Before the college basketball season even began, this draft class was praised for its star power at the top. Three difference-making talents — Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey — were going to be selected in the top three, in some order.
The trio all had strong seasons to back up their considerable talents, even if Harper and Bailey didn’t reach the NCAA Tournament playing for Rutgers.
But then last week, reports began to leak that Bailey and his representatives didn’t like the idea of him winding up with the 76ers.
They preferred him on a rebuilding team — like the Wizards, Pelicans or Nets — where he would have a major role from Day 1.
Then, he canceled a workout with Philadelphia. Some experts have him falling several spots.
Suddenly, there is uncertainty as to how this draft will go, after the top two.
Throw in the recent big trades — Kevin Durant going from the Suns to the Mavericks, the Celtics dealing Jrue Holiday to the Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and the Celtics sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks as part of a three-team deal — and there is a growing belief this could be a fascinating few days in Brooklyn.
“This feels like a very unique draft, in the sense that there are more smoke screens, there is more trade chatter and just subsequent uncertainty across the board,” NBA draft analyst Matt Babcock said in a phone interview. “Talking to teams, agents, it’s pretty wild right now. There’s the potential of a lot of activity. … I think players have wider ranges than they do in most years.”
If the 76ers don’t take Bailey, they could opt for uber-athlete VJ Edgecombe of Baylor at No. 3.
Other options include guards Tre Johnson (Texas), Kon Knueppel (Duke) and Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma).
“It’ll be like the year Chicago took Patrick Williams at [No.] 4,” an NBA scout said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Whatever happens with [Bailey], if he’s not [No.] 3, everything is a crapshoot after that.”
There will be no mystery at the very top.
Flagg is going No. 1 to the Mavericks.
This has basically been a lock since he moved up a year and attended Duke last fall.
He became the top pro prospect to attend college since Zion Williamson, and more than lived up to the hype, as the consensus national player of the year this past season even though he should’ve still been in high school.
The 6-foot-9 forward, who doesn’t turn 19 until December, doesn’t have a weakness.
He does everything well, from shotmaking to distributing, defending to rebounding.
He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals, along with shooting 38.5 percent from 3-point range.
“He’s kind of like a queen on a chess board for you because he can play [and] he can guard multiple positions,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said.
Added fellow one-and-done teammate Kon Knueppel: “He just doesn’t turn it off. That’s something that can’t be taught, it can’t be trained to get better at. He’s just got it. He just works hard all the time. His effort level on each individual possession is high. It’s really hard to find that in players of his caliber.”
Walter Clayton Jr. was confused at the question, when it was suggested to the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four that he was an older guy among the draft prospects invited to the green room.
“I’m 22,” he said with a smile.
In terms of how the NBA views prospects, however, the former Iona and Florida star is on the older side.
The same can be said for likely first-round picks Nique Clifford (23), Cedric Coward (21), Danny Wolf (21) and Maxime Raynaud (22).
Teams typically look for upside and youth in the draft, and that will continue this week at Barclays Center.
College success isn’t nearly as important as projection.
But guys like Clayton and Clifford have proven it can happen, and they follow in the footsteps of recent college stars like Jalen Brunson and Payton Pritchard, who have enjoyed success in the NBA.
“They love the younger guys, but me, Nique and some of the older guys have proven our worth,” Clayton said.
Clifford, a star guard out of Colorado State, was only one of two players in college basketball this winter to average at least 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and shoot over 37 percent from 3-point range.
He believes older prospects have to be even better in the predraft process than the teenagers they’re battling for draft position.
They don’t have inexperience to lean on.
“You have to be on another level as an older guy. You have to be very sharp, especially in your workouts, in your interviews,” he said. “I don’t look at it as age. I look at it more as experience, so I’m going to be able to take that going forward into my NBA [career] and be able to be plugged in and play, just based on understanding concepts better than maybe a younger guy would.”