Draft bargains

You know about Victor, Scoot and Brandon. But what about the underrated players in the draft? Oftentimes, they're college stars who can help contenders. We take a look today.

Author

Mike Miller
June 14, 2023

Nikola Jokic is a treasure. He’s not only the best basketball player alive, he also feels the same way about annoying texts, obligations, and work responsibilities as most of the world. A little brotherly love never hurt, either.

Let's get to Tuesday’s college hoops news.

1. Too much of a good thing

We’ve been showcasing The Field of 68’s NBA Draft prospect profiles for the last three weeks in every edition of The Daily, but Rob, Jeff and the guys have been rolling out so much content that we’ll never get to all of it.

So today’s a good day to play catchup.

The NBA Finals are over, most of the transfer portal news has slowed to a crawl, and school’s out. I mean, when the most notable college hoops news from the day is Rick Pitino’s pitching form, it’s time to highlight some video (and dump the notebook) ahead of the draft on June 22.

Start here: Who are the underrated prospects?

Dauster, Terrence Oglesby and John Fanta discuss why these four players — Jaime Jaquez, Kobe Bufkin, Julian Phillips and Adama Sanogo — are guys who aren’t first-round locks, or maybe even drafted at all. But all four have ideal qualities that would make them perfect as pieces for teams with title aspirations.

Sure, Rob’s got his soft spot for Sanogo and TO is still all in on Phillips, but they make fair points.

In that same vein, here’s another discussion about guys who weren’t seen as first-round locks but performed well enough at the NBA Draft Combine and individual workouts that they’ve likely secured guaranteed contracts for themselves. (Who are the first-round locks? These 19 guys who got invites to the draft and will sit in the green room are your most likely candidates. But an invite isn’t a guarantee.)

Examples: O-Max Prosper, Ben Sheppard and Seth Lundy.

Perhaps the most underrated prospect? Brandin Podziemski.

Air Podz is seen as a late first-rounder/early second-rounder who has everything the NBA wants right now: He can shoot (44.7 percent from deep last season), has size (6-5, 205) and a handle with some court vision. Another thing Podziemski has in his favor? Jalen Williams’ strong rookie season. Any smart NBA team won’t automatically dismiss playing at Santa Clara as a question mark.

That’s one of 44 (!) player profiles. We’ve only highlighted a little more than half, so take some time over the next week and hit this entire playlist.

And for those who have lots of time, Rob did a full mock draft of the first round, projecting who will go where, ideal fits, question marks, and much more.

Does this mean we’re done discussing the draft? Nah. But now it feels like we can at least focus on the bigger storylines for next week.

Finally, here’s a programming note: The Field of 68 will have a special live NBA mock draft on Thursday night. Click here to get it on your calendar.

2. Rutgers is all about 2024-25

The last few weeks haven’t been kind to Rutgers’ roster.

Yes, Cliff Omoruyi is headed back to Piscataway, but losing Cam Spencer and Paul Mulcahy to the transfer portal hurts. They would’ve flanked Omoruyi with shooting and defense and ensured Rutgers’ floor next season was the middle of the Big Ten.

The Scarlet Knights have some solid pieces coming in for 2023-24, including a few notable freshmen and UMass transfer Noah Fernandes.

But the year after that should make Rutgers faithful excited. Because it’s shaping up to be the best class in school history.

Ace Bailey, a 5-star wing, and Lathan Sommerville, a 4-star big, got some company Tuesday when Bryce Dortch committed to Rutgers.

Dortch, who chose Rutgers over Virginia Tech and Temple, is a Top 150 prospect who’s an ideal fit for Steve Pikiell’s system. He’s got size (6-8), length, and a predilection for defense.

Right now, that 2024 class ranks as No. 2 in 247’s database. That’ll change as more players pick programs, but given that it’s anchored by Bailey and already has two more 4-star players, it’s got an excellent chance to remain a top 10 class.

And if they stay put, it could really be something.

3. Rick Pitino’s still got it

Fresh off adding yet another new player to the St. John’s roster, Rick Pitino grabbed a few more headlines Tuesday night when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch to the Subway Series.

Given what Mets fans have seen this season, they might take a few more pitches from Pitino. That’s fine form from a 70-year-old hoops coach who says he hasn’t thrown a ball since Gary Carter was still playing catcher at Shea. Sure, he short-hopped it a bit to Donovan Mitchell, but hey, you try it at 70.

"I threw it for the first time today in 35 years," Pitino said. "It hurt."

Not since the 80s? Hm. Wonder if anything else significant hasn’t happened since the 80s for St. John’s …

Full circle

North Carolina’s underwhelming disappointing 2022-23 season — it entered the year atop the AP top 25, then missed the NCAA Tournament, the first team to ever do that — has been covered ad nauseum. But here’s the thing: The Heels will return two starters, and might be better than they were last season. Rob Dauster and Greg Waddell debate.

Links as you scour US Open tee times.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].