The 2014 draft class is shaping up to be one of the deepest and most talented draft classes in years. General Managers as well as fans of struggling teams across the NBA see a glimmer of hope in college basketball this year. Filled with stars such as Andrew Wiggins of Kansas and Jabari Parker of Duke, NBA teams with losing records are in line to turn their fortunes around with one draft choice.
Marcus Smart, the 6'4" point guard at 7th ranked Oklahoma State, currently the #5 ranked prospect in next years' draft, just scored a career-high 39 points in a rout of 11th ranked Memphis with Oklahoma City resident Kevin Durant in attendance. Durant stated, "[Smart] could play in the NBA right now." Smart is just one of several college stars climbing up the draft board of GMs across the league. Right now, the consensus #1 overall pick is Andrew Wiggins of Kansas, but hot on his heels are Julius Randle of Kentucky, Smart, and Parker. Randle is averaging 22.5 points per game for Kentucky along with an outstanding 12.5 rebounds. With a double-double in points and rebounds every game this season, Randle is making a case to be the #1 pick himself. Teams looking for a point guard are chomping at the bit to get their hands on Smart, a big, athletic point guard who showed great poise as well as a long-range shot, sinking five three-pointers in the win over Memphis.
With plenty of basketball left to be played, Wiggins, Parker, Randle, and Smart join one of the deepest and most exciting draft classes in recent memory. Not since 2003, when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne Wade were all drafted in the top 10 has a draft class had to potential to have this kind of impact on the NBA.
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