2011 NBA Draft Preview



Although this may not be the deepest draft ever, there are still extremely talented players on the board.

This draft, in my opinion, has the potential to go down as one of the better drafts in the last 20 years. While Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving are the standouts in this year's class, there are many players with tremendous upsides, all of whom could become all-stars in their own right. With a draft class as unique as this one, every detail needs to be evaluated, right down to the last attribute.

Draft Sleepers

Jimmer Fredette: While people focus on the negatives, let's look at some of the postives, and the huge upside that this man has. Although his decision making, speed, and lack of defense often have scouts turning the other shoulder, his jumpshot is exceptional, and he is deceptively quick. Finally, before you criticize the former Brigham Young guard, take a look at Stephen Curry's numbers while at Davidson. He also averaged, as Fredette did, around 4 assists and 3 turnovers in his final seaon as a Wildcat. I think it's safe to say that Curry is doing just fine in the pros. Which leads me to my point, Jimmer has growing room, but he deinitely can do more right than he does wrong.


Alec Burks: A 6'5" athletic shooting guard who can get to the basket and has a decent jumpshot is all the down at #13 on ESPN's Mock Draft? Behind Bismarck Biyombo and Chris Singleton? I must say that i'm a bit taken back by that projection. How in the world are Singleton and Biyombo ahead of this guy? Burks has all-star potential, and if he can ever develop a consistent outside tocuh, he will be a force to be reckoned with amongst the NBA's elite in 3-4 years.


Kemba Walker: While he got more attention than he bargained for at Connecticut, I don't think that he is getting nearly enough attention in this year's draft. Yes, I know his height. Yes, I understand that at times he couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. But Walker is extremely quick, can get to the basket, and most importantly, he's a winner. He will be able to control the offense of whatever team he is selected by, as he has a very high basketball I.Q. as well, and controls the tempo of a game.

Possible NBA Draft Busts

Brandon Knight: I understand that he became the leader of the Wildcats as the 2010-11 college season progressed, but in my mind he is not a legitimate pro prospect. If anybody on that Wildcat team was ready to come out, it was Terrence Jones. Brandon Knight? What's his best attribute? While he is extremely quick, his jumpshot tends to be a bit inconsistent from three point land. Also, he shoots way too much, rather than looking to run a set offense. Knight may get better as his career rolls on, but he's not ready just yet. And without a doubt not worthy of Utah's third overall pick.



Jeremy Tyler: While i've heard people praising his name, I believe in this particular situation that the bad may actually outweigh the good. Immature, not a high Basketball I.Q., and has a very limited game. He's simply a big guy who can jump, maybe a JaVale McGee type at his best throughout the course of his NBA Journey.




I know that I left a lot of guys out on this list, but I wanted to get my point across plain and simple. As for my opinion on who I think will be the first overall pick, Kyrie Irving takes the cake on this one. Now, I am a firm believer that Derrick Williams will have a fantastic NBA career... in which I expect him to make multiple all-star games. However, the Cavaliers have the first and fourh picks. This way you can pick up Irving, a point guard who controls the tempo, all the while maintaining a stable rebounding game, considering Jonas Valanciunas' length, as I think they will take him fourth.

So, all in all, this should be a very good draft which I believe may produce the future stars of tomorrow. Thank you for reading, stay tuned.