Keegan Murray, 6-8 sophomore forward, Iowa. “Boy, I love that kid. He’s ready to play now. He can go inside and out. He’s a better athlete than people think, and he can really stroke it. He scores like a pro. Big-time shooter, efficient basketball player. He’s gotta get stronger because he’s probably better served at the four, but he had one of the more flawless seasons of anyone. He’s sneaky athletic. He’s almost 22, so that will be an issue for some organizations. He’s a smart defender. His ballhandling has to tighten up. He’s like a Tobias Harris or T.J. Warren.”
Jaden Ivey, 6-4 sophomore guard, Purdue.“Best athlete in the draft. He has an explosiveness like Russell Westbrook or John Wall. He’s gonna be able to get downhill at will. He was able to bail himself out at the college level, although I’m not sure that works up here. He puts so much pressure on the defense with his speed. He’s not a great shooter, but he’s improved. People want to know if he can be a full-time point guard because he played a lot off the ball. The one concern would be lack of ball skills. He’s not a point guard, but man, he’s so athletic. Those guys succeed. He’ll be a better NBA player than college player.”
Bennedict Mathurin, 6-6 sophomore guard, Arizona. “Not a ton of weaknesses there. Really good shooter. He’s gonna be able to fly off screens and be a really good catch-and-shoot option. He’s going to have to work on his play creation and his ballhandling. He’s not awful with the ball, but he’s not electric. He’s what our game likes, which is a big wing. He’s a streaky guy. He’s great in transition, but I’d be nervous about him in the halfcourt. I’m concerned that emotionally he gets too up and down. The way he shoots it reminds me of Ray Allen.”
Trevor Keels, 6-5 freshman guard, Duke. “I thought he should have gone back. Didn’t do anything great this year, but I think he’s got a good feel defensively and he understands where to be. Gritty, tough kid. His perimeter shooting has to improve for him to make it. His body fat at the combine was awful. What’s up with that? His shot’s not great, but it’s not broken. He can get to the hole and finish, but to me, that’s not enough at this point. I’ll give him this, though, whenever they had a big game, he showed up. He performed. He’s got a good blend of IQ and toughness. He’ll have a rough adjustment, but this is a guy you want to go to battle with.”
Walker Kessler, 7-1 sophomore center, Auburn. “Big-time defender. He did a really good job of guarding the rim, and that is really coveted right now. He’s a little insecure at times. He has a chance to be a good shooter. It happened for Marc Gasol. I’m not sure about the toughness piece. I think he has a chance to become a 3-point shooter, but he hasn’t proven it yet. He says he can shoot it, but let’s see. He’s a slow-twitch guy. He’s not gonna be the switchable defender that people like, but he’ll protect the rim. From watching his workouts, I think he’s gonna be able to shoot the 3. I wish he had a little more nasty to him.”
Christian Koloko, 7-1 junior center, Arizona. “Ten years ago, he’s a lottery pick. He’s an unbelievable runner/athlete for a guy his size. He has a high center of gravity, so he’ll get pushed around a little bit. He doesn’t block as many shots when his own guy has the ball. He has average feel, but he’s a pretty good lob threat. His IQ has gotten better, but I worry about his skill level. He’s not a great rebounder. Doesn’t have a lot of pop off the ground, not a good second jumper. But a good shot blocker with good timing. Maybe he can stretch to 15 feet, but you’re never going to run your offense through him. Offensively, what do you do with him? Can he be JaVale McGee? He’s got to get grittier. How will he fight through adversity?”
Jaden Ivey, 6-4 sophomore guard, Purdue.“Best athlete in the draft. He has an explosiveness like Russell Westbrook or John Wall. He’s gonna be able to get downhill at will. He was able to bail himself out at the college level, although I’m not sure that works up here. He puts so much pressure on the defense with his speed. He’s not a great shooter, but he’s improved. People want to know if he can be a full-time point guard because he played a lot off the ball. The one concern would be lack of ball skills. He’s not a point guard, but man, he’s so athletic. Those guys succeed. He’ll be a better NBA player than college player.”
Bennedict Mathurin, 6-6 sophomore guard, Arizona. “Not a ton of weaknesses there. Really good shooter. He’s gonna be able to fly off screens and be a really good catch-and-shoot option. He’s going to have to work on his play creation and his ballhandling. He’s not awful with the ball, but he’s not electric. He’s what our game likes, which is a big wing. He’s a streaky guy. He’s great in transition, but I’d be nervous about him in the halfcourt. I’m concerned that emotionally he gets too up and down. The way he shoots it reminds me of Ray Allen.”
Trevor Keels, 6-5 freshman guard, Duke. “I thought he should have gone back. Didn’t do anything great this year, but I think he’s got a good feel defensively and he understands where to be. Gritty, tough kid. His perimeter shooting has to improve for him to make it. His body fat at the combine was awful. What’s up with that? His shot’s not great, but it’s not broken. He can get to the hole and finish, but to me, that’s not enough at this point. I’ll give him this, though, whenever they had a big game, he showed up. He performed. He’s got a good blend of IQ and toughness. He’ll have a rough adjustment, but this is a guy you want to go to battle with.”
Walker Kessler, 7-1 sophomore center, Auburn. “Big-time defender. He did a really good job of guarding the rim, and that is really coveted right now. He’s a little insecure at times. He has a chance to be a good shooter. It happened for Marc Gasol. I’m not sure about the toughness piece. I think he has a chance to become a 3-point shooter, but he hasn’t proven it yet. He says he can shoot it, but let’s see. He’s a slow-twitch guy. He’s not gonna be the switchable defender that people like, but he’ll protect the rim. From watching his workouts, I think he’s gonna be able to shoot the 3. I wish he had a little more nasty to him.”
Christian Koloko, 7-1 junior center, Arizona. “Ten years ago, he’s a lottery pick. He’s an unbelievable runner/athlete for a guy his size. He has a high center of gravity, so he’ll get pushed around a little bit. He doesn’t block as many shots when his own guy has the ball. He has average feel, but he’s a pretty good lob threat. His IQ has gotten better, but I worry about his skill level. He’s not a great rebounder. Doesn’t have a lot of pop off the ground, not a good second jumper. But a good shot blocker with good timing. Maybe he can stretch to 15 feet, but you’re never going to run your offense through him. Offensively, what do you do with him? Can he be JaVale McGee? He’s got to get grittier. How will he fight through adversity?”