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 4: Jeremy Lamb, 6’5 179, SG, UConn, Soph.

After emerging as a legit prospect during the Big East and NCAA tournament as a Fr., Lamb really had the nation’s eyes on him…UConn struggled and underachieved through a season where he was supposed to be the team leader, but he did manage to improve his production as a Soph., and proved that his late season spurt as a Fr. wasn’t a fluke…Pretty quiet kid, and wasn’t really a vocal leader at UConn because it isn’t his nature, but he will be able to fit on an NBA team if he has the right kinds of leaders, we all saw how he responded with Kemba Walker on his team…Father, Rolando, was an NBA player…1^st Team All Big East and Honorable Mention AP All-American as a Soph., competed for the US U19 FIBA squad prior to this past season (led the team in points and steals)…Physically, Lamb has some nice tools…He is a legit 6’5, so he meets the height standards for an NBA SG…Also adds a 6’11 wingspan, confirming the visible length he has…He is very thin and not very strong though, at 179 lbs and doesn’t have the shoulders to put on weight without risking losing athleticism and flexibility, which is a concern…Athletically, Lamb is very good…He’s a pretty quick and explosive player, and has good leaping skills and fluidity on the wing

On offense, Lamb is a weapon with some still developing skills…He is most effective as a shooter…One of the very best in the draft as an off ball scorer…Sometimes he makes things look extremely easy when scoring the ball…Able to use screens to hit shots as well as any prospect in the draft…Moves off the ball very beautifully, and will be a tough matchup as he constantly runs his matchups for open shots…Very precise footwork…Picture perfect ability to run off screens, square up to the bucket, and rise up for shots…Shoots a pretty ball…Is best from mid-range, probably the best mid-range scorer in the draft…Has a step back jumper he likes to use off the dribble, even though it is pretty inconsistent…Seems to be developing a nice floater…NBA range…Is a knockdown shooter with his feet set…Sometimes settles for the jumper when he should look to pass or slash, but he often did it because he had to try and get as many shots as possible due to UConn’s selfish guards…Hasn’t a very efficient 3-point shooter for that reason, definitely think that will improve in the NBA though…Off the dribble, Lamb is promising but is still putting the pieces together…Has good handling skills and is effective creating his own shots…Shows a pretty good 1^st step…Is good at using stutter steps and plays with just enough shiftiness to make him a tough 1-on-1 cover…Looks comfortable in the pick and roll, but settles most of the time when he does…Mostly looks to pull up for jumpers when he handles the ball, which is good because sometimes he just looks like a natural doing so, but it also shows his finesse too much as he doesn’t drive with aggression…Likes to go left when he handles the ball…Rarely looks to get to the rim off the bounce, but used his length and athleticism to be a good finisher around the rim despite his lacking strength and muscle…Shows good body control…Shot 60% on 2pt field goals last season, which is a truly outstanding rate, especially when you consider he’s 179 lbs…Despite this, Lamb didn’t get to the foul line at a high rate in either of his 2 seasons at UConn, mostly due to his propensity to settle…Doesn’t appear to be very tough…Floated quite a bit, and isn’t a take charge type of player, which caused him to take a backseat in some games to the more ball-dominant and erratic UConn guards (Napier and Boatright)…Seems so nonchalant that it can be seen as not aggressive enough, especially since he did let other less talented teammates get shots that they shouldn’t have…Was often just a role player, but one with the talent of a featured scorer…I do think he will eventually become an aggressive scorer though, a coach will give him more freedom and his guards wont be as selfish and wild in the NBA as in college…Excellent transition player, as he showed his Fr. season…Gets up and down the floor very well, and is an pretty good finisher in the open court…Also an effective trailer for jumpers in the open…Could fit in well with any tempo a team likes to play…Needs to show more willingness to pass, but he actually seems like he could be able to play some PG in the future, but I don’t know…Played a little PG in the FIBA games before his Soph. season…Is a nice FT shooter, but got to the line at a low rate for a guy who can score like he can

Defensively Lamb is decent, but he took a step back after really defending well as a Fr…He has the size and length to defend both guard spots and maybe even a little SF, and did so when he was on the Nat’l title team in 2011…Needs to get stronger though, REALLY can struggle getting through screens…Definitely will have to add weight to take advantage of his ability to defend everything on the perimeter consistently…Has the length and quick hands to get in the passing lanes at a nice rate…Got a lot of easy baskets by getting steals and sometimes even blocks that led to runouts…Great lateral quickness…Has to make sure he is dialed in to consistently be a good defender…Solid rebounding wing

Lamb is a really, really good natural talent and he’s a bit of a late bloomer…He can score at all 3 levels and is an excellent off ball scorer…He needs more strength, toughness and aggression, which all go hand and hand IMO, but he’s just a real impressive offensive player with the potential to be a good defensive player as well…He should be able to step right in and at least put the ball in the hoop for an NBA team, at best he will be willing enough to defend good and rebound well on the perimeter

 

3: Harrison Barnes, 6’8 228, SF/SG, UNC, Soph.

Possibly the most highly touted recruit n the 2010 class, Barnes checks in at #3…Had 2 productive seasons in the ACC, but there are still legit concerns about him…Had times where he struggled, particularly at the start of his Fr. season and the end of last season…Returned to UNC for what looked like a legit chance at being in the Final 4 given that they had/have 4 projected NBA 1^st rounders on their team, but fell n the Elite 8 after star PG and Barnes’ “supplier” Kendall Marshall went out with a broken wrist…2^nd Team All-American and 1^st Team All-ACC as a Soph, 2^nd Team All-ACC as a Fr., ACC Rookie of the Year in 2011…Physically, Barnes is about what you want to see from an NBA SF…He stands 6’8, which is above average for an NBA SF, and he has a very mature 228 lb build that packs on very good bulk and has developed nicely since he was in HS…Solid 6’11 wingspan…As an athlete, Barnes tested well, but does have some weaknesses…He’s always been a solid leaper (38” vert at the combine without a running start), and has good speed for his size…Not especially quick or agile though…Explosiveness is probably decent

On offense, Barnes is a scorer but he uses his jump shots to be effective…His jump shot mechanics are a little different than textbook form, but they still are effective…Has a high release that will make it hard to block his shots, and he also shows terrific body control and footwork when rising and squaring for shots, which allows him to stop his momentum and shoot well after he’s been running or moving off the ball…Shoots a really pretty ball, and is near automatic when left open with his feet set…Easily able to hit shots off screening action and off basic 2 dribble pull-ups, from as far out as 25 ft…NBA range…Also shows a strong mid-range game…His favorite off the dribble move: 2 dribble pull-up then step back…Highly effective with that move, and it is definitely NBA-caliber so it will translate easily…Needs to work on not shooting quite as many contested shots, as it hurt his percentages last season from both mid-range and 3…Off the dribble, Barnes struggles the more he puts the ball on the floor…He hits pull-up jumpers as I’ve said but he does get to the rim much when he creates offense for himself…Usually needs an open lane or no weakside help for him to decide to drive to the rim…Is a good finisher most times though, and has the strength to finish through contact and the leaping skills to at times finish above contact…Would like to see him become more of a ball-handler, right now he is too reliant on a PG to go get him shots…Looks to pull up for jumpers far more than get in the paint…Has few moves and mostly goes in a straight line when he slashes…Struggled mightily when he was forced to play without Kendall Marshall at PG, which shows Marshall’s value but also shows that Barnes sorely needs his shots created for him to be most effective…Doesn’t really possess the shot creating skills to be an ideal franchise player…Not selfish, but rarely passed the ball for UNC, maybe due to his role?…Had only 8 games where he got more than 2 assists, in both of his seasons at UNC…Still a 1.1/1.9 is a low A/TO for a wing…Although Barnes doesn’t put the ball on the floor a whole lot, he does a good job of drawing fouls when he does…Good at using his shot fakes to bait defenders into lunge, and then initiates contact that way…Average FT shooter (72%), probably would like to see him closer to 80%…Promising post game for his age…Is developing a turnaround jumper that will be effective against smaller matchups…Has the size to be a good post up option in the NBA…Good transition player, where his leaping skills shows around the rim and he also is an effective trailer or pull-up 3 point shooter…Pretty good in the clutch…Can score in bunches at times with his jumper…Has some leadership qualities…Shows good composure…Good offensive rebounder on the wing…Can play SG in a big lineup

Defensively, Barnes is pretty solid…He has the strength and fundamentals to keep his man in front and deny penetration…Very nice positional defender…He might not be the best at stopping the more elite athletes, but he will not be a pushover either…Will contest shots…Shows decent hand quickness to get a few steals…Has the strength to defend the bigger SF’s…Rebounds well

Barnes is going to be able to compete in the NBA probably as soon as he lands…He will need to improve his ability to create for himself though, as he’s too one-dimensional as a shooter at times and he can really slump a times when he isn’t making shots…If he’s paired with a good PG though, he really could be a high level complimentary piece…He defends and rebounds too…I think Barnes could really be an overall standout if he works on getting more moves with the ball and teams up with an unselfish pass 1^st PG

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