1st – New Jersey Nets: John Wall, Point Guard (6’4”, 195 lbs)
Another week goes by and freshman point guard John Wall once again retains the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Nets still own the best chance to receive pick ‘numero uno’ and most around the ‘biz’ think Wall is the bona fide, No.1 pick in June’s draft.
Wall has one of the more impressive stat lines you’ll see this year—along with Ohio State’s Evan Turner—in that he mixes his game together nicely, averaging 16.8 points, 6.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds. He’s played fairly well in his last two games against South Carolina and Tennessee but there is so much to get better at.
What’s most notable by now is Wall’s shot selection, as he’s 19-58 from the field over his last four games for an average of 32%. His defensive game also has room for improvement, namely keeping players in front of him to avoid penetration into the lane by opponents.
NBA Player Comparison: Dwyane Wade-Miami Heat
4th – Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins, Center (6’11”, 280 lbs)
Cousins did a tremendous job against Tennessee last Saturday despite the fact that Kentucky couldn’t get anything going on in the painted area. The freshman big man went for 15 points and 14 rebounds in the 74-65 loss to the Vols, but also had a solid game against South Carolina days earlier by scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 boards.
There was some news made last week when Kentucky head coach John Calipari stated that he felt Cousins wanted to stay for another year, but would be decided upon when the time came at the end of the season. If this were to take place, jaws would drop to the floor with excitement as UK fans would have the pleasure of seeing one of the best big men play for another year.
If the Kings do indeed draft Cousins–based off of projections from NBADraft.net–a front-line of current center Spencer Hawes and rookie DeMarcus Cousins would create quite the ‘twin-tower’ affect in Sac-town.
NBA Player Comparison: Andrew Bynum-Los Angeles Lakers
10th – Los Angeles Clippers: Patrick Patterson, Power Forward (6’8”, 235 lbs)
Patterson looked like a lame duck while playing against Tennessee during the team’s heated rivalry game last Saturday. He’s having a solid season overall—14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds—as head coach John Calipari has molded the junior All-American candidate into a legitimate lottery selection in the 2010 NBA Draft.
The power forward who played alongside current NBA star O.J. Mayo was solid during the Wildcats game against South Carolina going for 23 points and 8 rebounds, making it one of his best games of the year. The ‘lame duck’ game came against the Vols when Patterson only scored 10 points while looking lost on the offensive side of the ball. Yes, Tennessee played well in their zone, but Patterson seems to lack a sense of aggressiveness when things aren’t going his way.
The Clippers own the 10th selection as of right now and if the projection holds true, Patterson would be teaming up with last year’s No.1 selection in Blake Griffin.
NBA Player Comparison: Paul Millsap-Utah /Elton Brand-76er’s
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