We all know that the Draft prospects of three UK players, Wall, Patterson and Cousins, could be high if they all choose to head into the big selection this Spring. But ESPN Draft guru Chad Ford is telling everyone that you may not be able to stop there. According to Ford,
Eric Bledsoe now also has the potential to go high in this year's draft and a lottery pick is not out of the question. His excerpt on Bledsoe:
In a draft without any great point guard prospects past John Wall, could the second-best point guard actually be his teammate? A growing number of scouts are coming back from Kentucky scouting trips saying exactly that after watching Wall's freshman backcourt buddy, Eric Bledsoe (especially those who see Oklahoma's Willie Warren as a 2-guard).
Bledsoe is clearly talented and there's no question that he's been playing in Wall's shadow all year. But dig deeper and you can understand why NBA scouts are intrigued. While Bledsoe doesn't have Wall's size or his PR machine, he's incredibly quick, an explosive leaper and he's very, very tough -- almost to a fault (against Louisville, John Calipari had to pull him from the floor early to keep him from going after Reginald Delk). Unlike Wall, Bledsoe has shown the ability to nail the open jumper and is shooting an impressive 47 percent from 3-point range.
In a recent game against Florida, Bledsoe, not Wall, Patrick Patterson or DeMarcus Cousins, was the best player on the floor. While Bledsoe could clearly use another year or two of seasoning at Kentucky -- one where he, not Wall, is the team's alpha dog -- more and more scouts are talking about the possibility that he will declare this year. If he does enter the draft, he could end up going somewhere in the mid-to-late-first round. Or higher.
"If John Wall didn't play for Kentucky, I think we'd all be calling Bledsoe a lottery pick," one GM told Insider. "He's playing in the same backcourt as the best player in college basketball. But if you look close, you'll see it. He's an NBA talent all the way."
So there you go. Four guys in the lottery? Apparently its possible and if so,
then the Cats will have a new roster again next year, and this time without the Three Amigos and P-Pat to hold down the fort.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard