[marcusfizer21Participant]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost all the time, certain prospects coming out of college has been compared to NBA players. Most analyst can’t help but compare each athlete to a certain degree because it gives people an idea of what this particular player does on the court. In this case there are who failed to meet certain expectations and there are some who lived up to them. But there are also some who have exceeded way beyond the comparisons given to them. Here are my top 10 players who have certainly exceeded beyond their NBA comparisons and that is certainly a good thing.

 10. Jonas Valanciunas     5^th pick 2011 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Spencer Hawes / Primoz Brezec

The Raptors big man has certainly made strides with the Raptors. He is the team’s anchor as he does a lot of the dirty work inside. Rebounding and defense are his two main strengths which makes Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan’s job a whole lot easier. While Spencer Hawes nor Primoz Brezic are bad players, they never had the impact Jonas has had in the league and the scary thing about this is that he’s still 25.

 

9. Chandler Parsons     38^th pick 2011 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Luke Walton

Nobody thought Chandler Parsons would be this good. Heck, even I thought he’d be more like a serviceable forward who could play up to 10 seasons in the league, just like Luke Walton had. But lo and behold, Chandler carved out his own career making an impact in Houston as one of its formidable scorers. His scoring and athletic ability earned him a $46 million deal with the Mavs later on. Despite some lingering knee issues as of late, he is still better than Luke Walton.

 

8. Stephen Curry       7^th pick 2009 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

I was a big fan of Chris Jackson growing up. His mad handles, slick shooting and uncanny speed has all of us thinking that he could’ve been a Hall of Famer. Everything about Steph Curry, during his Davidson days and early NBA career, reminded me of Chris Jackson. Nobody thought that a few seasons later that the greatest shooter in history would be breaking records in today’s NBA. The two-time NBA MVP has been unstoppable the last three seasons and I can’t see him slowing down yet. Steph Curry has been relentless in his pursuit of greatness and he’s on his way to target a third ring.

 

7. Klay Thompson      11^th pick 2011 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Marco Belinelli

The other-half of the Splash Brothers with great feel for the game. Him and Curry are the best duo in the league right now. Klay has definitely exceeded his comparison of Marco Belinelli. While Belinelli is a shooter in his own right, only a very few players can do what Klay Thompson had done. 50 point game and a 37-point third quarter explosion just to name a few. Clearly, Klay has done wonders by far in his career as he and Steph are on a quest to win another championship and continue to break records.

 

6. Damian Lillard       6^th pick 2012 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Jay Williams/Jerryd Bayless

What Jay Williams could have been as an NBA, if not for that accident in 2003, is a mystery. But people are saying Damian Lillard has shown the particular kind of skillset that Williams used to have. Had Jay stayed healthy, who knows how long before he would have made a much better impact on the Bulls. Damian Lillard is a star in his own right.

5. LaMarcus Aldridge      2^nd pick 2006 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Channing Frye

Being a solid Bulls fan, this one hurts me the most. We could have had Aldridge and Noah (possibly Rose) during the 2006-2012 era. But Paxson traded him for Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa on draft night. The results still haunts me to this day. Few people can guard LA down low. His mid range and low post game are one of the best there is in today’s NBA. During the course of his career, he has averaged 19 and 8 and has produced more than Channing Frye ever did.

 

4. Kawhi Leonard     15^th pick 2011 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Luc Mbah a Moute/Gerald Wallace

The 2014 NBA Finals’ MVP probably has the quietest demeanor among all athletes. He simply seems the type to do his job and do it right. Leonard has been on a tear since TD’s retirement but recent setbacks to injuries have caused him to be sideline much of this season. Yet, there’s no denying the skills this forward had. His all-around game has always been a threat for any opponent out there. His defensive tenacity and his ability to just be Pippen-like makes him better than a Mbah a Moute comparison.

 

3. Donovan Mitchell  13^th pick 2017 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Norm Powell

Nobody saw this coming. We all know this kid from Louisville will be making his contributions as a rookie but nobody thought he’d be averaging 20 ppg, win the dunk contest, make the playoffs and beat OKC in the first round of the playoffs. He did so much and more during his rookie year that the Norman Powell comparisons came off right away. Surely, Spida is on his way to becoming an elite force in the coming years but as for now, he has exceeded expectations even with his comparison.

 

2. Marc Gasol        47^th pick 2007 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Todd MacCulloch

When the Lakers picked Marc Gasol in the 2007 draft, many people saw him as a chubby un-athletic big man with average post skills. It was evident during the Olympics in 2008 that he was nothing more than a solid big man who could fill in a void at the 5 spot much like Todd MacCulloch did with the Sixers and Nets back in the day. Slowly but surely, we began to see an upside to Marc that we never thought he had. He began to lose the weight and has started to gain confidence with his skills. The 3-time All Star at one point became the best big man in the league! People thought the Pau Gasol trade to the Lakers was lopsided but Marc Gasol proved to be the man the Grizzlies needed.

 

1. Draymond Green     35^th pick 2012 NBA Draft

NBA Comparison: Luke Harangody/Jared Dudley

We talk about how the NBA is embracing positionless basketball nowadays. Draymond Green personified that in every sense of the word. Here comes an undersized forward from Michigan State who was bulky and less athletic at the certain position but makes up with it with all-around skills and intangibles that cannot be seen in any stat line. Green has been the ultimate “glue guy” for the Dubs and has been a reliable defensive leader for their championship teams. He provides whatever the team needs at a certain point of the game. Be it defense, rebounding, points when need be, assists. He has transformed himself into a reliable player, one the Dubs need in order to win another chip.

 

[Lotto StudParticipant]

I love this thread. It’s different and very effective.

[Gabester907Participant]

 The Donovan Mitchell comparisons quickly went from Norm Powell to Dwade with a 3 point shot. Thats how you know you exceeded expectations.

[JordanC20Participant]

 Another one that was a joke to begin with was DeMarcus Cousins being compared to Eddy Curry

[OhCanada-Participant]

 People were comparing Valanciunas to Tim Duncan, on this site.

[Snatalini247Participant]

I’m pretty sure the creators have said multiple times that they base the comparisons on similar skill sets to pros they have coming out of school. Not like a hey this dude is a carbon copy of tracy mcgrady/dirk and will definitely 100000% average 27/7/4 through out his career. Honestly looking at this list a lot of these comparisons seemed pretty spot on at the time… but then players refine their games and a donovan mitchell can very quickly go from a norman powell to a d wade

[marcusfizer21Participant]

 Absolutely. I’m not mocking the scouts or anything like that. In fact, I just wrote this list in admiration for these players who have excelled well amidst their expectations and comparisons. As good as they are, it takes insane amount of time at the gym and dedication to their craft that made them better than what they were compared for coming in.

[RUDEBOY-Participant]

 MarcusFizer ,so nice to see u back on here my brotha!!

[marcusfizer21Participant]

 great to be back! I just miss talking ball with y’all guys. I’m over the "Derrick Rose is no longer elite" thing. I just wanna talk basketball again. 

[RUDEBOY-Participant]

 Yeah, I spent a year overseas for business reasons. And For some strange reason I Couldn’t comment on here. But still came to this Site to see what the fellas had to say about the latest b Ball news. Best place on the Net to Talk basketball.

[cohenbc1Participant]

In a weird way Draymond Green is kiind of like Luke Harangody, now that I think about it.

If Luke Harangody played basketball on the moon, where he would be virtually weightless, that is …

 

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

 Lmao

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 I’m not sure who came up with idea to compare draymond to Jared Dudley or Luke Harangody. I always had him pegged as kind of mix between Anthony mason and Boris Diaw, which as it turns out was pretty accurate. I have to admit that his defensive impact in the nba has really surprised me, considering that it was thought to be an area he might struggle with. 

[KIP BallerParticipant]

 I remember seeing Manu comps when he was coming out. Pretty amazing that he was compared to a future HOF and exceeded expectations. 

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