NBA News 2011: NBA Prospect Justin Harper

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Justin Harper, 6-10, Senior, Power Forward, Richmond
15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 turnovers, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, 54.9% FG, 50.8% 3FG, 68.8% FT

At 6'10, Harper has excellent size for the power forward position, but he could still stand to add strength to his 225-pound frame, particularly to his lower body. He is an above average athlete, as well, with decent quickness in the open floor and good explosiveness around the basket.

Harper has improved significantly on the offense end, where he averages 23.1 points per 40 minutes pace adjusted. He is most effective spotting up around the perimeter, where he finds over a quarter of his possessions, and shoots a blistering 50.8% on 4.2 attempts per game.

Though he does not get much elevation on his shot, he has a lightning quick release and a consistent, fluid shooting motion. His range extends well past the NBA three-point line, as well, and he shows very good potential as a pick-and-pop threat. Clearly this will be his calling card as an NBA prospect.

His scoring abilities around the basket have improved, as well, where he displays improving footwork and a developing arsenal of moves. Though he likely lacks the strength to carve out position at the next level, his touch around the basket is solid and he has become more comfortable attacking the rim as a senior.

On defense, Harper displays just average lateral quickness and could struggle guarding perimeter oriented power forwards at the next level. He is not the most consistent defender either, particularly inside where his lack of strength does him few favors, but where he also fails to contest every shot.

Players with his size, athleticism skill-set are difficult to come by, and if he can finish the season as strongly as he started, and ride that momentum into the pre-draft process, he'll definitely have a chance to hear his name called on draft night.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-162011--3608/

NBA News 2011: NBA Prospect Klay Thompson

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Klay Thompson, 6-6, SG/SF, Junior, Washington State
22.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 3.1 turnovers, 49% FG, 83% FT, 42% 3PT

Coming off an inconsistent sophomore season, Klay Thompson has taken his game up another notch through the first 13 games of his junior year, increasing his production and efficiency across the board while making subtle improvements in a few areas of his game.

On the offensive end, Thompson is still as dynamic a scorer as ever, except he's been more efficient and done a better job playing within his team's offense, showing improved discipline with his shot selection and opting to dish the ball off a bit more than he used to.

The majority of his offense is still coming from the perimeter, with 85 of his 194 field-goal attempts thus far from behind the arc, but much fewer of his shots are coming off the dribble or early in the shot clock, having a better focus on getting open for spot-up shots and showing more consistency knocking them down. He's scoring a blistering 2.0 points per shot on open catch-and-shoot jumpers thus far and 1.35 on jumpers overall, being as dangerous as ever putting the ball in the hole, even from NBA three-point range.

On the defensive end, Thompson's problems are still largely the same, and he'll always be at a disadvantage athletically, not having the foot speed to stay in front of most NBA-caliber athletes consistently. His effort level on this end of the floor has improved throughout his three years in school, and he does do a good job using his length to compensate for some of his other shortcomings, but this is still an area he needs to continue working on. His problems are even more pronounced in pick-and-rolls and when coming off screens, as once his defender has a half-step on him he has little chance of recovering from behind.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-12302010--3604/

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NBA News 2011: NBA Prospect Tristan Thompson

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Tristan Thompson, 6'8, Freshman, Power Forward, Texas
11.2 Points, 8 Rebounds, 1.3 Assists, 1.3 Steals, 2 Blocks, 1.8 Turnovers, 46.9% FG, 48.3% FT

One of the top freshmen in the country, former McDonald's All-American Tristian Thompson is off to a solid, albeit inconsistent start in Austin. He's put together some great single-game performances, including a 17-point, 15-rebound effort against Michigan State and a 20-point performance against Illinois, but he's struggled at times as well, as evidenced by his 6-point performance against USC and 4-point, foul plagued outing against North Carolina. An intriguing prospect with some impressive physical tools, Thompson has made his strengths and weaknesses abundantly clear early in his freshman season, supporting many of our observations from his high school career in the process.

Standing just 6'8, Thompson is a bit undersized for a power forward on the NBA level, but compensates with a tremendous 7'2 wingspan. Sporting a solid frame that looks as though it could handle quite a bit of additional muscle, the Ontario native has the athleticism to play either forward spot at the next level, but is relegated to the power forward position by his lack of perimeter skills. Taking that into consideration, it will be important for Thompson to maximize his physique by continuing to work hard in the weight room.

Thompson's athleticism plays a key role in his draft projections at this point because his skill set is still growing into his body. He does a few things very well on the offensive end, all of which revolve around the imposing quickness, length, and leaping ability he possesses for his position on the college level. First, he gets to the line at a high rate, ranking 7th in our database in FTA/FGA at 0.89 per-attempt, an incredibly impressive accomplishment for a player who lacks a polished post repertoire and great ball-handling prowess.

Second, he ranks as one of the top per-40 minute pace adjusted rebounders amongst prospects in the college game. Finally, Thompson is also a very good finisher, efficiently scoring tip in opportunities, fast break feeds, and simple catch and finish opportunities.

Apart from his ability to finish, draw contact, and crash the glass, Thompson is limited by his skill-level at this point. His awkward jump shooting mechanics make him a non-factor away from the rim and renders him as a highly questionable free throw shooter (48%) and midrange scoring threat. He's capable of making quick, decisive straight-line drives to the rim by exploiting his long strides and nice first step, but needs to become a steadier ball-handler with both hands and a better decision-maker to maximize his potential as a face-up threat.

Defensively, there is a lot to like about Thompson at this point. Maligned for his effort level at times early in his career, the Findlay Prep product is a consistently active defender at this point in his career who can adjust shots around the rim and make an impact in the passing lanes out on the perimeter.

A versatile defender on the NCAA level, Thompson's blend of length, strength, and lateral quickness allow him to defend both forward positions effectively. He doesn't change directions extremely well at this point, losing his man on double-moves on occasion, but he does deny penetration well and with additional coaching, he could match his ability to pull down rebounds at a high rate with the ability to defend the inside and outside alike.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-12302010--3604/

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NBA News 2011: Draft Prospect Harrison Barnes

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Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
6-8, Freshman, Small Forward

The No. 1 high school prospect according to some of the most respected talent evaluators in the business, Barnes was the first freshman ever to be named to a preseason All-America team. Every NBA scout we spoke with had him No. 1 on his personal mock draft, and everyone just assumed that the Iowa native would come in and dominate the NCAA landscape like the top high school recruits seemingly always do every season.

To call Barnes' season a disappointment relative to expectations might be an understatement, as he's underachieved in virtually every facet of the game and has looked nothing like the incredibly mature, polished and versatile player we saw mesmerize onlookers numerous times at the high school level.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/nba/01/04/underachieving.draft.prospects/index.html

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NBA News 2011: NBA Retrospective Landry Fields

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Landry Fields, 6-7, SG/SF, New York Knicks
10.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.4 turnovers, 52% FG, 74% FT, 39% 3PT

Undoubtedly the biggest surprise of any player from the 2010 NBA Draft, Landry Fields has been an integral part of the New York Knicks' early success, starting every one of their 30 games and in many minds, being the second best rookie in the league to date.

Drafted 39th by the Knicks after not being projected to be picked at all by most services, Fields is certainly a player who “fell through the cracks” somewhere in the evaluation process.

Younger than most players in his class, he saw very little playing time as a freshman and sophomore at Stanford, and didn't do very much to draw attention to himself when he started playing more in his junior season.

By the time he did start producing as a senior, he was putting up big numbers in what was deemed to be a very weak Pac-10 conference, and wasn't really on anyone's scouting list to start the season.

Fields wasn't considered more than a fringe prospect for most NBA teams even after his excellent senior season, as evidenced by him not being one of the 53 prospects invited to the official NBA Pre-Draft Camp and Combine--usually a kiss of death for non-International players.

Fields did play at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, but barely stood out, not being one of the 12 players (none of whom are currently in the NBA) named to the all-tournament team. He didn't even lead his team in scoring. That honor went to Morgan State's Reggie Holmes, a PIT all-tournament selection, who is now playing in Morocco of all places.

Considering where he started and where he is now, Fields' case might be the most unlikely we've seen in the seven NBA drafts we've covered.

Outlook:

Playing for the perfect coach in the perfect role for his skill set, Landy Fields has gotten himself into a great situation for his future, and he should continue to thrive if not improve even more if the situation remains the same. While he may not have had as much success on another team, it's quite clear talent evaluators (ourselves included) sold him short in many areas as a prospect, and it doesn't appear his early success is a fluke. While he likely will never be more than a great role player, Fields can still continue to improve with his shooting and ball-handling, while more experience can only make him a smarter player than he already is.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Rookie-Retrospective-Landry-Fields-3602

NBA News 2011: NBA Retrospective Wesley Johnson

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Wesley Johnson, 6-7, SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves
9.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 turnovers, 46% FG, 68% FT, 40% 3PT

David Kahn and the Minnesota Timberwolves rolled the dice in picking the 23-year-old late blooming Wesley Johnson with the 4th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, especially with other younger and seemingly more talented prospects on the board.

While most expected Johnson to be one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft, able to contribute in a versatile Josh Smith/Shawn Marion combo-forward type role, things have headed in a different direction for Johnson in his first 33 games, and it doesn't appear that it's for the better.

Outlook:

While it's still just 33 games into his career and it's unfair to just dismiss his above average contributions as a perimeter shooter, the fact still remains that Johnson is already 23 years old and was taken fourth overall in the draft, meaning expectations were significantly higher for him initially. The way Johnson is being utilized is certainly peculiar given his versatile skill set, but it is worth noting that he showed similar problems settling into a one-dimensional role his sophomore year at Iowa State. This makes it difficult to separate whether his current problems are primarily his own or a result of coaching decisions, but it's most likely a good amount of both.

Regardless, it is still quite possible that Johnson expands his game as he grows more comfortable in the NBA and his coaching and teammate situation evolves, as playing on one of the worst teams in the league certainly can't be helping any. The fact that all of the lottery players drafted after him this year have likewise struggled initially also makes his performance less disappointing, but at his age and given what he showed at Syracuse, he is certainly leaving many observers expecting more.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Rookie-Retrospective-Wesley-Johnson-3605/

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NBA News 2011: NBA Prospect Keith Benson

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Keith Benson, 6'11, RS Senior, Center, Oakland
17.4 Points, 10.4 Rebounds, 1,4 Assists, 2.3 Turnovers, 3.3 Blocks, 53% FG, 71% FT

A player we covered in-depth on multiple occasions during his redshirt junior season, Keith Benson declared and subsequently withdrew from the NBA draft last summer.

An intriguing talent with NBA size, Benson has gotten off to a fine start in his final season with the Golden Grizzlies. Facing an intimidating non-conference schedule, Benson has struggled through some bouts of inconsistency, but has continued to produce at a high level up to this point. An exceptionally gifted center, Benson is a few subtle changes away from becoming a very interesting NBA prospect.

The majority of those changes revolve around the tools he'll need to develop to translate his game to the next level. Benson has developed an impressive skill level considering how raw he was early in his career, and is averaging an impressive double-double. Still, he often leaves you feeling like he could be capable of more.

The biggest challenges the Detroit Country Day product faces in legitimizing his NBA stock and maximizing his potential value is his lack of grit and physical strength. He has exceptional size, great fluidity, good mobility, and a terrific wingspan for a potential NBA big, but lacks the type of lower body strength that would give him the ability to prevent stronger NBA big men from backing him down in the post and the polish to get by on his skill-level alone.

Defensively, Benson makes a tremendous impact at the college level with his length and shot-blocking instincts, but has some work to do to improve his NBA projections. While he doesn't hold his ground very well when getting backed down, he does an awesome job of staying on his feet and contesting shots when his man makes a move. As we noted last season, Benson is not assertive defensively, some of which can be attributed to his desire to stay out of foul trouble. He'll need to add muscle to his frame (particularly his lower body) and be more willing to initiate contact if he wants to be able to defend the center position on the next level, an important step considering he doesn't have the lateral quickness or fundamentals to step out and defend power forwards on the perimeter effectively.

Unlike the average 22-year old senior, Keith Benson has quite a bit of upside considering that many of his weaknesses are reparable. He's going to dominate the Summit League and flash some impressive NBA tools along the way, but he'll need to be more consistent, show greater intensity on both ends, add some weight to his frame, and continue refining his game to make himself a more attractive draft prospect. If he can make the necessary adjustments, Benson could be a name worth watching in March and heading into workout season.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Trending-Prospects-12302010--3604/

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