my breakdown of the pac 10 prospects for this year

derrick williams- i do think he will play pf. He wont dominate the paint at either end, but the guys is a special offensive talent. He can blow by most pf’s. He can shoot it from deep. He can run the floor. He loves looking for contact and attacks the rim and gets to the line. He has an uncanny ability to hit off balance shots from different angles from anywhere within 10 feet of the rim and make counter moves after the defense cuts off his initial move unlike a lot of bigs who have to methodically go through their premeditated post moves. Very willing passer who either attacks imediately or makes the correct pass to the open man almost never over dribbling or stalling the offensive flow.

Tyler honeycutt- Im probably higher on this guy then most and thats not just becasue im a ucla fan. This guy has enormous potential and it surprises me seeing some of the guys ahead of him on some of the mocks. He can shoot it and has the ability to develop into a very good three point threat in the nba. He is an elite passer although he occasiaonlly tries to force passes that are not there resulting in turnovers. A decent ball handler in the open court with a head of steam but doesnt have one on one halfcourt break you down abilities thus wont be a go to guy in the nba. Lack of weight mostly effects him on offense trying to finish around the rim in traffic. His skinny frame was never much of an issue on defense where he led the pac 10 in blocks and grabbed about 7 boards a game each of his 2 seasons at ucla often in traffic battling not just cheapies. nba caliber athlete who can cover ground fast. Might take a year or two to develpp depending on how much freedom given right away but put him on a court and he can do enough things to make his presence felt even if you never draw a play for him.

klay thompson-a bit of a safe pick due to this shooting ability and 6-7 height. Worst case scenario is a team ends up with a knockdown shooter who brings little else. But he is much more versatile then just another jason kapono type. He was a much improived ball handler as a junior and often pushed it up in transition making plays for teammates. A high iq guy who comes from an nba father and puts in the work in the gym. Sub par athlete who wont blow by guys or make too many highlight reel finishes. Numerous times while at washington state i saw him get straight up locked down and he had to force up shots and over dribble to try and make plays thus getting his numbers but in a somewhat ineffective manner. Obviously this leads to some concerns on being a go to wing in the nba where the defense both one on one and help side only gets tougher.

nikola vucevic- another guy i’ve been hyping for awhile who is just now starting to get some love. Measured out at 7 feet with a 7-5 wigspan and 260 pounds tremendously opening some eyes for his nba potential. Very skilled big man who can post up and step outside and shoot. Patient with the ball taking time reading the defense. Solid rebounder averaging over 10 boards a game as a junior. Led a trojan squad that has no other nba prospects and little depth to the ncaa tournamaent. As has been noted a poor athlete which is the only thing really holding him back although he is not on omar samhans or john bryants level in that regard.

malcolm lee- interesting propsect who has the whole ucla gaurds who play better in the pros then college thing working in his favor at the moment whether its warranted or not. Excellent defender at 6-5 and can gaurd either backcourt position. Never showed playmaking skills at ucla although he wasnt given much freedom in that regard making his ability to play pg a question mark. Sub par shooter although i expect he will become a solid threat from 20 feet and in but doubt he is much of an nba range threat. Decent athlete but nothing crazy. Spent a lot of time for a sg around the paint finishing off plays created by his teammates but did struggle missing tons of chip shots throughout his tenure at ucla right around the rim. Excellent team first attitude rarely forcing plays.

isaiah thomas-I truly believe if he were 2 inches taller we would be talking about this guy as a lottery pick. Excellent athlete who finshed top 5 in vertical, lane agility and sprint drills at the combine. Also shot lights out at the combine although i beleive that his shooting wont be anything special at the nba level and that was probably more of just a good day for him. Gets great lift on his jumper and can shoot off the dribble. Will more then likely struggle creating offense in the nba due to lack of size and defenders playing off him negating his quickness advantage.Great herky jerky one on one moves but defenders can still deter him from scoring even after getting beat due to length issues. Showed for the first time at washington as a junior ability to play as a team first pg after abdul gaddy went down with a season ending injury in january, although thomas did revert back to his more aggressive one on one play as the season wound down. Taller gaurds will obviously look to post him but he is an exceptionally strong guy for his size and wont be pushed around too easily.

other guys with a chance to be drafted in the second round: mathew bryan ammanning, justin holiday, jeremy green, michael dunigan.