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Nerlens Noel Sits Atop of SI.com 2013 NBA Draft Board

By on November 28, 2012

Everyone knows you aren’t supposed to compare Nerlens Noel and Anthony Davis, but they might have one thing in common.

They could both be #1 draft picks.

SI.com has released their 2013 NBA Draft Board and Nerlens is #1.

1
Nerlens Noel
Kentucky, Freshman
6-10, 228
F
Multiple NBA executives weighed in on the UK freshman here and in last week’s issue of Sports Illustrated (buy the magazine, cheapskates). Noel’s offense is a work in progress — he is limited to dunks and put-backs — but execs love his energy and defensive instincts. As a passer, Noel has shown flashes of an ability to see the floor and dish out of the high post, a skill perfected and used frequently by the Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol and, to a lesser extent, the Pacers’ Roy Hibbert.

Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress are also in the top 10, ranked #8 and #9 respectively.

8
Archie Goodwin
Kentucky, Freshman
6-4, 198
G
Goodwin continues to be miscast as a featured ball handler, though the expected return of Ryan Harrow this week should relieve the lanky combo guard of some of the responsibility. But Goodwin has begun to shine: His 22-point, nine-rebound, nine-assist effort against Long Island last week showcased a complete game. “I see a lot of Jamal Crawford in him,” a scout said.

9
Alex Poythress
Kentucky, Freshman
6-7, 239
F
Poythress continues to score — he has had four straight 20-plus point games — but not in the ways scouts are looking for. “I need to see a three-point shot,” a Western Conference exec said of Poythress, who has attempted just two threes this season. “He’s way too small to be a power forward at this [NBA] level. He needs to develop small-forward skills or else he will be a poor man’s Patrick Patterson.”