Instead of repeating the same names over and over again we've instead decided to look at 6 players whose stock has taken a bit of a hit with the way them and their teams have performed as of late.
Tyrus Thomas has come down to earth and is back on the 2007 mock draft for now; Maurice Ager is struggling to regain the excellent form he showed in Maui and is again having his consistency and mental toughness questioned; Marco Killingsworth's stock is clearly on the decline as his averages drop and Indiana moves dangerously close to the NCAA tournament bubble; Taquan Dean could only wish his team was on the bubble and that he had another ball-handler in the lineup next to him; Eric Williams and Wake Forest are just hoping for an invite to the NIT at this point as his draft stock is at an all-time low; Kevin Pittsnogle has no such concerns but is trying to bounce back from his two worst performances of his senior year, coming back to back.
Tyrus Thomas, 6-9, freshman, power forward, LSU
Last 3 Games Combined: 17 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 steals, 8 blocks, 10 fouls, 8-20 FG
Jonathan Givony
As is oftentimes the case with incredibly explosive prospects like Thomas who come out of nowhere and seem to have unlimited potential, the hype sometimes comes too quickly and can get completely out of control.
By all accounts Thomas is still having a marvelous freshman year, is a lock for SEC freshman of the year and is probably a very strong candidate for All-SEC honors as well as the defensive player of the year. But you cant help but think that he has come back to earth a bit as of late as SEC teams have watched more film on him and adapted to his style of play. Hes no longer able to sneak up on teams like he did against UConn early in the season, and in his last three matchups, incidentally against the three best frontcourts in the Southeast, hes struggled to dominate the way he did earlier in the year. His worst game of the season came against Florida this past weekend where he was outplayed badly by both Joakim Noah and Al Horford, giving up easy points around the basket, committing foolish fools and not being able to show off his athleticism even one bit in the 15 foul-plagued minutes he spent on the floor.
Thomas camp has actually been trying to get out the message all year long that he is not ready by any means to enter the NBA draft and will need at least another season or two of polish before he even considers doing so. And after watching him closely over the past three games, its pretty tough to argue with that. His lack of strength has really become a hindrance to his game, being outmuscled badly in the post both defensively and on the glass, struggling to establish any type of rhythm for himself offensively as hes constantly pushed off the block, and looking very frustrated with himself and a lot more raw than most people initially thought he was. Hes still a top prospect for any draft he decides to enter because of his incredibly high ceiling, but it might be wise to take a step back and let him fulfill his wishes as well as those of his family of becoming a truly dominant NCAA player before he makes the leap to the next level.
Thomas is actually the antithesis of what weve become accustomed to from many of the big time early entry candidates over the past few years. Hes a great student who might even be able to accomplish the amazing feat of graduating as a redshirt sophomore next summer, he comes from a basketball family who is more concerned about education and keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground rather than cashing in on an 8 figure shoe deal, he has a great motor and what appears to be an excellent feel for the game, and most importantly, he is telling anyone and everyone who is willing to listen that he will absolutely not enter the draft this year. According to people close to him, as well as sources at LSU, he knows that he is nowhere near ready to contribute and hold his own at the very tough power forward position in the NBA next year, and has no interest in being practice fodder until he does add enough strength to do so.
Thomas has been moved to the 2007 mock draft and will likely stay there until we receive indication that he is indeed intending on declaring for the draft.