A well-rounded skill set for the Maryland Terrapins sophomore power forward Jalen Smith alone should put him in the realm of a late first or early second round draft pick. The floor seems very high for Smith, but he didn’t get the full chance to prove himself on the national stage.
During his sophomore campaign, Smith showed improved rebounding ability, rim protection, and outside shooting. He averaged 15.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks, while shooting better than 36 percent from beyond the arc.
There’s a lot of NBA level talent on the Michigan State Spartans roster under the direction of head coach Tom Izzo. Due to his his rather low ceiling, I didn’t have Michigan State’s standout senior point guard Cassius Winston on the list, but junior star center Xavier Tillman is a former four-star recruit that is present.
The reviews are fairly consistent across the board for Tillman, as he averaged 13.7 points per game and 10.3 rebounds. He should be a consistent contributor off the bench in the NBA, but he has a limited offensive arsenal. His ceiling in general is somewhat limited at the next level.
Ideally, the Louisville Cardinals star junior small forward Jordan Nwora finds himself in a role in the NBA where he can round out his skill set on both ends of the floor while playing on a winning team. Nwora mostly knows nothing but winning during his time with the Louisville basketball program.
The stronger parts of Nwora’s game includes shot creation, on-ball defense, and running in transition. His ceiling comes into question, as does his ability to keep up with NBA level athletes as we move closer to the draft.