Who Should be No. 1 Overall Pick in NBA Draft?
Mike DeCourcy - SportingNews.com
May 17, 2010
Leave it to Kentucky coach John Calipari to complicate a simple discussion.
Asked to make the case for UK guard John Wall in the debate over whether the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft should be Wall or Ohio State star Evan Turner, Calipari said there's one more idea that must be considered.
With the draft order to be established by Tuesday night's lottery drawing, Calipari said if the winner happens to be set at point guard it would be a mistake to ignore the candidacy of Wildcats big guy DeMarcus Cousins.
"With DeMarcus, you're getting a guy who's going to command double-teams," Calipari said. "There is so much value in that. College basketball is about movement; the NBA is about spacing. Every team in the NBA is trying to create an imbalance on the defense. You can do that with DeMarcus more than any other player in the draft."
OK, so it's a thought. Now, onto the original subject of this exercise.
The case for John Wall ...
Point guard, Kentucky
Measurements: 6-4, 195
Honors: Sporting News freshman of the year, All-America
Statistics: 16.6 ppg, 6.5 apg, .461 FG, .325 3-pt
Strengths: Speed, quickness, athleticism, creativity, character
Questions: Consistency as a jumpshooter
Kentucky coach John Calipari said: "From what I saw in his leadership ability, which is the most important thing he had to develop, the ability to make plays when there were no plays, the speed and quickness that will move from college to pro. ... The hardest position to fill in the NBA is point guard. There's a handful of guys -- Rose, Rondo, Billups, Williams, Paul -- everybody's looking for that guy. They're going to see the next one who has that type of ability is John."
Overview: Wall will enter as the most athletic point guard not only in the draft, but the league. There have been stronger, faster or quicker points, but none with the same ability to run, elevate and control his body. Wall loves the game and is an excellent teammate. To become genuinely great, he will need to improve his perimeter shooting, but his numbers are almost identical to what Derrick Rose managed in his year at Memphis. In the right circumstance, Wall should quickly become an All-Star.
The case for Evan Turner...
Point guard, Ohio State
Measurements: 6-7, 210
Honors: Sporting News player of the year, All-America
Statistics: 20.4 ppg., 9.2 rpg., 6.0 apg., .519 FG, .364 3-pt
Strengths: Power, rebounding instinct, leadership, vision
Questions: Jump shooting range, NBA position
Ohio State coach Thad Matta said: "I think he is capable of doing so many different things. If you ask me what position is he going to play in the NBA, I don't know the answer. I think he's a multidimensional guy who can play from the point guard to the 2 to the 3. I think he's more mature. Three years of college has definitely helped that kid. But he's still very young; he was a young freshman when he got here."
Overview: Some have suggested Turner is the proper pick if a team such as the Utah Jazz -- which holds the New York Knicks' pick and is set at point guard with star Deron Williams -- were to win the lottery. But that's too dismissive of Turner's ability to excel as an NBA point guard -- it could be his best position. Turner is not such a great shooter that he'd likely be a star on the wing. If a team isn't taking Turner to play the point, it might be disappointed.
Mike DeCourcy is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at decourcy@sportingnews.com
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