10 NCAA Tournament players who could be NBA stars

It’s that time of year again! The NCAA Basketball Tournament is set to begin, and with that, we’re about to see some of the most exciting games played in any sport all year.

Often overlooked, however, is that the NCAA Tournament offers basketball fans a glimmer of what the future of the NBA will look like. Thus, NBA scouts will be watching the tournament as closely as anybody else. With that in mind, here are 10 players in the NCAA Tournament who could turn into stars in the NBA.

1) Brandon Ingram, Duke

LSU’s Ben Simmons is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, but don’t be shocked is Duke’s Brandon Ingram passes him on a few NBA teams' draft boards by the end of the tournament. In fact, don’t be shocked if Ingram becomes a better pro player than Simmons. Here’s why:

Ingram is a six-foot-10 small forward who can move both with and without the basketball, very similar to Ben Simmons. Unlike Simmons, however, Ingram’s wingspan is a full four inches longer, and his standing reach is even more. Also, Ingram has a MUCH better jump shot than Simmons. But perhaps the what has scouts drooling most about Ingram is that he is a full 14 months younger than Simmons.

It might not sound like much, but when you’re still a teenager, 14 months is a lot of developmental time. Simply put, we know Ingram can be a great pro already, but given how young he is (Ingram won’t turn 19 till September), it’s difficult to put a ceiling on the Blue Devil's pro potential.

Granted, Ingram does need to put on some serious weight if he wants to battle with the big boys in the NBA, but the makings of something special are there. Also, playing a year for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke never hurts. With some solid tournament play, don’t be stunned if Brandon Ingram ends up being the first name called in 2016 NBA Draft.

2) Jamal Murray, Kentucky

Initially it was Skal Labissiere who was expected to be this year’s freshman sensation for John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats. Instead, that title belongs to fellow freshman Jamal Murray. Murray is averaging 20 points per game for the Wildcats and has been the best player in the state of Kentucky all season not named Tyler Ulis.

There are some concerns as to whether Murray is one or a two guard, or a hybrid, but given his shooting stroke, it seems hard to imagine that Murray won’t be able to carve out a spot for himself in the NBA.

3) Jaylen Brown, California

California’s Jaylen Brown projects to be your prototypical NBA wing player. Brown is a lengthy, six-foot-seven small forward who can shoot, play perimeter defense and rebound. He will need to learn how to turn the ball over less and commit fewer fouls once he embarks on his professional career, but with his combination of speed, size and athleticism, Brown has too much potential not to be a top 10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

4) Jakob Poeltl, Utah

Although Jakob Poeltl would have been a top 10 pick had he declared for the NBA Draft last season, staying another year at Utah didn’t hurt him. The seven-footer is an ultra-skilled big man, as he can shoot, pass and is a strong low-post defender.

The Austrian-born center has all the traits necessary to develop into an All-Star in the NBA. Poeltl is a similar player to another former star center at Utah, Andrew Bogut. The difference between Bogut and Poeltl, however, is that Poeltl appears to have a much higher ceiling than Bogut ever did.

5) Kris Dunn, Providence

Another player who would have likely been a top 10 pick had he been available in last year’s draft, Kris Dunn is by far the best pure point guard prospect in the tournament. The leader of the nine-seed Providence Friars, Dunn is a both a terrific passer and tenacious defender. He’s not the best shooter, but given his ability to impact the game at both ends of the floor so profoundly, he might not need to be.

Expect the junior to declare for the NBA Draft once the NCAA Tournament is over and for him to be lottery pick.

6) Diamond Stone, Maryland

While Melo Trimble is the clear-cut leader of the Maryland Terrapins, their best pro prospect is freshman center Diamond Stone. At six-foot-11 and weighing in at over 250 pounds, Stone truly is a rock in the paint (see what I did there?). Stone does just about everything you could ask a center to do. He can score in the post, rebound, protect the rim and even make his free throws at a respectable rate.

The only real question with Stone is with his maturity. Earlier in the year, he was suspended a game for slamming an opponent’s head into the floor. As you might be able to imagine, such an action doesn’t play well with NBA teams. Still, Stone just has too much talent and potential to fall of out the lottery, assuming he declares for the NBA Draft once the season is over.

7) Buddy Hield, Oklahoma

Perhaps the leading candidate for the John R. Wooden Award, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield blossomed into a true star this season. With a flair for the dramatic, Hield has averaged 25 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting from the field.

We know Hield will be able to put the ball in the bucket once he arrives in the NBA, but there are some serious question about how much more room the Oklahoma senior has to grow. Hield is already 22 years old, and at six-foot-four, he will likely never be able to become a quality perimeter defender in the Association.

That being said, Hield shot better than 46 percent from beyond the arc this season. Given the analytics revolution in the NBA, this stat will not be overlooked by pro scouts. In today's NBA, every single team is on the lookout for a player who can light it up from deep; few college players can do it better than Hield.

Also, how can you not root for a guy named Buddy?

8) Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga

The son of former NBA and international star Arvydas Sabonis, Gonzaga center Domantas Sabonis has the talent to live up to the family name once he turns pro. The Bulldogs star is a monster in low post, evident by the fact he averaged 17 points and nearly 12 rebounds per game for Mark Few's squad in Spokane.

Similar to his Father, Domantas has an intuitive sense for the game and a terrific work ethic. There are some questions as to whether Sabonis can be a difference maker on defense, but given what we’ve seen already from the 19-year-old, and standing six-foot-11, he should be able to figure it out once he enters the NBA.

9) Denzel Valentine, Michigan State

Like Buddy Hield, Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine is a strong candidate for the Wooden Award. And with good reason. Valentine has put up 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game for the Spartans this season. Simply put, he’s done everything for them.

Those are clearly star numbers, but whether or not Valentine will be able to translate his game to NBA is another story. The MSU senior is only six-foot-five, and at 22 years old, he has less room to grow than other pro prospects.

Then again, the description above is eerily similar to another Michigan State standout who is now an All-Star in the NBA. Just like Valentine, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green fell in the 2012 NBA Draft for these exact same reasons. And just like Green, Valentine could be the exception to the rule and become a star in the NBA. The ability is there — Valentine just needs to find the right team.
 
10) Deyonta Davis, Michigan State

Unlike his teammate, Denzel Valentine, Deyonta Davis is long way from stardom but could certainly get there one day. A 19-year-old freshman, Davis projects to be a true power forward at the next level. Most impressively, though, the six-foot-10 forward has averaged 1.9 blocks per game this season, despite the fact that head coach Tom Izzo only played him about 18 minutes per game.

Such a number suggests Davis could be a unique force on the defensive side of the floor. With his limited sample size, there are still many unknowns with Davis, but given his size and athletic ability, he has the potential to turn into an All-Star down the road in the NBA.