NCAA Tournament Prospect Watch: 5 draft stocks and battles to keep an eye on
The NCAA tournament feels even more loaded with potential NBA prospects this year than it did in 2014, with one of the most heralded draft classes of all time. Maybe it's the battle to be No. 1 pick, or the constant shuffling of those in the lottery, or the fact that 33 of ESPN's top 40 ranked prospects are on teams that made the field. Maybe we just love this time of year regardless of prospect quality.
In any case, there are 74 prospects in the tournament ranked in the top 100 by either ESPN, DraftExpress or both. What follows is a list of the prospects who have the most on the line with their tournament performances over the next two weeks.
EAST | WEST | SOUTH | MIDWEST | Kentucky
Jahlil Okafor vs. Karl-Anthony Towns
It's the battle to become the No. 1-ranked prospect entering the NBA Draft. Okafor has been the presumptive favorite for the entirety of the season, but Towns has gained ground week-by-week. Unfortunately, the two centers couldn't square off until the national championship game, but they can continue to jockey for favor with NBA teams in opposite regions.
Playing in the South Region, Okafor will have the chance to use his substantial offensive talents to lead No. 1-seeded Duke to the Final Four. A potential Sweet Sixteen matchup with Utah 7-footer Jakob Poeltl would be a great chance for Okafor to strut his stuff against another first-round big man, but for the most part the 19-year-old Okafor has little left to prove.
Towns, meanwhile, heads up a ridiculously loaded Kentucky team in the Midwest region. He averaged a shade under 21 minutes during the season, and eyes will surely focus on how he does with expanded playing time, should stiffer competition warrant it. A potentially elite defender whose offense has been coming along all year, Towns can do more to steal the No. 1 spot than Okafor can do to secure it.
Kelly Oubre Jr. vs. Justise Winslow vs. Stanley Johnson
The top nine on ESPN's current ranking for the 2015 draft class has just a single wing - international prospect Mario Hezonja. Stateside, there are three small forwards with the potential to rise on draft boards with a strong showing, even though they can't match up with each other in any form until the Final Four at the earliest.
Kansas freshman Kelly Oubre Jr., who was originally thought to be the best wing in the class, started his season slowly and may have since rehabilitated his stock. The Jayhawks have a tough road in the Midwest region, and if Oubre Jr., a gifted shooter with more upside than the names to follow, can lead them on a deep run, teams may no longer question his NBA-readiness.
While Oubre Jr. oozes offensive potential, Duke's Justise Winslow and Arizona's Stanley Johnson have appreciably high floors thanks to terrific defensive chops. Winslow could get the chance to check Malik Pope and Delon Wright in the first three rounds of the tournament - ample proving ground - while Johnson could find himself facing D'Angelo Russell early in the West Region. For these two, the bigger questions come on offense, and consistently strong showings that speak to potential on that end would make them no-brainer selections given their defensive acumen.
Malik Pope
Pope is ranked 16th by ESPN and not at all by DraftExpress, speaking to how wide a range of potential draft outcomes exist for him and how fast he's shot up draft boards. Nobody will argue that the San Diego State forward is ready for NBA action - he's decidedly not - but an impressive tournament, particularly in a game against Winslow and the Blue Devils in the Round of 32, could allay concerns that he's too far away to warrant a top-20 pick.
Justin Anderson
Anderson slid off the radar some in recent weeks due to a broken finger and then an emergency appendectomy. He was able to get two games and 26 minutes of playing time under his belt in the ACC tournament but looked rusty for Virginia, and he finds himself on the first-round bubble. Like Winslow and Johnson, scouts will be looking to see if Anderson's offensive game can keep up with his impressive defense as the competition level rises.
Everyone on North Carolina
It may feel unusual for the Tar Heels to be a strong team with no elite prospects, but what they lack in top-end talent they make up for in depth.
Justin Jackson is considered a relatively certain second-round pick if he declares, while Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, J.P Tokoto and Marcus Paige all range from potential mid-second-round picks to out of the draft entirely.
The draw isn't friendly given UNC's standing as the ACC runner-up, but high-profile games against Harvard, Arkansas and Wisconsin stand as good opportunities for at least one of these players to break out.