Coach John Calipari already has had the top recruiting class in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Who do you think is the top NBA talent since he has been at Kentucky? Swishscout.com has looked at Coach Cal’s tenure at Kentucky and his top 10 NBA prospects with the Cats.
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[B][COLOR=#000000]10 Darius Miller[/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000]The 6’7” junior g[/COLOR]uard has been largely overshadowed the past couple seasons by the elite talent brought in for the Wildcats. However, the lanky Miller has been no slouch during his time in Lexington. This season he is averaging nearly 10 points, 5 rebounds, a block, a steal, and shooting 53.6% from 3-point. range. He’s not an outstanding NBA prospect, but he has the talent, size, and games to [COLOR=#000000]eventually play his way into the league as a late 2nd round pick or undrafted free agent.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#000000]9[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=2723″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]Doron Lamb[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]A pure scorer that can put up points in a number of ways, but none better than from the perimeter. Lamb is off to a solid start this season, averaging 12 points and shooting 48.3% from 3. A couple more yea[COLOR=#000000]rs under Calipari would do his game wonders before entering the Draft, but at 6’4”, figures to be a second rounder whenever he enters. However, if he can add strength and show he can create for others, Lamb could see h[COLOR=#000000]is stock improve.[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[B][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000]8 Daniel Orton [/COLOR][/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000]The 29t[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]h overall draft [/COLOR]pick of the Orlando Magic, Orton was selected in last years draft despite only averaging a little over 3 points, 3 rebounds and a block in 13 minutes. Purely a potential pick by the [COLOR=#000000]Magic for his size and length at 6’10”, Orton has recently been sent to play for the New Mexico Thunderbirds of the D-League. Orton probably left the Kentucky basketball program prematurely, but is still v[COLOR=#000000]ery young and has time to progressively develop into a solid post player.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#000000]7[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=217″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]Patrick Patterson[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]One of Billy Gillespie’s original recruits to Kentucky, Patterson was a stud in Lexington before Calipari’s arrival. The 14th pick of the Houston Rockets in 2010, Patterson has been delegated to play for the Rio Grand Valley Vipers of the D-League. Make no mistake though, Patterson knows how to play in the paint with some nice moves post moves and soft shooting touch. He has greatly improved his perimeter game by incorporating the 3-ball into his repertoire.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][B]6 [/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=244″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]Eric Bledsoe[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]Predominantly an off guard for the Wildcats last year, Bledsoe has stepped in for the LA Clippers this season at the point and showed a lot of promise. Eric is averaging 8.6 points, 5 assists and a steal while splitting time at the point with Baron Davis. The 18th pick in last years draft figures to be the point guard of the future with his quickness and playmaking for teammates. Turnovers have been an issue for him (averaging 3 per game), but taking over for Baron Davis and playing for the Clippers, its nothing out of the ordinary for the LA squad.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][B]5 [/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=482″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]Brandon Knight[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]A ‘shoot first’ type scoring guard who happens to be playing point for the Wildcats. Knight is built with a nice frame and is an outstanding shooter. However, he has a reputation for being a selfish player at this point throughout his career, but has the tools to be an NBA floor general. One of the nations top recruits from last year is honing his skills for 17.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds this season. Knight’s biggest issues is becoming a reliable distributor and cutting down on his 4.4 turnovers per game average. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][B]4 [/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=490″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]Enes Kanter[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]Technically, the skilled 6’11” big man has yet to take the court for Calipari, as he was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for improper benefits during his time in the Turkish Professional League. However, if he were eligible to play against UConn and UNC earlier this season, the Wildcats would be undefeated. Kanter is as complete an amateur big man I’ve seen in person. His 34 points and 13 rebounds in last y[COLOR=#000000]ears Nike Hoop Summit, against the likes of Jared Sullinger and the other US Prep All-Stars, says volumes about his game. Enes Kanter is the complete package and should be a top five pick in 2011 [/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]because of his impressive size and skill set, regardless of if he plays at UK.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#000000]3 [/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=802″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]Terrence Jones[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]Jones has an impressive combination of size, length, athleticism, and strength at the forward position. His recent play has NBA scouts raving, averaging 20 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 2 assists, 1.4 steals, and hitting 37.5% of his 3-point attempts. TJ is one of the hottest players in the nation right now and is making plays off the dribble, setting up teammates, developing his post game, and battling for the boards. I’ve seen Terrence Jones play throughout his high school career in Portland, and he has done nothing but get better at an exponential rate; something that should continue into the NBA.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][B]2 [/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=142″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]DeMarcus Cousins[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]The 5th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, he might also be the biggest steal from Draft day. Playing only 24 minutes on average for the Kings, Cousins is still managing to put up 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. At 6’11”, 270 lb.s, and only 20 years of age, DeMarcus can anchor the paint for an NBA franchise for o[COLOR=#000000]ver a decade. Playing with a ball dominant Tyreke Evans and strong rebounding Samuel Dalembert has hindered his production initially, but Cousins will improve as he [COLOR=#000000]continues to learn in the league.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#000000]1[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?page_id=43″][COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#000000][B][COLOR=#0000ff]John Wall[/COLOR][/B][/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL]
[COLOR=#000000]The number one overall pick in last years Draft is already becoming one of the most entertaining and scintillating players in the NBA. Wall’s on court wizardry of 17.4 points, 9.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game is enough to make you wish there were highlights in the box score. John Wall is a special player who could be the fastest player on the court from end to end with a basketball in his hands. He is quickly becoming a household name and will emerge as one of the top players in the league in true superstar fashion.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][URL=”http://swishscout.com/?p=2791″]Source[/URL][/COLOR]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=#000000][B]Do you agree with their Top 10 or should it be in different order? Would you add anybody? Let me know in the comments![/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
