Enes Kanter, PF

Kanter is most intriguing draft prospect to enter the NBA in recent years. He has Dirk Nowitzki-like athleticism and the Turkish force remains a mystery to most. A top recruit who signed with Kentucky, he was never allowed to suit up for the Wildcats, spending the 2010-11 campaign attending the university while serving as a student assistant coach after the NCAA ruled he had violated NCAA amateurism rules.

Kanter has led something of a globe-trotting life. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, he honed his basketball skills in his native Turkey, competing for the national junior teams and for Turkish powerhouse, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul.

Kanter's basketball emergence began during the 2008 season. In the European Championships U-16 tournament, he averaged 22.9 points per game, connecting on 65.4 percent of his field goals while averaging 16.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots. He also competed for the Turkish U-18 team that year, finishing with averages of 19.1 points and 14.6 rebounds in eight contests.

Those performances earned Kanter a four-game audition with Fenerbahce Ulker during the 2008-09 Euroleague. He logged 29 minutes of action over four games, averaging 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds. He followed with five contests in the Turkish Basketball League, improving his totals to 3.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Kanter played in nine games for the Turkish U-18 squad at the 2009 European Champion-ships, shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 70.0 percent from the foul line. He averaged 18.6 points, 16.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocked shots and 28.4 minutes per game. Fenerbahce and Olympiacos B.C., a Greek League basketball team, both offered Kanter professional contracts, but he declined because he wanted to play high school and college basketball in the United States.

Kanter attempted to enroll at Findley Prep in Nevada and then at Mountain State in West Virginia in 2009, but both attempts were abandoned. Ultimately, he played for Stoneridge Preparatory School in Simi Valley, Calif., for the 2009-10 high school basketball season.

At the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit, Kanter played for the international team, scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. His point total was a record for the event, breaking Dirk Nowitzki's mark set in the 1998 contest. Both Rivals.com and Scout.com rated Kanter as a five-star prospect, the highest possible rating. He was rated the nation's top prep power forward by Rivals and the best center in the country by Scout.

After graduating from Stoneridge Prep in the spring of 2010, Kanter had originally intended to enroll at the University of Washington. The Huskies' assistant coach, Raphael Chillious, had coached the power forward during his time at the Jordan Classic.

"It happened because of coach Chill (Raphael Chillious) kept an eye on him and kept in touch with the kid and he was very familiar with the kid," Thornton stated. "He spoke to the parents. Washington came and struck up a friendship. The kid is phenomenal. It's a no-brainer to try to get the kid."

Also recruited by Nevada-Las Vegas, Indiana, UCLA and Southern California, Kanter verbally committed to play for the University of Washington on Nov. 2009. However, he re-opened his recruitment in February 2010. On April 14, 2010, Kanter signed a National Letter of Intent to play for coach John Calipari at the University of Kentucky.

"Enes has the body and potential to be special. He will provide a valuable low-post presence on both the offensive and defensive ends for our team. He also has the versatility to play away from the basket with his shooting ability and face-up game,"

John Calipari said at the time of Kanter's signing.

But, the NCAA controversially declared him permanently ineligible as a collegiate athlete because he received approximately $33,000 from Fenerbahce Ulker in excess benefits. The NCAA ruled that this amount was above and beyond what was considered acceptable, although it was strictly used for educational purposes.

The NCAA revealed in its declaration of Kanter's ineligibility that the amount in question is $33,033. According to a source close to the process, about $20,000 of that money was used by the Kanter family to pay for Kanter' educational expenses -- such as schooling and tutors -- with the remainder still sitting in an account unused. The NCAA told the family that Fenerbahce would have needed to pay for those expenses directly for them to be permissible.

The Kanters made it clear they were willing to return the available funds -- and even repay the $20,000 because they weren't aware of NCAA procedures and regulations -- but the staff declined the offer. According to the NCAA, actual and necessary expenses are those relating to practice and competition, such as meals, lodging, transportation and medical care.

"Enes took advantage of an opportunity to play at the highest level available to him, but the consequences of receiving payments above his actual expenses is not compatible with the collegiate model of sports that our members have developed," Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs, said in a statement released by the organization.

Positives: Kanter might not have the size to play center in the NBA and has to get more aggressive to compete at power forward, but he has natural raw strength, large, soft hands and a very long wing span that he uses well to get out and alter shots, whether on the perimeter or around the rim … Not really a "banger" attacking the boards, but is a savvy rebounder who uses angling and positioning, along with an impressive reach to secure the ball and put it back from the offensive glass … High-energy type that will have to continue working on his stamina, but plays with great basketball IQ for someone of his age … Has developed a nice array of moves (hesitation, head fakes, etc.) to force the defender to commit early, and with his lateral agility, he does a nice job of drawing contact on the way to the rim … Efficient from the foul line and has a smooth, quick mid-range jumper, getting good elevation from a static position, along with a high release point … Is very nimble slipping through traffic and is the type that is unselfish with the ball, doing a nice job of kicking the ball out, along with using his body well to take charges and on the pick-and-roll … Has a great work attitude and takes well to hard coaching … Has good passing ability for a player of his size and shows quickness going up and down the court … Runs with a normal stride and is best when playing on the weak-side defense … Impressive shot blocker who gets excellent elevation to deflect the pass at its high point … Has shown improvement firing the jump shot and is becoming an effective post scorer … Excels defending down low and knows how to maintain position and use his strong body in the post to prevent the opponent from taking an easy shot … Has the wingspan to reach around and create the turnover on the steal … Plays under the basket well, but you would like to see more aggression in attempts to overpower the centers … Has the ball handling skills to keep the ball moving in order for teammates to take the best shot … Uses his body efficiently to draw fouls when playing in the low post … Gets out on the break quickly and shows good mobility and overall body flexibility in his running stride … Good court leader who rarely gets flustered in pressure situations … Has the court awareness and vision to know when to slow down the pace of the offense's attack … Good mid-range shooter, but is best when attacking the basket … Has the work ethic to spend extra hours after practice or in the film room preparing for his upcoming opponent … His presence on the weak-side of the defensive end allows him to dominate as a shot blocker (also loves to attack the glass) … Can be effective at boxing out the bigger men working under the basket and has the long reach and wing-span to haul down rebounds away from the hoop … Has the mobility to block cutters coming through the lane … Also uses his frame well to punish smaller forwards that come into the paint … Plays the post with his hands up and properly extended, generally keeping his body between the opponent and the basket.

Negatives: Kanter is not an "elite" athlete; his foot speed and quickness are decent, but with a history of knee problems, he could have stamina issues at the NBA level … Sat out the 2010-11 season and the layoff left him a bit rusty (only competition this year came as a student coach during UK practices) … Has decent quickness, but is not explosive with his initial step … Utilized mostly at center, he might be a better fit as a power forward lacking the ideal size you look for in the pivot … Because of his lack of explosiveness, he needs to compensate by using his body more aggressively for positioning, but he is not really that physical boxing out his opponent, preferring to angle and avoid contact while going up for the rebound … Has a big wing span, but will get his shot off a little low and flat, showing inconsistent range when shooting from the perimeter -- has worked to improve his pick-and-pop skills … Has to get more physical using his hands to establish position in the paint, but does have the lateral agility to mirror and stay in front of shooters when forced to defend outside.

Compares To: DIRK NOWITZKI, Dallas Mavericks -- Kanter is not a physical presence as a rebounder, but has good mobility and a good concept for angling to get to most opportunities for putbacks on the offensive glass. He is a pretty decent performer from the free-throw line and has worked to improve his perimeter shooting ability. With his athleticism, long wingspan and lateral agility, along with a lack of ideal height for the pivot, he might be better served playing power forward. He's had knee problems in the past, but is still expected to be a lottery pick because of a polished offensive game, good basketball IQ to compensate for a lack of explosiveness.

--Dave Te' Thomas

Kanter enrolled at the University of Kentucky, but the NCAA ruled him ineligible for competition due to amateurism violations … Remained a student at the university and served as the basketball team's student coach … Was named MVP of the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit, setting an event record, as he scored 34 points, making 13-of-21 field goals, 8-of-9 free throws and snaring 13 rebounds in 24 minutes on the court. Scouts were very impressed with his play, as he went head-to-head vs. players such as Jared Sullinger and Patrick Young.

Played in nine games for the Turkish U-18 team at the European Championships …

Averaged 18.6 points on 63-of-116 field goals (54.3 percent), grabbing 148 rebounds (16.4 rebounds per game) with 12 assists, 16 blocked shots and seven steals, earning tournament MVP honors for a squad that earned the bronze medal.

Playing for Fenerbahce Ulker Instanbul, Kanter appeared in four Euroleague games, as he finished with averages of 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds … Also saw five games of action in the Turkish League, logging 3.2 points and 6.4 rebounds for Fenerbahce … At the European U-16 Championships, Kanter competed in eight contests, amassing 22.9 points, 16.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game … In eight games for the Turkish U-18 team, he averaged 19.1 points, 14.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots during European Champion-ships competition … Was one of the leading rebounders at the 2008 Albert Schweitzer Tournament, despite most of the competition being two years older than him, winning the "Burkhard Wildermuth Award" for the most talented player at the 2008 AST and was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

During the 2008-09 European Championships, Kanter appeared in a total of 25 games, logging 801 minutes of action (32.04 minutes per game) … Scored 503 points (20.12 ppg), as he made 195-of-317 two-point field goals (61.51 percent), 3-of-8 treys (37.5 percent) and 104-of-158 free throws (65.82 percent) … Grabbed 397 rebounds (15.88 rebounds per game), including 129 from the offensive glass, as he totaled 17 assists (0.68 assists per game), 36 blocked shots (1.44 blocks per game) and 24 steals (0.96 steals per game) … In nine games with Fenerbahce Ulker, Kanter played in 98 minutes (10.88 minutes per game), compiling 24 points (2.67 ppg) behind 10-of-23 field goals (43.48 percent) and 2-of-4 free throws … Pulled down 33 rebounds (3.67 rebounds per game), as he had one assist and two steals … His 34-point scoring effort for the 2010 World Team broke the Nike Hoop Summit individual record of 33 points previously set by Dirk Nowitzki in 1998.

Kanter attended Stoneridge (Tarzana, Cal.) Preparatory School in 2009-10, playing basketball for head coach Derryck "Tank" Thornton … Received a four-star prospect rating and was regarded as the top power forward in the prep ranks by Scout.com … Also named the best prep center in the nation while earning a five-star rating from Rivals.com.

General Studies major, spending the 2010-11 season as a student coach for the Kentucky basketball team … Wants to be a professional wrestler after his basketball career … Son of Mehmet and Gulsum Kanter … Born 5/20/92 in Zurich, Switzerland … Resides in Instanbul, Turkey.