Final Four Preview

Which NBA prospect will leave their mark of the 2015 Final Four and elevate his draft stock?

Nine top-30 prospects. 17 top-100 prospects. 10 potentially draftable Kentucky players.

Yes, it is safe to say that there is plenty to watch at the Final Four through an NBA Draft lens.

The 2015 Final Four features four of the most iconic coaches in college basketball: Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, John Calipari and Bo Ryan. The gameplans will be drawn up with care, each attempting to exploit weaknesses in their opponent. The coach who is most successful may just help his own draft prospects the most.

Earlier this week, we previewed the Final Four on the Lottery Mafia Podcast, and we discuss the prospects in the final trio of games starting around the 55-minute mark.

What NBA prospects should you be watching for?

Duke

Jahlil Okafor- Okafor remains the top center on the Top-100 Big Board, but a looming final matchup with Karl Towns could potentially alter the No. 1 draft selection. Michigan State will be completely outmatched in the post, and will likely defend Okafor with Gavin Schilling, Matt Costello, or play a zone. Expect a big night from Okafor to lead Duke to the victory.

Justise Winslow- Winslow likely gets the task of defending Branden Dawson, which will be no easy task given Dawson’s grit and toughness. Winslow has been Duke’s star thus far in the tournament, and has pushed his draft stock closer to the 5-7 range. If he can shut down Dawson and continue to be the Blue Devil’s stat-stuffer, Winslow’s draft stock will be in terrific shape.

Kentucky

Karl-Anthony Towns/Willie Cauley-Stein- I group these two together because they will likely share defensive duties on Frank Kaminsky. The National Player of the Year by many outlets, Kaminsky is a crafty scorer who pours it in efficiently from around the court. Both Towns and WCS are athletic enough to patrol his movement on the perimeter and alter his shots inside. The one who draws Frank the Tank the most, while still producing some offensively, will be the talk of the analysts until Monday night’s final game.

Devin Booker- Wisconsin’s slow tempo could force Kentucky into a need for outside shooting, especially if the ‘Cats struggle to score in the first ten minutes. Booker is the best shooter in the UK/Wisconsin matchup, and should continually be putting pressure on the opposing defense by coming off of weak side screens to set up a 3-ball in the corner or wing. The Harrison twins will both get their 8-10 shots up, but Booker is the most important guard to get going for Kentucky to earn win No. 39.

Michigan State

Branden Dawson- Dawson is not going to blow anyone away against Duke. He is going to be a bulldog inside, getting all of his points from the paint or at the free throw line. He will look to shut down Justise Winslow defensively, and has the range to cover him from 3-point line to the rim. Dawson has a strength advantage in the matchup, look for the senior to get the ball on the block with his back to the basket against Winslow.

Travis Trice- Trice reminds me so much of Gary Neal, and will likely be the Spartans’ leading scorer in the game. He does not wow you athletically, and is an average on-ball defender, but has a quick (and deadly) release on his jump shot, and can function as a spot-up shooter or when creating his own shot. He is a late-2^nd round to undrafted prospect, and it is now or never for Trice to make a team fall in love with him.

Wisconsin

Frank Kaminsky- As difficult of a task defending Kaminsky is for Cauley-Stein and Towns, the inverse matchup could spell trouble for Kaminsky as well. The Wisconsin senior will have to continually operate with WCS or Towns defending him, marking the toughest matchup he has seen in the post this season. Kaminsky’s draft stock has the potential to rise the most of any prospect in the Final Four, as success against the two best interior defenders in the country is rare, and essentially unheard of for this UK frontcourt.

Sam Dekker- The biggest knock on Dekker’s NBA potential has been his inconsistent 3-point shooting. Despite entering the NCAA Tournament shooting just 30 percent from downtown, Dekker has shot the ball at a 48-percent clip in the big dance with 13 made 3’s. His game against Arizona (27 pts, 5 reb, 5/6 3’s) was one of the best of his collegiate career. One more game like that against mighty Kentucky could cement his spot in the 2015 lottery.