Mark Schanowski's Big Board 6.0 had some movement, particularly around the bottom half of the top 10. We take the time to go over some of the top performances from throughout the week, including a certain Duke freshman setting an ACC freshman record.
De'Andre Hunter, Virginia (vs Louisville): 26 PTS (9/11 FG), 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Hunter came in at No. 9 on Mark Schanowski's last NBA Draft Big Board and looks like he could be a fixture in the top 10 for the rest of the season. In the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers win over No. 18 ranked Louisville Cardinals, Hunter racked up a season-high 26 points on 11 field goal attempts.
He continues to be a very proficient 3-point shooter, and is up to an awesome 45.5 percent from the 3-point line. And he has also increased his volume from outside as well, taking 2.2 attemprs from 3-point range per game.
He imposed his will on the Cardinals on Saturday. Hunter went 2/2 from the 3-point line and shot a remarkable 81.8 percent from the field in the win. Hunter is very rigid on offense, similar to Kawhi Leonard in the sense that he is a fundemental, no-frills player.
In the Cavaliers win over the Cardinals, Hunter had one play that specifically showcased what makes him such a great prospect, but also one of his clear weaknesses, which is the absence of above average ball-handling skills.
Around the 14 second mark in the clip below, Hunter gets a steal without even looking at the ball. This is something he will be capable at doing at the NBA level. Virginia head coach Tony Bennett has tutored Hunter well in staying attached to his man, and keeping his long arms in passing lanes to generate deflections.
In the clip below, after he gets the steal and promptly fumbles the ball on the breakaway, he's able to gather himself and finish through contact.
Hunter will immediately help whatever NBA team that drafts him.
He is an excellent and physical defender—capable of guarding wings, guards and bigs—but if he starts to increase his steal rate and generate more offense in transition at Virginia, he is sure to shoot even higher up NBA draft boards.
RJ Barrett, Duke (vs Syracuse): 30 PTS (2/5 3PT), 5 REB, 7 AST
With Zion Williamson out against Syracuse, RJ Barrett was expected to step into a larger role on offense. However, based off his ghastly 8/30 shooting against the Orange in their previous matchup, no one saw this dominant of a performance coming.
Barrett scored 30 points on 70 percent shooting, easily his most efficent offensive performance against a quality opponent. With Williamson out, Barret was able to occupy the spot in the middle of Syracuse's 2-3 zone on offense. He used his floater—which looks funky at times but is mostly effective—to finish over length, and was able to finish well when postioned along the baseline.
He was also better in transition in this one, taking a few attempts that looked wild but converting at solid rate. Barrett continued to flash a decent amount of playmaking as well. He collected 7 assists and also utilized great pass-fakes many time throughtout the road win.
But if an NBA franchise drafts the Mississauga, ON native in the top-3, it will be because of his excellent strength and willingness to play with physicality on offense. Many times in Saturday's win, Barrett would be opposed at the rim by 180-lb Syracuse big man Marek Dolezaj. Though Dolezaj, taller than Barrett at 6-foot-10, he could put up little resistance when the 202-lb Barrett dropped his shoulder in to his chest when barreling to the rim.
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech (vs Kansas):
Culver has made improvements to his all-around game this year, but he has been especially impressive when it comes to his improvement as a jump shooter. That improvement was on full display on Saturday night, when he helped the Red Raiders absolutely thrash the Kanasas Jayhawks in a 29-point blowout win.
In the rout, Culver helped Texas Tech hit a whopping 16 3-pointers. He went 3/8 (37.5 percent) from the 3-point line, but also showed off his athleticism, particularly on a one-foot leap to throw down a vicious tomahawk dunk.
He ended the game shooting 47.6 percent from the field, a great number considering the heavy load he carried in the blowout win. Culver attempted 21 shots against the Jayhawks, the next leading shot-take for Texas Tech had 8 field goal attempts. But just to reiterate, Culver isn't a ballhog, he just has a massive 30.8 percent usage rate which reflects how much the Red Raiders' offense needs him.
Regardless of team need, Culver should be a top-7 pick in this draft.
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Any team that gets him lower than 7th is likely getting a steal, as Culver's statistical profile indicates a player who should definitely have success in the NBA.
He is a near 20 PPG scorer who is shooting 49.7 percent from the field, but also able to guard any of the opposing team's top-3 scorers and do a decent job. Culver is yet another propsect who shows just how many intriguing wing players (likely) be in the top-heavy 2019 NBA draft class.