EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 10 Power Forwards, #5

#5 – Markieff Morris

At this point in the rankings for PFs, it becomes more a matter of preference and where each player distinguishes himself. For Markieff Morris, that comes on both defense, where he gives you a bit of everything: rebounding, steals and blocks. He then tops it off, with decent long range shooting – 42% from three-point land.

Markieff’s skill-set and average college production translates into a cog in a well-oiled machine. He will do well if drafted later in the first round and on a veteran club looking for player ready to contribute.

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of DraftExpress

PF	Markieff Morris
	BPM		PCM		DIR	TPA
Rank	41.51	22.33		46.00		63.00

 Out of 138 players:

·        Markieff Morris would be a first round pick in only 1 of the 4 metrics, partly because he was not a focal point offensively and had enough talent around him to carry the load.

·        He is a very safe pick in the late teens / early 20’s.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 10 Power Forwards, #4

 #4 – Gary Flowers

Gary Flowers is this draft’s small basketball school PF who is going to shock in the NBA. Flowers possesses the all-around offensive skills of a Small Forward and the rebounding and defensive acumen of an undersized PF.

We see Flowers as a guy who might get picked late in the second round or become a free agent camp invite for a team. That is when and where he will surprise people with his nearly Five-Tool skill set: three-pointer, rebounding, steals and blocks. The only thing currently lacking is the ability to consistently create scoring opportunities for other players.

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of Angelojohnson1

PF	Gary Flowers
	BPM		PCM	DIR	TPA
Rank	24.33	35.00		27.00	3.00

Out of 138 players:

·        Gary Flowers would be a first round pick in 3 of the 4 metrics, but might be a late second round pick.

·        His lack of size at PF will push him to a tweener roler.

·        The small school, some-what lower first tier, second tier conference is the other knock.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 10 Power Forwards, #3

#3 – Matthew Bryan-Amaning

Matthew Bryan-Amaning is a very raw player who shows promise but average numbers across the board. His athleticism jumps out at you but everything else needs to be refined.

Teams interest in Bryan-Amaning needs to understand that he’s a project to bring along slowly, with the aim being to develop him as a defender. He is best suited for a speed offense.

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of hangloose303

PF	Matthew Bryan-Amaning
	BPM		PCM	DIR		TPA
Rank	24.02	31.00		19.75	21.00

 Out of 138 players:

·        Matthew Bryan-Amaning would be a first round pick in 3 of the 4 metrics, but a late one.

·        The question is one of upside, and how much a team thinks he has. For this, we push him to the second round and recommend lots of development.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 10 Power Forwards, #2

#2 – JaJuan Johnson

JaJuan Johnson is 30 pounds and/or a consistent 3-point shot away from being a superstar. He took the four college years to fully develop his game, to the point that whichever team picks him might be set at PF for the next decade.

We are extremely high on JaJuan so we made him our #2 ranked PF, BUT! We need to see just a bit more defensive integrity and intensity. JaJuan either has to commit to being a long ball threat or stop taking them.

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of Knightmatic

PF	JaJuan Johnson
	BPM		PCM	DIR		TPA
Rank	13.82	6.67			11.00	30.00

 Out of 138 players:

·        JaJuan Johnson would be a first round pick in 3 of the 4 metrics. We slot him as a Top 10 Pick, but only if a team is looking for offense at the PF position.

·        He can play both PF and Center, and the 3pt shot is the decision he will have to make – stop or improve.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 10 Power Forwards, #1

#1 – Rick Jackson

This is a deep draft for Power Forwards, even though none of them are going to come in and be franchise saviors. Some of them will be game-changers, the type of player you put next to your other dominant big man, whether he’s a Center or Power Forward. With the dearth of true NBA-sized Centers, many of our ranked PFs will play Center in many team rotations.

Rick Jackson fits that bill, as the best valued Power Forward in our ranking. He is a player who will mainly score in the paint, so it helps if the team drafting him has a play-making Point Guard.

Jackson excels at rebounding and defense, and will dish out an assist or two. Though nothing overly-exciting about his game and with limited (if any) shooting range, he is a threat to score and will not be detriment to a team’s offensive fluidity.

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of lebrontheking123

PF	Rick Jackson
	BPM		PCM	DIR	TPA
Rank	12.88	11.00		4.50	31.00

 Out of 138 players:

·     Rick Jackson would be a first round pick in all 4 metrics, which basically means no “bust” factor. A team can slot him as a Top 10 pick and feel very confident.

·     He’s a senior who has shown improvement each year.

·     Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 5 Small Forwards, #5

#5 – Bill Clark

Bill Clark is a potent offensive threat and could be the steal of the draft. He simply gets it in – the bucket. We put Bill in the #5 slot of our SF ranking because of his off/on defense and the question about his true position (Shooting Guard or Small Forward).

Bill has a great skill-set, in that he will give you three-pointers, rebounds, assists and steals. The problem is that he does it only at slightly above the average for this draft class. Part of why his numbers don’t jump out is because he’s teammates with our #2 ranked SF (Damian Saunders).

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of DuquesneBasketball

SF	Bill Clark
	BPM		PCM	DIR	TPA
Rank	40.63	47.00		54.25	6.00

 Out of 138 players:

·        Bill Clark would be a first round pick in only 1 of the 4 metrics. This ranking of #6 poses a BIG question.

·        If a team is willing to develop him as its 3^rd most important player, he could be the steal of the draft.

·        We see Clark as a mid second round pick.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 5 Small Forwards, #4

#4 – Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard is a long range jumpshot away from being dominant. He’s on that coin called potential. If a team is willing to invest the time to work on his jumper, then he’s a gamble worth taking. This past season, he shot only 29% from three-point land, the college one.

His athleticism and speed translates into being a great rebounder, good steals numbers and playmaking ability (assists). Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of smyrnall

SF	Kawhi Leonard
	BPM		PCM	DIR	TPA
Rank	28.65	20.00		40.75	20.00

Out of 138 players:

·        Kawhi would be a first round pick in 3 of the 4 metrics, but even then his defense is not bad.

·        What is pushing him into the 20’s is his offensive inefficiency, which is symptomatic of the lack of a good jumpshot.

·        If a team is up for the work it would take, he could go lottery.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 5 Small Forwards, #3

#3 – Tyler Honeycutt (or) Chris Singleton

Tyler Honeycutt and Chris Singleton are our ‘take your pick’ Small Forwards and are slotted the #3 SFs in our ranking. They provide comparable defense. Honeycutt will give you more playmaking but needs to cut down his turnovers.

Both players have the ability to hit the three-point shot but Honeycutt needs to make it a lesser aspect of his game. Singleton is the more efficient player but needs to cut down on his fouling.

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of jonathantjarks

Video courtesy of PalestraACC

SF	Tyler Honeycutt
	BPM		PCM		DIR	TPA
Rank	40.72	72.33		17.00		35.00

 

SF	Chris Singleton
	BPM		PCM	DIR	TPA
Rank	42.14	85.33		11.00	32.00

 Out of 138 players:

·        Both players are prospects that a team can take late in the first round – early 20’s because of what they provide on defense and rebounding.

·        Honeycutt and Singleton have all-around games and can become very good long range shooters.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 5 Small Forwards, #2

#2 – Damian Saunders

Damian Saunders is the best all-around defender in the draft - that player who makes it OK to say, “I'm in love with a man nearly twice my age”! He is straight up, old skool, rough & rugged, basement party style wicked! His calling card is defense but he has enough offensive game to punish a team if they don’t D’ Up! WHUT?

But, Damian is going to get hit with that he’s a senior who has not shown much growth shtick. Instead of calling it consistency, the fact that his numbers have been similar the past three years at Dusquene, the pundits will say he lacks upside.

Damian put up 11.5 PPG on 49% from the field and 35.7% from three-point land. He did that while grabbing 8 boards with 2 assists, 2 steals and 2.5 blocks. Source - http://draftexpress.com

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of DuquesneBasketball

SF	Damian Saunders
	BPM		PCM	DIR	TPA
Rank	18.67	27.00		1.50	37.00

Out of 138 players:

·        Damian Saunders would be a first round pick in 3 of the 4 metrics. The one that is seemingly knocking him back is TPA, which highlights his lack of scoring and consistent 3pter.

·        With his PCM (production) at 27 and TPA (talent/skill) at 37, this would be a good range to slot him.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).

EvenMoney’s NBA Draft 2011 – Top 5 Small Forwards, #1

 #1 – Derrick Williams

Derrick Williams might be the best player in this draft when it comes to a future NBA career. He is the kind of guy a team can rebuild around by relying on his offensive dominance and brilliance. He is the player a team has to be willing to give consistent guidance as to what makes a NBA superstar player.

Williams can score with the best of them – on the break, the post and the perimeter, including three-point range (57%). He has a NBA build, though if slotted to play Power Forward regularly he would be considered undersized. As a projected Small Forward, the scoring and rebounding fits, but not the lack of playmaking numbers and the high number of personal fouls.

Still not convinced? Ponder the stats below and press play!

Video courtesy of Knightmatic

SF	Derrick Williams
		BPM		PCM		DIR	TPA
Rank	36.49		6.67		63.75		33.00

 Out of 138 players:

·        Williams’s overall numbers do not impress, as he would be a first round pick in only 1 of the 4 metrics – the one that gives us overall production. He is slated to go Top 4.

·        If picked by the right team, he will have instant success; otherwise he may suffer question marks throughout his career.

·        He needs strong coaching so that he can become a better playmaker and defender.

·        Considered as a whole (BPM), as well as for each specialty (PCM for Production; DIR for Defense; and TPA (Talent/Skill-set).