Overrated/Underrated in the 2007 NBA Draft

Overrated

1) Brandan Wright- He is tall and athletic, but has little in the way of basketball skills. He is scrawny and doesn't seem to be able to score from outside of the paint. I have seen nothing to suggest he is a future All-Star caliber player and I don't even think he will be useful to a NBA in the short term. In a draft this deep, I can't believe anybody would consider making him a top 5 pick.

2) Al Thornton- He will turn 24 years old in the second month of the 07-08 season. That makes Thornton over a year older than Lebron James. So, what you see is pretty much what you get. If he can't contribute right away, it is unlikely he ever will. I can't imagine using a lottery pick on a guy that didn't make a name for himself, until most players his age had already graduated from college. Thornton is one of the better bets, among first round picks, to be out of the league by the time his first contract expires.

3) Mike Conley- I am not saying he isn't going to be a good NBA player. However, nobody has ever seen Conley play the point without a plethora of weapons on the court. At the high school level, I would have had 10 assists per game if my job was to lob the ball into Oden. In college, he added Ron Lewis, Dequan Cook, and Jamar Butler to the mix. I believe he will be a solid NBA point guard, but I'm not quite sold that he is a future star.


Underrated

1) Nick Fazekas- I usually like to throw water on the Great White Hopes, but I can't believe that this kid might slip to the second round. Had Fazekas left college after his sophomore season, he might have been a lottery pick. In the 2 seasons since then, Fazekas has averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He is 6'11, fairly athletic, is a terrific mid-range jump shooter, and has a good feel for the game. He is not going to be an All-NBA player, but I would be very surprised if he can't be a solid rotation player on a good NBA team and he should be ready to contribute immediately. That should be worth a top-20 pick.

2) Corey Brewer- After a year or two of campaigning, SYHD creator Mookie has convinced me that Corey Brewer will be the best pro out of the Florida championship teams. At first, I ignored him, thinking that Mookie felt a kinship with Brewer, due to the thickness of their eyebrows. The stats don't impress, but when you watch the games you realize how good he is. He is a lock down defender. His speed and length should make him lethal in the increasingly fashionable transition game. He has also developed into a pretty good shooter. Brewer has shown that he doesn't need to be "the man" to be an impact player. I think he has a good chance of developing into a poor man's Scottie Pippen. If he isn't chosen in the top 5, it will be a big mistake.