In anticipation of Wednesday night's NBA Draft Lottery, ESPN's Doug Gottlieb listed his personal list of the top 30 prospects for the upcoming draft. Somewhat surprisingly, he ranks Illinois center Meyers Leonard as the sixth-best prospect available.
Considered an enigmatic talent, Leonard has elite size and athleticism, but he's considered extremely raw, as Gottlieb writes:
Leonard is a freak athlete, with a perfect frame to play 15 years inside in the NBA. Leonard is Andrew Bynum-like in his goofiness, but even though he's just a kid, his body and skill set are those of a man. He can play the high and low post, guard ball screens, shoot, and has good hands. Is he a killer? I'm not sold, frankly, but man, the potential is there.
Generally speaking, Leonard's stock in the draft isn't considered to be as high by most draft analysts. He's ranked No. 19 on the top 100 list compiled by ESPN's Chad Ford, who projects him as a mid-first round pick after an up-and-down year with the Fighting Illini.
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