Updated: Sep. 8, 2005, 3:46 PM ET
Kentucky's Rondo among risers
By Chad Ford
Too early to start talking about the 2006 NBA draft? Forget about it. NBA scouts have been combing gyms all summer to get a preview of coming attractions.
Summer might be the dead time for NBA players, but everyone else who plays basketball has stayed pretty busy.
Getty
Rajon Rondo has the quickness of a Wildcat.
Some of the top college players represented the U.S. at the Under 21 World Championships and World University Games. Several others served as camp counselors at the shoe camps as well as the elite Michael Jordan camp in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Top international players also were everywhere, playing for their home countries in the Under 21 Championships, the Tournament of the Americas, the Eurobasket European Championships and Under 18 Championships.
High school players competed at the three shoe camps, various AAU tournaments and at the Global Games. However, because of the new age restrictions that prohibit high school seniors from jumping directly to the NBA, their impact on this year's draft will be limited to a few players who will skip college and go to prep school this fall.
Insider talked to a number of the top NBA scouts around the world to get a quick look at some players who helped and hurt themselves over the summer. Next week, we'll use the info we gathered to update our top five by position for the first time this year.
The college players
Every year a handful of college players take a big leap in the minds of NBA scouts with great performances for Team USA in international competition. Last year Chris Paul solidified his status as a top-five pick in the draft with his performance for Team USA.
This year it was another point guard, Kentucky's Rajon Rondo, who stepped up and dramatically improved his draft stock. Rondo, a long, 6-foot-2, super-athletic point guard with great quickness and the ability to take just about anyone off the dribble, was inconsistent for Kentucky during his freshman season. But he was great for Team USA this summer at the Under 21 World Championships. He averaged 11 points, 4.5 assists and 2.7 steals (which led the tournament) while playing 20 minutes per game and leading Team USA to a 7-1 record.
"He's the quickest player in college basketball," one NBA scout told Insider. "He's so fast, he makes even the best defenders look like they have lead in their feet. He also plays a lot bigger than he measures. He's got a really long wingspan that allows him to cover an enormous amount of court space on the defensive end. He was a steals machine."
Rondo loves the up-tempo game, but what impressed scouts the most was his leadership and ability to play under control.
"He's a true point guard," another scout said. "He knows how to lead. He sees the floor well and he's got the right balance between being able to take over the game when he needs to and being unselfish the rest of the time."
The fact that Rondo outplayed several other top point guards -- including Temple's Mardy Collins, UConn's Marcus Williams and Memphis' Darius Washington at the U.S. trials in Colorado Springs and Texas' Daniel Gibson in the Nike camp -- has helped his cause as well.
While scouts still wring their hands about his inconsistent shooting (though his shot has improved this summer), every scout Insider talked to had Rondo now rated as the top point guard in the draft -- with Gibson running a close second -- and a likely top-10 pick.
Duke's Shelden Williams, who will be a senior on a stacked Duke team, anchored the World University Games squad, averaging 14.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Several NBA scouts who have watched him this summer believe Williams could be a lottery pick, given the dearth of bigs in next year's draft. Last season he was a rebounding and shot-blocking machine, averaging 11.2 rpg and 3.7 bpg, but he wasn't projected as a lottery pick. What's different now?
"He doesn't do anything that wows you," one scout said. "But he's very solid, he crashes the glass and he can be real intimidating in the paint. There aren't many NBA teams that don't need that. I see him as a Carlos Boozer-type player in the league. That's a good thing."
If Williams can add a little more to his offensive repertoire and if he measures out to be a legitimate 6-9 (scouts have their doubts), he might even be able to move into the top 10.
Rudy Gay looks like he has the inside track to the No. 1 pick.
The early front-runner to be the first pick in the draft, UConn's Rudy Gay, was solid but certainly not dominant for Team USA at the Under 21s. Gay averaged 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in just 15 mpg for Team USA.
While the numbers, especially on a per-minute basis, are impressive, it's clear that the level of scrutiny Gay faces is already ramping up.
"I think he has more talent than Marvin Williams," one NBA scout said. "The problem with Rudy is that he doesn't know it yet. Once he starts to assert himself, I think it will be an easy call who the best player in the draft is going to be. If he doesn't assert himself, his draft stock is going to slip."
Last September we pegged Danny Granger as the sleeper in the draft. Two years ago, our early September favorite was Andre Iguodala. This year our early pick is Oregon's Malik Hairston. Hairston, a 6-6 power guard from Detroit, had a very good freshman season at Oregon.
Though he didn't play for Team USA, scouts were raving about his play as a counselor at the Nike camps this summer. Hairston has great size, a fantastic body, NBA athleticism and a pretty advanced inside-outside game.
"He's a perfect fit for the NBA," one scout said. "He's quick enough, athletic enough and can shoot the ball well enough to be a two guard. And he's strong and big enough to post up and outrebound almost any guard in the league. I think he's a better, bigger version of Quentin Richardson."
Just about every scout in the league expects Hairston to bolt for the NBA if he has a strong season at Oregon. If he does break out, he's another guy few people are talking about who could find himself in the lottery on draft night.
The other potential breakout player is Texas forward LaMarcus Aldridge. While Aldridge didn't play for Team USA, scouts were impressed with how he played at Nike. One NBA scout based in Texas told us that Aldridge would be a top-five pick by the end of the year if he stayed healthy. That's a heavy expectation for a kid who played just 16 games as a freshman and averaged fewer than 10 ppg. But his skill, combined with some added bulk to his frame, definitely makes him one of the most intriguing prospects to watch this season.
Of course, not everyone can help himself, and one college player in particular has seen his draft stock take a major hit the last few months.
UConn's Josh Boone got off to a fantastic start last season, but has been in a funk ever since. Back spasms kept him from making the cut for Team USA, but more troubling for scouts are reports that Boone, though talented, doesn't love the game and has work ethic issues.
Scouts will be watching Boone closely this season to see how he responds to the added pressure of having to carry a team along with Gay and Williams. If he returns to his early 2004 form, he could go high. He has the athleticism, skills and size to easily be a lottery pick. If his inconsistency continues, he could be in for a Chris Taft-like draft fall.
The international players
NBA scouts flocked to the World Championship qualifying tournament in the Dominican Republic to get a good look at Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter. With most countries sending weakened teams to the tournament (the U.S. didn't send NBA players), everyone knew that they'd get a good, long look a Splitter.
They weren't disappointed. Splitter, whose season with Spain's Tau Vitoria was one long coming-out party, started slowly but was great near the end of the tournament. He had 16 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and four blocks against Team USA, and helped lead Brazil to a gold medal in the finals with 25 points and seven rebounds in a victory over Argentina.
"He's developing into a really good basketball player," one NBA scout said. "He's progressing every year, which is really important. If he finds his offense and gets another year of Euroleague ball under his belt, he should be able to come into the NBA and contribute right away. That's what NBA teams are looking for in international players these days."
While Splitter doesn't amaze in any one area, he's a very solid player at both ends of the floor. He's known as a tough, gritty defender who works hard, is unselfish and knows how to play the game. He's still fairly raw, especially on the offensive end, but scouts still see a tremendous amount of untapped talent, considering he's just 21. If he can arrange a buyout with Tau (the high buyout price prevented him from staying in the 2005 draft), he should go in the top 10.
The player most likely to challenge Splitter as the top international player off the board is Italy's Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani is a 7-foot forward who can play both the three and the four. He's been getting steady comparisons over the last year to Dirk Nowitzki because of his skill and how well he moves up and down the floor. He played regular minutes at Benetton last season and produced big in several games. If he takes the next step and becomes a star in Europe, he too has a great shot of landing in the top 10, maybe even the top five.
Croatia's Damir Markota has also generated some buzz this summer. Markota, who previously used the name Damir Omerhodzic, is an athletic forward who has always had a ton of talent but little experience. He didn't impress many teams during workouts in the summer of 2004 (he could jump out of the gym, but couldn't hit a jumper and everyone commented on his short arms) and rumors about off-court problems hurt his stock to the point that he didn't even consider the 2005 draft.
However, after his breakout performance in the European Under 20 Championships in Russia, scouts are starting to take notice again. Markota averaged 18.5 ppg and 11 rpg, was hitting his jumper and was very aggressive on both ends of the floor. If he can prove to scouts that he's matured and can play the three in the pros, he'll get some interest in the first round.
This year's international sleeper is a guy who first burst on the scene at the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, this spring. Israel's Lior Eliyahu continued to impress scouts with two solid tournament performances this summer. Eliyahu averaged 18.6 ppg and 6.3 rpg at the European Under 20 Championships in Russia. Eliyahu, who turns 20 in September, is a combo forward who can rebound, shoot the 3 and handle the basketball. Scouts remain high on him and project him as a likely first-round pick if he declares for the draft.
The high school players
NBA scouts all agree on one thing this year: The best NBA prospect will not be eligible for the draft this season.
High school phenom Greg Oden is a high school senior who continues to draw raves from NBA scouts. Several trusted scouts claim that Oden could be the next Tim Duncan. But the NBA's new age restriction will keep Oden and several other top high school seniors out of the draft.
Oden seems to be fine with the decision and has committed to Ohio State. Some NBA GMs & not so much.
"If I got the first pick in the draft this year, I'd file the lawsuit against the NBA on Oden's behalf," one NBA GM joked. "Rudy Gay could be a really good player, but Oden is a franchise player."
Unless a lawsuit comes, teams are going to have to wait on Oden and the rest of the high school class of 2006.
However, there's at least one player who seems poised to make the jump straight from prep school to the pros.
California small forward Davon Jefferson had an impressive showing at the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, though he was 2 years older than many of the players he was playing against. He's a 6-8, prototypical small forward who can create his own shot and shoot off the dribble -- a skill many top college players never acquire. Jefferson committed to UNLV but didn't get the grades to be eligible. He'll be in prep school all year and will be eligible for the 2006 draft. With little competition in the draft from teenagers, Jefferson should get an enormous amount of attention from scouts this season
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Kentucky's Rondo among risers
By Chad Ford
Too early to start talking about the 2006 NBA draft? Forget about it. NBA scouts have been combing gyms all summer to get a preview of coming attractions.
Summer might be the dead time for NBA players, but everyone else who plays basketball has stayed pretty busy.
You must be registered for see images
Getty
Rajon Rondo has the quickness of a Wildcat.
Some of the top college players represented the U.S. at the Under 21 World Championships and World University Games. Several others served as camp counselors at the shoe camps as well as the elite Michael Jordan camp in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Top international players also were everywhere, playing for their home countries in the Under 21 Championships, the Tournament of the Americas, the Eurobasket European Championships and Under 18 Championships.
High school players competed at the three shoe camps, various AAU tournaments and at the Global Games. However, because of the new age restrictions that prohibit high school seniors from jumping directly to the NBA, their impact on this year's draft will be limited to a few players who will skip college and go to prep school this fall.
Insider talked to a number of the top NBA scouts around the world to get a quick look at some players who helped and hurt themselves over the summer. Next week, we'll use the info we gathered to update our top five by position for the first time this year.
The college players
Every year a handful of college players take a big leap in the minds of NBA scouts with great performances for Team USA in international competition. Last year Chris Paul solidified his status as a top-five pick in the draft with his performance for Team USA.
This year it was another point guard, Kentucky's Rajon Rondo, who stepped up and dramatically improved his draft stock. Rondo, a long, 6-foot-2, super-athletic point guard with great quickness and the ability to take just about anyone off the dribble, was inconsistent for Kentucky during his freshman season. But he was great for Team USA this summer at the Under 21 World Championships. He averaged 11 points, 4.5 assists and 2.7 steals (which led the tournament) while playing 20 minutes per game and leading Team USA to a 7-1 record.
"He's the quickest player in college basketball," one NBA scout told Insider. "He's so fast, he makes even the best defenders look like they have lead in their feet. He also plays a lot bigger than he measures. He's got a really long wingspan that allows him to cover an enormous amount of court space on the defensive end. He was a steals machine."
Rondo loves the up-tempo game, but what impressed scouts the most was his leadership and ability to play under control.
"He's a true point guard," another scout said. "He knows how to lead. He sees the floor well and he's got the right balance between being able to take over the game when he needs to and being unselfish the rest of the time."
The fact that Rondo outplayed several other top point guards -- including Temple's Mardy Collins, UConn's Marcus Williams and Memphis' Darius Washington at the U.S. trials in Colorado Springs and Texas' Daniel Gibson in the Nike camp -- has helped his cause as well.
While scouts still wring their hands about his inconsistent shooting (though his shot has improved this summer), every scout Insider talked to had Rondo now rated as the top point guard in the draft -- with Gibson running a close second -- and a likely top-10 pick.
Duke's Shelden Williams, who will be a senior on a stacked Duke team, anchored the World University Games squad, averaging 14.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Several NBA scouts who have watched him this summer believe Williams could be a lottery pick, given the dearth of bigs in next year's draft. Last season he was a rebounding and shot-blocking machine, averaging 11.2 rpg and 3.7 bpg, but he wasn't projected as a lottery pick. What's different now?
"He doesn't do anything that wows you," one scout said. "But he's very solid, he crashes the glass and he can be real intimidating in the paint. There aren't many NBA teams that don't need that. I see him as a Carlos Boozer-type player in the league. That's a good thing."
If Williams can add a little more to his offensive repertoire and if he measures out to be a legitimate 6-9 (scouts have their doubts), he might even be able to move into the top 10.
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Rudy Gay looks like he has the inside track to the No. 1 pick.
The early front-runner to be the first pick in the draft, UConn's Rudy Gay, was solid but certainly not dominant for Team USA at the Under 21s. Gay averaged 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in just 15 mpg for Team USA.
While the numbers, especially on a per-minute basis, are impressive, it's clear that the level of scrutiny Gay faces is already ramping up.
"I think he has more talent than Marvin Williams," one NBA scout said. "The problem with Rudy is that he doesn't know it yet. Once he starts to assert himself, I think it will be an easy call who the best player in the draft is going to be. If he doesn't assert himself, his draft stock is going to slip."
Last September we pegged Danny Granger as the sleeper in the draft. Two years ago, our early September favorite was Andre Iguodala. This year our early pick is Oregon's Malik Hairston. Hairston, a 6-6 power guard from Detroit, had a very good freshman season at Oregon.
Though he didn't play for Team USA, scouts were raving about his play as a counselor at the Nike camps this summer. Hairston has great size, a fantastic body, NBA athleticism and a pretty advanced inside-outside game.
"He's a perfect fit for the NBA," one scout said. "He's quick enough, athletic enough and can shoot the ball well enough to be a two guard. And he's strong and big enough to post up and outrebound almost any guard in the league. I think he's a better, bigger version of Quentin Richardson."
Just about every scout in the league expects Hairston to bolt for the NBA if he has a strong season at Oregon. If he does break out, he's another guy few people are talking about who could find himself in the lottery on draft night.
The other potential breakout player is Texas forward LaMarcus Aldridge. While Aldridge didn't play for Team USA, scouts were impressed with how he played at Nike. One NBA scout based in Texas told us that Aldridge would be a top-five pick by the end of the year if he stayed healthy. That's a heavy expectation for a kid who played just 16 games as a freshman and averaged fewer than 10 ppg. But his skill, combined with some added bulk to his frame, definitely makes him one of the most intriguing prospects to watch this season.
Of course, not everyone can help himself, and one college player in particular has seen his draft stock take a major hit the last few months.
UConn's Josh Boone got off to a fantastic start last season, but has been in a funk ever since. Back spasms kept him from making the cut for Team USA, but more troubling for scouts are reports that Boone, though talented, doesn't love the game and has work ethic issues.
Scouts will be watching Boone closely this season to see how he responds to the added pressure of having to carry a team along with Gay and Williams. If he returns to his early 2004 form, he could go high. He has the athleticism, skills and size to easily be a lottery pick. If his inconsistency continues, he could be in for a Chris Taft-like draft fall.
The international players
NBA scouts flocked to the World Championship qualifying tournament in the Dominican Republic to get a good look at Brazilian big man Tiago Splitter. With most countries sending weakened teams to the tournament (the U.S. didn't send NBA players), everyone knew that they'd get a good, long look a Splitter.
They weren't disappointed. Splitter, whose season with Spain's Tau Vitoria was one long coming-out party, started slowly but was great near the end of the tournament. He had 16 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and four blocks against Team USA, and helped lead Brazil to a gold medal in the finals with 25 points and seven rebounds in a victory over Argentina.
"He's developing into a really good basketball player," one NBA scout said. "He's progressing every year, which is really important. If he finds his offense and gets another year of Euroleague ball under his belt, he should be able to come into the NBA and contribute right away. That's what NBA teams are looking for in international players these days."
While Splitter doesn't amaze in any one area, he's a very solid player at both ends of the floor. He's known as a tough, gritty defender who works hard, is unselfish and knows how to play the game. He's still fairly raw, especially on the offensive end, but scouts still see a tremendous amount of untapped talent, considering he's just 21. If he can arrange a buyout with Tau (the high buyout price prevented him from staying in the 2005 draft), he should go in the top 10.
The player most likely to challenge Splitter as the top international player off the board is Italy's Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani is a 7-foot forward who can play both the three and the four. He's been getting steady comparisons over the last year to Dirk Nowitzki because of his skill and how well he moves up and down the floor. He played regular minutes at Benetton last season and produced big in several games. If he takes the next step and becomes a star in Europe, he too has a great shot of landing in the top 10, maybe even the top five.
Croatia's Damir Markota has also generated some buzz this summer. Markota, who previously used the name Damir Omerhodzic, is an athletic forward who has always had a ton of talent but little experience. He didn't impress many teams during workouts in the summer of 2004 (he could jump out of the gym, but couldn't hit a jumper and everyone commented on his short arms) and rumors about off-court problems hurt his stock to the point that he didn't even consider the 2005 draft.
However, after his breakout performance in the European Under 20 Championships in Russia, scouts are starting to take notice again. Markota averaged 18.5 ppg and 11 rpg, was hitting his jumper and was very aggressive on both ends of the floor. If he can prove to scouts that he's matured and can play the three in the pros, he'll get some interest in the first round.
This year's international sleeper is a guy who first burst on the scene at the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, this spring. Israel's Lior Eliyahu continued to impress scouts with two solid tournament performances this summer. Eliyahu averaged 18.6 ppg and 6.3 rpg at the European Under 20 Championships in Russia. Eliyahu, who turns 20 in September, is a combo forward who can rebound, shoot the 3 and handle the basketball. Scouts remain high on him and project him as a likely first-round pick if he declares for the draft.
The high school players
NBA scouts all agree on one thing this year: The best NBA prospect will not be eligible for the draft this season.
High school phenom Greg Oden is a high school senior who continues to draw raves from NBA scouts. Several trusted scouts claim that Oden could be the next Tim Duncan. But the NBA's new age restriction will keep Oden and several other top high school seniors out of the draft.
Oden seems to be fine with the decision and has committed to Ohio State. Some NBA GMs & not so much.
"If I got the first pick in the draft this year, I'd file the lawsuit against the NBA on Oden's behalf," one NBA GM joked. "Rudy Gay could be a really good player, but Oden is a franchise player."
Unless a lawsuit comes, teams are going to have to wait on Oden and the rest of the high school class of 2006.
However, there's at least one player who seems poised to make the jump straight from prep school to the pros.
California small forward Davon Jefferson had an impressive showing at the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, though he was 2 years older than many of the players he was playing against. He's a 6-8, prototypical small forward who can create his own shot and shoot off the dribble -- a skill many top college players never acquire. Jefferson committed to UNLV but didn't get the grades to be eligible. He'll be in prep school all year and will be eligible for the 2006 draft. With little competition in the draft from teenagers, Jefferson should get an enormous amount of attention from scouts this season
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