By the time next June rolls around, everyone in the NBA will be talking about collegiate freshman sensation Andrew Wiggins and how he has the potential to be the next great player in the NBA.
But a number of other players who will probably throw their names into next year’s NBA Draft also have the potential to be impact players at the next level like Oklahoma State sophomore point guard Marcus Smart and incoming Kentucky freshman forward Julius Randle.
Smart already made an immediate impact with the Cowboys as a freshman, as he helped lead them to an NCAA Tournament birth before surprisingly pulling out of the 2013 Draft, despite being projected as a legit Lottery pick.
He returned to Oklahoma State, along with fellow NBA prospects Markel Brown and LeBryan Nash in hopes of making a run at a Big 12 Conference crown and a potential Final Four run.
Randle, along with Wiggins at Kansas, Jabari Parker at Duke, and Aaron Gordon at Arizona, are arguably the most talented incoming freshmen in college basketball next season. He joins a stellar recruiting class at Kentucky that features 5 McDonald’s All Americans and could go down as the most dominating freshman class ever.
He is a bruising power forward that already has NBA size, that can score from anywhere on the floor, rebounds well, and finishes with authority above the rim.
There’s no denying that both will be potential NCAA POY candidates next season as well as an outside shot at being the top overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, if Wiggins somehow disappoints.
But if you want a sneak preview of their through the roof athleticism, look no further than this recent footage of the two engaging in a impromptu dunk contest at an open gym…….
Marcus Smart vs Julius Randle Dunk Contest:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen has also provided content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, Cleveland.com, CSN Philly.com, Buckets Magazine, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
