All three are great players. To me, DeMarcus Cousins will have the greatest impact with John Wall next and Evan Turner (Ohio State) third. Cousins is the big man, wide body (6’11”, 260), who has great shooting touch inside and dominates on the glass both on the offensive and defensive ends. I know some people say he’s immature, but I think he plays with a lot of passion. He probably needs to control himself a little more, but when you’re getting mugged in the middle, it gets a little frustrating and it’s hard to keep your emotions in check. If he stays out of trouble, he can be an outstanding NBA player. I saw him last year at LeFlore and wasn’t that impressed. I thought Eric Bledsoe and Parker outhustled and outplayed him in the Final Four here in town when Parker defeated LeFlore. But he’s shown a lot of heart and drive let alone ability this year. Calipari has gotten it out of him. I think he’ll be the best pro.
Wall is next. He’s a great slasher, driver, passer, finisher and defensive player. He’s got it all except for a three-point shot. Rajon Rondo, also a former Kentucky player now with the Celtics, has a similar game to Wall’s and has never been able to shoot the 3, but still is a very effective player. It would help for Wall to be able to shoot the triple, but not absolutely necessary. Wall is right behind Cousins and should have a major positive impact on an NBA team.
Turner should be a solid NBA player, maybe not great. He is a highly skilled player, shooter, penetrator and pretty good defender, but he may be a little too finesse. He could turn out to be great, but I like Cousins and Wall better. They seem to be NBA ready for sure. Both should be fun to watch at the next level.
As good as all three were, they still couldn’t make it to the Final Four. The teams they played against brought their “A” games. Tennessee, which lost a heartbreaker to Michigan State, literally made one more shot than Ohio State in a great game, and Kentucky just bricked it in their game against West Virginia, and West Va. may have the best coach in the game at this point in time in Bob Huggins. I know Izzo and Coach K are pretty special and Brad Stevens of Butler is a rising superstar, but “Huggie Bear” has had an amazing postseason winning the Big East tourney and having an impressive run in the NCAA’s. The victory against Kentucky can be attributed to Huggins’ coaching almost as much as to his players’ performance. He’s phenomenal in my opinion.
We’ll see how the Final Four goes. Really like how West Va is playing and Huggins just seems to dictate the games to his tempo and style of play. He and Coach K will be a classic in the semifinals. Butler-Michigan State will be great, too. Like this Final Four a lot. Going to study on it and give predictions later in the week.