16. Cassius Stanley, Shooting Guard
Current Team: Duke
There are two solid bets out of Duke that could rise up draft boards steadily as the regular season moves along and we get into conference and NCAA Tournament play. The first is the stretch-power forward Hurt and the other is a fellow former highly touted recruit, freshman shooting guard Cassius Stanley.
As a very good shooter and explosive athlete, Stanley has rock solid value that he brings that could shine at Duke this season. He does have to get a more consistent mark from three-point range than 33.3 percent, but it is very early on in the regular season. His 58.8 percent shooting from the field is a testament to how efficient he is close to the basket and how agile he is within 10-16 feet from the basket.
What could hold Stanley back from even moving his way into the top 10 draft pick conversation is the depth of this shooting and point guard class. This draft class is deepest at guard where it was deepest at the wing spot last season. But the good news for Stanley is that he fits a specific niche as a super-versatile offensive scorer and facilitator that NBA teams could line up to snag him.
If Duke starts to give Stanley more of a shot at a facilitator role, maybe driving and kicking it out to the perimeter more often, his ability to reach that next level as a primary or secondary-ball handler will be put to the test early. But he is only averaging 0.5 assists per game, so we have to slow the roll on that hype as a primary-ball handler.