By: David Kay
Every week The Sports Bank’s resident NBA Draft and college basketball nerd, David Kay takes a look at whose draft stock is on the rise and whose is falling.
BUY:
Stanley Robinson, SF, UConn, Sr.
I am not going to lie; I have been rooting against Robinson being a first round pick because he absolutely torched my Marquette boys last season. Truth is Robinson has been impressive this year stepping in for the likes of A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, and Hasheem Thabeet. His athleticism is at an elite level which NBA scouts love. The most important part of Robinson’s improved game is his outside shooting which was his major knock heading into this season. So far, Robinson is 15-27 from distance which is part of the reason his scoring average has more than doubled from a year ago. His outside shot is still not near completely polished, but he has definitely shown the growth to be worthy of a mid-late first round pick.
Lance Stephenson, SG, Cincinnati, Fr.
I absolutely loved Tyreke Evans’ game last year while he was a freshman at Memphis so this next statement has added meaning. Stephenson is this year’s Tyreke Evans. His ability to score for a freshman is ridiculous. He already has an NBA-ready body, attacks the basket almost effortlessly, creates his own shot with ease, and has a pretty stroke from the perimeter. He dropped 21 in a win against UConn which included an ankle-breaking step back jumper. It is absolutely baffling to me that other NBA Draft sites have him as a mid-second round pick. There is no doubt in my mind that he worthy of a lottery selection. Call me crazy, but I am that confident about his abilities.
JaJuan Johnson, PF, Purdue, Jr.
The 6-10 junior is showing the steady progress that scouts wanted to see from Johnson. He looked flat-out awesome in Purdue’s beat down of West Virginia with 25 points and 10 boards. His jump shot continues to improve from the perimeter and he doing a better job of establishing himself in the paint. If Johnson can become a more aggressive rebounder, he will get late-first round picks this year if he decides to forgo his junior season.
Click here to see whose stock David is selling this week.
Check out David’s 2010 Mock Draft here and player scouting reports here.