Draft Preview: Players to Watch: East
The East Region of the NCAA Tournament is stacked this year, featuring some of the top programs in college basketball, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan, along with recent strong programs, Xavier and Providence. With so many big teams, you can expect a lot of NBA prospects to go with it, including many in this group who can hear their name picked in the top ten of this year’s draft.
Here is a short breakdown of the best NBA prospects in the East region, with the players listed in the order of their team’s seed. Click here for the South Region.
Brice Johnson, Senior, North Carolina, F – Johnson has been an important part of the Tar Heels’ backcourt for the past few years, but he took a big step as a senior, becoming one of the team’s go-to offensive options. A wiry, athletic forward, the 6’9” Johnson has made great strides on the offensive end since getting to Chapel Hill, has shown much of the same low post and baseline offense that made John Henson and Ed Davis so effective in their careers there. His offense isn’t very versatile, mostly short hooks and jumpers, along with dunks, but he has improved his touch, and he shows potential to eventually move his game out to the mid-range area. Johnson is a great leaper and is quick off the ground, allowing him to be a problem on the offensive boards. Defensively, he is average at best, as he tends to lose his way if dragged out to the perimeter, and he lacks the strength to defend the low post effectively. Johnson is still very good on the defensive boards, and he has shown some effectiveness as a rim protector, so it’s not all bad on the defensive end. As for this year’s draft, Johnson’s athleticism and still untapped potential could see him going as high as the late first round.
Isaiah Hicks, Junior, North Carolina, F – Another important member of the North Carolina frontcourt, Hicks has shown great improvement over the last two seasons, giving the Tar Heels solid play on both ends of the floor, even in limited minutes. At 6’9” and 235 pounds, Hicks uses his big body well to establish position in the low post, and he shows a soft touch around the rim. Like the rest of the North Carolina forwards, Hicks is tough to keep off the offensive glass, and his ability to score around the rim with either hand leads to some easy second chances. He hasn’t been a focal point in the offense, but he takes advantage of his opportunities when he has them. Defensively, Hicks may be the best of the Tar Heels’ forwards, showing the ability to hold his own in the post, and get out on the pick-and-roll effectively. Hicks may not be looking to enter the draft this season, especially since he will take Johnson’s spot when he leaves, but he is worth watching for next year.
Edmond Sumner, Freshman, Xavier, G – Sumner took over the point guard position for Xavier as a redshirt freshman and helped lead them to a top-10 ranking. At 6’6”, Sumner has great size for the point guard position, but can also move over to the shooting guard spot, and he has the speed and athletic ability to take on any defender. He is very good as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, and while his shooting numbers won’t jump out at you, the potential is there for him to make a lot of improvement. His size can cause problems on the defensive end, and he shows a basketball IQ far beyond his years. Of any player, Sumner’s selection is more about his long-term potential, where I can see him finding himself as a first round pick in the coming years.
Jamal Murray, Freshman, Kentucky, G – After an up-and-down start to the season, Murray flourished in the second half of the season once Coach John Calipari altered the offense to run him off of screens to get open for shots instead of letting him try and create. Murray is a great spot-shooter, with NBA range, but he is much worse off the dribble, knocking down just 33 percent of his dribble jumpers. While not exactly the point guard he was touted to be, he is a decent ballhandler, though Murray has a tendency to over-dribble hoping to create something. If he can get into the lane, he can be a creative finisher, with an array of short jumpers and floaters, but he doesn’t always have the speed burst to beat defenders off the dribble, so he relies on screens to get open. Murray can also be frustrating with his passing; he has shown good vision and passing ability, but his decision making is not very good. It’s not often you see someone touted as a point guard have a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. On defense, Murray is not very good, and needs works on a lot of the basic concepts, such as positioning. Murray has shown that he can knock down spot-up jumpers, but at just 6’4”, and as a poor defender, it may take a while for him to gain traction at the NBA level. Still, some team will value the shooting and he could go in the late lottery, possibly even a bit higher if he tests well at the NBA combine.
Tyler Ulis, Sophomore, Kentucky, G – When discussing Murray’s emergence above, much of the credit needs to go to Ulis, the Wildcats’ point guard, for his ability to get Murray the ball at the right time and in the right spots. Ulis, the SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, was the spark that kept the Kentucky offense going, and along with his leadership, Ulis showed a penchant for hitting big shots when the team needed them. Small, 5’9”, and quick, Ulis is a tremendous ballhandler with great control. He is a threat in the pick-and-roll where he can disappear behind a screen, and he has the space to knock down the jumper or try to get into the defense. He has very good vision, and while not a flashy passer, he is a smart one, and he knows where to get teammates the ball in spots where they can score quickly. Ulis has knocked down some big jumpers this year, but his long-range shooting still isn’t great, just 34 percent, and because of his size, he needs time and space to get his shot off. He has improved his ability to score around the basket, using his size and speed to an advantage to create space for a short or mid-range jumper. Defensively, Ulis is a pest, and he can create chaos with his ability to seal off the perimeter. As for the NBA Draft, Ulis doesn’t have the strength or athleticism of say an Isaiah Thomas, so the NBA will be a major adjustment, but he is smart and could be a decent back-up at the next level. He would make a solid second round pick.
Skal Labissiere, Freshman, Kentucky, F – Other than Ben Simmons, no freshman faced the scrutiny that Labissiere did, and except for a few bright spots late in the season, his play did nothing to dispel the negatives about his game. 6’11”, with a 7’2” wingspan, Labissiere is long and lanky, but he does possess a nice shooting touch out to 20 feet. Around the basket, his touch can be evident, but his moves are slow to develop and he shows little aggression or determination to get to the basket. Labissiere is awkward in the pick-and-roll, though his shooting ability allows him to be a good “pop” option. His size and length should give him some advantages on the offensive glass, but he has been too timid this year and gets pushed around easily. On defense, Labissiere has a lot of potential, but he is nowhere close to realizing it yet. A lot of the same problems plague him when defending in the post; he gets moved too easily and doesn’t fight back. Labissiere has shown ability as a shot blocker, but it doesn’t make up for his poor defense, otherwise. It was expected that Labissiere was going to be very raw coming into college, and even with it being worse than expected, NBA teams will still be intrigued by his raw talent, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go in the lottery nevertheless.
