The NBA Draft Stock Report checks in on which college basketball players have made a name for themselves in the past week; either helping or hurting their future draft position. This is a special “Buying Only” edition as several players have caught my attention as NBA Draft prospects.
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BUYING:
Moe Harkless, SF, St. John’s, Fr.
Harkless is looking more and more like a one-and-done. He had 23 points and 13 rebounds in the Red Storm’s upset of West Virginia and 30 and 13 in a loss to Duke. At 6-8, Harkless has the ideal size for an NBA small forward. He has a nice mid-range game, can attack the basket, and is smooth scorer around the hoop. I think there is a realistic chance of him being a top-ten pick if he declares for the NBA Draft after this season.
Maalik Wayns, PG, Villanova, Jr.
Prior to being held to 12 points against Marquette, Wayns averaged nearly 28 points per game in his previous four outings. He has been forced to take on more of a scoring role for a down ‘Nova team but is starting to look like the first round prospect that he has been projected to be, especially in this weak point guard class. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned pro after this season although he needs to display a better ability to distribute the basketball.
Ricardo Ratliffe, PF, Missouri, Sr.
The Tiger senior is on pace to break the NCAA single-season field goal percentage. He is shooting 75.1% from the floor and the record is 74.6% by Oregon State’s Steve Johnson during the 1980-1981 season. Most of his buckets do come around in the rim in the form of east dunks, lay-ins, or putbacks. He plays with terrific energy and has gained some massive national exposure due to Mizzou’s success this season. He is a surefire second round pick and continues to climb.
Royce White, PF, Iowa State, So.
White is a unique talent these days; a physical 6-8 player who can handle and distribute the basketball like a guard. His season averages of 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game is rather impressive. He held his own this past weekend against Thomas Robinson of Kansas and hit the game-winner against Kansas State as the Cyclones continue to look like an NCAA Tournament team. You can’t help but wonder since this is technically his third year of college, if that might excel his decision to turn pro this summer.
LaDontae Henton, SF, Providence, Fr.
There is no real threat of Henton turning pro this summer, but he is a guy who I am going to keep my eye on for the future. He has nice size for a NBA small forward and a solid inside/outside game. The lefty is playing major minutes for the Friars and went off for a career-high 33 points in a three-point loss to USF. Henton is very aggressive on the glass, average nearly nine boards a night and certainly could be a future first round pick.
Kyle O’Quinn, C, Norfolk State, Sr.
The 6-10 O’Quinn has been a double-double machine for the MEAC leading Spartans. He obviously plays against lesser, smaller opponents but has 15 double-doubles on the season and is coming off a 27 point, 18 rebound performance albeit in a loss to the Coppin State. He is physical down but also has a nice face-up game. Teams are always looking to find a diamond in the rough in the second round and with O’Quinn’s size, he could be that guy.
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.
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