This article is part of our The Prospect Post series.
This article aims to provide an ongoing evaluation of the NBA's rookie class from a fantasy standpoint while also offering deep dives on college players with bright futures. Projecting young talent is very subjective, so an open dialogue is encouraged, both in the comments section and on Twitter: @RealJRAnderson
March Madness represents the one look a lot of casual college basketball fans will get at certain players before they enter the NBA. For me, the college game is akin to watching minor league baseball. I'm primarily just looking at guys with their pro prospects in mind. When filling out a bracket, one of the things that factors highly in all of my picks is the amount of pro talent on a team. At the end of the day, Kentucky vs. Duke is the most-picked finals matchup this year because there are potentially nine first-round picks on those two rosters alone.
For this week's column I have ranked the top eight programs in America at simply churning out the most high-end basketball players in recent years. Six of the eight teams are still alive in the NCAA tourney, and there are plenty of prospects on those teams who should be monitored by fantasy basketball connoisseurs, as they make up a good chunk of next year's rookie class.
8. Kansas
Overview: The pros that come through Lawrence, Kansas seem to be more quantity than quality, as Paul Pierce and Andrew Wiggins are the only players currently playing in the NBA who have
This article aims to provide an ongoing evaluation of the NBA's rookie class from a fantasy standpoint while also offering deep dives on college players with bright futures. Projecting young talent is very subjective, so an open dialogue is encouraged, both in the comments section and on Twitter: @RealJRAnderson
March Madness represents the one look a lot of casual college basketball fans will get at certain players before they enter the NBA. For me, the college game is akin to watching minor league baseball. I'm primarily just looking at guys with their pro prospects in mind. When filling out a bracket, one of the things that factors highly in all of my picks is the amount of pro talent on a team. At the end of the day, Kentucky vs. Duke is the most-picked finals matchup this year because there are potentially nine first-round picks on those two rosters alone.
For this week's column I have ranked the top eight programs in America at simply churning out the most high-end basketball players in recent years. Six of the eight teams are still alive in the NCAA tourney, and there are plenty of prospects on those teams who should be monitored by fantasy basketball connoisseurs, as they make up a good chunk of next year's rookie class.
8. Kansas
Overview: The pros that come through Lawrence, Kansas seem to be more quantity than quality, as Paul Pierce and Andrew Wiggins are the only players currently playing in the NBA who have ever displayed All-Star-level talent. That said, many of the lesser former-Jayhawks have been useful in fantasy leagues throughout the years, and there will be a couple players from this current team who could join those ranks as early as next year.
Starting Five:
Joel Embiid
Markieff Morris
Paul Pierce
Andrew Wiggins
Mario Chalmers
Bench:
Ben McLemore
Nick Collison
Xavier Henry
Brandon Rush
Jeff Withey
Marcus Morris
Cole Aldrich
Kirk Hinrich
Darrell Arthur
Drew Gooden
Thomas Robinson
Prospects:
Kelly Oubre - probable draft status: mid first round
Cliff Alexander - probable draft status: late first round/early second round
Wayne Selden - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
7. North Carolina
Overview: North Carolina has not been a true basketball powerhouse in recent years, but there are plenty of Tar Heels who have made a name for themselves in the NBA. Long, skinny centers and athletic two-guards seem to make up much of the UNC alumni base in the NBA. Relative to past eras, the case could be made that the program has fallen on hard times, and it will be interesting to see how much longer Roy Williams wants to stick around, given his age and the constant expectation of excellence.
Starting Five:
Brandan Wright
John Henson
Harrison Barnes
Danny Green
Ty Lawson
Bench:
Ed Davis
Tyler Zeller
Wayne Ellington
Marvin Williams
Vince Carter
Reggie Bullock
P.J. Hairston
Kendall Marshall
Prospects:
Kennedy Meeks - probable draft status: mid-to-late second round
Justin Jackson - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
Brice Johnson - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
J.P. Tokoto - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
Marcus Paige - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
6. Arizona
Overview: It has been a long time since the Wildcats have sent an All-Star caliber player to the NBA. Derrick Williams was supposed to be that guy, but he has been a bust after being taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 draft. Aaron Gordon could still make it, as he has shown significant flashes in his rookie season, but injuries have held him back. Next year, however, Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will make their marks on the NBA, and should both be fantasy relevant at some point in the 2016.
Starting Five:
Jordan Hill
Channing Frye
Aaron Gordon
Andre Iguodala
Jerryd Bayless
Bench:
Jason Terry
Richard Jefferson
Chase Budinger
Solomon Hill
Derrick Williams
Nick Johnson
Prospects:
Stanley Johnson - probable draft status: top-10 pick
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - probable draft status: mid first round
Brandon Ashley - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
Kaleb Tarczewski - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
5. Texas
Overview: Texas will probably have a new coach in the near future after getting bounced from the NCAA tournament on Thursday by a Butler team with far less talent. Rick Barnes has been able to bring in All-NBA First Team caliber players in LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Durant, but he has never been able to translate that talent into a run of wins in March. Myles Turner could be a lottery pick in this year's draft, but he will be a project and will not be fantasy relevant for a couple years. This is a program that is trending down, but the NBA is not short on impact players who once passed through Austin, Texas.
Starting Five:
LaMarcus Aldridge
Kevin Durant
P.J. Tucker
Avery Bradley
D.J. Augustin
Bench:
Tristan Thompson
Cory Joseph
Prospects:
Myles Turner - probable draft status: mid first round
Jonathan Holmes - probable draft status: undrafted
Isaiah Taylor - probable draft status: undrafted
4. Florida
Overview: Speaking of programs that have fallen on hard times... Billy Donovan may be looking to skip town, given how he has missed on his last two elite recruits, Kasey Hill and Chris Walker, and given how it looks like Kentucky will never relinquish control of the SEC. There seems to be a never-ending list of quality big men who have passed through Donovan's program, but there may not be a single Gator drafted into the NBA this season.
Starting Five:
Joakim Noah
Al Horford
Chandler Parsons
Corey Brewer
Bradley Beal
Bench:
David Lee
Marreese Speights
Matt Bonner
Udonis Haslem
Mike Miller
Nick Calathes
Prospects:
Michael Frazier - probable draft status: undrafted
Chris Walker - probable draft status: undrafted
3. Duke
Overview: Only Kentucky can match Duke's pure quantity of active NBA players. That said, Kyrie Irving is the only All-Star level player in the league who claims ties to the program. This should change as early as next year, when Jahlil Okafor, who looks like a potential 15-time All-Star, and Justise Winslow, who could be one of the best two-way wings in the league in short order, get drafted into the NBA. Coach K might be one of the only recruiters who can steer top-shelf east coast and midwest talent away from Kentucky, as he proved by landing Jabari Parker and Okafor in consecutive years. This program is alive and well, and the Blue Devils look primed for a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Starting Five:
Mason Plumlee
Jabari Parker
Luol Deng
J.J. Redick
Kyrie Irving
Bench:
Elton Brand
Carlos Boozer
Gerald Henderson
Miles Plumlee
Mike Dunleavy
Rodney Hood
Kyle Singler
Austin Rivers
Ryan Kelly
Josh McRoberts
Prospects:
Jahlil Okafor - probable draft status: No. 1 overall pick
Justise Winslow - probable draft status: top-10 pick
Tyus Jones - probable draft status: mid-to-late first round
Quinn Cook - probable draft status: undrafted
2. UCLA
Overview: Ben Howland lost his job because of failing to cash in some of the loaded teams he had in the mid-to-late 2000s. More NBA players hail from the state of California than any other state in the Union, so there should always be plenty of talent in UCLA's backyard, but their top current prospect, Kevon Looney, is actually from Wisconsin. Duke may have a much deeper group of alumni currently playing in the NBA, but the Blue Devils cannot match the Bruins' star power in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love.
Starting Five:
Kevin Love
Trevor Ariza
Arron Afflalo
Russell Westbrook
Jrue Holiday
Bench:
Darren Collison
Shabazz Muhammad
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Matt Barnes
Kyle Anderson
Zach LaVine
Jordan Adams
Prospects:
Kevon Looney - probable draft status: mid first round
Norman Powell - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
1. Kentucky
Overview: Just look at this collection of Big Blue talent. A team made up solely of former Kentucky basketball players would unquestionably be the best team in the NBA. The scary thing is that this current team may be coach John Calipari's best, so half the names on this current fantasy roster could be displaced within five years. Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein are the next in an impressive recent lineage of elite big men to come from Kentucky, and Devin Booker may be the best pure shooter to ever play for Calipari. While this year's team looks invincible, what's scarier is that there is no reason to think next year's team won't be similarly dominant. We are in the early stages of a college basketball dynasty.
Starting Five:
DeMarcus Cousins
Anthony Davis
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Bench:
Brandon Knight
Rajon Rondo
Nerlens Noel
Julius Randle
Terrence Jones
Patrick Patterson
Jodie Meeks
Tayshaun Prince
Prospects:
Karl-Anthony Towns - probable draft status: top-3 pick
Willie Cauley-Stein - probable draft status: top-10 pick
Devin Booker - probable draft status: mid first round
Trey Lyles - probable draft status: mid-to-late first round
Aaron Harrison - probable draft status: early second round
Dakari Johnson - probable draft status: early-to-mid second round
Andrew Harrison - probable draft status: late second round/undrafted
Tyler Ulis - probable draft status: undrafted
