Final projections for Duke basketball prospects in 2020 NBA Draft
6-foot-10. player. 434. Scouting Report. 270 pounds. Vernon Carey Jr.. C. Pick Analysis
Why is the Duke basketball forward being undervalued?
Vernon Carey Jr. was an All-American, and if not for Tre Jones, he would have been the ACC Player and Freshman of the Year.
So why is he being devalued ahead of the NBA Draft?
Well, the NBA is increasingly more of a perimeter-oriented league, and scouts see Carey Jr. as a traditional center, which doesn’t bode well for his draft stock.
If Vernon Carey Jr. was a draft prospect in 2015, the same year Jahlil Okafor was selected at No. 3 overall, he would have been a Top-5 pick. But the league doesn’t look at big men in the same fashion it did five years ago.
However, scouts need to look at more tape of the 6-foot-10 beast, as he was not only able to dominate in the paint, but he also showed the ability to step beyond the arc and knock down the 3-point ball.
Unlike Stanley, Vernon Carey Jr. could step in right away and help a contender off the bench as a rim protector and post-scoring threat.
In what could be one of the steals of the draft, along with his college point guard, teams that saw exits late in the NBA Playoffs would be foolish not to take Carey Jr. late in the first round and add to their suspect frontcourt depth.
VERNON CAREY JR. DRAFT PROJECTION: Round 1, Pick No. 26 – Boston Celtics