NBA Draft: Karl-Anthony Towns and Others Impress in Elite Eight

The NCAA Tournament is starting to wind down to the end and the Final Four teams are starting to show up. Yesterday fans saw Kentucky almost go 37-1, while Wisconsin wiped away the hopes of the Arizona Wildcats. That means that Kentucky and Wisconsin move on, while prospects like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson and Jerian Grant will be done playing basketball until the NBA, we believe.

More from The Sixer Sense

Without further adieu, let’s get to the most impressive performances from NBA Draft candidates.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Philadelphia’s own Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was one of the standout stars in Arizona’s loss yesterday to Wisconsin. RHJ finished the game with 17 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes of action. As always, he was a hound on the defensive side of the ball and scored his buckets on some nice drives to the rack and cuts. He’d be a welcomed sight to the Sixers as his defense is one of the best in the NCAA. Though, with the Sixers building a force down low, one may believe they would want a forward that can stretch the floor and shoot.

Regardless, seeing RHJ in his hometown would be a good thing. His college days are presumably over and now the next step is the NBA Draft. He’s looking like a mid-to-late first-round pick at the moment.

Sam Dekker

If there’s a prospect I fell in love with during the NCAA Tournament, it’s Sam Dekker. Usually I shy away from watching Wisconsin, because I can’t stand Frank Kaminsky, but Dekker made it worth it. He’s been on fire all tournament and yesterday continued the trend. Dekker finished with 27 points and five rebounds. He knocked down 5-of-6 from deep, including an insane clutch dagger to seal the victory for Wisconsin.

The big question for Dekker is if he can continue his shooting from range in the NBA. He’s only hit 34 percent of his attempts for the season and shot 1-of-5 in Wisconsin’s last game. However, Dekker has been a first-round prospect all season and his tournament play should only increase his likelihood of moving up as Wisconsin travels to the Final Four to face Kentucky.

Karl-Anthony Towns

I’ll cry if the Sixers draft Karl-Anthony Towns. I’ll cry like I’m watching my daughter that I’ll never have walking down the aisle. He’s so good. He has Sixers tattooed on his chest, I know he does. Anyways, KAT had a monster performance against ND yesterday, who decided not to double him the majority of the time. He finished with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Nerlens Noel-esque line.

But really, this kid is so good and he’s an NJ native. He was everywhere yesterday and although his foul trouble is concerning (four personals yesterday), that’s something that can be hammered out in the NBA. Though, the Sixers would have to get one of the first two picks in order to have him in a Sixers uniform next season.

Willie Cauley-Stein

Willie Cauley-Stein only had six points in the win, but he was all Twitter could talk about when the game was over. First, it was this amazing defense on ND guard/future Sixer Jerian Grant to block his shot on the perimeter:

Then, it was WCS chasing Jerian Grant all the way down the court, stride-for-stride with him and getting a great contest on ND’s final shot:

Willie Cauley-Stein isn’t exactly a fit on the Sixers with all their big men, but it’s hard to deny his talent after three years under Coach Calipari. The center can guard positions 1-5, which makes defense a whole lot easier when everything can be switched down to the center. He’d be more of a value pick for the Sixers if he’s still on the board when the Heat pick comes up.

Jerian Grant

The brother of Jerami Grant, wouldn’t that be something to have him on the Sixers? Yesterday, Grant had a horrid shooting day, shooting 4-of-14 from the field and 1-of-6 from deep. However, his one trey was a DEEP triple during the final moments of the game that was impressive. It’s impressive for a player to struggle all game and still have the confidence to take and knock down the shots when the game is on the line. He eventually missed the game-winner, but it was impressive how he went from the back court to the front court in six seconds and still managed to hoist up a decent shot.

Jerian Grant impressed all year and during the tournament, so he’s still going to be a first-rounder. He’s an option for the Sixers if they don’t get a point guard in the first five picks, assuming they have a top-five pick.

Next: Robert Covington’s Three-Point Prowess Deserves More Attention