Final Four's NBA draft impact? Look around the margins

With marquee programs across the board in this year’s Final Four, there is not too much that the big names on these rosters will do to boost or damage their stock in the NBA draft.

Anthony Davis will likely be the No. 1 pick whether he scores 40 per game and leads Kentucky to the title, or whether he fouls out in the first half of a semifinal loss.

His teammate, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, will be a Top 10 pick, as will Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger and Kansas’ Thomas Robinson, while fellow Wildcats like small forward Terrence Jones and point guard Marquis Teague are on the fringe of the lottery, but figure to be among the Top 20 or so picks.

But it’s not always the best-known names on these teams that have a lot at stake in these games.

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Last year, Kentucky big man Josh Harrellson was mostly an afterthought in the NBA draft world, but a solid tournament got him a spot in the second round and a place with the Knicks.

Butler’s Shelvin Mack, too, showed guts throughout the tournament and is now with the Wizards. “I don’t know if I was on the radar that much before the tournament,” Mack said. “I think as far as the draft goes, us getting to the final, that was the thing that got me noticed.”

Putting aside the obvious names, then, it is these Final Four players who have a lot at stake as far as establishing their NBA credentials:

William Buford, G/F, Ohio State. Buford probably didn’t need to use this tournament to remind scouts of the struggles he’s had with a bigger offensive role here in his senior year, but that’s been the effect that these last four tournament games have had anyway. Buford has established himself as a decent shooter, but there isn’t much to show he can do more than that at the next level. He has shot just 29.5 percent from the field, and his status as a middle second-rounder—never a safe place to be—has been all but confirmed.

Deshaun Thomas, F, Ohio State. From an NBA perspective, Thomas has been hung with that most dreaded of labels: tweener. He is a very solid scorer and though his reputation precedes him, he has gotten somewhat better as a defender. “He can shoot, but does he have the athleticism to play small forward at the NBA level? I don’t think so,” one scout said. “But he’s 6-7 and not particularly long. He’s not a standout rebounder. So he is not a power forward. I don’t know where he’d fit in.”

Jeff Withey, C, Kansas. Withey has never really lived up to his billing in college, and the fact that he is already 22 and just now getting his first real playing time is something that won’t help him at draft time. Withey has almost no offensive game, but two obvious things stand out with scouts—he is a 7-footer and he knows how to block shots, as evidenced by his 10-block effort against North Carolina State in the Sweet 16. He has averaged 5.0 blocks in the five previous games, and even with his limited skill set, he probably would have a second-round spot in the draft.

Tyshawn Taylor, PG, Kansas. Taylor has the size (6-3) and scoring ability to land a spot in the NBA, but he doesn’t have the point-guard instincts to be a starter in the league. He had shown he can be a pretty good 3-point shooter over the course of the year, but his 0-for-17 mark from the arc so far in the tournament is a disturbing trend for him. He has also been turnover-prone, averaging 3.5 this year, and has been right around that mark in the tournament. One personnel exec compares Taylor to Boston’s Keyon Dooling, who has carved out a 12-year career as a bench player who can provide some scoring punch and effective defense.

Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky. Lamb is a pure shooter who has, for two seasons now, served as a role player and been willing to cede shots to teammates who can’t shoot nearly as well as he can—he was a 48.6 percent 3-point shooter last year and “dipped” to 47.1 percent this year. Scouts have taken notice, and though Lamb might fly under the radar nationally, he will be a solid first-rounder on draft day. “When you watch him and you crunch the numbers on him, he really is one of the best players in the SEC,” one scout said. “He might go higher than you think.”

Peyton Siva, PG, Louisville. Siva has some obvious positives, starting with the fact that he would measure out as one of the fastest players in any NBA draft, and his quickness and ball-handling are unquestioned. But he is only 5-11, and he naturally has trouble converting at the rim. Had Siva added something to his game over the course of this year—a reliable perimeter shot (he was 23.9 percent on 3s, and is 1-for-6 in the tournament), a stronger ability to draw fouls or a better floater in the lane—he might have bumped up his status as an NBA prospect. As it stands, his leadership is an intangible, and the further he leads Louisville, the more attention he’ll get.