Here is the post I promised about what I think about the futures of some of this year’s NBA prospects. If the guy you’re looking for’s name isn’t there it means that I’m fairly middle of the pack on him and have nothing to really note about him. Hopefully this helps you figure out who it is that you want your team to pick up tonight. Enjoy.

Blake Griffin – One of the few surefire NBA stars in this draft, Griffin has the physical tools to do anything he wants. His strengths include ball-handling, running the floor, finishing at the rim, strength, and quickness. His two weaknesses are defense and post moves. His defensive shortcomings aren’t his fault as Oklahoma encouraged him to be hands off so that he never got into foul trouble and guaranteed them a loss. He could learn this in the NBA. Post moves are a little different. He basically needs to go to Tim Duncan School. That quickness he has won’t be there in the long run and he knows that. He must develop some moves or learn a better jump a la KG.

Ricky Rubio – Where to start? My favorite player in this draft. He won the Defensive Player of the Year in the Spanish ACB (2^nd best league in the world, more defensive than the NBA) this season at age 18. As a 17 year old, he started the gold medal game in the Olympics against the U.S., got hurt in the first half, and still played a good game against CP3 and D-Will. His passing skills are off the charts. He may already be one of the best passers in the history of basketball. Can he drive and score against the quickness on defense in the NBA? Probably. The myth about his lack of jump shot is going away as he shot 43% on threes this year in Spain. His jumper still needs work on range though. I may move to wherever he’s drafted.

Tyreke Evans – One of these players who is said to be in this great class of point guards. Newsflash: he won’t play the point in the NBA. He doesn’t have the passing ability or the leadership to run an NBA team. Good news for him: he’s 6”6 with a 6”11 wingspan. This will allow him to play the two very well. There are serious doubts about his attitude, coachability, and defense. I’ve been watching him since high school and the dude is a cold-blooded scorer. There are lots of those in the NBA though.

Stephen Curry – One of the other guys who is guaranteed an NBA career. Curry’s passing skills are underrated by almost everyone. The guy can really dish it out. He handles pretty well and is used to high pressure defensive situations because of what teams did to him for the last three years. He has one thing that almost no other prospect has ever had: an NBA ability to create space for his jumper. Every player needs to learn this once they get there, he’s already got it. The major question for him is how much of a defensive liability is he immediately and in the long run. Can he learn how to stay in front of NBA offenses? We’ll see.

Hasheem Thabeet – If I were to pick him for my team it would have to be in the 18-22 range. The guy just doesn’t appear to have the skills to play in the NBA. What do you mean he couldn’t learn to score in college despite being 7”3? What do you mean he has trouble guarding strength? He can’t dribble or shoot or slide his feet? He’s Dwight Howard with no handle, athleticism, strength, speed, and even less offense? So… he’s a serviceable one-on-one defender who is a great weak-side defender. Yay. Let’s take him #2.

Brandon Jennings – For those who didn’t watch some his games in Europe, I’ll tell you what he’s like. He’s like Allen Iverson with his quick step, low crossover, scoring in traffic, and that skill set. He tends to use those skills to get in the lane and destroy your defense before passing to an open man. If he had played at Arizona, he would have averaged 18-22 points and 8-11 assists. He’s a pretty good defender and a decent rebounder. His biggest plus is that he has already played a season against men. He’s a great kid with a ton of heart and ambition. If I were to make predictions about guys’ futures, I would say he has the 3^rd or 4^th best guaranteed future (after Griffin/Rubio, before/after Curry).

Johnny Flynn – I think people need to remember that even though he’s 5”11, Johnny Flynn is the owner of a 40 inch vertical. He’s probably going to be a good NBA player, but needs to step up his defense.

James Harden – I’m not exactly sure where he fits in on what team. He’s got some great skills but isn’t very athletic, doesn’t have a lot of quickness, and his size is not his strength. I think he might be destined to be a really good sixth man.

DeMar Derozan – Not for the faint of heart. Great potential or great potential to fall off the face of the earth in two years? Nobody has any idea.

Jrue Holiday – Same as Derozan except that he has defense to fall back on which is always helpful for a prospect. He has character issues that might hurt him though.

Earl Clark – The next Lamar Odom. He is Lamar Odom. They are the same person. The only difference is that he could potentially gain other skills.

Ty Lawson – I don’t buy for a second the idea that he won’t be effective in the NBA. He’s like Aaron Brooks but he was better in college. Does he need to extend his range? Sure. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t.

B.J. Mullens – He could be a steal if he falls far enough. If you looked at a draft board 11 months ago he was the #2 pick behind Rubio and before Griffin. He didn’t do well in college, but it’s not like they were injuries like Oden. He has physical gifts that can’t be taught.

Sam Young – This is who you take if you want someone to play right now.

Omri Casspi – He’s the toughest player in the draft and the Blazers traded two 2^nd round picks to the Mavericks to move up two spots because they got suspicious of the team in front of them taking him. Now there are rumors of him going as high as #16 to the Bulls if there’s a run on toughness that takes Blair and Johnson off the board. I love this guy. And it’s not just that he’s a Jew.

Eric Maynor – The guy has enough sleeper talk to kill his actual sleeperness. He’s still going to be a good player. I could easily see him starting for a bunch of teams in a few years.

Jeff Teague – The Kings will likely take him at #23 and that would be a steal. He was my ACC Player of the Year last season and he was unguardable and is a decent defender. I’m not even sure how he fell this far.

Patty Mills – He will be effective in the NBA. He was a great college player and gained experience starting for the Australian Olympic team in 2008. He may turn more pass-first in the NBA, but I’m not sure that’s a terrible thing. He made St. Mary’s a great team. Surely, playing with some NBA guys will work as well.

Victor Claver – This guy is my sleeper. He’s from Spain and is border 1^st/2^nd round. He’s 6”9 and might be a great NBA small forward.

Danny Green, Jodie Meeks, Jack McClinton – My 2^nd round sleepers.

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