[JNixonParticipant]

 32: Darius Miller, 6’7 235, SG/SF, Kentucky, Sr.

Miller really emerged into one of the absolute best role players in college hoops in his final last 2 years, playing off of some ultra-talented players that came through Lexington when he was a Jr. and Sr. Came to Kentucky as the Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky and had underwhelming 1^st couple of seasons, but really developed beautifully. Physically, Miller is definitely blessed with on of the most NBA ready bodies of any prospect in this 2012 draft class. He stands at 6’7 which is great for a swingman, but he adds a rangy build with a near 240 lb body that is very well-sculpted. He looks like an NBA wing right now and is physically mature as a Sr. Athletically; Miller is good and underrated, but not great. He shows decent explosiveness and leaping skills. He’s not very quick and does have a little bit of stiffness in his hips, but he also shows decent speed for a guy his size though.

On the offensive end, Miller’s best attribute is hands down his ability to shoot the ball. Near automatic with his feet set and room to shoot. Uses his size well as a shooter, as he has a solid release point and isnt going to get his shots blocked often at all. Nice release speed and shoots the same shot when spotting up. Shoots jumpers a lot more than he looks to score in any other way. Able to hit jumpers off basic 1 or 2 dribble pull-ups when defenders close out too hard or play him too tight. Sometimes can break down in terms of his form when looking to hit pull-ups though, and can be a bit spotty when not in rhythm. Off the dribble, Miller is limited. Needs to improve his ball-handling skills, as he isn’t very good handling the rock right now. Has a decent 1^st step, but it only shows in pure iso sets against smaller defenders or against hard closeouts. Rarely looks to get to the rim when he drives. Not a shot creator, even though he doesn’t look bad at times when he gets to the mid-range area to utilize floaters and runners. In the event he does get to the rim, usually by off ball cuts and in transition, he is a good finisher and is able to show his leaping skills and explosion, and is more than capable of playing above the rim or finishing through contact. Could be better finishing amongst the trees, but is smart and usually cuts when weakside rotation is late. Also another great wrinkle, Miller has a developing post game and it will translate some to the NBA with his physical tools. Able to seal smaller guards down and use basic right hand jump hooks to use his length and size effectively. Rarely gets to the foul line, but is decent when there. Intelligent passer. Good shot selection. Rarely tries to do too much on the court, and plays within himself. Has all the qualities you look for in a role player, and the experience being a role player to capitalize. Not scared to take momentum changing shots.

Defensively, Miller is solid but not great. Plays with energy on this end, but his lack of great lateral quickness prevents him from being great and he has trouble with giving up penetration against quicker wings. Sometimes gets too upright, and looks stiff when trying to cut off slashing lanes. Does a good job defending jump shots and always gets a hand up. Wont bite for many pump fakes. Not a great rebounder on the wing at all for his size. Has the size and ability to defend SG and SF effectively. Has the physical tools be a strong team defender. Gets a fair number of leakouts for transition buckets.

Miller is an impressive physical presence with nice athleticism and a nice jump shot too. He has been a role player his entire career and has all the tools for that to translate, and the experience to be able to learn an NBA offense quickly. He plays within himself, and although he’s not good at creating his own shots, he can definitely be effective with his tools and skill set, especially if teamed with a good passing PG. He might slip into the end of the 1^st round, but is almost certain to be a 2^nd round pick.

 

31: Doron Lamb, 6’5 205, SG, Kentucky, Soph.

A player who enjoyed a very good 2 years at Kentucky where he developed a nicely well-rounded game, and was excellent playing off of Kentucky’s dynamic players, just like Miller was. Came to UK as a McDonalds All-American from UK’s great 2010 class and had an immediate impact. Was 2^nd Team All-SEC as a Soph., and was on the All Freshman Team. Physically, Lamb now has nice size for an NBA SG at 6’5, and he’s added about 20 lbs since he was in HS. Has an adequate, possibly mediocre 6’7 wingspan. Not a standout anywhere physically, but adequate all-around. Athletically, Lamb is average. He’s got solid quickness, agility and speed, but not great, and he isn’t explosive or a standout leaper.

Offensively, Lamb is also best known for his jump shot. Incredibly efficient shooter, and shot above 45% each of his 2 seasons at Kentucky. Has prototypical mechanics as a shooter, with great balance, a quick release, and nice elevation and footwork. Not going to miss very much when let open. Is about equally as effective off the dribble as he is spotting up, and always seems to play with impeccable balance. Not going to take many bad shots, and plays the game at his own pace, rarely if ever looking out of control. Hasn’t really been used as a scorer off screens, but could be effective doing that. As a slasher, Lamb is a bit limited though. He has solid basic ball-handling skills, but he isn’t going to break down the defense often at all, and shows a limited array of moves. Usually drives in a straight line, and doesn’t look to get all the way to the rim very often. Pulls up, or mostly likely uses a floater when in the paint, and his floater is pretty effective. Doesn’t create a whole lot of offense on his own. Isnt a great finisher around the rim, due to a lack of explosiveness and mediocre leaping skills and strength. Is great at playing to his strengths and is actually mildy clever about drawing fouls when he’s not comfortable taking the ball up amongst the trees.  Played some PG last season at Kentucky, and could’ve done a lot worse than he did. At times ran the offense better than PG and draft entry Marquis Teague did, using his high IQ and ability to take care of the ball (1.1 topg) to facilitate smoothly. Wont be asked to run an NBA offense much, if at all, but it is worth note. Good at running to the wing in transition and getting 3 point shots. Makes few mistakes at the free throw line when he gets there. Looks like a nice scoring option off the bench for a team, and the added diversity he got as a Soph. projects him easier to the NBA. Has a great feel for the game and doesn’t make bonehead plays. Can disappear at times, but he’s not the type to really hunt shots if they aren’t there.

Defensively, I think Lamb is pretty good. He’s not very strong and can be beat off the bounce by quicker guards, but his effort and fundamentals where great at Kentucky. Never fails to contests shots and is good at running slashers into weakside shot blockers (Anthony Davis…looking at you). Will probably need time to be able to deal with many of the NBA’s more physically gifted guards on a regular basis. Doesn’t get many steals at all, prefers to just cover his man and wont gamble much. Moves his feet well. Not going to chip in many rebounds.

Lamb’s jump shot will be his calling card in the NBA. He has enough size to play SG and his smarts will allow him to be decent. He’s no shot-creator and wont get too many opportunities to run the PG spot like he did at Kentucky, but that is fine. Coach Calipari lauded his overall skills, saying before the year he was the overall best player on UK’s squad, despite him not being the biggest, strongest or most flashy. His IQ, willingness to defend and his jump shot will be nice additions to whoever selects him, as will his experience playing with really talented teammates.

[joecheck88Participant]

 He is going out of his way to provide these scouting reports and you are going to complain about it??!? Omphalos, you are better than that. I’m sure if you just ask, he will post the link to the player you are looking for. 

[omphalosParticipant]

I wish you’d put them all in one thread, is it entirely necessary to make 30 threads for what is essentially a mock-draft? I’ve been keeping my eye out for certain players I like, but I don’t always see these threads, and looking back over the whole second round is a bit of a chore.

Is there a reason why they couldn’t just be condensed and updated every day?

On to the point, has Will Barton already been and gone, yet to come, or didn’t make the cut?

[joecheck88Participant]

 By the way, another good write up JNix. I really like Lamb and think he should be higher on the list. He is a great shooter. If you or someone else can, what are the differences between he and Jenkins from Vandy? 

[omphalosParticipant]

joecheck; I’m better than asking a legitimate question about the format of his write-ups?

Reading it over again it does come off as bit more aggressive/whiny than I intended, but I am curious why he doesn’t just make one thread and condense them for better access.

[kobyzParticipant]

so now it’s final, Doron Lamb is the most underrated player in this draft, come back to me when he’s in the All-Rookie first team next year!

[joecheck88Participant]

 I think at the end of his series he puts the link for all 30 days. I’m not trying to kill ya on it but 1 thread would probably get condensed and it would be asking too much, I think, to have him write it up all at once. 

[JNixonParticipant]

 "I wish you’d put them all in one thread, is it entirely necessary to make 30 threads for what is essentially a mock-draft?"

This isnt a mock draft, at all. It is my opinion who are the best prospects, in order. Secondly, I havent wrote the reports for all the players so making 1 big thread wouldnt make sense. I think the way Im doing it right, kinda keeps you on your heels about who be tomorrow, which is cool if you’re patient and willing to play into it. Finally, Im not about to make this 1 big thread. I dont even think you can post that many characters in on poll, and dont wanna find out. I wouldnt even read a thread that long, so I wouldnt expect anyone else to. 

Will Barton’s scouting report will be posted real soon.

 

[mamadouParticipant]

I really see a separation between those 2, a late first rounder, and a mid 2nd rounder.

Lamb has heat written all over him(if not taken earlier, think celts 2nd pick, think tony allen’s new back up, paul george new back up).

That’s a smart and efficient silent assassin.

Me likey, like davis and MKG, that’s a trio of winning basketball.

[GrandmamaParticipant]

Nixon, I think what he means is use the same thread every time you want to post your next two players. Same thread, and not all at one time, still two each day.

[F_S]

 it would be nice to have all in 1 tho, omphalus has a point. just for better tracking purposes

[omphalosParticipant]

Yeah Grandmama gets what I mean, I wasn’t saying you should do all 60 at once, just that you could just as easily make a countdown thread and post updates as separate replies every day, that way we can see the new ones easily. I did a similar thing when I had my "Lottery teams we hardly knew ye" thread, there was a new game report every day, and they were all pretty damn long, but people didn’t seem to have a problem having them all in the one thread.

The assessments of the players are great, but their rankings are hard to evaluate when you can’t quickly compare who they are before/after.

Sorry I didn’t convey my meaning particularly well in my earlier posts, it was 4am over here and I was extremely tired. Nice to see Barton is in your "first round" of prospects.

[iguapops420Participant]

 I absolutely love Doron’s game. Actually one of my favorite players in draft simply because I know EXACTLY what I’m gettin. Personally he reminds me of a Gary Neal/Anthony Morrow floor, and a Cat Mobley like ceiling. Terrificly consistent player.

[Author]

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