The NCAA Tournament can have a profound effect on a college basketball player’s NBA Draft status. The eyes of the basketball world are glued to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games as some of the top prospects battle head-to-head. Here are some players who either helped or hurt their draft stock this past weekend. Click here for The Sports Bank’s 2012 NBA Mock Draft.
BUY:
Bradley Beal, SG, Florida, Fr.
The consensus on Beal seems to be that he is a “can’t miss” prospect. He was the best player on the floor, scoring 21 points in the Gators’ Sweet 16 victory versus Marquette. Beal is an extremely intelligent and versatile player who rarely ever forces anything on the offensive end. His season statistics may not be eye-popping but Beal will certainly be the first shooting guard taken in the draft and might actually go as high as second overall.
Quincy Acy, PF, Baylor, Sr.
I haven’t been high on Acy as a draft prospect because of the fact that he is undersized. However, Acy just plays like a bulldog on the court and proved that he doesn’t back down from anybody. He had 42 points, 23 rebounds, and some typical Acy rim-rocking dunks. For the first time this season, he will be making an appearance in my next 2012 NBA Mock Draft and should get plenty of second round looks due to his toughness.
James Michael McAdoo, F, North Carolina, Fr.
Potential, potential, potential. McAdoo displayed his potential on Sunday by scoring a team-high 15 points in the Tar Heels’ loss to Kansas. He is still fairly raw on the offensive end, needs to add some weight to his frame, and is nowhere near ready to contribute at the next level. Still, if he chooses to turn pro in the next couple weeks, McAdoo will almost certainly be a top ten pick. I hope he returns to school and develops his game as he will get exponentially more minutes next season. However, the allure of being a lottery pick might be too much to turn down.
Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina, Soph.
He didn’t play a single minute in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 due to a wrist injury yet I’m buying his stock? Yup. With Marshall off the floor, we saw how Carolina’s offense became relatively pedestrian especially against Ohio. If that doesn’t prove how valuable Marshall is to the Heels as a floor general and distributor, I am not sure what does. I still think he could be the first point guard taken though Damian Lillard of Weber State and Washington’s Tony Wroten are currently ranked higher than him on my big board.
SELL:
Perry Jones, F, Baylor, Soph.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but PJ Trey was once again underwhelming on them on the biggest stage of them all. In four tourney games, Jones averaged just 10 points and 7 rebounds per game; not exactly what you would expect from a possible top ten pick. He was a no-show in the first half versus Kentucky scoring just two points. The same questions come up regarding Jones; lack of toughness and assertiveness, aggressiveness on the defensive end, and concerns about his general basketball IQ. If I was a NBA GM, I wouldn’t put my career on the line by taking this kid in the top ten.
Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina, Soph.
Nobody missed Kendall Marshall more than Barnes. With Marshall sidelined, Barnes was forced to be more of a creator with the ball in his hands which is not at all a strength of his. He was 8-30 from the field, 2-14 from three, and turned it over eight times versus Ohio and Kansas this past weekend. Once a lock to be a top-five pick, Barnes stock is slipping and now the top ten seems more reasonable for Barnes.
Kris Joseph, SF, Syracuse, Sr.
It was evident this weekend that Joseph is nowhere near Cuse’s best player. That award goes to my basketball crush, Dion Waiters. K-Jo had a lackluster 17 points and 4 rebounds combined versus Wisconsin and Ohio State. There was a slim chance of the Montreal native sneaking into the first round, but he certainly looked like a second round prospect this weekend.
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.