6. RJ Hampton
2 Selections
Before suffering a hip injury earlier this season, RJ Hampton was a consensus top ten player in this year’s draft class. With his stock sliding as a result, Hampton may be one of the biggest steals of the draft for whoever team selects him in the latter half of the first round.
Hampton is a 6’5” combo guard who’s taken a rather unconventional route to the NBA. He chose to forgo college ball to play for the NBLs New Zealand Breakers, preferring to learn how to function as a role player rather than being the star he would have been in college.
In New Zealand, Hampton put up solid all-around numbers and showed that he could do a little bit of everything on the court. Physically, Hampton has a great first step which allows him to get to the rim with ease, where he proved himself to be an adept finisher. He’s also naturally quick, a big part of his healthy steal rate of two per 36 minutes. As a passer, his 4.2 assists per 36 show his potential as a reliable secondary playmaker who can run an offense when need be.
The one area where he really struggled was with his jump shot. But after working with renowned NBA sharpshooter Mike Miller last season, Hampton is confident that he can be an effective scorer in the modern NBA.
5. Jalen Smith
2 Selections
Jalen Smith is one of the most intriguing big man prospects in the draft, mainly because he has the ability to contribute to nearly every facet of the game.
On the offensive end, Smith is a smart and reliable player who’s game is consistently improving. Last season at Maryland, he developed an outside shot for the first time in his career, hitting 32 of his 87 attempts from long range.
This combined with a nice mid-range shot and a cerebral post-game make him possibly the most intriguing offensive power forward in the draft, with the ability to score at all three levels of the offense.
Defensively, Smith is a menace. After coming into college thin as a rail, Smith bulked up and become one of the Big Tens best rebounders and shot blockers as a result. He has a great sense of timing and rarely bites on pump fakes or bad fouls. His defensive game should transition well into the NBA thanks to his reliance on timing rather than on raw physical strength.
Smith might be Portland’s answer at power forward, a position they’ve struggled to fill since LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure five years ago. He can compete with Zach Collins for the starting forward spot and whether he wins the job or not he’ll make Portland one of the deepest interior teams in the league.