This article is part of our The Prospect Post series.
EVALUATING THE TWO BEST PLAYERS IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
This article aims to provide an ongoing evaluation of the NBA's rookie class from a fantasy standpoint while also offering deep dives on college players with bright futures. Projecting young talent is very subjective, so an open dialogue is encouraged, both in the comments section and on Twitter: @RealJRAnderson
Jahlil Okafor has been covered twice in this space already, and while he will probably be the No. 1 pick in the draft, he is not the frontrunner for player of the year in college basketball. Right now, in the opinion of this author, it is a two horse race between Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein and Louisville's Montrezl Harrell. Both players are juniors who have seen their games evolve spectacularly over their time in college, but they are player of the year candidates for different reasons. They will also bring very different skillsets to the table at the next level, but both should be fantasy contributors in short order.
Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
He has always been considered a potential lottery pick, but until this season, he never played like it. I was wrong about Cauley-Stein. I admitted this on Twitter a few weeks ago. Last season he was a long, lanky center who seemed soft. In my estimation he was more Ryan Hollins than Marcus Camby. I always get wary of players that are labeled lottery picks and stay in school, especially at a place like Kentucky. But in Cauley-Stein's case, it
EVALUATING THE TWO BEST PLAYERS IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
This article aims to provide an ongoing evaluation of the NBA's rookie class from a fantasy standpoint while also offering deep dives on college players with bright futures. Projecting young talent is very subjective, so an open dialogue is encouraged, both in the comments section and on Twitter: @RealJRAnderson
Jahlil Okafor has been covered twice in this space already, and while he will probably be the No. 1 pick in the draft, he is not the frontrunner for player of the year in college basketball. Right now, in the opinion of this author, it is a two horse race between Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein and Louisville's Montrezl Harrell. Both players are juniors who have seen their games evolve spectacularly over their time in college, but they are player of the year candidates for different reasons. They will also bring very different skillsets to the table at the next level, but both should be fantasy contributors in short order.
Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
He has always been considered a potential lottery pick, but until this season, he never played like it. I was wrong about Cauley-Stein. I admitted this on Twitter a few weeks ago. Last season he was a long, lanky center who seemed soft. In my estimation he was more Ryan Hollins than Marcus Camby. I always get wary of players that are labeled lottery picks and stay in school, especially at a place like Kentucky. But in Cauley-Stein's case, it was absolutely the right decision. He looks bigger than he did last season, and he also seems to have a bit more fire, a bit more competitiveness, and his game has certainly improved.
His size is obviously the most important thing to consider. He is always the biggest guy on the court, at seven feet tall with a wingspan that is frighteningly extensive. Cauley-Stein does not lumber. He is not a plodder. The guy can move. It's hard to think of the last guy that had his size, mobility and the ability to offer steals and blocks at such an impressive rate.
The guy is too big to be playing college hoops. Plain and simple. Given Kentucky's depth, he is not playing enough minutes for his numbers to properly jump off the page, but he is still averaging 10.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.7 steals in 24.5 minutes per game, while shooting 62.3 percent from the field. He is a player of the year candidate because he is the best player on the best team in the country, and he anchors a historically dominant defense. If Kentucky goes undefeated (not unlikely), he will win the award.
If anyone is going to leap Okafor on draft boards and go No. 1 overall in the draft, Cauley-Stein seems like the most likely candidate. He does not have Okafor's offensive polish, but he is a significantly better defender and a more intimidating presence. Right now he is a lock to go in the top-5, but don't be surprised if he is one of the first two names off the board in June.
Montrezl Harrell, PF, Louisville
Harrell might be my favorite player in the country. He also might be the best player in the country. (The "L" in his first name is silent, by the way).
Harrell is the guy with the mini-dreads who gets X-rated with an Indiana player at the 0:22 second mark. He is so violent and so hyped up that he gets offensive fouls in college because he is playing against weaker, lesser mortals who don't belong in the ring with a punishing force of nature like Harrell. The cool thing about him is that he is an old school power forward. Rebounds and points, baby. In that order. He has been taking 1.7 three-pointers per game this season in an attempt to prove he can be a stretch four. I am not a fan of this. He is shooting just 20 percent, so this behavior should stop at some point soon. What he needs to be doing is working on a Karl Malone/Amar'e Stoudemire 15-footer. The NBA game certainly values a stretch four, but there will always be a place for someone with Harrell's tenacity as long as he can make a mid-range shot if he is left open after setting a pick.
He is averaging 17 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and one steal in 31.8 minutes while shooting 62.1 percent from the field. His 57.1 free-throw shooting percentage indicates how far he has to go as a shooter, but he should be able to be Kenneth Faried from day one, with the upside to possibly turn into a poor man's Stoudemire. His competitiveness is infectious, and it's hard to imagine him on a bad team. Fortunately for him, it's unlikely that a bad team will take him in the draft, as he will probably go somewhere in the 12-20 range, as teams will be worried that he is close to a finished product. For fantasy purposes, hopefully he goes somewhere where he can start, so that he can be given the chance to average a double-double. This is definitely a player to watch over the rest of the college season, and guy who should be able to contribute from day one in the NBA.
I'm pretty sure you want this guy on your team.
