10 High School Basketball Recruits Who Could Skip College
The Top 10 High School Basketball Prospects Who Could Skip College
Basketball today is as rich in talent as it has ever been, There is major talent coming up the recruiting ranks and we will be seeing many of these young men in the NBA one day. Rules currently dictate that recruits must be a year removed from high school before they can enter the NBA. Most recruits choose to go the college route, but there are always some unique circumstances, like Brandon Jennings, where the recruits take a different route to the league. But are there many recruits who could make the jump right to the NBA? I think there are. I’m not claiming that all of these recruits would make an impact right away, but many could quickly develop into quality NBA players.
The order has switched a bit from the last edition of this list due to some injuries and early season losses.
Jabari Parker has been called the best high school basketball player since LeBron James, and he will be somewhere on this list. There are also a few players from Texas here as well and they happen to be twin brothers. Some excellent players from all over the country round out this list.
The list is mostly high school prospects in the class of 2013, because they have developed a bit more than the class below them, but there are three members of the 2014 class who I think could contribute at the NBA level without going to college.
Without further ado here are the ten recruits I believe could skip right to the pros.
10) Jahlil Okafor
Okafor is currently making a push this year to be called the best Chicago-area player due to Jabari Parker’s foot injury and Simeon dropping their second game of the year. Okafor is the best center in the 2014 class and will make whatever school he ends up with very happy.
9) Tyus Jones
I cannot wait to watch this kid live on TV. Every video I’ve seen of him he looks so balanced with such a terrifying combination of speed and otherworldly ball handling ability. His skill set fits Roy Williams’ up-tempo offense to a T .
8) Anthony Barber
The more I watch tape of this kid the more I like him. The “Cat” recently revealed in an interview that it’s his job to hate Duke now. Watching Barber and Jabari Parker go head to head on the court sure will be fun next year.
7) Karl Towns
The recent Kentucky-commit has already played for Coach Calipari on the Dominican national team and will fit in right away. He is the last player in the 2014 class on this list. He has the size and skill to be able to produce in the NBA.
6) Andrew Harrison
Andrew is the top ranked point guard in his class. He is also 6-foot-5, which enables him to see and pass over defenses. He isn’t quite the best player on his current team, but that’s okay. His brother will be joining him at Kentucky anyway so he won’t have to worry about playing against him yet.
5) Julius Randle
Randle has not decided where he will play college ball, but this kid has a motor. He is an exceptional athlete and he would be able to bang with the big boys right away. Randle also has great skill for a player of his size and speed.
4) Aaron Gordon
Gordon is a very good defender, who has special rebounding ability and can push the fast-break better than any other PF in this class. He has a nice mid-range game as well, but can’t quite extend the defense to the 3-point line. Gordon is still considering Arizona, Washington, and Kentucky.
3) Aaron Harrison
I believe Harrison to be the most pure scorer in this class. He also defends with aggression and is always in attack mode. He and his twin brother will have John Calipari smiling next year.
2) Jabari Parker
Parker just yesterday committed to Duke to the delight of Blue Devil fans everywhere. I believe he is a future franchise player and having a dad who played in the NBA certainly doesn’t hurt his chances at success either. Parker has a smooth game like Carmelo Anthony and Coach K will be glad to have him in Durham next year.
1) Andrew Wiggins
I moved Wiggins up to number 1 here, because of Parker’s latest injury troubles, but I’d be glad to have either young man on my team. Wiggins will definitely be in the pros one day and how quickly that day comes I believe depends on whether Wiggins chooses FSU or UNC.
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