[ilike.panochasParticipant]

I want to know who is everyone’s top 5 greatest NBA prospect. These top 5 should be the best prospect YOU HAVE EVER SEEN, so if you have never seen Kareem Abdul Jabar play in college, please dont put him on your list. Or if you have never seen Patrick Ewing while at Georgetown, dont put him on your list. And try not to take a player’s NBA career into the account, just their college career and the type of prospect they were in coming out of college.

Im 24 years old, so I will go as far back as I can remember.

1) Tim Duncan PF Wake Forrest – Everyone wanted the #1 pick that year. It was the “Tim Duncan Sweepstakes”, teams were tanking seasons just to t a shot of drafting him. Duncan was as “safe pick” as there ever was, there was no way he was going to be a bust based on his talent, skills, and work ethic.

2) Lebron James SF St Mary High School – Arguably the greatest high school prospect ever. Like Duncan, teams were also intentionally tanking seasons just to get him. A hybrid mix of Jordan and Magic Johnson, no one has seen a talent such as James.

3) Jay Williams (Jason Williams) PG Duke – If it werent for a 7’6 Chinese Center, Williams would have been the number one pick despite Houston having Steve Francis on the roster. Williams is perhaps the greatest college PG I have ever seen. He was the complete package, a scoring PG with unlimited 3 point range. Coming out of college, I was certain that he would have a Hall Of Fame type career.

4) Jason Kidd PG California – It was a long time ago, but I still remember him at Cal. He could do it all as a PG (rebound, defend, create for others as well as for himself). Although his jumpshot was weak at that point so I can’t say he was a better prospect than Jay Williams.

5) Steve Francis PG/SG Maryland – He was a dynamic guard. Most scouts labled him as a 6’3 Allen Iverson coming out of Maryland. I was surprise when the Bulls selected Elton Brand over him, but his upside was undeniable at that time.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

I didn’t start watching basketball until the mid-2000s, so I’ll only list the prospects I saw play before the NBA.

1. LeBron James

2. Greg Oden

3. Dwight howard

4. Kevin Durant

5. Derrick Rose

 

[iguapops420Participant]

Lamar Odom

A.I.

T-Mac

Yao Ming

LBJ

[td8118Participant]

1. Kevin Durant- the best college basketball season I have ever seen. Would watch every game of his that was nationally televised. Thought he was going to take his Texas team farther. One point I would like to make is that anyone who claims there was a debate between him and Oden is changing things alot. Every single team would have drafted Oden number 1 that year.

2. Derrick Rose- Out of the best draft class I’ve ever seen, he was the best. Didn’t get to watch alot of his college games since he was a non-conference team. Such an unbelievable athlete and was a part of the best college basketball game I’ve ever watched

3. Greg Oden- Another player you had to watch whenever he played. Never displayed his greatness untill the national championship when he put up 25 points against the best frontcourt in the country. Was the biggest prospect since Lebron

4. Eric Gordon- Like Rose part of the freshman class I’ve ever seen. Through the first 10 games of the college season no one was better than Gordon and it looked like he would re-energize the Indiana program. Sadly that was not the case.

5. Deron Williams–watching him I thought he was the best PG i’ve ever seen at the college level. His size has translated to the NBA level making him one of the best in the game

[IknoBall12Participant]

1. Lebron James

2. Lamar Odom

3. Tim Duncan

4. Dejuan Wagner

5. Sebastian Telfair

[iguapops420Participant]

Not sure if I would call Telfair one of the best prospects I’ve seen. Maybe one of the most hyped, but just looking at his size he didn’t seem like the best prospect. Really expected more out of him though with that speed. He should have developed into a TJ Ford type player by now at least.

[Michael.S.Participant]

Since I have been watching ball…

James, Wall, Howard, McGrady, Rose

[HaleParticipant]

1. LeBron James

2. Kevin Durant

3. Dwight Howard

4. Derrick Rose

5. John Wall

[Leonard WashingtonParticipant]

1. Lebron

2. Dwight Howard

3. Shaun Livingston

4.  Yao

5. Len Bias

[iguapops420Participant]

I didn’t get to see Len but I’ve heard he was something special like LBJ good. Livingston was a pretty crazy prospect too. If only he had had any heart and no injuries.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

1.Shaq

2.Patrick Ewing

3.Jordan

4.Lebron

5.Tim Duncan

[ilike.panochasParticipant]

You watched Jordan and Ewing in college? Dude how old are you?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Yeah,my family were big basketball fans..I remember watching basketball on tv when i was maybe 4 or 5 years old..I’m 32

[llperez]

 

here are my top 5 prospects since 2000. I went over every draft and i honestly have no doubt in my mind these are the the top 5 prospects from the past decade at the time of the draft they entered:

1-lebron james

2-greg oden

3-kevin durant

4-jay williams

5-john wall

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

sometimes i mention old school players like Sidney Moncreif ,Micheal Cooper or Terry Cummings most of the posters on here are teens or in their early 20’s and have never heard of those guys…

[JoeWolf1]

 I had been an NBA fan since the early 90’s and to be honest the one prospect that converted me from being an NBA/Bulls fan to a draft analyzer was Yao Ming.  The concept of a 7’6” player with great shooting and passing skill from China right at the time where Dirk was blowing up and the international prospect was a hot item was super intriguing. In my opinon, He and Lebron James were the top two prospects in the past 20 years.

[llperez]

@joewolf, i remember as intriguiing as yao was, everyone had concerns and doubts. Everyone was talking about how he would be the next shawn bradley or sam bowie drafted on height. He was intriguing, but nobody was talking about him as a sure thing. I personally thought for sure houston would regret passing up jay williams for the potential of a foreing 7-6 guy.

[ilike.panochasParticipant]

I too was a Yao Ming skeptic. I had my doubts as to whether he was any good at all, not because he lacks talent, but because of uncertainty and the fact that I have never seen the guy play at all. I was looking forward to the backcourt of Francis and Jay Williams, I thought Francis would excel more at SG while Williams runs the PG. That didnt come into fruition and they went with Yao Ming instead. Yao was a real mystery during the draft, but because he was international, his marketing/money making potential was enormous enough to be taken number one, and he obviously had the talent and skill to fulfill that potential.

[TRC1991Participant]

1) LeBron James- everyone knew how talented he was, it was just amazing to see him evolve in his first 2 years in the league

2) Tracy McGrady- lights out scorer, savage, smooth, chill in crunch time, he had it all…he was never visibly shaken and could put points on the board over anyone

3) Derrick Rose- Hadn’t seen anything quite like him ever before…a point guard who literally had springs in his feet…unbelievably athleticism

4) Kevin Durant- Such a freak of nature, 6’11” 220 looks like a 2-guard, mid range is automatic, can stroke, super long, can probably dunk on a 12 to 13 foot rim

5) Dwight Howard- man-child, total beast, 6’11” 265 at 18 with his game, such a man amongst boys

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

1) LeBron James: From the first time I saw him play, I was in awe. He had incredible athleticism and court sense, was so much better than anyone he was playing against, had not seen anything like that at the HS level. Had all the confidence in the world he could turn into a complete beast in the NBA.

2) Tim Duncan: He could have been the first pick in the previous two years drafts, but waited and struck the jack pot. Nonetheless, you knew the Spurs were going to have a bright future with him in the middle. Timmy and Shaq are those rare big man prospects that championships are built around.

3) Greg Oden: Injuries have been a killer, but this guy had the makings of a beast. I mean, he and Dwight Howard are different players, but he seemed to be in that mold to be what Dwight is. His shot blocking instinct was incredible. I always describe seeing him in HS, where someone got a steal and was running up the court to try and get an easy lay-up. I was a little surprised that Greg was kind of jogging up the court, he looked like he was doing it leisurely, almost like he was giving up on the play. Little did I know, Greg jumps from about the free throw line and just swats the ball to Kingdom come. Dwight Howard will never be as strong as Greg Oden, and his athleticism for his size was so rare. He was really putting things together, injuries just crushed him thus far. He may never be the dominant force we all thought he might be, but I will say, if he is able to play, he will give some people major problems.

4) Jason "Jay" Williams: I loved Derrick Rose as a prospect, but this guy seemed even more can’t miss. He played at Duke for 3 years and just seemed to have it all. He was incredibly athletic, seemed like a natural court general. I tend to detest Duke, but I just saw this guy as being the real deal and was very surprised at his mediocre rookie season. To me, he would have been a total no-brainer #1 pick in 2001, I was very surprised he did not enter after he won the NCAA title with Shane Battier his sophomore season. Still, he seemed to just get better and seemed to fall into the Bulls lap. Overwhelming favorite for rookie of the year, it was an absolute shock that Yao actually outplayed him during that campaign. He looked like a can’t miss PG if there ever was one, but incredibly unfortunate circumstances lead to his being an ESPN announcer.

5) Lamar Odom: I thought he was the next Magic Johnson. It seemed to be forever until I got to see him finally play in college, he had major complications with eligibility. Still, when I saw him in HS, he was 6-10, fluid and seemed to have the possibility of being a man amongst boys. He is incredibly talented, and has found his niche as a complimentary player on the Lakers. At the time though, I will compare the way I felt about him to the way people feel about Perry Jones. He and Perry are very different players, but the world of potential Lamar possessed is where I make the comparison. I thought 3 teams were stupid for passing him up. We come to this current juncture in time, and all three guys chosen in front of him have been multiple All-Stars, but Lamar is definitely seen as the best player at this current juncture. I am sure he would not trade his career for any of theirs. I for one felt like he might be the guy leading the team however, not a complimentary piece who has yet to do quite enough to lock up a bid amongst the leagues elite.

[goneParticipant]

Ed O’bannon

Juan Dixon

 Casey Jacobsen

Carmelo Anthony

Kevin Durant

[Ghost01Participant]

1. Lebron James, and its not even close.

2. Patrick Ewing. This guy was such a clear no.1, its not even funny. Had he came out the Jordan Akeem year, he would have still been no doubt number 1.

3. Shaq. Again, clear number 1 pick. Obvious he was going to be an unbelievable force in this league.

4. Tim Duncan- the city of Boston almost stopped having a basketball team after they didnt get this guy (im not being serious, so i dont need a comeback about how thats not true). But he a total cant miss big guy that had all the post moves.

5. Allen Iverson- When you are a 6 0, arent a true point guard, and had a shady background, and you were STILL the no doubt number one pick, it shows how good this guy really was.

What i find funny is alot of you posted guys who didnt even work out. Isnt the first key to being a huge NBA prospect being a "cant miss"?

[Bossy13Participant]

 In no particular order: 

Grant Hill – I never saw him play a college game where he wasn’t the absolute best player on the court. I thought we might see a triple double season or nine out of him. 

David Robinson- The man is built like, and acted like ( and was) a soldier. Not just a soldier but a seven foot basketball machine of a soldier. I thought he would eventually get talked about as the greatest defensive player ever ( I didnt know much about Russell at the time so…)

Shaq- Shouldnt need much explanation. Still to this day, theres never been another person his size to have such incredible agility. I remember feeling sorry for Robinson, The Dream and Ewing cuz I knew this kid from LSU was going to eat them alive

Antonio Mcdyess –  I’d never seen anyone who could get off the floor so quickly. He just exploded straight up every time he got the ball around the hoop. 

Wince Carter – He threw down a reverse two hander during a half court offensive set the first time I saw him play. With the near perfect looking form on his jumper and his uber athleticism I was praying teams were dumb enough to pass on him so the Raps could get him. Then he turned out to be a giant douche but he was terrific for a while there. 

 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I think you are putting on your captain hindsight costume once again. The purpose of this post, I think, was to name guys you thought would be huge NBA prospects at the time. These were guys you watched play in HS/College that you thought would make it to the NBA. Seeing as their is little to no way you are older than I am (If you are, I apologize, but I would like to think for your sake, you are not older than 26, as nothing you write indicates you are), you probably did not see some of these guys play or followed basketball at that point. Therefore, you are using your perfect 20/20 hindsight to try and make other people look lesser than your mighty being. Dude, not every "can’t miss" prospect works out. That is why that label tends to be seen as being ridiculous. There are great players who end up getting hurt or not living up to the hype. Everyone you listed was a sure number 1 pick in their draft, but did you watch all of them play at the time? That is the question. You surely have thought someone was going to be a great prospect who did not work out. Or does your hindsight make that an impossibility?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Urban……I heard that if Ewing had came out in 1984..He would’ve been taken number 2 behind Olajuwon..So many people felt he would be a Bill Russell like defender..But an average offensive scorer..They felt Olajuwon had the complete package….

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I never heard that rudeboy. I heard of Ewing being compared to Bill Russell in that many thought he would have a similar impact in general. Keep in mind Ewing and Olajuwon played each other in the NCAA Tournament Finals, and Ewing lead Georgetown to the win. I am not saying that team did not play a factor, but I am fairly confident that Patrick Ewing was considered the biggest prospect at that time and would have gone first. Hindsight again is 20/20, but Patrick was considered to be even more of a potential franchise changer than Olajuwon. I really feel he would have been the first pick and Hakeem would have gone to Portland. They both were dominant bigs who lead their teams to multiple NCAA Final 4’s, but when the "Best College Player" gets thrown around from that era, it tends to go to Patrick, three NCAA Finals in 4 years and a win. It is debatable, but that is always how I felt it would have turned out. Would have definitely made the Blazers look less foolish if they had either player, but I think Clyde and Hakeem would have been the likely scenario. Odds are, Michael Jordan still would have found a way to beat them, but they might have put up more of a fight against the Pistons/Bulls in the Finals. The fact that "Bill Russell" and "Patrick Ewing" had nothing to do with them thinking his offensive ability.

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

For those people putting Tracy McGrady….really?

 

 

[Ghost01Participant]

No, Im not looking at hinesight. All 5 of my selections were number 1 overal picks. I find it hard to be the greatest prospects ever, if they werent number 1 picks. Lamar Odom and Jay Williams did not even go number one, how could they possibly be top 5 prospects of alltime?

[PureshooterParticipant]

Lebron James

Tim Duncan

Shaquille O’Neal

Kevin Garnett

Carmelo Anthony

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Look at the first post. Read it. Now go back again and actually read the whole thing. My point is, you missed the point of the post. It was not about the "greatest prospects of all time" or "the most can’t miss who actually did not miss". It was about prospects you watched as prospects before they had successful NBA careers. It was more about your expectations you had for them more than what they actually came to do. You had to have watched them before they made the NBA. Did you watch all of these guys before they made the NBA? It is more about who you thought was going to be the best than who actually was. Did you watch Patrick Ewing and Shaq play in college? My feeling is, you might not have even been born yet.

[LAKE SHOW]

I don’t think Urband understands what the Question is asking

 

Shaq- figured he would dominate

Troy Murphy- played against him at fivestar and thought he was the most skilled big man i had ever seen at the time

Shawn Bradley- like some not so bbright people on here i thought because he was tall he would dominate the NBA. i was young so thats my excuse

Glenn Robinson. Thought he would dominate after dominating the FAB 5

Dermarr Johnson. After against him in HS and after the game finding out he was only a freshman then later playing AAU ball with him i thought he was gonna be the next MAgic Johnson

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

Troy Murphy was very interesting on your list because I remember thinking he was a beast at Notre Dame and would be great in the NBA

[LAKE SHOW]

Yeah. At five star he was killing every big man there. Never seen a highschool big man who had post moves like that but could also shoot the midrange and Three. Very cocky though

[GrandmamaParticipant]

Lebron

Shaq

Duncan

Yao

 

I can’t decide on a fifth, a couple come to mind.  Durant, Oden, Howard, Melo, Iverson.

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

1. Shaq – Dominant in every facet.

2. Lebron – Never seen a prospect with his skillset and physique at the age of 18.

3. Kenny Anderson – Incredible PG at the college level. A Queens legend, he was Lebron before Lebron (in terms of how much he was celebrated as a high schooler). He seemed destined for super-stardom in the NBA…

4. Danny Manning – The first top prospect I remember following as a kid.

5. Penny Hardaway – Yes I know he "only" went 3rd overall but like Durant he was absolutely dominant at the college level. His last season as a junior he averaged 22.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 6.4 APG, 2.4 SPG and 1.2 BPG. A 6-7 PG with athleticism and handles and those kind of numbers, I was convinced he would be the next Magic Johnson and was incredibly happen that we traded down and still managed to grab him.

 

Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Gary Payton, Allen Iverson and Kevin Durant would probably round out my personal top 10.

[Afactor4Participant]

 I’m gonna go a little unorthodox and name the best International Prospects I can remember up till when I started following the draft.

1. Yao Ming

2. Nemanja Aleksandrov

3. Darko Milicic

4. Martynas Andriuskevicius

5. Nikoloz Tskitishvili

 

Honorable Mentions: Maciej Lampe, Alexis Ajinca, Tim Olbrecht

[Author]

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