The upcoming draft is considered weak. In weak drafts a lot of mistakes are made because players do not clearly differentiate themselves from their peers.
Hence Kwame Brown being taken first in 2001 because he was an athletic 7-footer fresh out of high school, or Carlos Boozer falling to the second round in the 2002 draft due to injury concerns.
It’s the little details that causes teams to turn their backs on a potential draftees, much like an ordinary job interview. If two similar guys go for the same job, one unlucky candidate may find himself in the doghouse if his handshake is too weak.
Only two players have thoroughly distinguished themselves from their peers in the upcoming draft: Kyrie Irving of Duke and Derrick Williams of Arizona.
Brandon Knight is considered the third best player, but he is fighting some stiff competition in the form of Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker.
Knight was challenged by Fredette to work out together for the Utah Jazz, who have the third pick in the draft. Knight ignored the challenge and worked out alone on advice from his agent.
“They employ an agent and I think agents make those decisions,” Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor said. “(Knight is) going through it for the first time and I think if you employ somebody you’re going to listen to what he has to say because they’ve been through it a lot.”
This does not mean that Knight’s camp is not confident in his abilities, but more like they have nothing to gain matching their client against either NCAA champion Walker or NCAA player of the year Fredette.
Glenn Logan thinks that agents should butt out and stop worrying about the size of their commission and let top players face off in pre-draft workouts. It’s great for all parties concerned and the game is better for it.
The truth is if Knight takes on any of these players, it would prove nothing. The knock on the Kentucky guard is that he may not be a true point guard. He needs to prove his doubters wrong rather than get involved with one-on-one showdown with Fredette.
Fredette needs to prove that he can play defense, so guarding Knight or Walker in a workout would see his draft stock more likely rise.
One thing is for certain, though: whichever point guard that gets picked by Utah will land in a good situation.
Cleveland picks first, but there is too much controversy there after LeBron James’s decision to play for the Miami Heat.
The Minnesota Timberwolves may trade their second pick, but if they don’t, drafting another point guard will be futile after recently agreeing to terms with 2009 draftee Ricky Rubio.
The Jazz are a team that was created around Deron Williams, who was traded after Jerry Sloan’s sudden retirement midseason. A solid point guard can step in and lead this veteran team to the playoffs next season.
Injury-prone Al Jefferson just played his first 82-game season since 2008, averaging 18 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. The Jazz also has a solid group of veterans including the ever-persistent Paul Millsap and defensive stalwart Raja Bell.
Devin Harris came over in a late-season trade for Deron Williams. However, he has yet to prove that he can run a team successfully in seven years in the NBA, so he may be traded at some point.
Harris can score no doubt, but setting plays for others is his weakness—the very same concern about Knight. However, he felt great about his time with the Jazz and coach Tyrone Corbin had really positive things to say after the workout.
“He showed himself very well, he did a really good job,” Corbin said. “He’s a smart kid, as everybody knows academically, and he’s done very well over his life. He’s a mirror image of what he seems to be on tape.”
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