NBA Comparisons for the Top Prospects in the NBA Draft: Part 1 [20-11]

With the NCAA tourney finishing up and with the final rounds upon us, it seems appropriate that I post something at least somewhat related to college basketball. However, this is strictly an NBA blog, so I had to find some middle ground. Pro player comparisons seemed like solid middle ground. For this post, I will find an NBA player that compares well to each of the top 20 NCAA prospects [according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report].

Due to "Blogspot" image restrictions, I will be releasing this post in two editions.

Key: Prospect names are in bold, NBA players' names are underlined

20. Cleanthony Early, SF, Wichita State, Sr. - Tim Hardaway, New York Knicks
While Early is bigger than the former Michigan standout, their games are
very similar to each other. Both are über-athletic wings who can rise up in transition, streaky 3 point shooters who are almost automatic when they're hot, and both of them show immense defensive potential. If Cleathony Early puts in the work early on and adjust to the level of competition, Early can carve out a niche as a 3-D, slasher like Hardaway has.


19. Jusuf Nurkic, C, Bosnia, 1994 - Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota Timberwolves
The buzz surrounding Nurkic has increased by the day. While he is a lesser known prospect, many
scouts think highly of him, and it's hard not to. Although he moves a
bit more fluidly than Pekovic does, he similar to him in the sense that he's a bully in the post and is fantastic at boxing-out.



18. Adreian Payne, PF, Michigan State, Sr. - Terrance Jones, Houston Rockets

Payne has turned into a whole new player this season, upping his scoring average by 6 points per game,and hitting more than twice as many 3's [39] than he made his first three seasons combined [17]. Payne has still remained a solid force on the boards [7 rebounds per game], and has legitimate size for his position [6"10, 245 pounds] to go along with his sneaky athleticism. Payne will come into the league as a Jones-type player and despite already being 23 years old, may develop into a richer man's version of Jones.



17. Mario Hezonja, SG/SF, Croatia, 1995 - J.R. Smith, New York Knicks
Mario Hezonja is a high-risk high-reward prospect. There are times when he just makes it look easy with his world-class athleticism and scoring instincts. He
recently went off for 26 points on 9-12 shooting in just 21 minutes, plus he averages 54% on 2-pointers and 44% on threes. However, there isn't a full body of work [11 minutes per game] and there are concerns about hid personality.




16. Clint Capela, PF, Switzerland, 1994 - DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers

While Capela is a bit shorter than Jordan [just 6"10], he is just about as long as him [7"3 wingspan] and has the same time of powerful athleticism. While he isn't a finished product on offense, he's a terror on
the boards [nearly 13 per 40 min.] Capela isn't a great FT shooter [55%], but he's ready to come in from  day one as a rim protector and can evolve into an offensive threat.


15. Zach LaVine, PG/SG, UCLA, Fr. - Gerald Green, Phoenix Suns

Some scouts are high enough on LaVine to compare him to fellow UCLA combo-guard Russell Westbrook, however I'm not buying into that comparison. While LaVine has Westbrook-level potential, I'm not certain that he'll reach all of it. I see him as a combo-guard version of Gerald Green because of his olympic-worthy athleticism and smooth three-point shot, but LaVine is extremely rough around the edges. He hasn't shown the ability to facilitate a college 2nd unit, so I doubt he can run an NBA offense. Like Green, LaVine can be a killer 6th man with microwave ability.



14. Doug McDermott, SF, Creighton, Sr. - Wally Szczerbiak, retired [primarily with the Minnesota Timberwolves]

Szczerbiak was one of the most under-appreciated players of his era and is little known to the causal NBA fan. His career stats were: 14 points per game, 48% field-goal percentage, 40% three-point percentage, and just one turnover per game. He was the gold-standard of efficiency, which is the same way I view Doug McDermott. Throughout his college career, McDermott had a knack for scoring a bunch of points at an extremely efficient clip without demanding the ball, who specialized in moving without the ball. Every team needs a player like that.


13. Rodney Hood, SF, Duke, So. - Rashard Lewis, Miami Heat

Today, Rashard Lewis is a cap monstrosity and seldom used forward who averages 4 points per game. However, there was a time when Lewis was a knock-down shooter and an efficient, volume scorer. Between 2000 and 2009, Lewis never averaged lower than 17 points-per-game with only two seasons shooting under 45% and one shooting under 37% from behind-the-arc. Hood is about the same size as Lewis and has the same silky 3-point stroke as Lewis. Maybe one day, he too can sign a ridiculous contract and make easy money.


12. Nik Stauskas, SG, Michigan, So. - Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
What a difference an offseason can make. Last year, Stauskas was a knockdown three-point shooter. This year, Stauskas is an all-around takeover scorer, solid facilitator, aggressive penetrator, and a knockdown three point shooter. There may not be a single player in the NCAA who improved more over the past season than Stauskas. Despite not being a lockdown defender, Stauskas is a great prospect who, like Klay, can take over a game at any given time.


11. Gary Harris, SG, Michigan State, So. - O.J. Mayo, Milwaukee Bucks

I know what you're thinking, and no, I don't mean the present day O.J. Mayo. I mean what O.J. Mayo was supposed to be when he came out of college. Here's an excerpt from an O.J. Mayo scouting report when he was coming out of college:
"There was no question that we were watching a player with a supreme work ethic, which becomes most noticeable when you take a look at the way he shoots the ball..... [there's] balance and arc on his shot, [he's always] setting his feet instantaneously as soon as he catches the ball, and never looking rattled even when he has a man in his face heavily contesting his shot."

That sums up Gary Harris. Harris is always using his IQ on offense and defense, he's a natural leader and winner.