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The big board, maybe more than I can remember, really deviated when the 10th prospect was named. Usually there's more of a consensus early on and then opinions vary, but not this drastic, this early. Here, college star Frank Kaminsky, a near surefire role player in the NBA that might not be the best fit in Philadelphia, picked up the 12th spot on the board, though with only 21% of the vote in a field of six players at the time of this writing.
Trey Lyles followed, with Cameron Payne and Kevon Looney just two votes behind Lyles. With less of a consensus, we're opening up the field to a larger group of players, each seemingly a prospect whose fit may mean more than his talent in his NBA career.
Added today are some more big names from the NCAA season and tournament:
- Sam Dekker, Kaminsky's teammate at the University of Wisconsin, surged up draft boards early in the NCAA tournament due to his athleticism stealing the spotlight and some rare consistent shooting games. Dekker's weakness is that shooting consistency: he's otherwise skilled and athletic, and his talent should probably have had him this high on draft boards all year, but he just hasn't strung together a stretch of continued success. Shouts out to Sarge Matthews.
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is a favorite of mine, and not just because his brother played for my alma mater. He might be the most ready-made defender in the draft, and he can function as a small-ball four or a big three. But RHJ can't shoot worth a lick, and a team would be gambling on being able to fix his mechanics to make him into a two-way player, rather than a sometimes unplayable bench guy.
- Jerian Grant, older brother of Sixers forward Jerami Grant, played four years at Notre Dame and is NBA-ready right now, with good size for a point guard, but without much projectability.
- Finally, coach's sons sometimes get a bad rap for being ranked highly because of relationships to people who coach. R.J. Hunter wants to shred that label. A wing out of a small college who still played on the perimeter and can shoot, he figures to be a role player down the line with the potential to be a little more than that.
Vote below, and let us know if you think anyone else should be added.