2004
College Draft
Bob Radl, staff writer
June 30, 2004
The next generation of possible NBA stars was drafted last Thursday night in
New York. The NBA draft means more to team than its counterpart in other pro
sports. The baseball draft can yield an all-star like Mike Piazza in the 62nd
round or the NFL draft can give you All-pros like Tom Brady or Terrell Davis in
the 6th round. The 2004 NBA draft does not appear to be the impact draft like
the 2003 was. The draft from last year brought instant stardom to LeBron James
and Carmello Anthony along with several other solid rookie players. The 2004
NBA will go down as a draft of the future due to the large number of high
school players and foreign players who are sometimes hard to assess.
1. Dwight Howard, PF, Orlando Magic, The 6' 10" Howard was
easily the top rated high school player in this years draft. Howard has been
likened to Kevin Garnett of the Timberwolves. He has great basketball instincts
and court awareness for a man of his size. Howard can shoot from the outside
for his height and can also block shots with both hands. He will need to
develop more strength and more low post moves. Some scouts have questioned his
toughness and feel that he plays soft. Howard has super star potential. The
question remains how long it may take. He is the third high school player to be
taken first overall in the draft in the last four years.
2. Emeka Okafor, PF, Charlotte, Okafor will be an immediate starter
for the Bobcats. He has a 35" vertical leap to go with a 7'4" wingspan.
Okafor has a great instinctive feel for the game. He has great timing and is a
relentless defensive presence. He will need to refine his post moves and can
block shots with either hand. He has the ability to step outside. Some scouts
feel that he is too mechanical in the post and kicks the ball out too early. He
has great maturity for his age.
3. Ben Gordon, SG, Chicago Bulls, Gordon came out early from U Conn.
Gordon is projected as a potential combo guard in the NBA. Gordon has a solid
mid-range jumper and is willing to go to the hole against bigger and stronger
opponents. He will need to learn to play the point in the NBA due to his size
at 6' 2" while improving his assist to turnover ratio. He has a complete
game.
4. Shaun Livingston, PG, LA Clippers, Livingston is 6' 7" and an
absolute magician with the basketball. The ball is an extension of his hand. He
needs to improve his shot and get bigger to survive in the NBA. Some scouts
feel that he might be the best player to come out of this draft five years from
now. He has great court vision and is very unselfish, a great quality for a
point guard. He will need to hit the weight room real quick, as he is weak for
his size.
5. Devin Harris, PG, Dallas Mavericks, He is quick off of the dribble
and has a long wingspan for his size (6' 3"). He can hit big shots but is
a streaky shooter. Most scouts feel that he is NBA ready to play the point
right now. Harris has nice range on his jumper. Can penetrate and is a good
defender.
6. Josh Childress, SF, Atlanta Hawks, Childress was the fourth
college junior to go in this years draft. Childress can shoot the three real
and played in a team concept at Stanford. Childress can defend well for his
size. He must get bigger and stronger. He is lanky athletic and likely to be an
immediate starter for the Hawks.
7. Luol Deng, SF, Chicago Bulls, Deng is a decent athlete but not a
great athlete. He is considered to be a very versatile player who could play
PF, SF and SG. He is a basketball player with a great attitude. He will get
better as he improves his perimeter game. Deng has a nice upside and will
improve with experience. He has a very strong work ethic and is an excellent
defensive player already.
8. Rafael Araujo, Center, Toronto Raptors, Araujo is a wide body type
center, who plays with his back to the basket. He is a good passer for his
size. He plays below the rim and does not have great leaping ability. He has
trouble finishing in traffic, but is willing to bang in the low post. Most NBA
scribes feel that he was a reach at this point in the draft.
9. Andre Iguodala, F, Philadelphia 76ers, He is a freak of an athlete
with a 6' 11" wingspan. He will need to improve his jumper. Scouts feel
that he has triple double ability. He can get out in transition and run with AI
in Philadelphia. He is a strong offensive rebounder for his size. He will need
to work on his outside shot to succeed in the NBA.
10. Luke Jackson, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers, He has great range as a
shooter and can also penetrate to the hoop. He can hit the trey, a skill sorely
needed for the Cavaliers. The Cavs were second to last in three point shooting
last year. He has great moves around the bucket and can also defend well for
his size. Jackson could be a nice running mate with LeBron James in Cleveland.
11. Andres Biedrins, F, Golden State Warriors, Biedrins is only 18
years old so he is really a high school player. He is active and aggressive and
does not score much at this point in his career. Scouts feel that he will
develop. He needs to get stronger and more explosive. He is considered to be a
good shot blocker with the right size and wingspan to develop into a good shot
blocker. You will need to revisit him in three or four years to see how well he
developed.
12. Robert Swift, C, Seattle Supersonics, He is very talented and
offensively gifted for his age (18). He can go both right and left for a man of
his age. Swift also has a nice drop step for a big man. Swift was another high
school player to be drafted. NBA scribes feels that he would have been the
first pick overall if he had played a year or two of college hoops. Swift is
nice pick for the future with very limited fantasy value for the next two
years.
13. Sebastian Telfair, PG, Portland Trailblazers. Telfair has a very
good feel for the game, but scouts have questioned his size. He is talented
handler and pure point guard with great poise for someone his age. He is
undersized to play the point. Many scouts felt that he should have been taken
lower in the draft.
14. Kris Humphries, PF, Utah Jazz, He is physically ready for the
NBA. He can hit the mid-range jumper. He must learn to play within the team
concept. He is a rugged rebounder for his size and can contribute immediately.
He has a 7'0" wingspan. He will need to refine his offensive game.
15. Al Jefferson PF, Boston Celtics, He is strong and powerful player
for his age. He can shot well and is explosive. He was compared to Elton Brand.
He was the fifth high school player drafted in the first fifteen picks.
16. Kirk Snyder, SG, Utah Jazz, Snyder was a very solid pick at the
point in the draft. He can guard multiple positions and can push people around
to guard three positions. He needs to work on his ball handling ability. He can
also get to the basket. He needs to work on the consistency of his shot.
17. Josh Smith, SF, Atlanta Hawks, Smith has great leaping ability
for his size. He has very long arms and can finish the fast break well. He
showed a knack for playing the passing lanes for steals on defense and has good
timing for shot blocking. He filled out in his senior year of high school to 6'
8" and about 220 pounds. He is like many young players, as he will need
time to develop his overall game while getting bigger and stronger. He needs to
improve his court awareness and reduce mental mistakes along with improved ball
handling.
18. J.R. Smith, SG, New Orleans Saints, Smith is another young talent
who can sky with a 44 inch vertical jump. He has a nice jump shot and decent
range for his age. He can catch shoot with the best of them. He will need to
make the transition for the #3 slot to shooting guard in the NBA most likely.
He will need to work on his ball handling skills.
19. Dorell Wright, SF, Miami Heat, He is very athletic and can shoot.
He has long arms and a fluid easy release from the perimeter. He is two or
three years away from being ready to contribute. This choice was a possible
reach at this point.
20. Jameer Nelson PG, Orlando Magic, Nelson was the 2004 college
player of the year. Most NBA scribes felt that Nelson fell way too low in the
draft. Most scouts felt that he should have been a lottery pick. Nelson has a
nice feel for the game and is a solid passer. Scouts have questioned his
relative lack of height at 5' 11". He makes the right decision with the
ball in his hands. He is quite strong for his size. He has a winner’s
mentality. He will need to work on his outside shot in the NBA.
21. Pavel Podkolzine, Center, Dallas Mavericks, This was a nice safe
pick at this point. He worked on his agility in Italy to the point where he has
good coordination and movement for a man of 7' 5". He has nice soft touch
for his size. He is only 19 years old and will develop as he matures. He will
need to improve his post moves and get meaner to survive in the NBA. He will
also need to improve his overall basketball skills and understanding of the
game. At 7' 5" and about 280 pounds this kid has nice upside in two or
three years.
22. Viktor Khryapa, SF, Portland Trailblazers, He is very mature for
his age. He can run the floor well and is a good outside shooter. He can also
rebound well and block some shots despite little bulk. He can post up smaller
players quite well and makes good back door cuts. This is an indication that he
understands how the game is played. He may benefit from another year or two of
play in Europe.
23. Sergey Monya, F. Portland Trailblazers, Monya was yet another
eastern European player to be taken in the latter part of round one. He is an
athletic player with a nice mid-range jumper. He can play solid team defense as
well as man-to-man defense. He runs the court well for his size at 6' 7".
He will need to improve his ball handling and his court vision.
24. Delonte West, SG, Boston Celtics, West was the backcourt partner
to Jameer Nelson at St. Joseph's. West is a crafty player who can create some
shots. He plays with great composure and has great court awareness. He is a
solid passer with good court vision. At 6' 3", teams wonder where he will
fit in the NBA, as he may be too small to play shooting guard. He will need to
work on his ball handling and reduce his turnovers.
25. Tony Allen SG, Boston Celtics, Allen was the Big 12 player of the
year. He is not afraid to drive to the hole and has quick hands on defense. He
has lateral quickness, leaping ability and speed. He has a quick first step to
the basket and can post up players of his size in the low post. Questions
linger about his size at 6' 4" to play shooting guard as well as his ball
handling skills.
26. Kevin Martin, SG, Sacramento Kings, Martin was second in the
nation in scoring last year. He will give the Kings another outside threat. He
is a true scorer who can hit the trey well and may become a great 3-point shooter.
He has good lateral quickness and the ability to beat his opponents. At 6'
7" and only 195 pounds, he will need to hit the weight room to get
stronger to survive in the NBA.
27. Sasha Vujacic, SG, Los Angeles Lakers, Vujacic is a combo guard
with nice skills for his size. He is considered to be unselfish with good
passing and shooting skills. He can handle the ball well with either hand. He
can also drive to the basket with either hand. He will need to improve his
outside shot and also improve his physical strength.
28. Beno Udrih, PG, San Antonio Spurs, He was considered to be one of
the top PG prospects in Europe and could develop into a real good one in the
NBA. He can penetrate well and also pull up and hit the jumper. He is
considered to have good leadership qualities and also is coachable. He will
need to develop a more aggressive attitude on defense.
29. David Harrison, Center, Indiana Pacers, Harrison runs well for
his height at 7' 0" and is considered to be athletic also. He is a nice
rebounder and shot blocker. He has a nice touch around the basket and has
developed his low post game. Scouts question his motivation and toughness.
NOTABLE SECOND
ROUND DRAFT CHOICES
31. Anderson Varejao, SF/PF, Orlando Magic, He is very active for a
man of his size. He is considered to be a creative offensive player with a soft
touch. He is still learning the nuances of the game and needs time to develop.
32. Jackson Vroman, PF, Chicago Bulls, Some scouts feel that
Vroman may have been the steal of the draft in the second round. He rebounds
well for his height at 6'10", despite a real lack of bulk. Character
issues linger after arrests in 2003 for both drunk driving and possession of a
controlled substance.
33. Peter Ramos Center, Washington Bullets, Ramos is true prospect in
every sense of the word. He improved leaps and bounds from 2003 to 2004. At 7'
3" a NBA team will take a chance on developing this young talent. He is
only 18 years old and will fill out as he matures. He is a project that will
require patience due to age (18) and relative inexperience.
39. Chris Duhon PG, Chicago Bulls, Duhon is a solid player who
is fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. He has great character and a
strong work ethic. His jump shot is very solid. Many scouts felt he should have
gone in the first round.
47. Ha Sueng-Kim, Center, Portland Trailblazers, Kim has already been
compared to Yao Ming, another Asian big-man sensation. He has enormous size at
7' 3" and about 305 pounds to go with good dexterity and a nice touch on
his shots. He has shown enough
quickness to be a good shot blocker. Injury concerns to the knee and foot areas
are always a concern for players of this size. He will need to time to develop
like so many players in this draft.
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