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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
Mar 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after a shot with forward Trey Lyles (41) during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the semifinals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Trey Lyles, SF/PF, 6-10, 250 pounds/Devin Booker, SG, 6-6, 195 pounds: Kentucky FR

Yes, that’s right, I’m cheating here. The second duo of the Wildcat seven, Lyles and Booker are nowhere near the lock that Towns is. But, both of them offer high-potential prospects for teams drafting in the mid-to-late lottery.

Lyles started out the season on the Kentucky bench before taking over as the Wildcats small forward halfway through the season, finishing with averages of 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in just 23 minutes per game. He’s already got good handles, a decent midrange game offensively, and the ability to guard multiple positions on defense. He had great touch on his shots around the rim and is a solid passer.

Booker, the Wildcats’ three-point specialist, averaged 10.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game on 47.0 percent shooting (41.1 percent from three) in his lone season at Kentucky. He’s got great size, makes smart basketball plays, and plays solid defense. Plus, I think he looks like Klay Thompson. And if you can draft the next Klay Thompson in the late-lottery, then you’ve done a pretty good job.

Both of these players represent the effect Calipari has on the NBA Draft. If these two players put up these numbers at any other school in the nation, would they be in the position to be selected so highly? The counterargument here would be that they’d have improved statistics playing for a less All-Star laden team, which might be true. The point is, both players should have returned to Lexington for their sophomore seasons.

But who’s to argue with choosing millions of dollars at age 19? Would their stock really have risen with another season under their belt, or would scouts begin to pick away at their inadequacies? There’s no doubt both these players might have major upside… they did both start for a 37-1 team. But given the recent track record of one-an-done players in the late lottery, will teams hesitate to pull the trigger? Probably not, and that’s why they are going pro.

Next: No. 8