Flagrant 2’s Guys to Watch Per Region

Photo Cred: Rich Schultz/Getty Images

The 2017 NCAA tourney somewhat kicked off already with some play-in games but the real fun starts on Thursday. With the start of those games, comes the opportunity to watch lesser known NBA prospects on the grand stage. These are the guys who go unnoticed in terms of NBA potential due to issues like age, abundance of talent on team or just not enough exposure but we are here to share our thoughts on those guys.

Everyone loves talking about the Lonzo Balls of the world, but there are plenty of talent that can help NBA teams win that are projected late in the first round or second round but they haven’t been given enough recognition. We hope to help by breaking down each region with some of the guys who are enjoyable to watch that are not lottery projected for 2017.

Also, we wanted to add as many guys as we could but my time management and organizational skills are severely lacking …. So instead, outside of the longer reports on guys… we are going to just casually drop other names with brief reports. More the merrier …. Right?

Fun Guys With NBA Upside:

Midwest

• Cam Oliver, PF, Nevada
  Projected: Late First/Early Second 2017
  If they waited to cast Luke Cage, then Cameron Oliver would be their choice…. Or at least be the stunt double. Before you start reading again, make sure you google his name first and see what this kid is working with. Okay, now that you are back it is time to talk about Cam Oliver. At 6’9ish, he isn’t the tallest player on the court but he does have freak athleticism and it shows in his rim protection. At over 2 per game, Oliver has the makings of a pretty decent rim protector at the next level and even more surprising than his efforts on defense is his ability to stretch the defense. He is currently shooting 38% from deep, and hits close to 2 per game. We usually are not stat guys, but those are two pretty important numbers for a guy who looks like he is just a dunker. People will complain that he doesn’t try all that hard …. Well I didn’t either in college and I am doing pretty well for myself once I matured. The matchup with Deonte Burton will be really interesting and one of the more fun ones to watch in the first round.
• E.C. Matthews, Guard, URI
  Projected: Mid/Late Second 2017
  This was the season of redemption for Matthews, and it has been absolutely awesome watching the Rams make the tourney this year. Last year, Matthews was a sleeper for me and I thought he had an outside shot of being a first rounder then he got injured. After missing the entire season, Matthews took time to shake off the rust but the kid is an absolute baller. His Per Game numbers are slightly down but I chalk that up to having more weapons around him and even so, his efficiency has never been better. At 6’4, Matthews isn’t the tallest but he does have pretty decent length which helps him get to the lane and finish at the rim. He is a prototypical CBB slasher, which just makes it fun watching him go to work. He isn’t CJ McCollum at all but the way he slips and slides to the rim shows some similarities between the two. He should roast Creighton.
• Monte Morris, Guard, Iowa State
  Projected: Late First/Early Second 2017
  Morris is the prototypical veteran college guard who turns into a ridiculous backup PG on a contender. He is the epitome of a game manager and it shows in his ridiculous Assist/TO numbers. During the conference portion of the 2016/2017 season, Morris averaged less than 1 TO per game and only 35 total for the year. He averaged 35 MPG with only 35 total TOs for the season. That is insane.
• Bruce Brown, Guard/Wing, Miami
  Projected: Late First 2017/Lottery 2018
  Don’t want to say we started the Bruce Brown Hype Train but we definitely saw the talent right away. Brown is a hyperactive two-way guard who has shown the skills to be a secondary playmaker in the NBA and loves going up for the rebound. This isn’t the best NBA comparison but he reminds me a lot of Marcus Smart. Both have “PG” Skills but are not necessarily lead guards while having the length and intensity to defend multiple positions. Along with his length, playmaking skills and willingness to defend, Brown has shown a knack for scoring from the perimeter as well. If he comes out this year, it could be a blessing for any team drafting in the late first but in 2018… Brown makes his leap.

West

• Luke Kornet, C, Vanderbilt
  Projected: Mid/Late Second 2017
  If you grew up in the northeast and played with unathletic white kids, then Luke Kornet is your dream player to watch. With guys like Happ and Zach Collins getting all the love for tall old-school white guy prospects, Kornet is someone who isn’t getting much fanfare but he should be. Both Happ and Collins are infinitely better prospects due to age and overall skill, but a flyer on Kornet in the early or middle second round is a pretty good grab in my eyes. He has legit height at 7’1 and a pretty decent frame at 240ish to withstand the trenches at the next level. He has lost some allure after losing steam as a potential stretch-5, but he still shoots a pretty decent clip from distance and is a much better free throw shooter than most guys his size. If Tyler Zeller is playing in the League than a skilled finesse big with above-average defensive tendencies can find a way in the NBA.
• Rawle Alkins, Guard/Wing, Arizona
  Projected: Late First 2017/Lottery 2018
  First Off, Rawle and I have a love-hate relationship… mostly due to the fact that he didn’t pick Hofstra as his college of choice. Hell, when I saw him as a High school Junior I yelled for him to go to Hofstra and he definitely heard me. Well now that I have out of my system, I will say that Alkins is a borderline first rounder this year and a potential lottery pick next year. He is a widebody freshman that reminds me a little bit of Marcus Smart in terms of body maturity for someone so young. He has the obvious NYC flaws in that his outside jumper isn’t the best but he loves taking the ball to the rim and bullying his defender. He is definitely an aggressive player. Once he turns the corner and puts his head down not many college players can stop him from getting to the hoop. He reminds me of a Lance Stephenson/Marcus Smart hybrid but with way more athleticism than both.

East

• Kris Jenkins, Combo Forward, Villanova
  Projected: Early Second 2017
  I sometimes refer to myself as the “King of the Second Round” due to my love for showcasing the talent in the second round and a guy like Jenkins is next for me. He is already known as the guy who hit that massive game winner in last year’s title game, but Jenkins is definitely a future NBA player. There is no doubt in my mind that Jenkins will find significant minutes in the NBA as a situational big off the bench. He has some major flaws, one being that is is only 6’6 but the man can score and loves the bright lights. I made reference that he could be this year’s Draymond but in reality he is more in the mold of former Buckeye legend DeShaun Thomas. The typical flaws for an undersized stretch four also affect Jenkins in that he isn’t a rim protector or much of a leaper but he can throw his wide body around when needed.
• Frank Jackson, Guard, Duke
  Projected: Mid First/Lottery 2018 Draft
  The Duke roster is filled with NBA talent but Jackson might have the most upside out of anyone not named Tatum. With Giles slowly recovering from injuries, Jackson has jumped as the second best prospect on this Duke roster. I get that Kennard is absolutely burning teams this year but Jackson’s upside is finally showing through and it is tough to deny the talent. He is very much a guard who likes to play with the ball in his hands, and even though he is a “PG” he hasn’t shown the playmaking skills needed to be a Top-20 pick this year. Coming back to Duke next year is a different story, Jackson should be primed for an All-ACC run and a dark horse for POY in the conference. If he can improve his playmaking skills, Jackson has a shot of turning into a Dame Lillard lite.
• Chimezie Metu, PF/C, USC
  Projected: Late First/ Early Second 2017
  The majority of folks would have De’Anthony Melton here but me, I stick to athletic bigs who look like they can bench 75 pounds. I have a type and I am sticking with that type….. Don’t be rude. Regardless of my biased opinion on Metu, he is really an NBA prospect due to his length and athleticism. Metu is a really fluid athlete that moves well for someone his size, and has shown flashes of being able to hit the mid-range jumper with consistency. His post game won’t win any beauty awards, and he will probably get pushed around in the NBA unless he adds some weight but the progress he has made from freshman to sophomore should not go unnoticed. Another great sign is his improvement from the line and getting to it. He went from averaging 2 attempts per game to close to 5 and increased his FT% from 51% to 72%. I will say for someone with his blend of size, length and athleticism, he doesn’t currently blow me away with his rim protection. The steady improvement is there … why not take a late first flyer on the kid?
• Sindarius Thornwell, Guard/Wing, South Carolina
  Projected: Late First/Early Second 2017
  The 2017 SEC Player of the Year is a two-way monster with serious 3-&-D potential at the next level. At 6’5, Thornwell has a 6’9 Wingspan that he puts to good use as indicated by his 2.2 SPG and 7 RPG. For a team looking for a glue guy with starter upside potential, Thornwell is that dude. A team like the Spurs or Portland in the late first would love grabbing a guy with his skillset.

South

• Amir Coffey, Wing, Minnesota
  Projected: Late First 2018
  Don’t really know if this can be considered a “Hot Take” if no one outside of myself has an opinion on it but Coffey is a poor man’s Josh Jackson. At 6’8, Coffey has a skinny ass frame but he can make shots and has sneaky playmaking abilities, which are the two leading reasons why I compare the two. In fact, Coffey and Jackson have near identical stats when it comes to assists. Both average 3.1 APG, and have 18% assist percentage. Not saying Coffey is as talented …. but I do think he has similar upside as a secondary playmaker. You watch him play once and you can see he has the eye for finding the right guy in the right spot. He is a little bit of a defensive liability and can be inconsistent from the field, but after one year in the Big-10, he is showing that Minnesota could be a potential conference threat next year.
• Wenylen Gabriel, Combo Forward, Kentucky
  Projected: Middle/Late First 2018
  It is always difficult to be one of the lesser heralded freshman on Kentucky, especially with potential lottery guys in Monk and Fox. It really is tough to showcase the talent but Gabriel has the measurables and motor to really make an impact. I wrote about Gabriel at the start of the season, and thought he would be a Top-20 pick but that isn’t the case. If Gabriel stays next year, he has the chance to jump into first round consideration. If you look at Gabriel and what he brings to a team, it reminds me of a poor man’s Jonathan Isaac. Both look to be elite role players at the next level, but Isaac has star upside while I don’t think Gabriel can be anything more than a high-energy big. Gabriel is an intelligent player on the court who moves really well without the ball. He enjoys the dirty work, which is something that most Top-20 recruits don’t like to do. Gabriel has all the tools to be a stud next year at Kentucky, all he needs to do is be a little more consistent with his shot while adding some weight to his slender frame and he could see his name shoot up the draft boards.
• Angel Delgado, PF/C, Seton Hall
  Projected: Early to Mid Second 2017/ Late First 2018
  All you need to know about Delgado is that he is a 6’9ish widebody Junior who averages 15 PPG and grabs an NCAA leading 13 RPG. One thing that always translates in my eyes is rebounding, and if Reggie Evans can make a career out of it then a talented athletic big like Delgado can too. The rim protection #s don’t look great … which is strange after a strong freshman campaign in the blocks department but he is a strong interior defender and can be that enforcer for an NBA team.