NBA Draft Wathc: NCAA First Round

The First Round is nearing completion and I am sure a lot of our brackets have been destroyed. Good thing the predictable and fun NBA Playoffs are coming up. Let's talk Draft though right now. Here are my thoughts on some potential NBA players in the NCAA Tournament.

A.J. Abrams- the guard from Texas can flat out shoot and that is always a skill that will land you on an NBA team. I am sticking to the local CBS feed so I am not watching every game. But CBS switched to the Texas-Minnesota game and Abrams turned a two-point deficit into an easy win in a matter of two minutes. Then CBS switched away from the game.

Abrams is a great shooter. This was no fluke. He seemed like he could stroke it like JJ Redick, but he also has the speed to get to the basket and really attack. He is not a true point guard though (otherwise, we would be talking about him a lot more). I think he is ultimately doomed to be a small shooting guard like Ben Gordon. Those can be pretty valuable, but not incredibly valuable. You always want more out of those type of players.

Abrams would fit into Orlando's system in the second round (but he won't last that long). But they don't need another point guard. NBADraft.net does not have him being drafted. I think he is a guy someone will be willing to take a flyer on. That shooting ability is just too good, even if he cannot play the point in the pros.

Manny Harris- I go to school at Northwestern, so I have gotten to see this guy play a bunch. He is a very good player. Scratch that, he can be a very good player. He is 6-foot-5, very strong, has a decent shooting stroke and can play defense. John Bielein does some odd things with his defense and offense to keep the scores low at Michigan, but Harris still has been able to shine.

He certainly made a name for himself in the Wolverines' win over Clemson on Thursday. The only problem with Harris is that he does not bring fantastic play every night. Which is why I think he too should stay in school. He could be a top pick if he can prove that he can be a consistent scoring option.

Harris reminds me of a more talented Corey Brewer. Brewer was the best perimeter scoring option on those Florida national title teams and never seemed to wow you with anything. Harris has all those abilities and a better knack for scoring. It is tough to shine in Michigan's team-oriented style, but Harris needs to do it to create some draft buzz.

DraftExpress.com currently ranks him No. 23 in their 2010 mock draft. So a long way to go for him, but I think he could be a very good prospect if he can show more consistency.