For Cameron Boozer, his draft stock is pretty solidified. With under three weeks to go before the NBA Draft, the expectation is that Boozer will be one of the first three names called. The consensus continues to be that Boozer will go No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies, but there are some who keep pounding the drum for him to go No. 1 to the Washington Wizards. A lot can change in the next three weeks, but Boozer is unquestionably one of the draft's grand prizes.
The stock of Duke's Isaiah Evans and Maliq Brown is much less certain and appears to be swinging in opposite directions, bringing them closer to a meeting point in projections.
Evans has long been viewed as a near-lock for the first round, but in the aftermath of a so-so showing at the NBA Combine, which included below-average athletic testing, Evans has been slipping toward the end of the first-round range. In Kevin O'Connor's latest mock draft for Yahoo Sports, Evans falls out of the first round entirely.
That would be a disastrous turn of events for the former Duke sharpshooter, particularly because he had two years of college eligibility remaining.
All second-round picks aren't created equal, however.
While Evans would be incensed to wind up where O'Connor has him projected, Duke's Maliq Brown would be thrilled if he lands where he's projected.
Updated Yahoo mock draft has Isaiah Evans, Maliq Brown within two picks of one another
O'Connor has Evans going No. 34 overall to the Sacramento Kings. The knock on Evans is his lack of athleticism and slight frame, which could limit his overall upside. Some scouts believe he's closer to tapping out his potential than some might think.
He's got the potential to be a legitimate sniper at the next level, and he played defense at a high level for Duke, but the NBA will be an adjustment for him at just 186 pounds with his 6-foot-6 frame.
While Evans slipping out of the first round serves as a surprise, the bigger surprise in O'Connor's mock is Brown's surge. With the rash of players heading back to college, Brown has seen his stock soar. He now seems more likely than not to enter the NBA as a second-round pick rather than as an undrafted free agent.
In O'Connor's mock, Brown actually slots in just two picks behind Evans at No. 36 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers.
"Brown guards all five positions and has both the length and IQ to anchor the defense when he’s on the floor," O'Connor writes. "As a 6-9 senior, he was named ACC Sixth Man of the Year and won the Lefty Driesell Award as the nation's top defender. But he struggles to shoot the ball, which will make his offensive fit a difficult one. Regardless, though, his defense could be that special that his team can’t help but put him on the floor."
Brown was the best defender in college basketball last season, and while his offensive upside might seem limited, there are plenty of guys who have carved out NBA roles under the same circumstances because they were that good on the defensive side of the ball.
If Brown can develop a three-point shot, a big if, obviously, then his NBA fit is a lot cleaner. But with his size and ability to guard every position, he's the kind of speciality player that you take a flier on in the second round.
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