2013 NBA Draft

[NorCal]

Now that the 2012 draft is over, I thought it would be time to start a 2013 thread. Moderators- can we please make this thread sticky?

It seems that there exists a consensus top 6 players:

Shabazz Muhammed (incoming freshman UCLA)
Nerlens Noel (freshman Kentucky)
Steven Adams (freshman Pittsburgh)
Alex Poythress (freshman Kentucky)
James McAdoo (sophomore North Carolina)
Cody Zeller (sophomore Indiana)

There is no clear cut #1 draft choice like there was during last year's pre-season in Anthony Davis, who of course, did end up becoming the consensus and actual #1 pick in the draft. The mock sites seem to suggest that Noel and Muhammed are the frontrunners with Zeller right behind them.

Muhammed I believe does one thing dominantly at or near NBA level already and that is score the basketball. He is strong and has a refined mid range game, something you don't see very often out of elite prospects his age. He needs to improve on other areas as he seems to get 'tunnel vision' due to his scoring prowess.

Noel is elite defensively and has been compared to Anthony Davis on that end. I'm not sure he is going to be at that level but I think he will definitely be a defensive force in college and eventually in the NBA.

There have been reports that Zeller looks miles ahead of where he was as a freshman- and he was a considerable force as a freshman. I am reserving judment for him as a possible number 1 pick until I see him in his new form.


If Zeller turns out to have made great strides as reported then I think he has a good chance to surpass Noel or Muhammed.

[sinobball]

I've only watched Noel and Muhammed, and I wasn't impressed with either. I'm no expert, just my 2 cents.

Muhammed is skilled and athletic and definitely ready to play in the NBA, but #1 pick? He is what, 6'6''? and plays in the post, not going to work nearly as well at the higher level.

Noel is an athletic freak but has no offensive skills to speak of and also makes poor decisions, maybe he'll end up like Marcus Camby but I suspect he'll fare no better than Stromile Swift.

There is an incoming freshman that I was really impressed with, Kyle Anderson. 6'8'' forward, can play point guard, really smart player. Average athleticism (he has some Chinese blood in him ) but I think he'll be great in the NBA.

[CKR13]

Steven Adams is the player that intrigues of all. Then there's no-hype LeBryan Nash (Cool name) that is projected as a lottery. My early favorite for top pick is either Shabazz Muhammad or Cody Zeller.

[NorCal]

I've only watched Noel and Muhammed, and I wasn't impressed with either. I'm no expert, just my 2 cents.

Muhammed is skilled and athletic and definitely ready to play in the NBA, but #1 pick? He is what, 6'6''? and plays in the post, not going to work nearly as well at the higher level.

Noel is an athletic freak but has no offensive skills to speak of and also makes poor decisions, maybe he'll end up like Marcus Camby but I suspect he'll fare no better than Stromile Swift.

There is an incoming freshman that I was really impressed with, Kyle Anderson. 6'8'' forward, can play point guard, really smart player. Average athleticism (he has some Chinese blood in him ) but I think he'll be great in the NBA.

I think this incoming freshman class was one of the weakest we've seen in years. Muhammed seemed like the clear alpha dog at the Nike Hoop Summit and McDonald's and Jordan All American games but, to me, right now he projects to be a high volume low efficiency scorer. He kind of reminds me of Jerry Stackhouse, a guy was a good all around scorer but was never efficient enough to be an all star level player (although he did make 2 all star games). I think Muhammed, like Stackhouse is a bit overrated because he does well what everybody likes to see- he puts the ball in the hoop.

I really like watching Kyle Anderson too. He is kind of like Dario Saric in that they are oversized, versatile PGs/wing players who have a history of winning where they have gone. They are both fun to watch. But Anderson, like Saric, I think is a player who could do really well on the right team with the right role but could be a bench warmer on other teams.

[CKR13]

I'm building my mock-draft this early. The way I see it, there will be Cody Zeller and Steven Adams comparisons in the months to follow.

[sinobball]

Steve Adams put up crazy stats in junior competitions, but from the footage I've seen I don't think he'd be in the lottery. Mid-to-late first round in my opinion.

[CKR13]

Nerlens Noel suffered a season ending injury the other night. This will surely shake up the draft as Noel might not even turn pro and consider to return for his sophomore year.

That way, he can still polish some of the facets of his overall game that needs improvement.

[carlo]

Anthony Bennett is heading NetScouts' Super 60 Prospects list.

Surprisingly (to me) Shabazz Muhammad is just ranked # 9.

[CKR13]

North Carolina's CJ Leslie has declared for the draft.

[pohani komarac]

How much Shabazz stock will be hurt now when it's known he is 92. born, not 93.???

[CKR13]

How much Shabazz stock will be hurt now when it's known he is 92. born, not 93.???

We can assume that it is already hurting him now. This week, Muhammad slipped from most draft boards top five into the top ten. The manipulation of his father casts a dark cloud on this prospect. From a bright prospect, that was losing its luster due to the father's intervention. He wanted Muhammad to pad his stock by letting him play with a mediocre team. The opposite happened as playing in UCLA's version of one and done route exposed Muhammad's defficiencies in the game.

Ben Howland was fired this week, so it was an ugly UCLA and college career for Muhammad.

[CKR13]

Now that Kansas was eliminated in the NCAA tournament, Ben McLemore could declare for the draft.

[CKR13]

NC State point guard Lorenzo Brown will enter the draft.

http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2013/story/_/id/9108702/lorenzo-brown-north-carolina-state-wolfpack-enter-nba-draft

[CKR13]

This link will constantly updated for your reference.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2013-early-entry-list

[CKR13]

Kentucky's Archie Goodwin has declared for the draft.