Barring a huge stroke of luck in Tuesday night's draft lottery, the Charlotte Bobcats will pick ninth and 19th in the first round of the June 23 draft.
Observer NBA writer Rick Bonnell identifies some candidates for both those picks:
No. 9
Colorado combo guard Alec Burks (20.5 ppg., 6.5 rpg): His combination of size (6-6) and skills would allow him to pair with either D.J. Augustin or Gerald Henderson in the backcourt and he might also play some small forward. That would plug a lot of holes for a team that needs a lot of things. And Bobcats GM Rod Higgins knows Burks well, as Higgins' son was Burks' college teammate.
Czech combo forward Jan Vesely (10.3 ppg., 4.4 rpg.): This is a 6-11 guy with small forward skills (think Kevin Garnett before he bulked up or Utah's Andrei Kirikenko). Basketball is all about creating match-up dilemmas for the opposition; Vesely has that potential at the NBA level.
Either of the Morris twins: Kansas' Marcus (17.2 ppg., 7.6 rpg.) and Markieff Morris (13.6 ppg., 8.3 rpg.) might be the definitive players of the 2011 draft - power forwards who won't be stars but are safe bets to be in rotations. As one NBA scout put it, "I KNOW those guys will play in the NBA."
Trouble is, the Bobcats already have an abundance of power forwards (Boris Diaw, Tyrus Thomas and D.J. White) under contract.
No. 19
Boston College guard Reggie Jackson (18.2 ppg., 4.5 apg.): An athletic 6-3 guard with a preposterously long wingspan (reportedly at or near 7 feet). If you believe Jackson has the skills to evolve into an NBA point guard, you have an intriguing prospect.
Tennessee forward Tobias Harris (15.3 ppg., 7.3 rpg.): Harris rides the wave of this draft; forwards who are hybrids between the power and small positions. He goes to the rim strong with a quick first step. Ideally, he would have stayed in college a year longer, but the coaching mess at Tennessee seemed to launch him toward the NBA.
Brigham Young guard Jimmer Fredette (28.9 ppg., 4.3 apg.): Fredette will probably be gone before the 19th pick, but there's a sense around the NBA he's no longer a lottery lock and could slip down through the teens. He's an exceptional long-range shooter and can create his own shot. But he's not a true point guard - which he must be to be more than an NBA specialist.
