NBA Draft Prospects: Early Declarations for 2014 Draft

Jan 14, 2014; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Noah Vonleh (1) warms up before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

With the end of the college basketball season approaching, it’s about that time to start shifting gears from 35 second shot clocks and zone defense to 7 seconds or less and no defense.

That’s right! Your favorite college basketball players are beginning to declare for the NBA Draft, and there’s nothing you can do but cry that they weren’t ready, and speculate how terrible they’ll be at the next level. Fortunately for me – in a journalistic sense – the first seven players to declare their hopes to lead lives devoid of Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:30 AM classes have potential to be solid NBA players, for the most part.

Here are my power rankings of the first wave of players who have declared themselves eligible for the draft based on how I think they’ll fair in the NBA, and where I think they’ll be selected in the draft.

1. Noah Vonleh, Freshman, Indiana
In my opinion, Vonleh was the most unappreciated freshman in the nation this season. Leading the Big Ten with 9.0 rebounds per game, Vonleh is one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft because of how raw he still is. Vonleh won’t be 19-years old until August but is possibly the best rebounder in the draft, has several moves in the low post and can score going to either hand, and can even score facing up from nearly every where on the floor. I’m not going to spend this time talking about his perimeter game, but Vonleh shoots the ball far better than most guys his size – which happens to be the keyword here. Size. Vonleh’s a legitimate 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, and has a 7-foot-4 wingspan. With his athleticism, youth, and high motor, it’s hard not to like this guy as a top-five pick even. His stock is only growing.

My Projection: Top 8

2. Rodney Hood, Sophomore (Red Shirt), Duke
So this is the real reason that I’m writing this column: A couple of months ago Joe and I put up one of our columns where we’d hop on gchat, discuss some pro prospects, and share our elite insight with our following. During one of these “Google Chats of Doom,” Joe’s stupid name, not mine, I said I’d be shocked to see Hood go in the first round, let alone the lottery. Well, I was wrong. A 6-8 lefty wing who is equally incredible from the perimeter as he is getting to the rim and finishing, Hood would probably be a top-10 pick if guys named Jabari and (Andrew) Wiggins weren’t coming out this year. Hood impressed me a ton in his lone season at Duke, and considering he was one of about six wing players in Coach K’s rotation, his ability to stand out next to freshman stud Jabari Parker speaks levels to what he’s capable of doing at the next level.

My Projection: 10-15

3. Montrezl Harrell, Sophomore, Louisville
Harrell’s probably the player on this list I’m most excited to see at the next level. I think he’s one of those Ben Wallace/Charles Barkley not as tall as his basketball card will tell you he is types, and in the same respect I think he can be about as physical as those two NBA legends. Harrell has a huge body that’s still filling out, and he isn’t just built, he’s long, sporting a scary 7-foot-3 wingspan. He showed a ton as a sophomore for the thriving Cardinals, being a bruiser on the boards (3.3 offensive rebounds per game), thriving in transition, and even knocking down a long two here and there. Harrell’s another player who if he were coming out in any other draft would probably go 5-10 picks higher.

My Projection: Top 20

4. T.J. Warren, Sophomore, North Carolina State
It feels strange not having Warren higher on my list considering he’s coming off of a tremendous 25 and 7 season, but he reminds me a lot of Chris Douglas Roberts…which isn’t a bad thing! I think Warren’s a big time scorer and a very skilled wing player, but I don’t know that he can shoot well enough to be a high impact three, or that he’s quick/athletic enough to be a two in the NBA. I think he can definitely play at the highest level, and the progress that he made in terms of working on his game and transforming his body from his freshman to sophomore seasons shows tons of promise as he continues to grow, but his game just doesn’t stand out for me. Blame it on Wiggins and Parker, or Durant and LeBron, but multi-faceted wings are no longer a novelty in the NBA.

My Projection: 13-17

5. LaQuinton Ross, Junior, Ohio State
In his first chance at legitimate playing time during his junior season, Ross was able to put up the numbers and have the impact that he was expected to as a top recruit in the 2011 high school class.  Ross is a very comfortable looking scorer, displaying great form on his jumper, impressive range, and an ability to score from a number of places inside the arc as well. My biggest concern with Ross is how one-dimensional he is (mainly a shooter), but at 6-foot-7 and 22o pounds he has an NBA body and has a lot of raw talent still to mold. I don’t know that Ross did enough as a college player to impress scouts into using a first round pick on him, but I think he can play and definitely score – in garbage minutes – at the next level.

My Projection: Late First Round

6. Juwan Staten, Junior (Red Shirt), West Virginia
Staten is one of those players who I feel like I’m going to see busting his ass in the NBA as a backup combo guard for the next 10-15 years of my life and thinking, “man was this kid awesome in college.” Coming off of a junior season where he averaged 18.1 points, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, Staten and teammate Eron Harris came together for what I thought was the most talented backcourt in the country. Where I thought they fell short however, was Staten’s inability to get more out of his teammate’s scoring prowess, instead finding himself holding on to the ball for too long and taking too many questionable shots. These are the reasons that I think Staten can play, and score at the next level, but I don’t see him being a first round pick, or even a starter at the next level. Scoring the ball is his strength, but unfortunately when you’re 6-foot-1 and scoring is your greatest attribute, your draft stock tends to be lower. In all fairness, Staten doesn’t turn the ball over much, but my biggest question is whether or not he can make his teammates better.

My Projection: Early-Mid Second Round

7. JaKarr Sampson, Sophomore, St. John’s
As a born and bred Queens native, this one obviously hurts me the most and is the most difficult for me, but I’m going to be brutally honest and say that I don’t think Sampson has done enough in his two years at St. John’s to have anybody convinced that he can play at the next level. Sampson’s a tweener in every sense of the word, being tall and long, but skinny and most comfortable playing away from the basket. The main problem with this is that Sampson isn’t a particularly good or efficient jump shooter. He took less three’s in his sophomore season which resulted in a higher field goal percentage, and yes his body may be ideal for the wing in the NBA, but again he hasn’t shown the skills necessary to play that position considering his lack of outside game and ball handling ability. He’s still too much of a project to take ahead of guys with proven skill sets who would probably be drafted in the second round.

My Projection: Late Second Round or Undrafted

For insight on College Hoops, the NBA, and a whole bunch of unimportant things, follow Jared on Twitter at @JMintzHoops