 | The Official Fantasy Baseball Commissioner Game of MLB.com. |
 | Get notified when College Basketball Bracket Games launch in 2012. |
 | Play football all year with Franchise Football on Facebook. |
 | Play Fantasy Basketball with in-depth news, live scoring & more. Get Started |
| Top Draft 2011 Prospects -- (Updated 6/22/2011 8:50:58 AM) | ||||||
| Rank | Pos. Rank | Player | Pos. | School | Ht. | Wt. |
| 1 | 1 | Derrick Williams | PF | Arizona | 6-8 | 240 |
| Williams is used to carrying the brunt of the offensive load. Averaging 30 minutes per game, he started all 38 contests for the Wildcats in 2010-11, connecting on 226-of-380 field goals and scoring 741 points (19.5 ppg), more than twice the total of UA's second-leading scorer. While Cleveland seems committed with the top selection, Williams has been putting on such a great showing in pre-draft workouts, a slew of teams are vying to grab Minnesota's No. 2 pick to snatch up the best athlete in the draft. If a deal surprisingly happens, Milwaukee has made the biggest push to date. | ||||||
| 2 | 1 | Kyrie Irving | PG | Duke | 6-2 | 182 |
| Irving is by far the elite point guard in the 2011 draft, but lacks the explosive quickness featured by other elite point guards taken in recent drafts - Derrick Rose (Chicago) and John Wall (Washington). Cleveland has been trying to deal its veteran guards to clear the way for Irving to start immediately. I'm in the minority in thinking his turf-toe issue won't be a one-time thing. | ||||||
| 3 | 2 | Enes Kanter | PF | Kentucky | 6-11 | 272 |
| Like most big men in this draft, 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. Cleveland would love to see him slide down to the fourth pick, but Kanter might pull an Eli Manning in attempts to find his way to Washington. Utah has narrowed its search to Kanter and Brandon Knight. | ||||||
| 4 | 3 | Jan Vesely | PF | KK Partizan Belgrade, | 6-11 | 230 |
| Some NBA team could be rewarded for its patience if it waits for Vesely's game to develop in the Euro Leagues for another year or so. Toronto, known to covet international players, might be ready to go that route again at the No. 4 spot. Despite refusing to work out for NBA teams, he is clearly the best international prospect in this draft. | ||||||
| 5 | 2 | Brandon Knight | PG | Kentucky | 6-4 | 185 |
| John Calipari, the UK mentor produced Rose, one of the NBA's most electrifying players during his tenure at Memphis and last year, his charge, Wall was also the most coveted point guard in the 2010 draft. Knight is his next protoge and while he looks like a perfect replacement for traded Deron Williams, as the Jazz use this pick acquired from the Nets to fill their back court vacancy, Knight did not endear himself to Utah staff with his reluctance to work out vs. Jimmer Fredette recently. | ||||||
| 6 | 4 | Jonas Valanciunas | PF | Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, | 6-10 | 224 |
| Valanciunas will battle with Jan Vesely to be the first international player drafted, but both are projected early lottery picks. He's vying to become the earliest that a Lithuanian player has ever been selected by an NBA team. Cleveland took Zydrunas Ilgauskas with the 20th pick in 1996. If the Cavs don't take him fourth, Valanciunas could slide to Houston at No. 14. | ||||||
| 7 | 1 | Kawhi Leonard | SF | San Diego State | 6-7 | 225 |
| Nicknamed the "Human Avatar," Leonard's dominance crashing the boards has professional scouts likening his skills to those of Gerald Wallace. If the Wizards can't find a way to grab Kanter, Leonard could head to the capital city as a front court complement to grow with Wall. Sacramento has shown interest in taking him seventh. | ||||||
| 8 | 3 | Kemba Walker | PG | Connecticut | 6-0 | 172 |
| The General Patton of the college basketball world, nobody in this draft can rally the troops like Walker, and Detroit would love to pair him with UConn alum Ben Gordon. The gunslinger finished seventh on the Husky all-time record list with 1,783 points, but also showed his unselfish side, as his 460 assists rank 10th in school annals. | ||||||
| 9 | 1 | Klay Thompson | SG | Washington State | 6-6 | 200 |
| He won't go first overall, leaving those bragging rights to his dad, but Thompson is making his mark as a potential lottery pick. Golden State will consider him, especially if the Warriors find a taker for Monta Ellis. The son of Mychal Thompson, the top overall pick of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers, Klay ranks third in school history with 1,756 points, a 17.92-point scoring average, 1,414 field-goal attempts and a free-throw percentage of .827. He set the WSU all-time records with 242 three-point attempts on 620 chances. | ||||||
| 10 | 5 | Marcus Morris | PF | Kansas | 6-9 | 235 |
| The departures of Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry to the NBA actually helped Morris' offensive game mature in a hurry and he proved to be one of the most mistake-free performers in the Big 12 last year, showing much more confidence in his ability to score with his fadeaway jumper, which helped increase his scoring output from 12.8 points as a sophomore to 17.2 points last year. | ||||||
| 11 | 2 | Tristan Thompson | SF | Texas | 6-8 | 235 |
| He is an accurate shooter in and around the paint (made 54.6% of his field goals), but his perimeter shooting and free throw skills need a major overall. Until then, his overall scoring game remains a work in progress. Still, Michael Jordan seems to be highly interested in Thompson as Gerald Wallace's replacement in Charlotte. | ||||||
| 12 | 2 | Jimmer Fredette | SG | Brigham Young | 6-2 | 195 |
| Fredette is still a defensive question mark, but he's been outstanding in recent workouts on the offensive end and has issued an open challenge to Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight - face up to me in one-on-one drills, if you dare. So far, both have yet to accept the challenge. The Tim Tebow of the NBA Draft, scouts are split down the middle, thanks to awesome scoring skills and awful defensive ability. Those on the Fredette bandwagon see a player with excellent basketball IQ, a deft scoring touch and someone who brings toughness and instant offense to the court. His detractors see an athlete who lacks explosiveness usually associated with a scorer like a Ben Gordon or a Stephen Curry. | ||||||
| 13 | 3 | Chris Singleton | SF | Florida State | 6-9 | 225 |
| Singleton helped FSU snap an 18-year drought when they reached the NCAA Tournament this year. He is better served in an up-tempo attack, as he runs the court well and is quick to get back to disrupt action in the passing lane, ranking eighth in school history with 180 steals despite playing in just 95 games. The Knicks and Jazz are serious suitors. | ||||||
| 14 | 6 | Donatas Motiejunas | PF | Benetton Treviso, | 7-0 | 224 |
| Motiejunas has a scoring touch reminiscent of Tony Kukoc, as he can really create mismatches with his ability to fire the ball from the perimeter. He was expected to be a lottery pick last year before pulling out of the 2010 draft. | ||||||
| 15 | 3 | Alec Burks | SG | Colorado | 6-6 | 191 |
| One of his best traits is the way he excels in getting to the basket. He also showed that while some consider him a shooting guard, he is an unselfish player who can fill in at the point. He had to shut down recent workouts after dislocating his shoulder performing for Milwaukee, but the injury won't hurt his draft stock. The Bucks might have eyes for this draft's top players, but Burks is a nice fallback option if they stay at No. 10. | ||||||
| 16 | 7 | Bismack Biyombo | PF | Baloncesto Fuenlabrada | 6-9 | 243 |
| His less than impressive workout at the 2011 Eurocamp leaves more questions to be answered by a player with the rawest skills of any player in this draft, leading to his drop on this ratings chart. He patterns his game after his idol, Kevin Garnett, but he needs to amp it up in the next few weeks to keep his name in lottery consideration. | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | Marshon Brooks | SG | Providence | 6-5 | 201 |
| A recent ankle sprain prevented him from working out for several teams, but the injury won't impact his draft stock. A late bloomer who really embraced his role as the team's offensive focus as a senior, he accounted for 32.48% of the team's points last season (788-of-2,426), the seventh-best percentage in a season by a Providence player. He's had multiple workouts for the Knicks, who might have to deal up to keep him away from Indiana. | ||||||
| 18 | 8 | Nikola Vucevic | PF | USC | 6-10 | 244 |
| Note to Nets management - do EVERYTHING you can to trade up for this guy. The Trojans' multi-talented big man played 87 games in his three-year career in the United States, averaging 11.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. His 694 career rebounds are tied for 13th on USC's all-time list and he became the only Trojan to capture the Pac-10 Conference rebound title in consecutive seasons, a feat he accomplished in 2010 and 2011. | ||||||
| 19 | 4 | Jordan Hamilton | SF | Texas | 6-7 | 210 |
| While his time with the Longhorns lasted just two seasons, Hamilton showed professional scouts more than enough to convince them that his scoring touch and versatility will make him a lethal weapon as a shooting guard or small forward in the NBA. While he became the 31st player in school history to join the 1,000-point club, he is just the fourth Longhorn to accomplish that feat after two seasons. | ||||||
| 20 | 9 | Nikola Mirotic | PF | Real Madrid, | 6-10 | 225 |
| Mirotic could have been the first international player drafted, but after signing a six-year deal with Real Madrid with a monster buyout, NBA teams are shying away from the power forward. Oklahoma City sent strong signals it had eyes for Mirotic. Even so, if the Ricky Rubio fiasco serves as a lesson, Mirotic might not hear his name called at all, despite being a lottery-type talent. | ||||||
| 21 | 10 | Markieff Morris | PF | Kansas | 6-10 | 240 |
| The power forward might not have the quick feet, nor show the explosiveness off the bounce that twin brother Marcus displays, but Markieff has the size and toughness that NBA teams look for in an enforcer at power forward. He takes a more cerebral approach to the game, but do not be fooled by him taking less risks on the court - he knows when to perform in crunch time. | ||||||
| 22 | 11 | Kenneth Faried | PF | Morehead State | 6-8 | 225 |
| Faried's 1,673 rebounds rank 11th in college basketball history, and his 508 boards in 2010-11 marked the ninth time since the 1973 season that a collegiate had at least 500 rebounds in a campaign. He also blocked 228 shots during his career. | ||||||
| 23 | 12 | Justin Harper | PF | Richmond | 6-10 | 225 |
| It is rare for a power forward to display the range that made Harper a legitimate perimeter threat, as his 179 three-point field goals placed fifth in school annals. | ||||||
| 24 | 5 | Tobias Harris | SF | Tennessee | 6-8 | 226 |
| Like former Volunteer and NBA star, Bernard King, Harris does a good job of drawing contact to get to the free-throw line and has the potential to be a much better scorer in the post than he showed last year (coaches kept too tight of a reign on him). One of the most underrated shooters in the draft. The Nuggets are high on him. | ||||||
| 25 | 4 | Josh Selby | PG | Kansas | 6-1 | 183 |
| The Knicks are doing their homework on Shelby, feeling he could be the team's point man in the future, rather than an off-guard. Regarded as the elite incoming player in college basketball before the 2010-11 season, to say that things did not go according to plan would be a drastic understatement. When he recently announced that he would forgo his last three years of college eligibility and enter the NBA Draft, it was not a popular decision by the 20-year-old, but he's eased quite a few concerns with solid workouts and a "yes sir, no sir" attitude. | ||||||
| Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 All | ||||||
Jeremy Lin New York Knicks Jersey
Get yours today Shop Now
