Prospects include DeVon Hardin, Joakim Noah, Javaris Crittenton, Brandon Rush, Al Horford, Tywon Lawson, Mario Chalmers, and Ayinde Ubaka.
Part One (Stock Up)
Stock Neutral
DeVon Hardin, 6-11, Center, Junior, Cal
3 Games: 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 2.3 turnovers, 13/26 FG, 7/8 FT
Jonathan Givony
Coming into the season, many were expecting big things from Cals super athletic big man DeVon Hardin. Based off what weve seen so far, though, they may have to wait for a little while before he really starts to come around.
No one will ever question Hardins natural physical tools. A legit 6-11, he has a frame reminiscent of Dwight Howard at the same age. His wingspan is imposing and his athleticism all you could ask for from a player his size. Hardin runs the floor extremely well when committed and is able to get off the ground with ease and challenge anyone that dares step inside the paint. Once he gets the ball inside the paint, he bounces off the floor in the blink of an eye to throw down some extremely impressive dunks. Hes a graceful athlete with difference-making potential thanks to his fantastic explosiveness.
The problem is, youd expect him to do a lot more with all the tools he has at his disposal. From what we saw in Alaska, he is still very much a work in progress and probably wouldnt be considered anything more than a marginal D-League player if he were to be drafted right now.
The main concern is the fact that hes just not always very active, looking hesitant and tentative at best and lazy and uninspired at worst. Hes very robotic in his movements and is limited offensively to the point that he just doesnt look for the basket at all. When he does, he often struggles with his decision making, particularly in terms of trying to do things that hes just not capable of, as well as passing out of double teams, as his 1 to 4 assist to turnover ratio might indicate. Hes had no problem deferring to his much less heralded frontcourt mate Ryan Anderson, just a freshman, and it doesnt look like that is going to change anytime soon from what weve seen early on. Against Marshall, he showed pretty poor hands and even missed some wide-open dunks, but against Hawaii he looked a little better when going to his left-handed jump-hook, even if that is his only real offensive move. He also showed flashes of a mid-range jumper on occasion, and did a phenomenal job knocking down his free throws thanks to his surprisingly soft touch. His best game of the tournament came in the finals against Loyola Marymount, where he got himself going with a couple of impressive dunks and really made an impact defensively with his shot-blocking ability, finishing the game with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Considering the level of competition he went up against, though, its difficult to get too excited when you take his entire tournament performance into consideration.
Defensively, Hardin can be very foul prone as he doesnt quite know how to avoid contact when going up for a block, and has a tendency anyway to leave his feet on even the slightest of pump-fakes. As a rebounder, he doesnt quite get after the glass the way youd think a guy with his size and explosiveness would. More than anything he lacks the type of awareness and experience that only comes with time and plenty of playing time at a high level, and you have to wonder if people are jumping the boat with the kind of lofty expectations that are being put on his shoulders. With that said, its impossible not to notice the kind of potential he possesses as a 6-11 jumping jack with a monster frame and a seemingly good attitude. As long as he performs reasonably well in private workouts (which just happen to be tailor made to his strengths), hell probably end up being drafted somewhere in the first round regardless--although hell definitely be considered a long-term project.
The problem is, youd expect him to do a lot more with all the tools he has at his disposal. From what we saw in Alaska, he is still very much a work in progress and probably wouldnt be considered anything more than a marginal D-League player if he were to be drafted right now.
The main concern is the fact that hes just not always very active, looking hesitant and tentative at best and lazy and uninspired at worst. Hes very robotic in his movements and is limited offensively to the point that he just doesnt look for the basket at all. When he does, he often struggles with his decision making, particularly in terms of trying to do things that hes just not capable of, as well as passing out of double teams, as his 1 to 4 assist to turnover ratio might indicate. Hes had no problem deferring to his much less heralded frontcourt mate Ryan Anderson, just a freshman, and it doesnt look like that is going to change anytime soon from what weve seen early on. Against Marshall, he showed pretty poor hands and even missed some wide-open dunks, but against Hawaii he looked a little better when going to his left-handed jump-hook, even if that is his only real offensive move. He also showed flashes of a mid-range jumper on occasion, and did a phenomenal job knocking down his free throws thanks to his surprisingly soft touch. His best game of the tournament came in the finals against Loyola Marymount, where he got himself going with a couple of impressive dunks and really made an impact defensively with his shot-blocking ability, finishing the game with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Considering the level of competition he went up against, though, its difficult to get too excited when you take his entire tournament performance into consideration.
Defensively, Hardin can be very foul prone as he doesnt quite know how to avoid contact when going up for a block, and has a tendency anyway to leave his feet on even the slightest of pump-fakes. As a rebounder, he doesnt quite get after the glass the way youd think a guy with his size and explosiveness would. More than anything he lacks the type of awareness and experience that only comes with time and plenty of playing time at a high level, and you have to wonder if people are jumping the boat with the kind of lofty expectations that are being put on his shoulders. With that said, its impossible not to notice the kind of potential he possesses as a 6-11 jumping jack with a monster frame and a seemingly good attitude. As long as he performs reasonably well in private workouts (which just happen to be tailor made to his strengths), hell probably end up being drafted somewhere in the first round regardless--although hell definitely be considered a long-term project.