Stock watch: Draft night just a couple weeks away for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cliff Alexander

Both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cliff Alexander have spent the past few weeks traveling to various NBA cities, meeting coaches and team executives and going through workouts and interviews — all in the name of proving themselves worthy of a rookie contract.

Nothing comes easy on the road to the league, even during this pre-draft stage. Alexander found that out last week, when he suffered a mild MCL sprain while working out for the Los Angeles Lakers. The big man’s draft stock steadily fell throughout his one season at Kansas, and even the most minor setbacks won’t help his chances of sneaking into the first round.

Oubre, meanwhile, finds himself in a different sort of competition, as he and other potential lottery picks try to climb up the big boards in draft war rooms around The Association.

The two one-and-done products from Kansas have just more than two weeks remaining to show off their skills, impress the right people and maximize their initial earning potential.

Here’s a look at where the two Jayhawks stand in various mock drafts around the web:

MOCK
DRAFTS		 Kelly Oubre Jr.
projections		 Cliff Alexander
projections
NBADraft.net 19th 45th
MyNBADraft.com 9th 38th
DraftExpress.com 13th 42nd
DraftSite.com 20th 41st
Chad Ford, ESPN.com 14th N/A
SheridanHoops.com 11th N/A
BleacherReport.com 9th N/A
Sam Vecenie, CBSSports.com 12th 37th
Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com 11th 35th
Zach Harper, CBSSports.com 10th 29th

Kelly Oubre Jr.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) pulls up for a shot against Kansas State forward Stephen Hurt (41) during the first half, Monday, Feb. 23, 2015 at Bramlage Coliseum.

— SF, 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, 19 years old, from Richmond, Texas —

Average mock draft position: 13th

Current high: 9th, Charlotte (MyNBADraft.com, BleacherReport.com)

Current low: 20th, Toronto (DraftSite.com)

Stock assessment: Slightly improving. Nothing is guaranteed at this juncture, but it appears Oubre won’t slip out of the top 14 picks at the June 25 draft. Eight of the 10 forecasts have him getting picked in the lottery, in the range of 9th to 14th. Potential landing spots for the athletic young small forward include Charlotte, Indiana, Utah, Miami, Phoenix and Oklahoma City. Other predictions had Washington and Toronto picking him up later in the first round.

For those of us who don’t have access to NBA workouts and draft preparation databases, NBA.com’s player metrics pages offer a cool alternative. The special feature profiles numerous soon-to-be rookies and includes vital measurements and information on each prospect.

Oubre has a 3-foot-1 vertical leap, a 7-2 wingspan, 6% body fat and his hands are 9 inches long and 9 inches wide.

As a handy comparison — which you can access on the page — Oubre has a better vertical (by 5 inches) and longer wingspan (5 inches) than Golden State’s Klay Thompson.

The prospect analysis section of the profile offers even more insight. Oubre’s weaknesses are listed as:

• “has to gain size and strength”

• and “needs to keep working on consistency”

Here’s what one Western Conference scout had to say about the 19-year-old wing’s game:

“You get him in space and let him go,
and you can’t guard him. But when the
game slows down, he can get in
trouble. Now, can he get better? Yeah.
Can he improve his shot? Yeah.”

Cliff Alexander

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Cliff Alexander (2) takes some contact from Oklahoma State forward/center Anthony Allen Jr. (32) as he elevates for a dunk during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

— PF/C, 6-foot-9, 250 pounds, 19 years old, from Chicago —

Average mock draft position: 38th

Current high: 29th, Brooklyn (Zach Harper, CBSSports.com)

Current low: 45th, Boston (NBADraft.net)

Stock assessment: Slightly slipping. Only one draft prognosticator still thinks a team will use a first-round pick on Alexander, who appears to be a longterm project as an NBA big man.

Obviously, any number of teams could take him in the second round, but according to the mock drafts that include second-round predictions, potential suitors include Boston, Detroit, Utah, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

Alexander’s player metrics file lists his wingspan at 7-4, his body fat at 6% and his hand length/width at 10 inches.

As a likely second-round pick, the 19-year-old big still has plenty of holes in his overall game. His weaknesses include:

• “at 6-9 in shoes, doesn’t have great NBA PF size”

• “has to continue to work on post moves”

• “needs to develop consistent face-up game”

• and “can he score over NBA bigs?”

Despite those areas of concern, some team will take a chance on Alexander because of that 7-4 wingspan and his potential as a rebounder. NBA teams always need depth in the frontcourt and that could give him a shot at sticking around in the league.

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