Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, according to his final prospect ranking shared on Tuesday, thinks [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] are both top-25 players in the upcoming NBA draft class.
Wasserman ranked Filipowski as the No. 21 player in the class and put McCain all the way up in the top 10 at seventh overall.
The NBA scout said Filipowski’s passing ability and improved finishing as a sophomore made him a dramatically better NBA prospect despite some athletic and offensive limitations.
“I don’t anticipate a team getting a top-two or three option, but I like Filipowski for a jack-of-all-trades big role that gets capable shooting, smart ball-moving, inside scoring and the occasional face-up play,” Wasserman wrote.
McCain, on the other hand, is a prospect that Wasserman wants to go all in on. A 41.4% 3-point shooter would fit any offense, and McCain’s trio of 30-point performances over the final two months of the season landed him squarely in first-round conversations. The Bleacher Report writer thinks there are more wrinkles than he gets credit for, however.
“McCain checks in at top 10 due to the adjustments he made as a pick-and-roll creator and finisher,” he wrote. “I didn’t expect him to be as effective as he was manipulating in ball-screens, getting to spots and converting around the basket…He shows excellent poise and feel for when to slow down and accelerate when attacking a defense. And he has effective touch shots and counters for his drives.”
The NBA draft gets started on Wednesday with the first round broadcasted on ESPN and ABC.