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| Interview with Draft Analyst John D. Thompson |
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Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with NBA draft analyst John D. Thompson. No, I don't mean the former Georgetown coach. John D. Thompson is a professional draft analyst who runs a NBA draft scouting service that both NBA teams and professional agents subscribe to. He also makes his information available to the public through his NBA Draft Report web site. In an industry that is filled with egomaniacs and shameless self-promoters, it was a pleasant surprise to find that John is a laid back, normal guy whose primary goal is to get the information out on players, not to transform himself into a media star in the mold of a Mel Kiper.
How do you go about scouting players?
I watch a lot of games on the satellite dish using ESPN Fullcourt, but I prefer to go to as many games as possible. I go to college basketball games and a lot of the high school all-star games in addition to the pre-draft camps.
How long have you been analyzing the draft for a living? How did you get into this field?
This is my sixth year. I have been doing this since my sophomore year in college. I got started while while going to school at Indian Hills Community College and working for a local newspaper. I had the chance to meet a lot of scouts and coaches who came to Indian Hills to scout pro prospects such as Cory Hightower, Ernest Brown and C.J. Bruton. They all told me that I should analyze the draft for a living.
And the rest is, shall we say, history. Beyond Jason Williams and Yao Ming, who are some of the top pro prospects that may become available for the 2002 NBA Draft?
Amare Stoudemire. Although he has committed to Memphis, most people feel that he will declare for the draft. I really like Drew Gooden at Kansas because of his versatility. Another guy I really like is Jared Jefferies at Indiana. Guys who are 6-9 and can run and handle are generally going to be top five picks like Lamar Odom was. And I can't leave out the big guy, Chris Marcus at Western Kentucky.
I think that this year, players are going to come out of nowhere to become top picks. With more and more sophomores heading out to the NBA, it leaves room for a lot of surprises.
What about DaJuan Wagner?
He's right up there. However he is a bit of a tweener with a shooting guard game to go with point guard size. I'd like to see more of him against college competition. Tweeners are usually not high draft picks, but Wagner has definitely got to be a lock for the first round.
What is your current top ten?
1. Jason Williams, 2. Yao Ming, 3. Amare Stoudemire, 4. Drew Gooden, 5. Jared Jefferies, 6. Chris Marcus, 7. Julius Hodge, 8. Rod Grizzard, 9. Kareem Rush and 10. Tito Maddox or DaJuan Wagner.
Julius Hodge, the freshman guard at NC State, may be a player that a lot of basketball fans are unfamiliar with. Tell us a little more about him and some of your other top sleepers.
Julius Hodge is a guy I really like. He's about as talented as Penny Hardaway and can do just about everything out on the court. I don't think that they will be able to keep him in school for much longer than a year. Another guy I think is a sleeper is Duke's Chris Duhon. I like Duhon a whole lot, but I don't think he'll come out after this season.
A more notable sleeper is Chris Jefferies of Fresno State. He is a 6' 8" small forward who can also play big guard. He's athletic, can shoot the ball and defends as well as anyone in the country. I think he has a very good chance of being a first round pick, if he comes out this year.
Speaking of Fresno, it's a bit surprising to see Tito Maddox in your top ten after getting dismissed from the Fresno State team before the season. What's the skinny on him?
Tito Maddox is going to play in the CBA this year and do nothing except work on preparing for the draft. This is the same thing that (current Milwaukee center) Joel Przybillia and Stephen Hunter did. Hunter worked out hard after classes ended and got stronger, quicker and added about five feet of range to his shot. At the Chicago camp, he really shined and was one of the top five performers there. There were a lot of good big players at the camp such as Sam Clancy. Similar preparation will allow Maddox to become a top draft pick.
Kwame Brown, a HS player was the top selection in last year's draft. Was that a fluke or could another high school player be selected number one overall again in the near future?
I totally believe it will happen again. It could happen this year or next year.
If another high schooler gets picked number one overall this year, I am assuming that it will be Amare Stoudemire. What do you think of him?
Stoudemire has got to be a lock for the lottery. He has size and the ability to move around. He's got great all-around ability. He can drive the lane, block shots, rebound and has a decent fadeaway. Few big guys have the skills he has. The problem for him is the power forward position will be the deepest position in the draft.
I know that you don't like comparing draft prospects to current NBA players, but if you were forced to compare Stoudemire to existing NBA players, who would you say that he is most similar to?
Antonio McDyess maybe, but there really are not a lot of guys like him in the league. He's got an old school game. This guy is a true power forward, which is rare these days.
Staying with the high school theme, what do you think about high school junior swingman LeBron James and high school senior Lenny Cooke?
Right now, James is the best high school player out there, despite the fact that he is two years younger than the other top players. If I had to do a 2003 draft ranking, he'd be the number one pick. The NBA teams know all about him and are already positioning to get him. They see Kobe Bryant written all over him.
Cooke has dropped a little. It's not because he's not good, but because another wing player, Carmelo Anthony, has taken his place as the top senior wing player. Lenny can still be a late first round pick like (former Utah first round pick) DeShawn Stevenson was. Carmelo Anthony plays like Tracy McGrady in a lot ways and is a tall (6' 8") wing player who can shoot and handle the ball.
Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, and Andrei Kirilenko are showing that Dirk Nowitzki was not the exception to the rule that European's can't play athletic positions in NBA. Are there any other foreign players out there who can continue this trend?
There are quite a few actually. The top one right now because he is only 20 years old is Sani Becirovic from Slovenia. He's a 6' 5" combo guard. He's not super fast or quick, but just has that Jason Kidd feel out on the court. But he's a much better scorer than Kidd. His head is always up because he's always looking to make a play for his teammates. He's almost a lock for the first round if he declares for the draft this year.
John D. Thompson's web site, The NBA Draft Report is a premium web site that provides college and professional basketball features in addition to draft coverage. It is a part of the Rivals.com/AllianceSports network of sports web sites.
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Features
Suns Get Outlaw
Interview with Draft Analyst John D. Thompson
Scouting Report:
Tony Parker
2001-2002
Western Conference Preview
2001-2002
Eastern Conference Preview
Future Stars
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