[M-DYMESParticipant]

John Wall- Already deemed the next Derrick Rose. Very athletic PG who has tons of potential. Has been the consensus top pick before the start of the season

Evan Turner- What doesn’t this guy do? Hitting a damn near half-court buzzer beater in the Big Ten tournament. He scores on and off the ball, finds teammates, plays D, and is starting to show the CLUTCH factor. Easily the most dominant player in college ball right now, even more than Wall. I didn’t know how excited to get about him as a T-Wolves fan, but if they land him Im pumped.

Derrick Favors- Amazing athleticism. He has really come on as of late. Putting up double doubles consistently and is proving to be a defensive presence. His potential is through the roof, similar to when Josh Smith came out. By the end of the tourney, he will be a top 5 pick if he has not already solidified that.

Demarcus Cousins- Amazing potential as a big man. He is really starting to come into his own in Kentucky and will be a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. Just gotta keep his mind right. He’s got size, power, and decent touch around the rim. Solid hands.

Greg Monroe- Very versatile bigman. Has very solid handles, to the point that Thompson trusts him to bring it up the court. He is already one of the better passing bigman I have ever seen. He has great court vision and is a very smooth and fluid player. I think he will prove he is worthy of a top 5 pick after Georgetown makes a decent run in the tourney.

I think by the end of the tourney, this will be the consensus top 5. Maybe not necessarily in that order, but unless a team really needs to address an outside need, these are the players who should be considered.

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

Do you think Wesley Johnson drops out of top 5 pick? If so, how far?

[M-DYMESParticipant]

I think unless Syracuse makes the Final Four, he is in trouble.

Lets look at the next 5 picks after my top 5 (going by current standings on the site)…

6. Philly

7. Detroit

8. Sacramento

9. Utah

10. LAC

Philly already has Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. A SG/SF is the least of their needs. Lets say they take Motiejunas as the site predicts.

Detroit needs a big man. They have Hamilton (FA), Gordon, Prince, Jerebeko. They don’t need Johnson. I think they could look at Aldrich here.

Sacramento…maybe? They have Evans and Greene is starting to develop. They also have Casspi. There are greater needs down low or for a pure PG (not really any in the draft. I think if slotted here, they may look to trade the pick, take a big (Whiteside), or go BPA who they may consider to be Johnson but could also think it is Aminu/Henry/Anderson/James in this position.

Utah…could be a good fit. When they got rid of Brewer that opened a slot, but Matthews has played well. Kirilenko is getting older but is still very solid. I think they would be better suited with a big, but Johnson could be nice here. So could Damion James though who has a higher ceiling IMO.

LAC…I think unless they are looking for a better on the ball player like Henry/Anderson/James this could be a place he could land. It all depends on what they think of his potential.

Keep in mind Johnson is realtively older than many other players in the draft. That is a slight red flag when looking at prospects. He never really was a player who would take over a game. He is just very solid in all aspects of his game. Teams may see greater potential elsewhere, but he could fill an immediate need. It depends on the team…with a top 10 pick do you look for a guy to come in a fill a role on your team now, or do you look for a potential all-star caliber player. This draft is very deep and filled with talent. And since Johnson has just been a very solid player all year (never making big headlines) his stock could fall quite a bit.

I see damn near no scenario where he is still a top 5 pick. Unless he absolutely takes over in the tourney and Syracuse makes the final four, there are just too many guys who look like they may have greater potential and that is what you look for with a top 5 pick IMO. A guy who can become a potential allstar/superstar.

[the I in winParticipant]

M DYMES, i think johnson would be perfect for the jazz. They NEED a scorer on the wing but someone that doesn’t dominate the ball. This woul make the Jazz significantly better if they keep boozer.

[WälseParticipant]

i dont think Monroe or Cousins has all-star or superstar potential. i dont think either one of them can jump over a quarter & i dont think either has the overall skills to compensate ala Timmy. Cousins is Jamal Magloire deluxe to me (did make an all-star team somehow) & Monroe will get lost in the NBA shuffle..even though Johnson is older, his athleticism gives him a higher upside…i think he might be the type whos game is just better suited for the NBA style of play like Vinsanity was…(& no i’m not comparing them as players lol)

[sheltwon3Participant]

alphamale you really think those two solid bigs will not do anything in the league seriously. Cousins is a physical center with maybe slightly better athleticism than Al Jefferson and he has the knack for scoring Al does and he will be solid. Greg Monroe is Skilled, knows the game of basketball well and can do a lil of everything but has average athleticism as a big. I honestly can’t see how either one of these guys can be a bust. Johnson to me reminds me of Josh Howard with a better perimeter shot. He will be a solid guy and worst case scenario would be Al Thornton an inconsistant combo scoring forward who also came out older.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

A lot of people are forgetting about one of the best players in the NCAA… That’s West Virginia’s own D’Sean Butler.. Kid’s got game.. He’s hit a hoist of clutch shots in his career and has a nice jump shot to get himself in the league. Not all-star potential but i see him as a 18ppg scorer for the better part of his career. Not to mention he’s a prolific rebounder, especially on the offensive glass

[WälseParticipant]

its not that i dont think they’ll do anything in the league…i’m just confident in saying that neither will be a star…i dont think either will be a bust, but at the same time i dont think either warrants a top 5 pick…& i think Al is more athletic than Cousins with more natural scoring ability

[Author]

Posts