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2015 NBA Draft: Top Underclassmen Prospects

By Ian Flickinger-Galeza

Apr 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Left to right are, Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) and guard Matt Jones (13) and forward Justise Winslow (12) and guards Tyus Jones (5) and Quinn Cook (2) and head coach Mike Krzyzewski during the team press conference at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Left to right are, Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) and guard Matt Jones (13) and forward Justise Winslow (12) and guards Tyus Jones (5) and Quinn Cook (2) and head coach Mike Krzyzewski during the team press conference at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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2015 NBA Draft
Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyus Jones (5) holds up a piece of the net after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Duke won 68-63. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Kris Dunn, PG, 6-3, 205 pounds, Providence*/ Tyus Jones, PG, 6-1, 170 pounds, Duke*/Cameron Payne, PG, 6-2, 180 pounds, Murray State

Right now, the PGs have yet to separate themselves enough to put one in front of the other. Dunn broke out in his second year at Providence after tearing his labrum early in his freshman year. He averaged 15.6 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game this season (shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three-point range), and can score from anywhere on the court.

Teams who prefer bigger scoring out of their point guards will be looking at Dunn. He has great hands defensively, and oh yeah, he can pass the ball pretty well, too. He possesses a quick first step and elite athleticism that allows him to get to the rim at ease. Right now, most mock drafts have the Big East Co-Player of the Year going somewhere in the mid-to-late lottery.

Jones is coming off of a major stock-raising performance in the NCAA title game, during which the Duke freshman point guard went off for 23 points on his way to being named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Jones just knows how play basketball: he makes the right play at the right time, knowing when to score as opposed to pass (an underrated talent, especially in a point guard), and has incredible vision and I.Q.

What he lacks is the ideal size and athleticism for a point guard, which is sure to worry some teams who’ll have to go up against taller, and heavier point guards on the daily. Still, it takes a certain kind of player to take and make shots like the dagger in the title game, or pull off a stunt like this.

Cameron Payne, the sophomore point guard from Murray State averaged 20.2 points, 6.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game on his way to being named Ohio Valley Player of the Year and an Honorable Mention All-American. Payne, like Jones, is a great floor leader and distributor, but is a better scorer offensively, and is a slightly bigger player as well.

Payne is considered a “pure” point guard: a player capable of balancing scoring the ball and  initiating the offense, but he also needs to put on weight and get stronger to be effective. While only Payne has declared, both Dunn and Jones might join in departing now, when their stock is at an all-time high. Workouts between the three should provide more information on who has the edge, but right now all three offer a different style of game, with a different set of weaknesses.

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