Losers Show NBA Promise
Despite coming out on the wrong end of Tuesday's games, there were several impressive NBA prospects in action. In fact, there were a number of surprise losses in the loaded schedule of action, but not by fault of these future pros:
Thomas Robinson, Kansas
Projection: Lottery
Like bigs after him, Robinson struggled against Kentucky's overwhelming talent and depth in the frontline. And without him, there is no inside game and KU got hurt on the boards. In his limited time, he did have trouble scoring around the rim against the length of the Wildcats, but still managed to record 11 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out.
Patric Young, Florida
Projection: Late lottery
The sophomore power forward-center didn't spend loads of time on Ohio State's All-American Jared Sullinger, which did two things- it kept Young out of foul trouble and it kept him fresh to work on the offensive end. The results were Young's second double-double of the year, including career-highs in points (14) and rebounds (12). He even connected on 4-of-his-6 free-throws attempts after attempting none in Ohio State's opener.
Bradley Beal, Florida
Projection: Late lottery - mid-first round
Beal showed off the deep range on his NBA-ready offensive game, but also struggled to convert inside the arc. He forced several plays resulting in missed jumpers or turnovers. Beal did display his talents attacking the rim off the dribble and should bounce back in the next game.
Branden Dawson, Michigan State
Projection: Late first round
Thoroughly impressed with Dawson, despite his limited production (9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers) against Duke. Given his size and strength, he presented a difficult matchup for the Duke guards, but several early turnovers off his penetration took away the freshman's confidence. As the season goes on, Dawson will develop into a much larger offensive threat.
Kevin Jones, West Virginia
Projection: Second Round
Given his size and ability to mix-it-up both inside and out, Jones can play some 3 and some 4 at the next level, but is more apt to an undersized, stretch the floor forward. As he showed in Kent State's upset win, Jones still has some fine-tuning to perform on his perimeter game, but can battle inside and on the glass (18 rebounds, 7 offensive).
Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas
Projection: Second Round
The on-again, off-again senior point guard showed on-court leadership and the ability to get into the lane and convert from the foul line when his jumper was not connecting. Taylor finished with 22 points, doing most of his damage from the foul line (15-of-17). He only had two assists on the day, but zero turnovers for the Jayhawks in the loss.
Adreian Payne, Michigan State
Projection: Second Round
Payne struggled against the length and athleticism of the Duke frontcourt that kept throwing bodies his way, yet he still came up with 12 rebounds and two impressive blocks against first round-talent Mason Plumlee. He added about 20 pounds of muscle this offseason, while still maintaining his high-level of athleticism, now he just waits for the rest of his skills to develop.
Royce White, Iowa State
Projection: Second Round
White has been a monster for ISU in his first two college games after two seasons of nothing but trouble. He is proving that he was worth it in the end with his second double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds in the loss to Drake on the road. He chipped in with 4 assists, but also managed to turn the ball over 5 times, which was an improvement from his 6 turnovers against Lehigh in the Cyclones opener.
Trent Lockett, Arizona State
Projection: Second Round - Undrafted
The junior guard has been a constantly strong scorer off the dribble and a solid rebounder, but has stepped his overall play up even further this season in the go-to role. At 6'4", Lockett is taking much better shots and connecting on a higher percentage of them from the perimeter (up from 32 percent to 42 percent).
By President Corey Ruff - 11 - 16- 11
