[MagikKnickParticipant]

What player drafted 15-60, has the best chance to become a superstar?

[JNixonParticipant]

I would say Jeff Teague. He reminds me of Jason Terry, and even though Terry isnt a superstar, and Teague likely wont be either, his upside is the greatest of anyone outside of the lottery (besides Austin Daye)

[europebasketball]

i think it should be Bj mullens i know people disagree but when he was in high school he averaged monster numbers before he entered college people ranked in the top 5 freshmen he’s great but needs to work up on his pontieal really.

[storm33Participant]

I think you could start right at 15, if Austin Daye gets his strength together I think he could be a very good NBA player, Tayshaun Prince if not better. I think Ty Lawson and Toney Douglas have got star potential (albeit small). In the second round, I think you’ve got 2 guys that have superstar potential, Jody Meeks and Nick Calathes. Calathes would’ve been a first round pick had he not gone to Europe, and he has a tremendous basketball IQ and being a 6-6 point guard helps. Meeks is a scorer, and he was quite impressive at Kentucky.

Realistically I think that this draft will be more known for its role players produced, I think the star potential lies with Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Demar Derozen, and Brandon Jennings.

[KiD MaGiC973Participant]

i think it depends on mike bibby or tayshaun prince whoever can help them develop better

[gatorheelsParticipant]

James Johnson, Jrue Holiday, Jermaine Taylor, Nick Calathes….Tough question so I had to pick 4 ha. James Johnson because he is physical and will be able to score easily on the nba level. He is very versatile which why he should find some success. Jrue Holiday because he is already a quality defender. He has the size, athletic ability, & IQ to be a great PG. Jermaine Taylor is somewhat of a freak athlete and he can flat out score even in the nba. Nick Calathes because he is probably the 2nd best passer in this draft, he has a great long range shot, high IQ, & great size.

[LazarusMunozParticipant]

Ted Ruiz…He was an absolute stud in collegel(defend,mid range Jumper,playmaker,great athleticism)…Cant believe he slipped so low in the draft

[spokomptonkdubParticipant]

dejuan blair. yea i know he slipped into the second round but i think teams made a huge mistake passing on him i still think he’s gonna be a beast in the league one day and for many years too

[BasketballGuru24Participant]

Dejuan Blair…..Common The Dude Can Handle Any Center Remember When He Just Man-handled Hasheem Tabeet Whenn Uconn And The PAnthers Played….And Playing Alongside One of The Best PF of all time……The Guy Got It Going Good

[Anton123Participant]

Probably James Johnson, but I hope BJ Mullens will turn intoa good player, he is showing good range for a big man in the summer league he scored from almost 3 point range

[Anton123Participant]

Probably James Johnson, but I hope BJ Mullens will turn intoa good player, he is showing good range for a big man in the summer league he scored from almost 3 point range

[sameolGParticipant]

the biggest chance I say Jeff Teague but I dont really think he will become one, but if he is it’ll be for some years

[Tha King2121Participant]

I would say Jrue Holiday only cuz all the Upside!

[maravich44Participant]

As a Bulls fan, I hope those that said Johnson are correct. He has a lot of skills and was a good choice at that time on paper. I heard something that was most unsettling from a friend who is usually very much in the know. This is unconfirmed, but he said that Chris Paul told his management to not draft Johnson. Paul is the most level headed player I can think of and also went to Wake Forest. Has anyone else heard this info??????

It pains me to say this, but Mullens has some major upside. He is a feast or fathom proposition. I think he couldvery well be a bust, if if he is good, a lot of teams will be sorry.

[JoeWolf1]

Omri Casspi, very skilled and versatile drafted by a young team he will get minutes for

[AreopogusParticipant]

I see a lot of the ACCers having a lot of potential. If Lawson’s toe stays healthy he will be a star. He’s simply too quick and his shot is too consistent not to be a smaller Chancey Billups in a few years. I LOVE the fact that he is going to be starting behind him to learn from one of the best. I don’t think he’s big enough to ‘lock down’ people, but he could make himself a good defender by getting a lot of steals (notice how he played the passing lanes verses MSU in the championship game)

Also, I can see Wayne Ellington (he is MUCH better than McCants IMO) as being a potential new Ray Allen. Allen was never a great athlete nor dribbler. That’s why he needs a ton of screens to get his shot off. However, his shot is clutch and quick, albeit a line drive. Ellington has a similar play style and has a much prettier form and release to his shot. If he learns to be as consistent and clutch as Allen he will be a MAJOR player for a team in the future.

James Johnson reminds me of Ron Artest. Similar body to him as well. Same position. He could be the next great defender/all-around player. Hopefully he can control his temper!

Jeff Teague’s wingspan is very intriguing. You can’t teach 6’7″ wingspan on a 6’1″ guard. He should be a good defender and he has an explosive first step so you never know.

Finally, Tony Dougles. He appears to be a 2 guard in a point’s body. I don’t know if he is just another Eddy House or if his ceiling can be higher and could actually run an offense in the NBA. Even if he’s only a 6 man, he could be lethal (like House) at keeping the offense going while the stars rest. (I consider a 6 man a star because they are just as important as the lead man honestly at keeping the teams pace up)

Outside of the ACC players, Austin Daye might be the next Tayshaun Prince (maybe it’s only b/c they look similar?)

I think Mullins is a guaranteed bust. Eric Maynor might be somewhat solid. Jrue Holiday….MAYBE…On one hand, if i say no and he is I will feel stupid. On the other, my gut reminds me of what he looked like in college and just how timid he plays. Lastly, he seems like a good kid so i’ll go down saying he COULD BE a star in the future.

How’s that list?

[AreopogusParticipant]

If you don’t see 6th man as important as I do remember Bill Walton (HoFer) and the ’86 Celtics. They were arguably the greatest team ever assembled and due in large part to Walton coming of the bench.

[domenick3Participant]

ty lawson i think culd b good

[gatorheelsParticipant]

maravich44- I heard that rumor about Chris Paul & James Johnson. Apparently Johnson just got on Pauls’ nerves. They played in a lot of pickup games over the summer & James Johnson talked way to much sh*t to Chris Paul. So Chris Paul obviously didn’t want him on his team.

Areopogus….U R SMOKING CRACK!!! U said Ellington is MUCH better than McCants. Get out of here. I’m sorry but he isn’t even close to being on McCants’ level. Watch some basketball please. McCants is the better athlete, is way better in the post, more experienced, has a 6’11” wingspan. They are both great shooters.

[AreopogusParticipant]

I beg to differ. Ellington’s shot is much smoother and more complete than McCant’s. Only 2 players in the combine drills came away impressing GM’s with their stroke: Stephen Curry and Wayne Ellington. Neither of their shots break down outside of the mid range and look the exact same as from deep as from short.

Mechanics are an asset or a burden. If you have bad mechanics it’s hard to ever become consistent and your NBA future will depend on your ability to drive to the rim. If you have good mechanics your shooting upside is great. Even though I think Ray Allen’s shot is very ugly (b/c it’s a line drive) his mechanics are so pure and smooth that he can replicate that same stroke over and over again. That has led him to star status in the league b/c if someone can create him the shot he will make it 50% of the time.

I see that same potential in Ellington. He has the mechanics that if he works on it he can become the next great sharpshooter.

Ellington is 1 inch taller than McCants, which will help. He’s not the athlete but you don’t have to be if your shot is butter. Again with the Allen comparison: he’s not a good athlete. He’s very mediocre. He has lived and died by the 3 (and he’s lived there more than he’s ever died there). Pure shooters can work if they shoot a high enough percentage.

Let’s face it. McCants hasn’t exactly been anything than an average Joe in the NBA and a disappointing lottery pick. He has had a sorry attitude starting at UNC with his jail comments as well, which probably goes to show he thinks too highly of himself. He was the goto scorer for UNC in his tenure there.

If you put Ellington on the 2005 team he would probably perform very similarly IMO. McCants didn’t have to share shots with the all-time ACC scorer and another great shooter in Green.

I’m not saying Ellington IS THE next Ray Allen. I’m saying he COULD BE (which is what the post was about). He isn’t consistent yet, but has the foundation to be. Something I would argue McCants doesn’t have (thus he has to slash more than shoot to be successful, and he hasn’t been successful yet in like 4 years).

And please–don’t say I’m smoking crack and that I don’t watch basketball. Not only are those lame come backs, but they weren’t backed up with a single reason outside of measurements and athleticism.

Long, athletic players don’t mean anything if they can’t consistently shoot the ball in the hoop. i don’t have it in front of me, but ESPN did an article about how average athlete’s at the combines tend to be the stars.

Wayne’s Final Four MOP could have been the start of a long career of deadly sharpshooting. That’s my point.

[JNixonParticipant]

I thought the same thing, Ellington doesnt have any attribute thats better than McCants and their shooting is even. They both arent good defenders, but when McCants tries to defend he can be real disruptive from what I’ve seen, while Ellington just….flat out isnt a good defender.

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Ellington is an inch taller but McCants has about a 5.5″ advantage as far as wingspan. So McCants plays taller than Ellington does. Ellignton is purely a jumpshooter. McCants can score in a variety of ways. Ellington does have a pure stroke but so does Rashad. I agree McCants has been a dissapointment so far but he is getting ready to turn it around trust me. He has been on two terrible teams with bad coaches and bad systems. He has also had microfracture surgery on his knee which is one of the worst injuries a player can have. With that being said McCants has still average 10pts a game and has taken over games at times with his offensive ability.

Yeah the smoking crack comment was a little harsh haha. I’m just giving u a hard time.

By the way I like Ellington. I am a huge UNC fan but I just don’t think he has the talent that Rashad does. Plus Ellington is stuck on the TWolves. The good news is McHale is gone so maybe Ellington will get his chance to shine.

[AreopogusParticipant]

That’s cool–I understand. I say things like that too to mess with people (LOL!).

McCants will defend much taller, for sure. But 1 inch of height means Wayne will be able to see a little better over defenders. It’s not a lot, but it can help at times to see exactly where the rim is and if you need to do a fake shot–pass to cutting player.

McCants is a good shooter and I agree that he was drafted into a rough situation. I agree there. Calling him a “bust” is very premature as well. I guess what I meant is that while McCants is a solid/above average shooter, that I think Ellington’s upside will be soley on his shooting ability (thus my NBA comparison).

I love players that can shoot the ball. Slashing to the rim is fun to watch, but being a consistent shooter is equally fun to watch, and at times like listening to Mozart (IMO). When someone takes over the game with pull-up jumpers, pick and pop shots, fade aways, etc I feel like I’m watching them make music through the game. I don’t know what it is, but I see potential there in Ellington. Granted we’re talking about upside because he’s not there yet. But let me tell you. Watching UNC games next year I’m really going to miss that high, smooth as butter release. I’m pulling for him and I really like his attitude and was glad to see him become a completely different player the last to months of the season.

I hope he really works on his “feel” for shooting. If he can get his spots on the floor down, I can really see this kid burning up nets on a nightly basis.

[jojososa5Participant]

Yea I wuld say lawson, he is so fast wif tha ball in his hands, had an excellent assist to turnover ratio, and excelled n tha NCAA tournament coming off a nagging injury.. Lets not foget he improved every year @ UNC

And McCants jus hasn’t really had a chance n tha nba, but once he got traded to tha kings that was an ideal situation 4 him, and n college he had a excellent stroke, and he had that killer instinct every time he had tha ball n his hands, while he may never b a superstar I c him as a excellent #3 option.

[zamehusaParticipant]

I think the guy outside the lottery that has the biggest chance to be a star is christian eyenga from the cavs he is a freak athlete alot of people dont know about him but yrs down the road i see him as a stephen jackson type

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

Victor Claver or Jodie Meeks might.

[birdman246Participant]

hes bomb you need to be good to play in north caralina

[knicksfreakParticipant]

I agree with blazers on Claver. Another real possibility is Toney Douglas. Not just because I’m a homer. If he can play the point then watch out. He is a fantastic shooter off the dribble, lightning fast, and a lock-down defender.

[Author]

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