Aside from breaking down Hield (whose excellent tournament performances may ruin his destiny of becoming a King), let's review how the potential 2016 draft class performed in the Sweet 16
Players are listed in order of my current draft rankings; note that my rankings do not currently include international players, who I will be studying after the tournament. Click on a player's name to open their DraftExpress profile, which has all of their basic information; stats all come from sports-reference.com or hoop-math.com.
5. SG Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Next Contest: vs. 2 seed Villanova, Saturday, April 2nd
To quote myself – Buddy. F'ing. Hield.
Hield's demolition of Oregon was the highlight of an excellent NCAA tournament; the senior scored 37 points on 13 of 20 shooting (including 5 of 7 from deep) and destroyed any defender the Ducks threw at him. While Hield set the tempo early on, the entire Sooners squad had a great offensive first half (scoring 48 points), so Oregon was never able to lock in on Buddy. If Hield can in a rhythm early against Villanova and get the Oklahoma offense flowing like they were against Oregon, the Wildcats won't be able to stick doubles on Hield. And while it may be ages ago in college basketball time, Oklahoma did demolish Villanova 78-55 in December. I picked Oklahoma to win the tournament, so I'm crossing my fingers (and expecting) Buddy keeps my bracket alive.
The one major complaint against Hield I can shrug off is his turnovers; his decision making (3.0 turnovers a game, 13.7% turnover rate) hasn't been the best, but his role on the Sooners offense basically forces him to make tough decisions while the opposition's entire defensive scheme is built with him in mind. In the NBA, he won't be forced to carry such a big load, and even if he handles the ball as a second/third option, he's not going to have a 30% usage rate.
Hield will likely be one of my first draft prospect write-ups after the lottery, but if you need more Buddy hype in the meantime, Omer did what Omer does and posted a great little comment.
Additional players to watch: PF Brice Johnson, North Carolina, SG Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia, PF Tyler Lydon, Syracuse, SG/SF Malachi Richardson, Syracuse
Week 2 Notes:
Top potential 2016 Draftees outside the Tournament: 1. F Ben Simmons, LSU, 2. SF Brandon Ingram, Duke, 3. PG Kris Dunn, Providence, 4. SG Jamal Murray, Kentucky, 6. SF Jaylen Brown, California, 7. C Jakob Poeltl, Utah, 8. PF Henry Ellenson, Marquette, 9. PF Ivan Rabb, California, 10. PF/C Skal Labissiere, Kentucky, 11. SG Denzel Valentine, Michigan State, 12. PG Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame, 13. PF Thomas Bryant, Indiana, 14. PF/C Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga, 15. PF/C Deyonta Davis, Michigan State, 16. C Diamond Stone, Maryland, 17. F Taurean Prince, Baylor, 18. PG Wade Baldwin, Vanderbilt, 19. PF Marquese Chriss, Washington, 20. PF/C Damian Jones, Vanderbilt, 21. PG Tyler Ulis, Kentucky, 22. PG/SG Caris LeVert, Michigan, 23. C Stephen Zimmerman, UNLV, 24. SG Grayson Allen, Duke, 25. Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Top International prospects: PF Dragan Bender, Croatia, SG Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey, SG/SF Timothe Luwawu, France
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