Once afterthoughts, players like Joel Embiid, Zach LaVine, Nik Stauskas and Joe Harris have developed into promising prospects.
Joel Embiid (second from right) rose from obscurity to earn a spot in the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic. Ironically, it was the arrival of Dakari Johnson (second from left) at Montverde Academy in Florida that helped push Embiid to The Rock, where he blew up as a senior.
Photo by Danny Wild
Prospects like Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins were already being projected as NBA Draft picks years ago.
But not every player who hopes to hear his name called Thursday night was pegged for greatness at an early age. Here's a look at 10 draft hopefuls who overcame the skeptics or anonymity to become potential prizes for NBA teams:
Joel EmbiidDraft projections: No. 3 to Philadelphia (
NBADraft.net), No. 4 to Orlando (
DraftExpress.com)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 13 (2013)
Road to the draft: Embiid's stock soared as a senior at
The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.), leading the school into the national rankings and earning a spot in the Jordan Brand Classic. But the native of Cameroon ended up at the school in part because he played sparingly as a junior at
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) and was concerned he wouldn't see the floor with the arrival of Dakari Johnson (Kentucky sophomore) and Devin Williams (West Virginia sophomore).
Doug McDermottDraft projections: No. 9 to Charlotte (DraftExpress.com), No. 14 to Phoenix (NBADraft.net)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 157 (2010)
Road to the draft: McDermott's four-year run at Creighton was the stuff of legend — as was his career at
Ames High School in Iowa. The reigning college basketball player of the year helped the Little Cyclones go 53-0 and win two state titles in his final two seasons at the high school level. But McDermott wasn't the focal point of that run. Harrison Barnes was also on that team and he went on to be named
MaxPreps National Player of the Year in 2009-10 after putting up over 26 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Zach LaVine at the 2012 Pangos All-American Camp.
Photo by Nick Koza
No. 10 to Philadelphia (NBADraft.net), No. 13 to Minnesota (DraftExpress.com)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 51 (2013)
Road to the draft: A late growth spurt that took LaVine from 6-foot-2 to nearly 6-6 helped send his stock through the roof. The explosive guard was highly productive as a senior at
Bothell (Wash.), averaging over 27 points per game and leading the Cougars to the Washington Class 4A state tournament. Not even a timeshare arrangement with Bryce Alford in UCLA's backcourt last season could hide the Evergreen State product's extraordinary talent.
Nik StauskasDraft projections: No. 10 to Philadelphia (DraftExpress.com), No. 13 to Minnesota (NBADraft.net)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 82 (2012)
Road to the draft: Stauskas has always been considered a solid player, but not many expected the native of Canada to have the kind of instant impact he did at Michigan.
St. Mark's (Southborough, Mass.) teammates Kaleb Tarczewski (Arizona) and Alex Murphy (Florida) probably had a hand in keeping the potential lottery pick under the radar.
Elfrid PaytonDraft projections: No. 12 to Orlando (DraftExpress.com), No. 16 to Chicago (NBADraft.net)
247Sports Composite ranking: Unranked (2011)
Road to the draft: Payton was almost a complete unknown nationally until carving out a spot on USA Basketball's U19 team last summer. Though he played for former MaxPreps National Coach of the Year Al Collins at
Ehret (Marrero, La.), his modest high school numbers (12.8 points per game as a senior) didn't do much to excite folks outside of Louisiana.
Jordan ClarksonDraft projections: No. 22 to Memphis (NBADraft.net), No. 28 to LA Clippers (DraftExpress.com)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 216 (2010)
Road to the draft: Clarkson had an All-American caliber senior season at
Wagner (San Antonio), leading the Thunderbirds to a 39-2 record and the Texas Class 5A state semifinals. That didn't move the needle much for scouts and analysts, however. The 6-5 guard moved on to Tulsa before transferring to Missouri.
C.J. Wilcox
C.J. Wilcox, Pleasant Grove
Photo by Matthew Sauk
No. 23 to Utah (NBADraft.net), No. 34 to Dallas (DraftExpress.com)
High school prospect rankings: Unranked by Rivals, Scout (2009)
Road to the draft: An afterthought in Washington's 2009 recruiting class coming out of
Pleasant Grove (Utah), Wilcox went on to become the program's No. 2 career scorer.
Cleanthony EarlyDraft projections: No. 26 to Miami (NBADraft.net), No. 33 to Cleveland (DraftExpress.com)
247Sports Composite ranking: Unranked by Rivals, Scout (2010)
Road to the draft: Though he was a double-double machine at
Pine Bush (N.Y.) and
Mount Zion Christian Academy (Durham, N.C.), Early wound up way off the beaten path to the NBA at Division III junior college Sullivan County. There was no denying his talent in two seasons at Wichita State, where he led the Shockers to a 35-1 record as a senior.
Joe HarrisDraft projections: No. 36 to Milwaukee (DraftExpress.com), No. 54 to Philadelphia (NBADraft.net)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 130 (2010)
Road to the draft: Harris hails from remote Chelan, Wash., a community with a population of 3,942. He nearly signed with nearby Washington State, but the coaching carousel took Tony Bennett to Virginia and Harris followed. Along with Luke Ridnour, the sharpshooting guard is considered one of the top small school players in Washington history.
Deonte BurtonDraft projections: No. 48 to Milwaukee (NBADraft.net), No. 49 to Chicago (DraftExpress.com)
247Sports Composite ranking: No. 133 (2010)
Road to the draft: Burton had plenty of looks coming out of
Centennial (Compton, Calif.), where he averaged over 20 points per game and led the Apaches to a deep run in the Division III state tournament. But fellow SoCal guards like Tyler Lamb, Keala King, Allen Crabbe, Anthony Brown, Gary Franklin and Bryce Jones played at more prominent programs and kept the buzz on Burton to a minimum.
