Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM | June 25, 2007
SUPERSONICS.COM is taking a look at the top prospects for Thursday's 2007 NBA Draft on a position-by-position basis. Today's focus is the power forward position, by far the deepest of the five positions in this class. Led by Kevin Durant, considered a power forward for this purpose, four of ESPN Insider Chad Ford's top five prospects are power forwards and five different power forwards could go in the top 10.
From: Texas | Height: 6-10 | Weight: 225 | Born: 9/29/88 Key Stats - PPG: 25.8 | RPG: 11.1 | BPG: 1.9 | PER: 32.2
After one season at Texas, Durant needs no introduction. Durant put together the best freshman season in NCAA history, becoming the first frosh ever to win the Naismith, Wooden and AP Player of the Year awards. He became just the third freshman in NCAA history named a Consensus All-American. Durant's potential at the NBA level is virtually limitless. Few players in the league possess his ability to score in the post and step outside with legitimate three-point range, and even fewer still combine that with Durant's rebounding and defensive potential. That's why Durant is a sure top-two pick.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 2 | NBADraft.net: 2 | Chad Ford: 2
AL HORFORD
From: Florida | Height: 6-10 | Weight: 246 | Born: 6/3/86 Key Stats - PPG: 13.2 | RPG: 9.5 | BPG: 1.8 | PER: 28.9
The consensus class of the four Florida standouts who could go in the first round, Horford is almost certain to go in the top five picks. Horford was a Third Team AP All-American as a junior, but was limited to some extent by his talented teammates, who cut into his opportunities to be a go-to player. Still, Horford nearly averaged a double-double. The one question about his transition to the NBA was his height, which made it good news for Horford when he measured in at 6-8 3/4 without shoes at the NBA's Pre-Draft Camp. Horford is a powerful presence in the paint who is also a solid athlete and could become an anchor-type power forward.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 3 | NBADraft.net: 3 | Chad Ford: 3
BRANDAN WRIGHT
From: North Carolina | Height: 6-10 | Weight: 200 | Born: 10/5/87 Key Stats - PPG: 14.7 | RPG: 6.2 | BPG: 1.8 | PER: 25.9
Wright became just the third freshman in the history of the ACC to lead the conference in field-goal percentage. The other two? Chris Bosh and Antawn Jamison. Bosh is a good comparison for Wright, down to the fact that both are southpaws. Wright has extremely soft touch around the basket, shooting 64.6% from the field. He also has a great wingspan that makes him a plus shot-blocker. Question marks do surround Wright's energy on the floor; he tends to play cool. That won't keep him from being a top-10 pick, probably going in the top five.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 6 | NBADraft.net: 4 | Chad Ford: 5
YI JIANLIAN
From: China | Height: 7-0 | Weight: 246 | Born: 10/27/87 Key Stats - PPG: 24.9 | RPG: 11.5 | BPG: 1.8 | PER: -
Yi is the wild card of the 2007 NBA Draft, a probable top-five talent whose final destination is very much in the air. That's in part because of the way his agent, Dan Fegan, has handled the pre-drat process. Yi was the only top prospect who did not participate in any testing at the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp, and only selected teams have been able to attend private workouts. Yi's age - officially listed at 19 - has also been questioned. His talent is more apparent; Yi is a 7-footer with the ability to shoot the basketball who has dominated in his native China.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 10 | NBADraft.net: 10 | Chad Ford: 4
JOAKIM NOAH
From: Florida | Height: 7-0 | Weight: 223 | Born: 2/25/85 Key Stats - PPG: 12.0 | RPG: 8.4 | BPG: 1.8 | PER: 28.1
Potentially the top overall pick had he decided to enter last year's Draft, Noah returned to help lead the Gators to another NCAA Championship but saw his NBA status take a hit. In his third and final season at Florida, Noah was not as prolific a scorer, though he improved his rebounding. The concern about Noah at the NBA level is that he does not necessarily show star potential. However, there's little doubt Noah will be a useful contributor. His agility and ability to defend on the perimeter make him useful in the modern NBA, and his energy can spark his teammates.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 9 | NBADraft.net: 8 | Chad Ford: 11
TIAGO SPLITTER
From: Brazil | Height: 7-0 | Weight: 240 | Born: 1/1/85 Key Stats - PPG: 10.7 | RPG: 6.0 | BPG: 0.4 | PER: -
If it seems like Splitter has been an NBA prospect forever, it's because he's pulled his name out of each of the last three Drafts after originally applying for early entry. Now, Splitter is automatically eligible and should go in the middle of the first round. The Brazilian has proven himself against Euroleague competition, averaging 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds last year for Tau Ceramica and shooting 58.0% career in Euroleague play. The biggest question mark for Splitter might be the buyout clause in his contract with Tau.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 18 | NBADraft.net: 22 | Chad Ford: 18
JOSH MCROBERTS
From: Duke | Height: 6-10 | Weight: 230 | Born: 2/28/87 Key Stats - PPG: 13.0 | RPG: 7.9 | BPG: 2.5 | PER: 21.5
McRoberts is another player who has seen his stock slide as time has gone on. An elite prospect entering Duke and a likely lottery pick last year, McRoberts is now expected to go in the second half of the first round. He did not dominate during his two seasons in Durham, but was solid nonetheless, averaging 13.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 2006-07. That earned him All-ACC Second Team honors. As a lefty, McRoberts is a fine shot-blocker. He's also capable of playing in either the low or high post, but creating his own offense against NBA athletes could be a challenge.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 19 | NBADraft.net: 27 | Chad Ford: 26
GLEN DAVIS
From: LSU | Height: 6-9 | Weight: 290 | Born: 1/1/86 Key Stats - PPG: 17.7 | RPG: 10.4 | BPG: 1.0 | PER: 25.5
The exuberant personality of "Big Baby" captured the nation's attention as LSU advanced to the 2006 Final Four. 2005-06, Davis' sophomore season, was also the best of his career, as he won SEC Player of the Year and led the conference in scoring (18.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.7 rpg). Another big LSU product, Shaquille O'Neal, was the last player to achieve that double. Davis again led the SEC in rebounding as a junior. Davis is deceptively graceful for his size, but will have to keep his weight from being an issue at the NBA level.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 31 | NBADraft.net: 50 | Chad Ford: 25
NICK FAZEKAS
From: Nevada | Height: 6-11 | Weight: 225 | Born: 6/17/85 Key Stats - PPG: 20.4 | RPG: 11.1 | BPG: 1.5 | PER: 35.4
In terms of pure statistical production, Fazekas might have had the best season of any NCAA player in 2006-07. As a senior, Fazekas averaged 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, shot 56.8% from the field, 43.1% from downtown and 84.8% from the free-throw line. His 35.4 Player Efficiency Rating was the best of any NBA prospect. That production has to be downgraded to some extent because of the level of competition Fazekas faced in the WAC, but one of the gems of the 2006 second-round (Utah's Paul Millsap) came from the same conference. At 6-11 and with legit three-point range, Fazekas can be a difficult matchup off the bench in the NBA.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 26 | NBADraft.net: 44 | Chad Ford: 37
ALI TRAORE
From: France | Height: 6-10 | Weight: 249 | Born: 2/28/85 Key Stats - PPG: 9.9 | RPG: 5.5 | BPG: 0.4 | PER: -
France continues to emerge as a source of NBA talent, and Traore is regarded as the best Frenchman in this draft class. He has good size for a power forward and an excellent 7-4 wingspan. Traore played well in the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp, but remains something of an unknown quantity. He's spent the last two seasons in the French A League with Roanne.
Draft Positioning - Draft Express: 58 | NBADraft.net: 48 | Chad Ford: 40
OTHER POWER FORWARD PROSPECTS
Jeramero Davidson, Alabama - First Team All-SEC pick by coaches as a junior; finished career as Alabama's fourth all-time leading shot-blocker. Zoran Erceg, Serbia - Averaged 12.7 points in Adriatic League; defense and rebounding could stand to improve. Herbert Hill, Providence - Blossomed as a senior, winning Big East Most Improved Player honors. Carl Landry, Purdue - Named First Team All-Big Ten by coaches. Stephane Lasme, Massachussets - Third player in NCAA history to record four triple-doubles in a season; UMass' all-time leading shot-blocker.
