National Basketball Association

NBA prospects: The best of everything

Published Jun. 21, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

When it comes to evaluating prospects before the NBA draft, teams look at everything.

How well do they shoot, pass and rebound? How fast do they run and how high do they jump? How smart are they? How hard do they compete? What's their upside?

We ask the same questions and make our own judgments, and here are our top five in a variety of important categories.

Athleticism

1. Travis Leslie, SG/SF, Georgia
2. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech
3. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic
4. Chris Wright, SF/PF, Dayton
5. Alec Burks, PG/SG, Colorado

Leslie has super-human leaping ability that allows him to make a lot of plays around the rim. That, combined with his explosiveness, could make him an exciting and dynamic role player in the NBA. Think Shannon Brown.

Strength

1. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky
2. Jeremy Tyler, PF/C, Tokyo Apache
3. Greg Smith, PF/C, Fresno State
4. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo
5. Charles Jenkins, PG/SG, Hofstra

Kanter has always been a load for opposing big men. During the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit he used his strength and skill to score a record-setting 34 points, as he just ate the USA roster alive -- including 6-9, 280-pound Jared Sullinger. Oh, and he did it with an injured back.

Speed

1. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn
2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
3. Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky
4. Norris Cole, PG, Cleveland State
5. Isaiah Thomas, PG, Washington

Walker has proven himself to be one of the deadliest scorers in college basketball with his combination of aggressiveness, ball-handling ability and absolutely unreal speed. It seems that no matter how fast he is moving, he always has a higher gear that leaves his defender in the dust. Kemba's quickness will be elite, even in the NBA.

Explosiveness (Guards)

1. Travis Leslie, SG/SF, Georgia
2. Randy Culpepper, PG, UTEP
3. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech
4. Josh Selby, PG/SG, Kansas
5. Isaiah Thomas, PG, Washington

Explosiveness (Forwards/Centers)

1. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona
2. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic
3. Chris Wright, SF/PF, Dayton
4. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo
5. JuJuan Johnson, PF, Purdue

Williams is exceptionally quick off his feet for a player who holds as much muscle as he does. His combination of strength and explosiveness draws some comparisons to Blake Griffin, though he's not quite the freak that Griffin is.

(Un)Athletic

1. Nikola Vucevic, C, USC
2. Ben Hansbrough, PG/SG, Notre Dame
3. Jordan Williams, PF, Maryland
4. Kyle Singler, SF, Duke
5. Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State

The big man from USC has the size and skills to be a nice player in the NBA, but the man can't jump over a phone book and that limits his potential. Still averaged a double-double for the Trojans, though.

Length

1. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo
2. Reggie Jackson, PG/SG, Boston College
3. Nikola Vucevic, C, USC
4. Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania
5. Marshon Brooks, SG, Providence

Biyombo became a draftnik darling the minute his measurements at the Nike Hoop Summit were released. With a ridiculous 7-7 wingspan and great athleticism to boot, Biyombo could become an intimidating defensive player in time.

Shooters

1. Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU
2. Davis Bertans, SF, Latvia
3. Andrew Goudelock, PG/SG, College of Charleston
4. Nikola Mirotic, SF/PF, Spain
5. Ben Hansbrough, PG/SG, Notre Dame

You could make an argument for any of four or five players here, but Jimmer will likely be the best shooter coming out of the draft class. He is absolutely automatic when left open and he has unlimited range. He is both a volume shooter and an efficient shooter (made 124 triples last season at a 40% clip), and he is dangerous off the dribble or when spotting up.

Ballhandlers

1. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn
2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
3. Alec Burks, PG/SG, Colorado
4. Darius Morris, PG, Michigan
5. Corey Fisher, PG, Villanova

Passers

1. Darius Morris, PG, Michigan
2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
3. Julyan Stone, PG, UTEP
4. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida
5. Demetri McCamey, PG, Illinois

Despite only being a sophomore, Morris has proven himself to be one of the best playmakers in college basketball. His passing ability is off the charts and he has a great court awareness. He measured 6-5 in shoes, and this size helps him see over the defense and find open teammates.

Defenders

1. Chris Singleton, SF/PF, Florida State
2. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo
3. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech
4. Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State
5. Malcolm Lee, PG/SG, UCLA

Singleton has the length and lateral quickness to guard four different positions at the next level. He's also a stat-sheet stuffer as he collects a bounty of steals, blocks and rebounds every game.

Rebounders

1. Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State
2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky
3. Jordan Williams, PF, Maryland
4. Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania
5. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo

Any college player who gets 200 offensive rebounds in a single season can rebound, and rebounding is a skill that transfers to the NBA. Faried may be undersized and offensively challenged, but he'll be a big-time threat on the glass any time he is in the game.

Post skills

1. Trey Thompkins, PF, Georgia
2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky
3. Jordan Williams, PF, Maryland
4. Nikola Vucevic, C, USC
5. Donatas Motiejunas, C, Lithuania

Thompkins is really a load down low. He looks great on either side of the rim, using numerous fakes and shifty footwork to maneuver his way to an easy shot around the rim. He also employs a nice turnaround jumper, which makes him dangerous with his back to the basket out to about 18 feet.

Competitors

1. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn
2. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona
3. Shelvin Mack, PG/SG, Butler
4. Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU
5. Marshon Brooks, SG, Providence

Walker is fearless on the basketball court. He does everything it takes to win, and UConn's championship this season is really indicative of that. He's a true leader and an extremely strong competitor.

Warriors/Toughness

1. Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State
2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky
3. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic
4. Markieff Morris, PF, Kansas
5. Kemba Walker, PG, UConn

Versatility

1. Chris Singleton, SF/PF, Florida State
2. Julyan Stone, PG, UTEP
3. Marcus Morris, PF, Kansas
4. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech
5. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida

Basketball IQ

1. Kyle Singler, SF, Duke
2. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
3. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida
4. Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky
5. Nolan Smith, PG/SG, Duke

Singler didn't have the best senior season, but he has a Final Four MVP under his belt and the national championship from his junior season. He won't be a superstar at the next level, rather a scrappy role player that does all the little things to help his team win.

Best Potential

1. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona
2. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky
3. Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke
4. Donatas Motiejunas, C, Lithuania
5. Jan Vesely, SF/PF, Czech Republic

High Risk/High Reward

1. Jeremy Tyler, PF/C, Tokyo Apache
2. Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas
3. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo
4. Tyler Honeycutt, SF, UCLA
5. Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania

Tyler is a big body with great length and a soft touch. At one point, he was even the top-ranked player in his high school class. Things took a turn after he decided to drop out of school to play overseas. He didn't respond well to coaching, didn't get along with his teammates and ultimately couldn’t get much playing time. His potential is through the roof and he could be a great player in time, but he's just as likely to be a waste of a pick and a cancer to his team.

Low Risk

1. Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona
2. Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State
3. Enes Kanter, C/PF, Kentucky
4. Marcus Morris, PF, Kansas
5. Nolan Smith, PG/SG, Duke

Williams is the safest pick in this year's draft. He has an NBA-ready body, outstanding shooting ability and the athleticism to compete with just about anybody at the next level. He'll be a great and efficient scorer who will likely see a few All-Star games in his prime.

Overrated

1. Bismack Biyombo, C, Congo
2. Iman Shumpert, PG/SG, Georgia Tech
3. Josh Selby, PG/SG, Kansas
4. Charles Jenkins, PG/SG, Hofstra
5. Chris Singleton, SF/PF, Florida State

There are a lot of things to like about Biyombo. He has great length, athleticism, strength, a good attitude and a high motor. Not a bad prospect at all. He's only overrated because of the obscene amount of hype he's received since the Nike Hoop Summit. Getting compared to everybody from Serge Ibaka to Ben Wallace isn't fair for a player as raw as Biyombo is. Going in the top 10-12 picks is doing HIM a disservice.

First-round sleepers

1. Donatas Motiejunas, C, Lithuania
2. Tyler Honeycutt, SF, UCLA
3. Tobias Harris, SF/PF, Tennessee
4. Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU
5. Alec Burks, PG/SG, Colorado

Motie has a silky-smooth offensive game. He can handle the ball exceptionally well for a player his size, he has a remarkably diverse offense game and he's an underrated passer with a ton of potential in this area. He's not a good rebounder/defender and he needs to work on his consistency, but he has legit All-Star potential.

Second-round sleepers

1. Trey Thompkins, PF, Georgia
2. Norris Cole, PG, Cleveland State
3. Kyle Singler, SF, Duke
4. Chandler Parsons, SF, Florida
5. Matthew Bryan-Amaning, PF, Washington

Thompkins' stock is supposedly slipping, but he's still a great talent offensively. He has great footwork in the post and range out to the college three-point line. If he lands with the right team, he could be a very effective player.