Future Stars: Basketball Edition

I felt like previewing football prospects was getting old, so I decided I would switch to basketball for a couple posts. Unfortunately with college basketball there are about 5 or so programs that take the top prospects and get every thing they can out of them in their freshman year and then the players decide to go pro. I think there were it was about 7 of the top 10 draft picks in last years draft that were under 20, most of them just finished their freshman season in college. And in the 2014 draft top 4 were all "one and done's", and which colleges get these prospects? Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, Arizona, and the rest are scattered among various other college football powers. So its very likely players I'm talking about here will be headlining next years NBA draft.

Jayson Tatum, 6,8" 195 lbs, SF, committed to Duke (not very surprising): Tatum is the 4th overall recruit in the 2016 class, and the top SF (small forward) in his class. I chose to preview Jayson Tatum because he attends the same high school as the newest Iowa basketball (my favorite team)  recruit, 4-star PF Tyler Cook. Also its likely that he will be the number one overall draft pick in 2016 for two reasons, one he committed the Duke University who is one of the top programs in college basketball and will for sure make sure that everyone knows who Jayson Tatum is. Also he plays Small Forward which is probably the most powerful and successful position in basketball (see Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Paul George). The best SF's can handle and shoot the ball well, can play in the post due to their size, and their long wingspans allow them to defend well and block shots. And when you look at Tatum play, he meets almost all of those requirements.

One elite player comes to mind when you see Tatum's skills, and that player would be Kevin Durant. I know, big shoes to fill, however he has a lot of potential and already looks ready to be a college basketball star. He has good ball handling for his size but I think there's room to grow. Defense is a big question mark, he could be a fine defender, but most highlight videos don't preview defense. He got some big blocks, but there is a lot more to defense than just blocking a smaller defender driving into the lane. His shot looks good, but you could probably learn more from looking at his shot percentage. Tatum also has a decent arsenal of post moves, and his footwork is great. He can drive to the basket, finish at the rim, and contort his body to get a good shot.

 http://247sports.com/Player/Jayson-Tatum-25296