Sports Illustrated has ranked the top players in the 2016 NBA Draft and 2 Kentucky players are in the lottery.
Skal Labissiere and Jamal Murray, the 2 international additions to the 2015-16 roster, are the only 2 players from Kentucky ranked in the top 30.
Here are the descriptions for both:
1. Skal Labissiere, Kentucky
Freshman | 7-foot, 216 pounds | centerLabissiere could become the second Kentucky 7-footer in a row taken atop the NBA draft. He isn’t yet the post player that Karl Towns is, but remember that Kentucky coach John Calipari forced Towns to play more in the paint as a freshman and helped him to develop those post moves. If Labissiere can develop a few go-to post moves to pair with his perimeter skills, he’ll be a no-brainer in the top spot. The biggest potential problem for Labissiere would be an NCAA investigation into the prep school he played for in high school.
12. Jamal Murray, Kentucky
Freshman | 6’5”, 201 pounds | guardMurray may be the quickest riser in this NBA draft. He quickly reclassified from 2016 to 2015 so that he could play at Kentucky this fall. Murray made an impression at the Nike Hoops Summit in April, leading all scorers with 30 points. With Tyler Ulis seemingly locked into the point guard slot for the Wildcats, Murray will have a chance to play off the ball and become the next in a line of strong Kentucky guards under Calipari.
Who else do you think is deserving of being in the Sports Illustrated rankings?
