[fliptonnParticipant]

This is always a hot topic for the draft of course. there are always a few guys who get drafted very high based on their potential, some pan out and some dont. this draft is absolutely full of them though. guys like anthony davis even who has had an amazing season, when was the last time a #1 overall pick averaged 15 a game? obviously davis has all the tools for success so people are less worried about him, but guys like perry jones, jeremy lamb, mayers leonard, austin rivers, the list goes on and on about 15-20 deep. i think the fact that andre drummond is projected so far ahead of ACC player of the year is amazing, not absurd, but amazing. there are so many guys in this draft who could be superstars or ride the bench for their whole careers. just an interesting thing to think about. thoughts?

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

How many ppg did Oden average? Rose? Wall? Irving? Alot of those guys didnt average much more then about 15 ppg

Anthony Davis will not be the number 1 pick because of his potent scoring ability. He doesnt have a great scoring abiliity. Though I think he has the ability to average around 16 ppg in the league. He will be the top pick because of his defensive prowess and shotblocking ability. Rebounding and blocking shots is at its pinnacle of importance in today’s basketball world. Anthony Davis does both of those things.

There is always a bunch of "potential" guys in drafts. This year is certainly no different, though at the top there isnt a huge risk high reward type player as there has been in the past unless Drummond counts as that guy.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

It works both ways. If college productivity was always the key to telling who is going to succeed in the NBA, than the draft would be a lot less complex. The thing is, the guy who dominates college may have issues as a NBA player, whereas the guy who only plays one decent year might blossom down the road. I think that potential has always played a part in the draft, you are projecting who the best player will be.

For those who say "GM’s don’t want to lose their jobs gambling on him", that completely works both ways as well. Do you think Otis Smith still has a job with the Magic if he were part of the team that drafted Emeka Okafor over Dwight Howard? I point to Drew Gooden and Chris Wilcox over Amare Stoudemire. The case of Shelden Williams over, well, everybody. For as many HS guys that "cost GM’s there job", there are those who excelled or were incredible value.

At this present time, I think you have to look at it as projecting where some of these players will be. Tyler Zeller did not average double digit scoring until he was a junior, Andre Drummond did so in his first season. Thomas Robinson may have played behind people, but if you look at Drummond and Robinson as freshmen, who do you take? Some think it is attitude and it could be, but potential needs to be taken into account in many cases.

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

He never wowed me in College never. Despite that fact I was in favor of where he was taken I had no doubt what he could do in the L. Grab talent,skills,potential 1st in that order. Best way to play the law of averages and keep your GM job.

[Champzilla21Participant]

 College is important when drafting people but its not the the whole story. They are two completely game types. In college you see games where both teams play zone all game, when do you see that in the NBA? Scoring averages in college arent that major either, the games 8 mins shorter and theres 35 sec shot clocks mean less shots and time played compared to the next year. The main things to look for is the persons basketball IQ, Is he making the right play? Maturity How did he do in school and and whether or not he got in trobule and if his teammates like him, Body, Will he get taller? Can he carry more weight, etc and potential. Looking at all the skills he has can they become better with work or will he always be average when translating it to the professional level . Thats what i try and take away from the college game, stats are just used to try and justify your selection but it shouldnt be the main thing

[r377Participant]

Potential over productivity – My name is Perry Jones….

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