It’s less than a month from the start of college basketball season and the road to the 2015 NBA Draft has begun. It’s time to start taking some early looks at players who are already on the NBA’s radar, or have enough skill or potential to break through this season.
Players will be broken down by class, starting with the seniors. Overall, the list will contain between 50 and 60 seniors, 30 to 40 juniors, and 20 to 30 sophomores.
These are not meant to replace scouting reports, which will come out during the season. These are not all-inclusive and just meant as a brief primer for those who want to track draft prospects throughout the season. These are also not in any particular order other than who I choose to write about each post.
Dustin Hogue, Iowa State, Forward, 6’6, 220
(2013-14, 29.9 mpg) 11.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 0.8 spg
57.3 FG%, 66.4 FT%, 34.4 3FG%, 63.2 TS%, 61.5 eFG%
16.6 USG%, 9.4 OREB%, 20.4 DREB%, 15.1 REB%
After starring at the JUCO level, Hogue made an instant impact for Iowa State, becoming a starter from the start of the season. Hogue is an athletic, high-energy player who can fill a number of roles on both ends of the floor. He understands court spacing well and he is very good at getting to open space quickly for scoring chances. Hogue makes the most of his scoring chances, especially around the basket. Almost half of his shots were at the rim, and he hit over 76 percent of them, a tremendous number for a non-big man. Hogue has also shown the ability to hit both mid- and long-range jumpers when he has time to get his feet set. His biggest strength is his ability to hit the boards on both ends of the floor. Hogue can be a nightmare for opponents on the offensive glass, always looking for openings and using a variety of techniques, along with his athletic ability, to beat others to the miss. He is aggressive on the defensive glass, boxing out well and going strong after every shot. Hogue runs the floor well in transition and can finish well on the break. Defensively, Hogue is an average on-ball defender who needs to work on anticipating and moving his feet better. As mentioned, his strength is on the boards, where he does a tremendous job for his size. Though he doesn’t block many shots, he does a good job challenging, especially around the basket.
What he needs to show this season: Hogue does a great job taking advantage of the gaps created by Fred Hoiberg’s offense, but his ability to create his own shots needs to improve. He isn’t a great ballhandler, and he can be hesitant if he has a chance to attack the basket off the dribble. Hogue should also improve his ability to go to his left, as well as using his left hand around the basket. He does a good job drawing contact around the rim, but he needs to work on having a more fluid motion and release on his free throws. Hogue has shown he can hit three-pointers, but it can take him a lot of time to get set and into his shot, so he should work on making his catch and shoot motion quicker. Defensively, Hogue needs to work on his foot speed and his lateral movement, though his positioning is good, for the most part. Off the ball, he can have a tendency to wander and lose his man, often looking for a chance to get in position for a possible rebound. Hogue can offer a lot to any coach at the professional level, and even if his skills need some polishing, his energy and desire to rebound will make him attractive to teams.
Jarvis Summers, Mississippi, Guard, 6’3, 186
(2013-14, 30.6 mpg) 17.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 0.9 spg
48.6 FG%, 76.5 FT%, 42.3 3FG%, 59.4 TS%, 54.6 eFG%
26.7 USG%, 1.7:1 A/TO, 28.4 AST%, 13.7 TOV%, 1.8 STL%
Summers is coming off a tremendous junior season where he was named Second Team All-SEC. Summers plays both backcourt spots for the Rebels, though he seems more comfortable at the point, and the team is certainly better when he has the ball in his hands. He is a strong ballhandler, able to use both hands well, though he seems to prefer to go left a lot for a right-handed player. While Summers doesn’t have great speed, he has very good control and he uses a variety of dribbles to get by his man and into the defense. Once he starts to penetrate, he sees the floor well and can find open teammates off the defensive rotation. Summers is a very good shooter, both mid-range and from behind the arc. He has shown a good knack for knocking down mid-range jumpers off the dribble, and he can also create his own long-range shot. Summers is an average defender, though he can be very physical. He positions himself well on and off the ball, and he is a good help defender. Summers also does a very good job closing on perimeter shooters.
What he needs to show this season: Summers should put up better assist numbers this year, as the Ole Miss offense often stalled when Marshall Henderson started chucking up shots. One area where Summers needs to work on his passing is being able to make proper reads off of screens and finding an opening quicker. Summers should work on finding ways to get to the basket more off the dribble instead of settling for short jumpers. He has a strong body and absorbs contact well, so he should look to get to the line often. Defensively, Summers needs to work on his lateral movement and his foot speed. He also should work on anticipating his player’s moves better, as well as work on getting over screens when he needs to. Summers is probably the best point guard in the SEC this year, though Ole Miss will need his scoring ability more. If he can find a balance at the next level, he will do very well.
Corey Hawkins, California-Davis, Guard, 6’3, 195
(2013-14, 33.8 mpg) 18.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg
44.4 FG%, 75.7 FT%, 32.2 3FG%, 55.6 TS%, 49.4 eFG%
28.7 USG%, 21.0 AST%, 2.6 STL%
After a great sophomore season after transferring from Arizona State, Hawkins, the son of former NBA player Hersey, saw a drop in some of his offensive numbers as he faced defenses intent on stopping him. Hawkins is very skilled on the offensive end, capable of facilitating the offense or playing off the ball. He is an above-average ballhandler, capable of using both hands well, and a growing set of advanced dribbles to help keep the defender off-balance. Hawkins likes to use screens to set up his jumper, as well as to get into the lane. Once he is in the lane, Hawkins can hit the floater/short jumper or weave his way through the defense to get to the basket, where he can finish with either hand. Hawkins has a great feel for the game on the offensive end, at times making scoring opportunities look effortless. He has also improved his ability to hit the open man when he draws help defenders. Hawkins has good range on his jumper, with a high, quick release. He also can be effective in transition both as the ballhandler and running the wings. On defense, Hawkins does a good job positioning both on and off the ball, and while not exceptionally quick, he moves his feet well and can navigate through screens.
What he needs to show this season: There is little doubt that Hawkins is skilled as an offensive player, but there are some areas where he can make some improvements. As mentioned, he likes to use screens to get into the lane, but once he gets into the defense, he can find himself stuck. Hawkins needs to learn to make reads off the screens quicker, as well as working to come off of them tighter. Also, I would like to see Hawkins move better without the ball, instead of being content to get passes deep behind the 3-point line. Hawkins can improve his shot selection, as he tended to force more shots last season. On defense, Hawkins could put in a better effort, especially on the ball, where he can be seen at times playing with his arms at his sides. He has a very good understanding of the game, and he has the offensive skill set to play high level professional basketball.
Dwayne Polee II, San Diego State, Forward, 6’7, 200
(2013-14, 17.9 mpg) 8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 spg
47.2 FG%, 75.0 FT%, 39.1 3FG%, 58.4 TS%, 55.7 eFG%
23.8 USG%, 4.4 OREB%, 16.5 DREB%, 10.4 REB%, 3.2 BLK%
Once a highly rated recruit before he attended St. John’s as a freshman, Polee is finally starting to develop more as a player. He was the Mountain West’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, and San Diego State will be counting on him to contribute more this season. Polee is a long and athletic wing with great leaping ability. Though he was never a major option in the Aztecs’ offense, his play in the second half of the season was important to their Sweet Sixteen run. In the halfcourt offense, he would spend most of his time setting screens and filling openings behind the arc looking for a shot. Though not a very good ballhandler, he can drive over short distances to the rim, and he can finish strong. Over the past few seasons, he has developed a much better long-range jumper when he has his feet set, and the lift he gets allows him to shoot over longer players. Polee can be very good in transition, running the wing quickly and heading to the rim for an easy basket, often a big dunk. Defensively, Polee uses his length well on the perimeter to disrupt passing lanes, and he has improved his defensive footwork. Though not very strong, he will crash the boards and hope to use his athleticism to get the ball away from opponents.
What he needs to show this season: As I mentioned, Polee didn’t have a real role in the offense, and he doesn’t have one area where he shines. If he can continue to improve his perimeter shooting, that’s great, but he also needs to show that he can beat his man off the dribble to the basket, meaning improved ballhandling skills. Defensively, Polee can have some trouble containing his man on the perimeter, especially if they can force him to try and change directions quickly. Off the ball, he plays the passing lanes well and usually keeps good position, though he can have some trouble staying with his man if he is moving often without the ball. Polee’s development was stuck for a few seasons, but he seems to be on the right track now. If he can take another leap this season with his skills, to add to his high-level athleticism, he will get pro teams to notice him.