The 2010 Seniors, Part II

In an earlier post, I looked at the 10 Seniors I considered the best in this year’s draft class.  Let’s take a look at 5 more I think have a good chance of being on a NBA roster next season:

Andy Rautins – (Syracuse – 6’4, 195) – Shooting Guard/Point Guard – (12.1 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2 spg, 41% 3pt) – Rautins has been a great story this season for the Orange.  A valuable role player for 3 seasons, he not only started this season, but he moved from his more comfortable off-guard position to run the point, and he surpassed anyone’s expectations.  He has a great feel for the game, sees the whole court, has a smooth, consistent jump shot which he can get off quickly from long-range, and is a great passer.  He does a good job getting into the lane, though he often stops short of taking it all the way to the rim.  He needs to become more comfortable scoring in the lane and not looking to always kick it out to a teammate.  Defensively, he is a good on-ball defender though he spent most of his time on the top of the 2-3 zone.  He does a good job with his positioning and moves his feet well.    Rautins is one of my favorite sleepers in this class and I am hoping that a team takes a chance on him.

Da’Sean Butler – (West Virginia – 6’7, 230) – Small Forward – (17.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.1 apg) – Butler probably would have been in my Top 10 list, but I am waiting to see how his recovery goes from the torn ACL he suffered a few weeks ago.  On offense, he has the ability to play in the post or out on the perimeter. He has good range, though his slow release may not work well at the next level.   He needs to develop more of a mid-range game to complement the physical part of his offense.  Defensively, Butler is much more comfortable covering power forwards, though at the NBA level, he will not have the strength to defend the post. He will need to improve his foot speed and defensive positioning to defend well at the NBA level.   If his recovery goes as planned, he could be a solid role player in the NBA.

Luke Harangody – (Notre Dame – 6’8, 255) – Power Forward – (21.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg) – Harangody has a strong, wide body, has good footwork, a nice set of post moves and good touch around the rim.  He also has a decent shot from 12-15 feet, though he needs to become more consistent when playing facing the basket – including developing a little bit of finesse instead of just plowing through people.  While he had his way bullying Big East bodies, he will find many more like him in the NBA.  Defensively, he does a good job using his body in the post, though his footwork and agility need improvement.  He is an effective rebounder and does a good job boxing out and then going after the ball.  He should find a place in the NBA, but his playing time will be dependent on how well he plays defense and rebounds against the big boys.

Jerome Jordan – (Tulsa – 7’0, 251) – Center – (15.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.3 bpg) – Jordan has developed into a very effective post player, improving his footwork and increasing his repertoire of post moves.  He has good touch around the rim and has at times even shown a decent turnaround baseline jumper.  He has worked almost completely with his back to the basket, so the next thing will be for him to work on his  face-up game.  Defensively, he is a good, but not great, rebounder and is a decent shot-blocker.  The biggest concern with Jordan is that he lacks aggression, letting the game come to him instead of stepping up and taking over.  A non-aggressive center will not get a lot of time in the NBA, so Jordan will need step it up during workouts.

Trevor Booker – (Clemson – 6’7, 240) – Small Forward- (15.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg) – Booker has been a solid scorer and rebounder for Clemson for the last 4 years.  He is another under-sized power forward, though he does have surprising speed and agility for his size.  He does a good job in open space, though he needs to become a better finisher.  He draws a good amount of fouls, but his foul shooting needs work.  He also needs to become more aggressive on the offensive glass, as that is where he has a chance to use his body to pick up some easy baskets.  Defensively, there is nothing outstanding about him, though there is nothing awful either.  He does a good job boxing out, and clears out space for his teammates well.  He needs to work on his positioning and footwork if he is going to guard on the wings, because he may have trouble battling power forwards at the next level.  Again, like the rest of the seniors, Booker is a good value for teams that have a solid core group of players but need to fill in some hard-working role players.

Tomorrow, I will look at one more group of seniors that have a shot at making a NBA roster next year.  For more analysis on these players, or any others, make sure to check out DraftSite.com