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With the college hoops season underway, the weekly watch
is back! After an action packed first week, here’s a look at who’s helped their
stock and who’s harmed their stock.

Rising:

Al-Farouq
Aminu 6-8 218 SF Wake Forest So.

Wake Forest forward Al-Farouq Aminu is off to an excellent
start showing that he’s ready to take over the team this year after the departures
of James Johnson and Jeff Teague to the NBA.

Aminu made a surprising
decision to return to Wake Forest for his sophomore year after he was projected
to be drafted in the same range as his departing teammates (10-20 range).


A descendant of Nigerian Kings, Aminu’s name translates to "the chief has
arrived" which appears to be his theme for this season.


Aminu has the Deacons off to a 2-0 record (albeit against soft competition)
averaging an impressive 24 pts and 11 reb. While his game is still somewhere
between the 3 and 4 positions, he’s showing an improved perimeter game consistently
knocking down mid range jumpers.

He’s also displaying better decision making on the perimeter setting up teammates
and making plays with the ball in his hands.

Aminu might not stay in the top 5 as other players are sure to challenge him,
but right now he’s found a spot in the top 5 on the draft board.

Wesley Johnson 6-7 200 SF Syracuse Jr.

Wesley Johnson is proving Coach Jim Boeheim’s off-season prediction, that he
was a potential lottery pick this year, look good. Johnson’s combination of
length and athleticism, plus outside shooting, makes him an intriguing talent.

Although Johnson is averaging just 13.5 ppg, he’s playing efficiently shooting
55% fg, 75% ft and 40% 3p. And his best performance came in Syracuse’s shocking
preseason loss to Le Moyne as Johnson poured in 34 points displaying his tremendous
outside shot. Wes is proving to be not only Syracuse’s best player but also
the top transfer in the nation.

At this point Johnson appears to be a potential top 20 pick with a chance to
move into the lottery if he continues developing.

Evan Turner 6-6 205 SG Ohio St. Jr.


Turner has been very impressive with back to back 17 rebound games to start
the year. This made even more surprising considering it’s coming from the point
guard position.

Showing his great all around versatility, Turner is also averaging a robust
19 points and 7 assists.

Due to the Buckeye roster, Turner has assumed point guard responsibilities and
made the transition seamlessly showing a natural feel for handling and passing
the ball. He’s shown maturation in his game with the ability to distribute and
get the entire team involved and scoring within the flow of the offense.

The talented Buckeye will get a chance to really make an impression with a televised
match up Thursday with the defending champion UNC Tarheels.

Xavier Henry 6-6 220 SG Kansas Fr.

With his 27 point debut performance leading the Jayhawks to victory over Hofstra
101-65, Henry opened a lot of eyes.

The freshman displayed his tremendous outside shooting stroke knocking down
5-8 from 3, finishing with 27 points all in just 24 points. His shot is one
of the purest on the college level. Helping his game, Xavier has trimmed down
and added some of the quickness that was lacking in his game in the Spring of
2009.

Henry came back to Earth in the Jayhawks second game against Memphis shooting
just 3-11 (11 pts) with 4 turnovers. It was apparent that his foot speed is
not up to the level of sophomore Elliot Williams who had a last second potential
game winner kick off the rim at the end of regulation.

Regardless, Henry’s combination of size, strength, athleticism and shooting
ability makes him an intriguing player.

Others:

James Anderson has been out of his mind
in the first two games averaging 26 and 13, granted the competition isn’t there.
The Oklahoma Stete junior is one of the best perimeter shooters in the nation
and will look to prove that he is first round worthy this season.

Scotty Hopson has been on
a tear early going for 16 pts in the opener (6-8 fg) against Austin Peay and
25 pts (8-11 fg) against UNC Asheville. His 20.5 ppg leads the team and his
3.5 apg average shows his improving versatility. After averaging 9.2 ppg as
a freshman, Hopson appears to have ratcheted up his game a notch.

Falling:


DeMarcus Cousins 6-10 260 PF/C Kentucky
Fr.

It’s early to make any definitive statements but so far DeMarcus Cousins’ reputation
for being lazy and uninspired has followed him to college as his level of intensity
and focus has been disappointing to say the least.

His 8.5 pts and 7 boards are extremely unimpressive for a player considered
to be one of the best bigman entering college by some.

But it’s his demeanor that is most worrisome. He scores most of his buckets
on sheer size with a number of shot-rebound, shot-rebound, shot-baskets.

Cousins is currently the player who draws the most expletives from NBA scouts.
He is already drawing negative reviews, being mentioned as a player falling
from grace.

Cousins will likely find a spot in the late first round based on his size and
perceived potential, but it will likely take some real effort by coaches at
the next level to inspire him to play to his ability.

Ed Davis 6-9 225 PF North Carolina So.

Davis has had a decent start to the season, but has fallen on the mock from
2 to 10. His drop can be attributed to a couple of reasons.

First he appears content allowing teammate Deon Thompson be the first option
offensively in the post for UNC, showing a lack of assertiveness offensively.
If all he wants is to be a late lottery pick, than that is fine. However he’s
a player with the ability to be a top 5 pick if he played to his ability.

The other factor causing him to slip 8 spots on the mock is his lack of physical
development over the summer. He is beginning to look like a guy who will always
be on the lighter side. This isn’t the end of the world, but it also limits
his long term potential to a degree.

Davis has shown similar flashes as last year with the ability to make dynamic
plays around the rim using his athleticism. But so far he has not displayed
the consistency and all around play that would lead one to believe he will be
a star at the next level.

Greg Monroe 6-10 240 PF Georgetown So.

Monroe put up a solid 18 and 11 in the Hoyas opening match up with Tulane, but
his 4-for-11, 10 point effort against Temple on ESPN’s Hoops Marathon Tuesday
showed that he’s still extremely limited offensively. Monroe appears to be hitting
his ceiling as a prospect.

A unique player that brings size and versatility, Monroe is often mentioned
as a player with huge potential. But in reality, he’s closer to his peak than
people realize. Monroe is averaging a solid 14.5 and 10 on the year but his
46% fg and 59% ft are below where they should be (granted it’s very early).
His unselfishness could be a detriment as he appears lost when it comes to taking
over at the end of games, or taking over in general. His post moves are mechanical
and his fluidity in the open floor is lacking.

Monroe has been hyped up as a potential top 5 pick but due to the fact that
he lacks explosiveness and a true position at the next level, it’s time to temper
those expectations. A top 20 pick is still possible but not a lock. Josh McRoberts
returned to school after a promising freshman year and went from a potential
lottery pick to a 2nd rounder, could the same thing happen to Monroe?

Others:

While Texas combo guard Avery Bradley flashes
a lot of potential, the fact that he isn’t starting and is off to a slow start
could make a one-and-done exit difficult. Bradley is a talent, but at 6-2 or
6-3 and lacking lead guard skills, he’s still got a ways to go before he could
be expected to contribute at the next level.

Malcolm Lee shot just 7-for-21 in the Bruins
opening game loss to Cal State Fullerton, too often forcing bad shots and looking
for his own baskets and neglecting his teammates. It’s known that he would like
to leave this year and with such a weak PG class, a big sophomore season would
make him a potential first rounder. But not with performances like this.

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22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. First it seems pretty
    First it seems pretty ridiculous to do this after only a couple of games have been played. Second, RE Cousins. He’s gotten into foul trouble early in the first half of both of Kentucky’s games and hasn’t gotten the minutes to put up big numbers. In the second half against Miami, he came out and posted 10 pts. and 10 rebs. after only playing about 3 minutes in the first half. Point being, the season is way too early to be making any kind of judgements yet, positive or negative.

  3. Keep in mind that this is
    Keep in mind that this is the same site that said Ausin Daye wouldn’t go in the first round when everyone else knew he wouldn’t fall past Detroit so take some of these comments about people like Davis and Monroe with a grain of salt as most sites still have both guys in the top 10.

  4. Greg Monroe appears to be
    Greg Monroe appears to be hitting his ceiling, in the temple game did you not see, his guards couldn’t get him the ball in the 2nd half because of 2 much dribbling and turnovers, and when he did get the ball with the game on the line, he penetrated from the high post for a game winning layup, or how he tied up the player to get the defensive stop the next play, to force a jump ball change of possession and when the game, 2 games and you’re doing this, quit your day job. please.

  5. haha, this has everyone
    haha, this has everyone fired up…. i like it.

    First of all the concerns about Cousins are real. Yes, it’s early in the season but a bad attitude is a bad attitude regardless. The concerns about Ed Davis are also legit. He reminds me of former tar heel brandon wright. Tons of potential but too soft to bang inside and not enough skill to become a small forward.

    Monroe on the other hand I think is a solid prospect and surely a top lottery pick still. In fact I still have him in the top five on my board.

  6. RE Cousins…He is no doubt
    RE Cousins…He is no doubt going to have to continue to work on his attitude and giving consistent effort. I have no arguements with that. But the original post attacked his numbers so far on the season and considering he’s only played about half of a game in each of the first two, that’s a little harsh.

  7. Rock Cat – You make a good
    Rock Cat – You make a good point, it is very early to make definitive statements about anyone with just a couple games in the books. But that’s what we do. Things will change and we’ll write about them when they do.

    tbp82 – Daye was 50th on one team’s draft list going into the draft, so we were not alone having him very low. He’s doing well and with an excellent organization. We did list him as a first rounder btw, just not a top 30 prospect and if he doesn’t get a promise from Dumars at 15, who knows…

    jpostaboy – Monroe could very well end up a lottery pick in 2010. The point is he’s overrated when people consider him a top 5 pick, and he COULD slip a ways. If you watched the Temple game, he looked terrible. Based on his skill set and inability to put weight on and retain his quickness, (at end of high school) his upside is questionable. He’s a 15-25 pick in my opinion. Yes, most people have him higher.

  9. Yeah, I agree, just way too
    Yeah, I agree, just way too early to come out with this list. Maybe beginning of Dec this should have came out. But anyhow, I just don’t see what all the hype is with Ed Davis, Aran. I agree completely with nbadraftroom.com post, just another Brandon Wright. And yes, he could be a contributor, but you don’t take a guy who will be a contributor with a top 5, or 10 pick. He needs another year and maybe should use up all of his eligibility to become the dominant player scouts want to see, and what he can become at the collegiate level.

    Dudley….

  11. Wesley Johnson
    I just want to say I went to Iowa State and watched Wesley Johnson play plenty of games and he is the real deal. He has great athleticism, a great jump shot, and he has that rare quality to take over games offensively. Keep an eye on him because he is going to be a lottery pick and a good NBA player. I only wish he hadn’t transfered. Wesley + Craig Brackins could have equaled a national title. (By the way Brackins is going to be a top 5 pick, mark it on your draft boards.)

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  13. who saw DeMarcus Cousins
    who saw DeMarcus Cousins post 27 points, 18 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals
    that is not a player who is oveRrated, wait until at least conference play to do this.

  16. To Those Who Say It’s Too Early…
    … to do a stock watch, there are just as many of us on the other side of the argument. If NBADraft.net had waited until mid-December (or the conference season, as one poster suggested), some of us would be screaming for a stock watch by that time.

    Take this information for what it’s worth, nothing more.

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