garnett and Gilchrist is compared to Scottie Pippen. Its crazy to thing that these players could be better than the NBA players i mentioned. There are some sleepers though that i would consider if I needed a good quality starter. You have Dion Waiters from Syracuse who plays like a raw Dwayne Wade, Damian Lillard from Weber State who is a dynamic scoring point guard and has great athletism, and my last sleeper for a guard is Austin Rivers from Duke. All of these players have potential to be good starters for a team in the future. My personal favorite though out of these sleepers has to be Austin Rivers. His will to score and his heart on the court is everything you want in a player. Rivers also has the NBA bloodlines from his dad who is current head coach of the Boston Celtics Doc Rivers. This draft has the potential to be one of the better ones in the last decade, because of the talent level that is in the draft. I think that you can find atleast one good starter for years to come in the first round this year. It may take a couple years for the players to develop, but it will be there if you plan out your future for your team correctly. Thats what's great about the draft though, you can find any type of player at anytime.