These rankings do not cover foreign players that have not came over to the states to play D1 basketball because I have never seen them play overseas. So why rank players I have never seen.
2005 NBA Draft.
2005
1) Marvin Williams
2) Gerald Green
3) Andrew Bogut
4) Raymond Felton
5) Chris Paul
6) Deron Williams
7) Andray Blatche
8) Sean May
9) Chris Taft
10) Jarrett Jack
11) Charlie Villanueva
12) Rashad McCants
13) Danny Granger
14) Martell Webster
15) Ike Diogu
16) Kennedy Winston
17) Hakim Warrick
18) Joey Graham
19) Channing Frye
20) Francsico Gracia
21) John Gilchrist
22) Ronny Turiaf
23) Wayne Simien
24) Nate Robinson
25) David Lee
26) Salim Stoudamire
27) Torin Francis
28) Julius Hodge
29) Dijon Thompson
PG
Raymond Felton
Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Jarrett Jack
John Gilchrist
Nate Robinson
Julius Hodge
Aaron Miles
Will Conroy
Daniel Ewing
SG
Gerald Green
Kennedy Winston
Rashad McCants
Martell Webster
Francsico Gracia
Salim Stoudamire
Dijon Thompson
Allan Anderson
Jackie Manuel
Luther Head
Tre Simmons
SF
Marvin Williams
Joey Graham
Danny Granger
Hakim Warrick
Ryan Gomes
Shawne Williams
Kelenna Azubuike
PF
Andray Blatche
Charlie Villanueva
Sean May
Chris Taft
Ike Diogu
Channing Frye
Torin Francis
Wayne Simien
Ronny Turiaf
Lawerence Roberts
Jason Maxiell
David Lee
Ellis Myles
Chuck Hayes
This list does not include foreign players or next years high school seniors because I have never seen them play. Obviously Oden comes into play with this draft and so does Durant, but I am going to leave them out of these rankings and just include high school seniors this year and players in college.
2006 Draft:
1) Julian Wright
2) Adam Morrison
3) Rudy Gay
4) Tyler Hansbrough
5) Jordan Farmar
6) Darius Washington
7) Gulliermo Diaz
8) Rodney Carney
9) Josh Boone
10) Josh McRoberts
11) Andrew Bynum
12) Randolph Morris
13) Paul Davis
14) Mardy Collins
15) Taj Gray
16) Hassan Adams
17) LaMarcus Aldridge
18) Dee Brown
19) Louis Williams
20) Brandon Bass
21) Pops Mensh-Bonsu
22) Amir Johnson
23) DJ White
24) Mustafa Shakur
25) JJ Redick
26) Monta Ellis
27) Terrence Roberts
28) Vincent Grier
29) Cory Brewer
30) Curtis Stinson
31) Daniel Gibson
32) Maurice Ager
33) Jason Frasor
34) Anthony Roberson
35) Rajon Rondo
36) JP Batista
37) Alando Tucker
38) Shannon Brown
39) Sammy Mejia
40) David Padgett
PG
Jordan Farmar
Darius Washington
Gulliermo Diaz
Mardy Collins
Mustafa Shakur
Louis Williams
Dee Brown
Rajon Rondo
Curtis Stinson
Daniel Gibson
Monta Ellis
Anthony Roberson
Taquan Dean
Sammy Mejia
JamesOn Curry
Kyle Lowry
Ronald Steele
Armein Kirkland
Marcus Williams
SG
Rodney Carney
Hassan Adams
CJ Miles
JJ Redick
Vincent Grier
Cory Brewer
Micah Downs
Maurice Ager
Rashad Anderson
James White
Shannon Brown
Denham Brown
Bobby Jones
Erroll Knight
JR Giddens
Jevohn Shepard
Allan Ray
Adam Haluska
Bracey Wright
SF
Julian Wright
Adam Morrison
Rudy Gay
Josh McRoberts
Alando Tucker
Juan Palacios
Nik Caner Medley
Brandon Rush
Steve Novak
Brandon Roy
Curtis Sumpter
Regis Koundjia
Ryan Amoroso
PF
Tyler Hansbrough
LaMarcus Aldridge
Taj Gray
Pops Mensh-Bonsu
Amir Johnson
DJ White
Leon Powe
Brandon Bass
Terrence Roberts
Kevin Pittsnogle
Ivan Radenovic
JP Batista
Nick Fazekas
Terrence Dials
James Augustine
Richard Hendrix
Eric Hicks
Joey Dorsey
C
Josh Boone
Andrew Bynum
Randolph Morris
David Padgett
Paul Davis
Jason Frasor
Glen Davis
Shagari Alleyne
Michael Thompson
Hilton Armstrong
Jermareo Davidson
Players with the most potential:
Gerald Green
Marvin Williams
Andrew Bogut
Andray Blatche
Chris Paul
Charlie Villanueva
Chris Taft
Danny Granger
John Gilchrist
Torin Francis
David Lee
Players that are the best defenders:
PG
Chris Paul
Aaron Miles
Jarrett Jack
Deron Williams
SG
Jackie Manuel
Allan Anderson
Luther Head
SF
Joey Graham
PF
Chris Taft
Sean May
Ronny Turiaf
Jared Homan
Chuck Hayes
Ellis Myles
Players that are the best shooters:
Salim Stoudamire
Martell Webster
Rashad McCants
Francsico Gracia
Kennedy Winston
Dijon Thompson
Tre Simmons
Shawne Williams
Player that are the best athletes:
Gerald Green
Marvin Williams
Chris Paul
Andray Blatche
Hakim Warrick
David Lee
Nate Robinson
Jackie Manuel
Chris Taft
Torin Francis
Joey Graham
Charlie Villanueva
Jarrett Jack
Jason Maxiell
Allan Anderson
Strengths: Green is a perfect combination of pure athletic superiority and basketball skill. He does not rely on his athletic ability to be great; he uses his athletic ability and his overall basketball skills to be a great player. However, what makes so many scouted excited about this prospect is his athletic ability, simply put. He is a rare athlete and fits the mold perfectly of the 6-6/ 6-8, 200-230 SG/SF with outstanding leaping ability, basketball handling ability and versatility inside and outside. Other players that fit that mold currently are Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.
He is an outstanding high riser and finisher around the rim. He is 6-8, has long arms and combined with his extraordinary 42-inch vertical; he can reach as high as anyone in recent memory can. His performance in the McDonalds All American dunk competition drew comparisons to Vince Carter’s performance in the NBA slam dunk competition. Green even pulled out the elbow dunk and the under the leg dunk off the bounce that Vince Carter made famous. Athletically Green can do just about everything.
In term of his leaping ability, Green appears to just hang in the air for a few seconds longer than everyone else does. Of course playing against high school kids when you’re a superior athlete is not a great measuring stick. However, against the best of the best in high school this year, Green was hands down a step ahead of everyone else on the court. He gets very high off the ground in a short period of time and is very explosive as a dunker in general. He can make adjustments in the air that most basketball players cannot make and he rarely gets stuck in the air and makes a turnover. When he takes off, he will find a way to get a shot up and finish it.
Green is not just a high riser; he has a very well defined basketball handler. He uses all the proper moves to get himself open be it a jab step or a pull back dribble, Green knows how to create space for himself. He is a creative player when getting his shot off and is very advanced at setting up defenders and on offense. With the basketball in his hands, it seems like he just has another gear other players do not have. He is very effective at getting by defenders off the dribble. In terms of quickness and speed, he is not a typical 6-8 player, just in terms of height most 6-8 players play the PF spot in college; Green on the other hand is a legitimate SG/SF with speed.
His jump shot is very smooth; he has a nice release and has very good control of the basketball coming off his fingertips. He is an effective shooter and proved that in the All Star game. Honestly, he is more developed as a shooter than LeBron or Kobe were at this age.
Mentally Green is exactly what professional scouts look for in a prospect. He has that certain swagger and confidence all of the great ones have, he knows he can play and he has absolutely no doubt in his abilities. He is not an arrogant player from what I have seen, he is just confident and a little competitive swagger has never hurt anyone. His mentality is what is really impressive about Green as a whole. To truly be a great player a prospect has to generally be athletically gifted, have a superior skill set, and be mentally competitive, driven and confident. Green walks the walk and talks the talk.
Weaknesses: His only weakness right now that I can see is on the defensive end. He does not really get after it on defense but honestly, you can say that about almost all kids that age. At the next level, he will have to improve his defensive technique and rebounding if he is to play the SF position. He has the arm length, the quickness and the versatility as an athlete to be a good defender; he just has to apply himself more on that end of the court.
He does not move his feet that well on defense from side to side and he will have to work on that. I am not sure at this point, if he has the toughness and grit to be a great defender, but not everyone can be that type of player at the next level. However, for him to be truly great he has to improve on his defensive weaknesses.
Green is a good ball handler in general, but he will have to continue to improve that part of his game. With his athletic ability, if he can become an even better ball handler he will be almost unstoppable on offense. He has to become a more crisp and decisive ball handler and improve his overall control of the basketball.
Another weakness to his game is that he is physically skinny for a NBA SF or SG. He does not have a great build in terms of strength and bulk. Don’t get me wrong, he is muscular but I doubt he will ever have the physique of a LeBron James, he just cannot genetically become that strong of a player. At the next level, I could see problems with his strength and how he holds up against bigger players in the paint.
Outlook: Potentially I would say Green is a top 3 pick, I would not take him over Marvin Williams at this point in time but I would potentially take him over Bogut and would for sure take him over Paul as well. Green really helped himself in the McDonalds All American game, probably more than any other player did with the performance he had. Surprisingly he was relatively quiet the second half; regardless he still put up 24 points.
His only weakness at this point in time is his defensive intensity and technique. However, I remember people were all over LeBron for his lack of defensive dominance in high school, and know we all know that is not really a factor at the next level.
Ironically, Green put on display both parts of his game in two different venues. In the McDonalds All American dunk contest he showed off his outstanding athletic skills and dunking skills. In addition, if that wasn’t enough, he proved to any doubters during the game that he is not just a dunker. He proved that he has well defined basketball skills to go with outstanding athletic ability. He was almost the exact opposite in terms of what he did in the dunk contest compared to how he performed during the game. He did not so much display his athletic ability as he displayed his ability to score the basketball away from the hoop. He hit six 3-point shots in the game, handled the basketball and created shots for himself well throughout the game. He did not however show boat during the game or hog the ball, in the second half, he did not shoot that much and differed more to his teammates.
Comments: Green is almost a spotless prospect, I cannot see many weaknesses in his overall game now, and his potential is through the roof. He is not at the level of LeBron James obviously; he does not have the same physical strength or general passing and superior ball handling skills. However, athletically based on his performance in the dunk contest he is very similar to Vince Carter. If you look at what JR Smith, another three point shooter and great dunker in high school has done in the NBA, just think what Green can do when he is a better athlete, is three inches taller with better ball handling skills.
Green is an extremely exciting player to watch, it is a joy to see him do his thing on the basketball court. When he attacks the basket aggressively, he can do some things that flat out make you in awe of his overall athletic skills. He truly is a player that can astound you.
What are your insights on Josh McRoberts? I think he's a great player, playing in Duke, I really see him as a solid and fundamentally sound PF in the NBA one day. Do you think he's just a 10th pick in the 2006 draft?
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What are your insights on Josh McRoberts? I think he's a great player, playing in Duke, I really see him as a solid and fundamentally sound PF in the NBA one day. Do you think he's just a 10th pick in the 2006 draft?
I really like McRoberts, a very fine talent at SF or PF. Kid is a great athlete, agile, good leaper, not super explosive but is very effective inside. Has a good touch from around the hoop, good outside range, he could develop into a mismatch at SF or a mistmatch at PF if he gains some strength. At Duke he will just kill people, if Nick Horvath can be moderately effective, McRoberts will rock. What Shav lacks in athletic ability and ball handling ability, McRoberts makes up.
I would have said he could have went out this year to the NBA draft, but year he could potentially be top 10 easy. Has a lot of overall potential.
Great profile on Gerald Green OZZY.....I hope he falls to Milwaukee @ #6.....kid is a franchise player, and he could very well end up being the best player in the draft....
Great profile on Gerald Green OZZY.....I hope he falls to Milwaukee @ #6.....kid is a franchise player, and he could very well end up being the best player in the draft....
Thanks, honestly thought its just from seeing two All star games of him, but yeah I think its quality. I sent it in for draftcity but I guess the head guy got the profile for Green, however I think he underrates his athletic ability and overrates his current defense and doesn't comment on his lack of pure strength. But yeah I agree, he is a baller, but no way would he drop to #6. But remember they didn't do the draft lottery so maybe the Bucks could move up but they could also move down.
What makes Mbakwe a special player is simply his athletic ability as a 6-8 sophomore, soon to be junior. He is very quick for a 6-8 player and is a true high flyer. He knows how to finish in traffic and throw down dunks with authority and power. He gets off the ground very quickly and is very dangerous in the air on offense because of his long arms. He is very mobile, agile and quick for a post player.
He has very good hands for a post player and is good at going up in the air and catching passes most players cannot even get to. He has large hands and combine that with his long arms, he is a very effective rebounder in the post regardless of the fact that he doesn’t box out that often. His leaping ability and long arms also helps him make tip in shots on offense. He is hard to keep off of the glass because either he uses his quickness to beat his opponent or he just jumps over them and can get the ball at a higher point than his opponent.
Mbakwe is also not a player that will shy away from contact. He will hit the floor and dive for a loose balls if need be, even though at 6-8 it is a long way fall to the ground. During the game, I watched him, he dived for at least two to three loose balls and hit the court pretty hard but that did not seem to even faze him. In the paint, he also does not shy away from contact when looking to score. He will get highlight dunks in traffic no matter who is in front of the basket. When Mbakwe plays assertive basketball, he is unstoppable.
He is not a great jump shooter at this point in his career. However, he does have a very fluid jump shot right now and he shoots in one consistent motion, it is not jerky or awkward in any way. So possibly, he could develop into a good shooter in general as he matures with age.
Mentally Mbakwe is an aggressive and intense athlete. He screams after he lays down a fierce dunk and he plays the game with passion and intensity at a very young age. It is great to see a player with his kind of athletic ability not solely rely on it to be successful. He does all the dirty work, be it getting rebounds of diving for loose balls along with scoring the basketball. When he is playing aggressive basketball and taking it strong to the hoop, there is no one in the state that can come close to stopping him.
Weaknesses:
Mbakwe does not always run the court well during the game. At this point in time, he is not very well conditioned and gets tired during the game. If he improved his conditioning, at the high school level he would be able to run and get a lot more easy points in transition and that habit would also help him at the next level.
On offense, he does not have a consistent jump shot at this point in time, he is basically a player that will create going to the hoop off of a quick post move or off of a cut to the basket. He does not have well defined post moves at this point in time and his back to the basket game needs some work. At times, he seems very out of control on offense, he tries to force shots in the paint and just use his leaping ability to jump over the defender. Once he learns how to use post moves and be able to score from 15 feet away from the basket he will be even more dangerous. Currently however, he does not score much outside of the paint in general.
Because of his lack of range, he has trouble getting his shot off at this point in his career. If he does not get a quick move in the paint, get the basketball off a screen, or cut to the basket he will most likely not score. He creates off the dribble at times, but currently he does not handle the basketball that well. Depending on how much the sophomore grows, his handling ability might or might not be an issue depending on if he grows to 6-10 or not.
Even though he averages around 15 rebounds a game, he does not box out that well for a post player. If he would box out better and not just use his quickness, leaping ability and long arms to get rebounds, who knows how many rebounds he could get. I would guess that at the high school level he could at least get 20 to 25 rebounds if he stayed out of foul trouble. It is not uncommon though for a player his age to have some technical issues, because at this stage of basketball, he can succeed just on his athletic ability alone as a post player.
Overall:
Mbakwe is easily one of the best players in the state, I would say him and Dahlman are a tie for #1 prospect in the state because Mbakwe’s athletic ability and youth put him at that level. If he grows to be 6-10 in the next few years, I honestly believe he could go straight to the NBA if he continues to improve. He is a wonderful athlete and his overall quickness, leaping ability and length is rare for a post player. There is no telling how dominant he can become as a senior because currently he averaged 25 points and 15 rebounds a game as a sophomore alone in the highest level of competition in high school basketball playing in 4A. In terms of recruiting he is one of the best players in the nation, potentially could be top 5 in the class of 2007. He will be an outstanding college player if he chooses to go to that level. He is not only a great college prospect, but he is probably the best professional basketball prospect in the state currently.
Dahlman is an outstanding basketball prospect at the next level. He has ideal size for a NBA SG at 6-7 much less a college SG. He has very rare abilities for a 6-7 junior in high school and he has extraordinary potential.
Dahlman is a great shooter and at his size, it is very hard to block his shot. He has a high release point and his shooting motion is very fluid. He has great touch from all areas of the court, he can shoot from mid range and can shoot from NBA range right now. He is a left handed shooter and that only helps when players defend him because they are not used to going up against left handed players much less one as talented as Dahlman. He also has a nice tendency to follow his shot and that will help him at the next level.
In terms of ball, handling Dahlman is good at creating off the dribble. He is an outstanding ball handler for a high school player that is 6-7. He likes an up tempo game and that is where he is most dangerous. He is good in the open court and can take a defender to the hoop off the dribble or pull up for a jump shot. With those skills being as defined as they are, and add in his height advantage he is extremely hard to stop on defense. He is very comfortable handling the basketball at anytime.
Physically he is a very lengthy athlete. He has very long arms thanks to his 6-7 frame. He as almost perfect proportions for a NBA SG, and depending on how he does at a national level in the ABCD camps and the McDonald’s all American game, he potentially could go pro, but I doubt that he will. He is very agile for his size, he is not a slow 6-7 player at all, he is a true guard and has all the skills guards need.
His 6-7 height also benefits him in terms of rebounding on the basketball court. He is very good at getting his own rebound off of his own missed shot. His length also helps him on the defense end to get steals and loose balls. Overall, he is very physically conditioned and rarely looks tired on the basketball court.
In terms of mentality Dahlman from the outside looking in, seems like a wonderful teammate and person. He is a very humble player, does not demand attention, and is respectful of his teammates and the opponents he plays. He seems to be very tied into the team concept and I believe he would be a joy to coach at the next level. I heard his favorite player in the NBA is Dwayne Wade, and that is a good comparison in terms of mentality. Both players will do anything it takes for the team to win and Isaiah Dahlman will do that.
Weaknesses:
There are not many weaknesses in Dahlman’s game at this point in time, but there are a few. The first one is his lack of true athletic explosiveness on the basketball court. Against the competition he plays against, he should get at least one to two dunks a game just on his height alone and his ability to penetrate the lane. That is not however the case, he is faster and quicker than anyone he plays but in terms of just pure power and leaping ability he does not have those skills.
Dahlman is also a pretty skinny kid in general and with the muscle type he most likely has, he will not be able to get to much bigger than he already is. He might continue to grow but in terms of physical strength, I do not think Dahlman will ever be able to get at that level.
He is a solid defender thanks to his arm length and overall conditioning level, but he is not a great defender. At times, he moves his feet well but at other times, he just uses his arm length to play defense. However, at the high school level most players don’t play defense so it’s not a huge concern.
Dahlman also tends to shy away from physical contact at this point in time, he will miss easy shots in the post because he does not always play with the aggressiveness needed in the post. If matched up against a more athletic guard with equal size it will cause him problems. However, those kind of athletes he will only see on the NBA level, in college he will be one of the elite and be able to score on most college SG’s or SF’s.
Overall:
Dahlman’s only real true weakness is his lack of outstanding athletic ability in terms of strength, power and overall speed and quickness. If he hand the athletic superiority to go along with his great basketball skills, he would most likely be going straight to the NBA. Don’t get me wrong, Dahlman is not a bad athlete at all, but the only thing that is separating him from being truly an amazing player and ranked in the top 5 players nationally is his athletic ability. Other than that, he is an outstanding shooter, easily one of the best in the nation and his ball handling ability is very solid. What he lacks in great athletic ability he makes up in pure basketball skills. He is the best player in Minnesota regardless of class. Most likely, he will only be in college for one or two years because I honestly believe he has the potential to go professional very soon. He is truly a rare prospect looking at his size and shooting ability, he is one of the best guards to come out of the state in a long time.
OZZY, can you give short opinion pieces on the high school players entering the draft? All of them may drop to the 2nd round and it really bothers me. Lou Williams, Monta Ellis, CJ Miles, damn I'm sure they aren't that bad.
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Lou Williams, Monta Ellis, CJ Miles, damn I'm sure they aren't that bad.
Not to high on any of them honestly. Louis is the best athlete and potentially I like him the most because of that, but he is a poor ball handler, can't play PG and is not a great shooter. Ellis, he is the one I dislike the most, he is quick and fast but he can not play PG and he is just a short SG that is not a great athlete. He could be good but right now I don't see it, he did not show me anything in the all star games and he should go to college. CJ Miles, he is physically tall and athletic, but I am not that impressed with him either, he is overrated in my opinion, has good length but overall does not do anything that well. I would much rather take Julian Wright over any of these players, heck I would take Hansbrough over any of these players as well.
But they will go out and I doubt they get drafted high. Lucky if any are in the 1st round, unless some teams make a dumb move and draft them in the 1st which should not happen.
Good scouting reports on the 2 bigger players right now in Minnesota. Really great job. If you ever have to come to Blaine to scout, let me know. I am going to try and scout Cole Aldrich, one of the better Minnesota players since Humphries.
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