6 Duke Basketball Players Have NBA Potential

[speedevil]

you forgot Zoubek. All 7 footers have nba potiental

[dkbaseball]

Once I post my report on Olek Czyz in a week or so, everyone here is probably going to start thinking of me as the crazy uncle who's kept in the attic. But I'm projecting him as a classic NBA three. And unless he develops a big confidence problem in Duke's Darwinian practice culture, everybody in the post rotation should start hearing footsteps, Singler included. I can't conceive of someone with this guy's collection of tools going meekly to the end of the bench and waiting a couple of years to be able to help out with rebounding and post defense. He's the wrench thrown in the works of all these projections.

[thebur]

Well I could not miss this opportunity, being a huge Duke and NBA fan, to comment on my predictions for our players' futures.

Here is my breakdown player by player:

Kyle Sinlger- Kyle will improve on this season's numbers year by year, a career capped with a Senior season where he averages 67 ppg 38 rpg 15 apg 8 spg and 12 bpg. He will be voted unanimously ACC and NCAA "Greatest Player in History" and will have his number 20 retired in all of basketball, from Youth Leagues in Des Moines to CSKA Moskow. He will also be honored as a Rhodes Scholar, for the work that he does on a stem cell line that leads to a cure for cancer. He will of course wear his number for the Seattle Supersonics, where after being drafted first overall he will team with Kevin Durant to win 4 straight Championships from 2012 to 2015. At that point, league commissioner Stephen A Smith will form a new franchise in Junueau, AK with Singler and the 13 other worst statistical players in the NBA. This will only anger the "Fiery Strawberry", or "Fresa Encendida" on the dominant sports channel of this era ESPN Deportes, urging him to win work his hardest and lead the Juneau Jackrabbits to 10 straight titles, capturing league and playoff MVP's in each season. Duke will assemble a team of it's best math, science, and engineering students to create a 10,000 foot tall holograph of Kyle on top of Cameron, his menacing stare visible from every corner of the UNC campus.

Gerald Henderson: Gerald will continue his double major in philosophy and aeronautical engineering, pioneering the Theory of the Momentary Suspension of Gravity on moving objects. American Scientist will name him Man of the Year, and call him "The greatest gravitational theorist since Isaac Newton". He will apply this knowledge on the court, leading Duke to back to back championships and leaving early for the NBA after his Junior year. He will go on to average over 32 ppg in the NBA and be a 10 time all star for the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets. Later in life, he will have a second career of Vice President in the second Shane Battier administration.

Nolan Smith: Nolan will be one of the 5 best point guards in Duke history, and will also write his first Psychology text that will be published during his Junior season. After career averages of 15 ppg and 23 apg, he will be drafted second after Kyle Singler, and lead his team to the finals only to be defeated by the "Fresa Encendida" in each trip. After his career in the NBA, he will work towards ending depression in the youth of the world, changing the face of the future for many nations.

Taylor King: Obsessive about having true "In the Gym" range, Taylor will work night in and night out on his shot, only taking breaks to study his mathematics and physics. His senior thesis "Long Distance Trajectory with Human Thrown Objects" will be celebrated by the Duke Scientific community. His range will continue to extend exponentially, until teams have to guard against his shot literally everywhere on the court. This will be highlighted by King's signature play, when in a blowout home win over Carolina at Cameron, with 1:23 to go and the Devils up 43, King jokingly shoots the ball in from the other baseline rather than take a 5 second call. The basket of course did not count, but the highlight was deemed "Play of the Millennium" by many analysts. He will lead the NBA in three point shooting for 8 of his 14 seasons, averaging 22 ppg and being an 11 time all star.

Lance Thomas: Lance will go through his career averaging 15 rebounds a game for his Junior and Senior seasons. He will be known throughout Durham and the nation as an engaging activist and volunteer for the community, helping the "City of Medicine" open 5 free children's health clinics. After graduating and having mediocre success in the NBA, he is encouraged by his friend and former teammate Greg Paulus, the Quarterback for the resurgent Atlanta Falcons to join him on the turf. Lance goes on to become one of the most successful tight ends in league history, with he and Paulus connecting for 32 touchdowns during one of their 4 Superbowl winning seasons.

Just my .02

[jzp5079]

I'm not doubting what you're saying about the scouts. You know I like Scheyer's game. But are you able to share the extent of the scouts' enthusiasm for Jon? Do they see him 1st round now? Or do they see him 1st round assuming he stays and develops as expected?

If you'd rather not divulge what you've learned, I understand.

I don't know a single player in the NBA who gets a "lot" of playing time, and never dunks the ball (at 6'5). Scheyer is a well rounded player. I think what may hurt him is not having one thing that he does ridiculously well. He will be a second round pick. He may stick, he may not.

[CDu]

Standing 6-5, Scheyer scored a good number of his points from behind the three point line. His job for much of the game was to wait for the ball rotation from the weak side and hit the jumper if left open. Though his jumper lacks elevation, Scheyer gets the ball away very quickly with a high release point. The ability to get the ball off quickly allows him to shoot with accuracy even if the defense has a chance to apply pressure. Scheyer’s three point shot was streaky at times last season, however, especially in ACC games.

I generally agree with their analysis, but I disagree with this part. If anything I've always felt there's a slight hitch in Scheyer's "windup." In my opinion, that's why we see him frequently decline to shoot a seemingly open shot. And we almost never see him shoot a perimeter shot when the defender is in his face (nearly all of his three point attempts are wide open ones). I could be wrong, but that's the impression I get when watching him shoot.

[CDu]

Wan't it Kerlina that used to say a player had to be a POY to have a jersey cerimony - only for it to be revealed that ANY POY award would do, from any organization. Kinda like the early "national championships" Kerlina claims to have.

Kerlina's jersey ceremonies are different. They have only seven jerseys that are actually retired. They do honor players with jersey ceremonies and hang the jerseys up. But the number isn't actually retired. As evidence, if you take a close look at the rafters, there are many repeated numbers up there.

[Abraxas]

your not really even close. Unless your just drastically overusing the word "poor"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfTeZ4r3Srw
Meet Andre. where are the similarities?

Lance... no way, but it reminded me of Henderson

I was around when Vince Carter was playing at Carolina. Henderson has that athleticism at the same stage of development, but I think that Henderson has better fundamentals.

Vince Carter UNC stats: http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/1...s/carter-v.htm
Gerald Henderson Duke stats: http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketba...season=2007-08

I truly think that he has the best chance of being the next Duke great NBA player. He is a better defender than Vince was, and if he remains to his Senior year, Henderson will be a lottery pick. Henderson is a probable All-star potential with lots of development ahead.

Singler will also be a first round - maybe lottery pick. He has talent, intelligence, insticts, etc. Needs to mature physically to take the beating from driving to the NBA lane. Possible All-Star potential.

Zoubek will be the 10th player of NBA lineups pick-up their 6 fouls to bother Duncan and other PF/Cs. Not an All-Star potential.

King, because of his size and being 3 pt specialist, might become the Brent Barry type utility player in a roster. Not an All-star potential.

I like all the other Duke players. Great hearts, great kids, great athletes. But undersized for NBA play. Remember Chris Carawell. Great Duke story, even drafted, only played in the Summer NBA league ... http://www.nba.com/jazz/news/rmr_game30_010727.html

The best three Duke NBA players are Grant Hill, Boozer and Brand.

[Jumbo]

I don't know a single player in the NBA who gets a "lot" of playing time, and never dunks the ball (at 6'5). Scheyer is a well rounded player. I think what may hurt him is not having one thing that he does ridiculously well. He will be a second round pick. He may stick, he may not.

You're basing that on, well, your own observations. (Oh, he can dunk the ball. And there are plenty of NBA guys who are 6'5" and can dunk but don't, either.) I'm basing my statements on what NBA scouts say. If you don't want to listen, that's fine. I'll be serving up hefty portions of crow to a whole bunch of people in June of 2010.

Also, this thread makes me want to vomit.

[AtlDuke72]

Kyle Singler-1st Round
Gerald Henderson-1st Round
Taylor King-1st Round
Nolan Smith-1st Round-2nd Round
Demarcus Nelson-1st Round-2nd Round
Lance Thomas-2nd Round

This may be our most NBA talented team yet.

I have reason to believe but I think Singler,King and Henderson each will have their numbers in the rafters at the end of their careers.

Have you been watching the games? While I hope Thomas develops, he is averaging 4 points a game and about 2 rebounds. The other teams bigs have had one career game after another. Somehow the team keeps winning. I think that Zoubek will be drafted and possibly Scheyer. Hard to put King in the first round since it is hard to see what position he could possibly play in the NBA.

[shadowfax336]

I'm getting that from what was said before JJ and Shelden's retirement ceremonies last year by Broadhead. Its totally possible he doesn't know what he's talking about, but he said it both times, so I took it as truth despite the rather confusing fact that Shelden didn't win a National POY (which made me think defensive count). First team AA makes more sense all in all

[MChambers]

Saratoga, I'm begging you to call him Singler, not Singlar. And you guys are killing me with the lack of Scheyer respect. I don't know how to make it any clearer, other than to get some NBA scouts to actually let me quote them on a Duke fan message board. (Hell, maybe I'll try asking.) He's going to play in the league, and play a lot.

Singler has excellent NBA potential, but whoever said he has to learn to play with his back to the basket is smoking something pretty good. He'll be mostly a perimeter player in the NBA. Think a far better version of Harpring, for example.
Henderson will be in the NBA, as will Scheyer. I think Smith and Zoubek (don't laugh) have a shot. As for the rest, let's see how they develop.
No way this team has the talent of 92, 99, or 02, at least in terms of NBA players.

[Saratoga2]

Markie - will be drafted in the early second round and be in the league 5 to 7 years. No all star games or anything like that but he is a complete basketball player and has a pro body and long arms although he is smaller than the average shooting guard. Sometimes guys don't fit the cookie cutter 2 guard and then stick around for 10 years in the league. We love to pigeon hole players based on past experiences and perspectives but on occasion someone comes along and breaks the generalization of what a 2 guard should be and I believe if Markie get's a chance he will surprise some people.

Jon - will be drafted and will be a better pro than JJ although they are different players. Jon is a more complete player than JJ and is able to do two things JJ cannot get to the hole and play defense.

Gerald - Obvious 1st round draft choice in 2009 and a sixth man in the league. He needs to work on his 3 point stroke and ball handling but his raw talent is off the hinges.

Lance - No chance.

Greg- No chance

Taylor - Unless he hits 50% from 3pt range career no chance.

Nolan- I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Nolan will be the best pro out of everybody I listed.

Kyle - 1st round pick and a 15 year carrer in the league.

The rest no chance.


Obviously Markie is my favorite player.

Markie is an excellent college player this year and maybe the most important contributor on this years wonderful team. He is very athletic, is quick and is very strong. I assume him to be no more than 6'3" in stocking feet and we know that he has a long wingspan.

To become an NBA player, he would have to take the role of a shooting guard, since his handle and passing are not good enough for the point position at Duke and certainly not going to cut it in the NBA. His shooting is average and his foul shooting is also average or below. With his capabilities, I can see him possibly getting a shot in the second round, but would not be surprised if he winds up playing overseas.

I agree that Singler has a versitile game and has the size and handling capability to be a 3 in the NBA. Everthing is pointing toward a long career there for him if he wants it.

Henderson has great athleticism and is developing his game. My guess is his handle will improve as will his defensive ability and he too will be drafted into the NBA, probably in the first round.

Smith has some developing to do, but he is quick, has a good handle and is also long. He shoots pretty well now and he is likely to improve a lot over the next year or two. Someone indicated that he is now 6'3" and may still be growing. He has the potential to be an NBA point guard.

Scheyer is also on the list of NBA possibles. At 6'5" and with his floor vision and handle, he is clearly a prospect. He gets the game and would probably wind up as a shooting guard in the NBA. Right now I see him as a borderline first round or second round. He could have a decent NBA career. We should have the advantage of seeing him develop for the full four years at Duke.

I agree that Paulus and Thomas have little chance, but then there aren't that many slots available in the NBA and there are a lot of superior players around the country and the world vying for those positions. There is no shame in missing. It is hard to see King as a prospect with his current level of play, but who knows. Same with Zoubek.

[jzp5079]

You're basing that on, well, your own observations. (Oh, he can dunk the ball. And there are plenty of NBA guys who are 6'5" and can dunk but don't, either.) I'm basing my statements on what NBA scouts say. If you don't want to listen, that's fine. I'll be serving up hefty portions of crow to a whole bunch of people in June of 2010.

Also, this thread makes me want to vomit.

i'de be willing to take a friendly bet.

[jzp5079]

http://www.nbadraft.net/Classof2010.asp


http://www.draftexpress.com/rankings/NCAA-Sophomores


any more sources?

[Jumbo]

http://www.nbadraft.net/Classof2010.asp


http://www.draftexpress.com/rankings/NCAA-Sophomores


any more sources?

Neither nbadraft.net nor draftexpress is remotely reputable. They are glorified fan sites.

Here's our bet, since you're interested in a friendly wager. When Scheyer dons and NBA uniform in November of 2010, that will be your avatar for a year. If something (short of a cataclysmic injury) happens and he doesn't make the league, I'll use his Euro team logo as my avatar for a year. Deal?

[jzp5079]

Neither nbadraft.net nor draftexpress is remotely reputable. They are glorified fan sites.

Here's our bet, since you're interested in a friendly wager. When Scheyer dons and NBA uniform in November of 2010, that will be your avatar for a year. If something (short of a cataclysmic injury) happens and he doesn't make the league, I'll use his Euro team logo as my avatar for a year. Deal?

hmm... see I think Scheyer has a chance at landing in the second round. Right now (and yes based on my observations), I don't see him cracking the top 8-9 in an NBA rotation (hense - I don't ever see him playing a lot). Heck, JJ and Sheldon are having trouble getting a lot of playing time these days (Sheldon more recently has faded off). That said, and I believe I have mentioned this before recently, Scheyer has the rest of this season to impress. He has 2 more off seasons. It will be interesting to see how his frame responds to this upcoming summer of 08'. That could be very telling on his NBA future. I think he's a great player. I see him possibly averaging 17ppg, 3.5 apg, 4 rpg for us his senior year or something along those lines. It's a matter of: Does his game translate to the NBA well? I'm not so convinced it does - I also am no expert.

How many seniors were taken in the first round last year? Just Al Thorton, Aaron Brooks, Alando Tucker, and AC Law if I remember correctly. It just seems to me if your good enough to crack an NBA rotation - or thought to have the potential to be - your being projected to go at the latest in most cases after your junior year.

[houstondukie]

no offense, but this may be the dumbest original post I have ever read on this site.

[devildeac]

http://www.nbadraft.net/Classof2010.asp


http://www.draftexpress.com/rankings/NCAA-Sophomores


any more sources?

glaring in their absence: Mayo, Love, Beasley, Hanstravel

you nba fans out there with FAR more knowledge than me, please help me out-there must be others...

[Indoor66]

glaring in their absence: Mayo, Love, Beasley, Hanstravel

you nba fans out there with FAR more knowledge than me, please help me out-there must be others...

The lists on those sites are of current SOPHOMORES. 1st 3 above are freshmen and Hans is a Junior.

[Abraxas]

Mock Draft 2009 - http://www.nbadraft.net/index.asp?content=mock2009
as updated 1.28.08

ACC Players

16. Henderson - Duke

25. Lawson - UNC
26. Ellington - UNC
30. Hansbrough -UNC
54. Ginyard - UNC

35. Rice - BC


Draft Express has a mock for 2008 - no Duke players listed
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2008/

For 2009 - Henderson is listed at 20.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2009/

Draft Express has the following comments and rankings as compared to each class regading Duke players. However, their profiles are really old.
http://www.draftexpress.com/clubhouse/Duke-100/