Class of forwards for NBA draft led by Scottie Barnes, Jonathan Kuminga
Seminoles' playmaker, Ignite's defender among top prospects heading into Thursday
Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga offer plenty of versatility to headline the class of forwards in Thursday's NBA draft.
Both have the size and length to tussle inside or contribute on the perimeter, making them potential top-five selections ahead of Michigan's Franz Wagner as a potential lottery pick.
Here's a look at some of those top prospects:
Barnes
Barnes could become an elite defender and playmaking ballhandler as he prepares for the draft days before his 20th birthday.
STRENGTHS: The sophomore didn't need to score at Florida State to make a huge impact in every game. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound one-and-done player can roam anywhere on the perimeter, seeing over smaller guards to run the offence where he averaged 4.1 assists. The Atlantic Coast Conference freshman of the year has a nearly 7-3 wingspan, ranking sixth among all players who participated in measurements at the scouting combine.
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"Being able to have that playmaking IQ on the court, having that vision, makes me so unique on the floor where I can see different things, see different reads, that naturally other people can't see," Barnes said.
CONCERNS: Barnes is an unselfish player who was a complimentary double-figure scorer in the Seminoles' balanced attack, but he made just 11 of 40 3-pointers (27.5 per cent) and 62 per cent of his free throws.
Kuminga
The 18-year-old Kuminga joins shooting guard Jalen Green in taking a preps-to-pros route to the draft.
STRENGTHS: The 6-6, 210-pound Kuminga was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and had become one of the nation's top college prospects before opting to play for G League Ignite, which offers an alternative for elite prospects who want to bypass college basketball. He averaged 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in 13 games with Ignite while offering rim-attacking athleticism and the ability to drive the paint. Kuminga has the potential to become a multi-position defender and roughly a 6-11 wingspan.
CONCERNS: The shooting touch and overall offensive polish is still developing. He shot just 38.7 along with shooting 62.5 per cent at the foul line.
Giddey
It wasn't that long ago six-foot-eight Australian point guard Josh Giddey's objective was to play in the NBL, not the NBA.
The Melbourne native had his country's National Basketball League in mind when it came to career goals, but his game kept improving, and eventually so did his goals.
"I was good at basketball but I just didn't think I'd be in the position I am now," Giddey said. "My goal was to be a good NBL player. The NBA was always a dream, but it didn't become a reality until probably six to 12 months ago."
With the ball in his hands, he always seems to be under control and makes great decisions.
STRENGTHS: He's a lanky 205 pounds and not super explosive like other prospects, but makes up for it with, as they say, a high basketball IQ. "I'm not a big highlight reel kind of guy. I'm a team-first playmaking guard," he said. "My game is kind of as you see it. Passing is my biggest strength … in the NBA because the court is so much more spaced and spread out — it's going to allow me to get into the paint and make some more reads, whether that's scoring on the read myself or hitting teammates."
CONCERNS: A knock on Giddey is his shooting, which is a work in progress. He shot 43 per cent overall and just 29.3 per cent from the 3-point line in a fairly small sample size (29 of 99 from long range). He admits he had a slow start to the NBL season.
Garuba
Giddey didn't make it to Japan for the Olympics, but Usman Garuba is playing in the Tokyo Games for Spain alongside Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio and company.
STRENGTHS: With his six-foot-eight, 230-pound frame, defence is one of Garuba's calling cards. The Real Madrid power/forward center only turned 19 in March and already has two full seasons under his belt in the highly respected Spanish domestic league and the EuroLeague.
CONCERNS: He averaged 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the Spanish league last season, with slightly lower averages in the EuroLeague. He averaged 7.2 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague playoffs. But he has shown steady improvement. His EuroLeague averages last season were four points, four rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.6 steals in just over 16 minutes per game — good enough to win the "rising star" award as voted by coaches.
"To me, that was one of the most impressive things — watching what he was doing in the EuroLeague playoffs against Efes — switching out on those guards, it's tricky," said Will Voigt, who coached in Germany last season with Bonn. "He not only held his own, but was making plays. To see those flashes at that age, at that level, is pretty impressive. He can guard 1 through 5."
