From Duke’s Tre Jones to UNC’s Cole Anthony, these ACC players could soon be in the NBA
For a long time, a basketball fan could see most NBA draft prospects in the NCAA tournament.
Between International players, some U.S. players choosing a pro season overseas over college basketball, and at least one high prospect (former Memphis big man James Wiseman) dropping out of college, it’s more complicated this March.
Even some pro prospects who chose college won’t necessarily qualify for the NCAA tournament. For instance, it will take winning a conference tournament — for an automatic bid — for North Carolina’s Cole Anthony to appear in the NCAA tournament, which starts on March. 17 in Dayton, Ohio.
So next week’s conference tournaments — including the ACC tournament in Greensboro — will be the best and possibly last chance to see some of these guys play before they decide whether to enter the June 25 draft at New York’s Barclays Center.
The Charlotte Hornets’ draft-pick range is still pretty wide. They have 21 wins heading into Saturday’s home game against the Houston Rockets. Six other teams are in the 19- to 22-victory range, so there is a jumble with about a quarter season left until draft-lottery chances are figured.
If you’re catching up on players who could be drafted in the first round, next week is your window.
A look at some of the ACC’s top draft possibilities (listed alphabetically) with the conference’s tournament Tuesday through Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum:
Cole Anthony, UNC
(Mid- to late-lottery): The son of former NBA player Greg Anthony, he’d be in a point guard-heavy draft class. He missed several weeks with a knee injury, and the Tar Heels have had a nightmare season of close losses. Anthony entered college basketball with top-5 pick projections. He’s a volume shooter (more than 16 attempts from the field per game) without being particularly efficient (39 percent from the field). His rebounding is surprising for a 6-foot-3 guard at nearly six per game.
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke
(Mid-first round): NBA teams almost always give the benefit of the doubt to big guys (6-foot-10) who rebound in bunches (8.7 per game) and demonstrate some ability to be a perimeter shooter. But here’s the rub: Although Carey has made 40 percent of his attempts from the college 3-point line, he has taken fewer than one 3 per game. So that’s more potential than proving anything so far as Carey projecting as a “stretch 4,” the valued power forward who makes corner 3s.
Tre Jones, Duke
(Mid- to late first round): While three Duke teammates (Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish) turned pro last spring, Jones chose to stay in Durham for a second season. The best thing he has done as a sophomore to improve the NBA’s perception is raise his 3-point percentage from an awful 26 percent last season to a solid 36 percent this season. NBA point guards have to be able to make open 3s — it’s essential to spacing, specific to the position and keeps defenders from playing off the point guard to hinder dribble penetration.
Jordan Nwora, Louisville
(Mid-first round): This is his third season of top-level college basketball and that shows in Nwora’s productivity. He scores both off the dribble and from the 3-point line (40 percent from the college arc) and his rebounding at 7 1/2 per game is impressive for a 6-foot-7 small forward. However, staying in college this long might indicate that Nwora is limited athletically by NBA standards.
Devin Vassell, Florida State
(Late first round/early second): This is the sort of player you could see the Hornets trading into a pick in the 20s to acquire: A shooting guard with size (6-foot-7) whose shooting (49 percent from field and 42 percent from 3) would address a need. Florida State players good enough to be pros generally hold up at the defensive end because Leonard Hamilton is so demanding and such a good defensive teacher.
Patrick Williams, Florida State
(Late first round/early second): A 6-foot-8 forward who played high school ball at West Charlotte, Williams would be somewhat an NBA project after a single college season, but he averages a shot blocked per game, so there is rim-protection capability. He needs to improve his 3-point shooting (33 percent on 49 attempts) because his size, combined with the NBA style, means he will have to play some on the perimeter to succeed.
Three prospects from other conferences worth checking out ...
Anthony Edwards, Georgia
(Top-5 pick): Edwards could end up the No. 1 overall pick somewhat by default in a draft that looks weaker than the last one. He does spectacular things, like a dunk against Vanderbilt that had social media chattering, but his freshman season has been so uneven. You don’t expect a physically dominant 6-foot-5 guard to shoot just 41.5 percent from the field. Catch him in the SEC tournament, because the Bulldogs are out of contention for an at-large NCAA bid.
Isaac Okoro, Auburn
(Top-10 pick): The 6-foot-6 Okoro’s ability to guard a spectrum of positions from point guard to power forward makes him a fine fit in an NBA where switching defenses have never been more in vogue. He has lower-body strength that should make the transition from college to the NBA easier. His 28 percent shooting from the college 3-point line is a source of concern; he might never be a primary scoring option.
Obi Toppin, Dayton
(Top-15 pick): Arguably the best NBA prospect at a mid-major program (Atlantic 10), Toppin at 6-foot-9 would likely play both power and small forward in the NBA. His physical power as an interior scorer is the core of his offensive game. That he’s taking nearly three 3-pointers per game this season, and making 39 percent, provides some balance, compared with him taking less than one 3 per game last season.
