Wiggins began the season atop our Big Board and he ends the college season in the same spot. He's had his ups and downs and struggled at times to live up to the huge expectations that have been on his shoulders. He has weaknesses that need to be improved, but in talking to numerous GMs and scouts, he's atop at least 60 percent of the big boards in the NBA at the moment and looks like he'd be the top pick for five of the six teams with the worst records in the league.
2. Jabari Parker
If Parker declares (and it's still an "if" right now), Parker has the label as the most NBA-ready freshman in this draft. Maybe the most NBA-ready of anyone in the draft. But teams want huge upside as well this high in the draft and while Parker is the most likely to come out and win Rookie of the Year honors, the fear is that his ceiling isn't as high as either Wiggins' or Joel Embiid's. A few teams are still leaning his direction with the No. 1 pick, but other than the Jazz, the rest are long shots. It will be interesting to see if his stock rises if he can get in great shape before the combine. That's one of the biggest knocks on him right now.
3. Joel Embiid
How's the back? That's the biggest question surrounding Embiid right now. The second biggest question? Will he declare? The early word was that he was leaning toward leaving KU, but his hesitation since then has raised some eyebrows. If his back checks out at the combine, he'll be back in the discussion for the No. 1 pick. If it's something small, he might drop a few spots. If teams think it needs surgery at some point, he could really slide. So for now, it's safe to say Embiid will be the biggest question mark in the draft for the next month.
4. Dante Exum
Exum is in LA, working out with Kobe Bryant's and Dwyane Wade's trainer, Tim Grover. NBA scouts would love to come in and get a peek, but no one can see him until the NBA releases the official underclassmen declaration list sometime in late April. Even then, it's unlikely that more than a couple of teams will get to see him in workouts. There's going to be a dearth of information about him going into the draft, but it doesn't mean he can't play. His agent, Rob Pelinka, is just going to be strategic about which teams get a good look.
5. Julius Randle
Randle finished with four double-doubles in the tournament and scored in double-digits in every game, but he struggled against UConn in the final game, scoring only 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting. The tournament showed off Randle's strengths and weaknesses. He can be a beast in the paint, moves his feet so well for someone his size and looks NBA ready. But he struggles to score against length and athleticism at times, and that will become only more pronounced at the next level.
6. Aaron Gordon
Gordon has yet to declare for the draft, but the word around the league is that he will do so. He is still a work in progress on the offensive end of the ball (which partially explains why his advanced metrics are so low), but all the defensive tools he has, combined with elite athleticism and motor, have many scouts on board with him as an Andrei Kirilenko-meets-Blake Griffin forward at the next level.
7. Noah Vonleh
Vonleh might be the one guy on this list who could end up leapfrogging both Gordon and Randle into that top-5 spot. Blessed with size, athletic ability and shooting touch, Vonleh's best comp may be Chris Bosh. You are going to see a lot of teams in the 4-8 range trying to schedule Randle, Gordon and Vonleh together for workouts. Each player possesses something the other doesn't. It should be epic.
8. Marcus Smart
Smart would have been the No. 2 pick in the draft last year had he come out. Another year at school has dinged his stock a bit, but a late-season surge for him has put him on very solid ground in the top 10. Some scouts love him and some scouts aren't enamored at all, but Smart's range looks like it's 4-10 right now.
9. Tyler Ennis
Ennis didn't finish the season as strong as he started, and I know there are some scouts who are starting to get off the bandwagon. But his steadiness as a point guard is pretty rare. I think you see Smart and Exum go ahead of him in virtually every scenario, but after those two are off the board, Ennis doesn't have a lot of competition and several teams in the late lottery/mid-first round need point guards.
10. Gary Harris
Harris has yet to declare his intentions for the NBA draft, however he's widely regarded as the second-best two-guard in the draft behind Wiggins. His lack of size and his inconsistent shooting from deep has hurt his stock a little bit, but Harris' ability to play at both ends of the floor, along with his young age (he's younger than both Ennis and Embiid) have scouts projecting him as a top-10 pick. Look for him to go in the 8-15 range.