AP Player Of The Year
AP Player Of The Year, If you haven't noticed yet, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky is a special talent.
His versatile skills have helped fuel the Badgers' extraordinary run to the NCAA national title game, and they've also drawn the gaze of NBA scouts.
The 7'0" senior's draft stock has gradually climbed the charts throughout the season. It's currently at its highest point yet, especially after his 20-point, 11-rebound magnificence during Saturday's stunning semifinal triumph over Kentucky.
On Monday against Duke, the 2015 Naismith College Player of the Year has a chance to put the final exclamation point on his season-long audition for the Association.A little more than a year ago, Frank the Tank wasn't even on the draft radar. The scarcely recruited youngster was just starting to gain traction as a key part of Wisconsin's rotation. He didn't really turn heads until he carried Wisconsin past then-No. 1 seed Arizona and into the 2014 Final Four.
Nowadays, his blend of size and inside-out offense are highly valued in NBA circles, and he's viewed as a mid-first-round prospect or better.After cruising past Coastal Carolina and Oregon in the early rounds, he out-dueled three towering, athletic front lines to reach the NCAA championship game. He dropped 19 points and eight boards on North Carolina, 29 points and six boards on Arizona, and then delivered Saturday's feast against Big Blue Nation.
Kaminsky smoothly drilled outside jumpers, drove to the rim with nimble footwork and carved foes up in the post. He also supplied timely passing and solid, if unspectacular defense.He was tremendous on the offensive end and stayed out of foul trouble," one scout told ESPN's Jeff Goodman after Wisconsin's Final Four win. "He got whatever he wanted, and is so versatile. I thought he was overall the best player on the floor and he's gone from anonymous to a possible lottery pick now."Monday's title clash against the Blue Devils will be his final showcase, the ultimate chance to cement his status as an elite prospect.
He's not just going up against head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Tobacco Road's legendary program. He's squaring off against potential No. 1 pick Jahlil Okafor and the squad that knocked off the Badgers in December at Madison.
During that early-season meeting, neither prospect won the individual battle. Okafor looked the part of a supremely gifted freshman, and Kaminsky offered a productive performance in the loss.
This time around, there's much more on the line, including something other than an NCAA crown.
Kaminsky won't launch into the top-five conversation or anything with a win, but the game is an opportunity to show once again that he can tangle with—and defeat—upper-crust NBA recruits.
Leave it to Okafor to break down the Badger star's value.
"He's an extremely versatile player, and he's been the best player all over the country all year," Okafor told Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News. "He's been very consistent. He's obviously an amazing shooter, and he does so much for their offense—driving, posting up, passing…He's a special player."
If there's anything we've learned from the increased exposure to Kaminsky, it's that he's far more than a big man who can shoot. He possesses exceptional footwork for a 7-footer, and his fluidity and handles are outstanding.His perimeter accuracy forces opposing bigs to stick to him, and then he's able to use a variety of jabs, spins and drop steps to get all the way to the rim.
Watch how he blows by Arizona's Kaleb Tarczewski here in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats center has to honor Kaminsky's shooting threat, and Wisconsin's star makes him pay dearly:He'll present some significant matchup problems for adversaries at the next level. When 5s guard him, he can take them out to the perimeter and create space for his team.
If opponents put rangy and athletic 4s on him, he can go to work in the post. In another pretty sequence against Arizona, Kaminsky turned a nifty fake spin into a smooth baby hook:Just as Monday's title game will be a final chance for him to display his offensive repertoire, it will also be his last audition defensively.
Kaminsky has not been an elite defender at the college level, and he won't be a top-shelf stopper in the Association. He's not massively strong, nor can he trampoline to challenge the most acrobatic finishers.
However, he's positionally sound and an underrated rim protector. He can cover a lot of ground.
He's enjoyed 12 multiblock games, including Saturday's tilt against Kentucky's athletic front line. DraftExpress.com's Mike Schmitz explained that, in addition to the offensive production, he "also showed a willingness to battle defensively and on the glass, despite his average strength and explosiveness."
Kaminsky's not going to be the fleetest NBA frontcourt stopper, but here's a little taste of his surprisingly swift footwork. Watch him hang with North Carolina's shifty guard, Marcus Paige:What does all of this mean for his NBA outlook, and what would a robust title performance do for his draft stock?
For starters, he's already delivered an abundant sampling of skill demonstration and statistical production to warrant lottery consideration. Outside of the Okafors and Karl-Anthony Towns of this draft, he's one of the most valuable bigs on the board. It's hard to imagine a scenario where he falls past No. 15 or 16, just based on where he stacks up with the rest of the field.
If he outshines Okafor and Co. and puts up another 20/10 night, it will be a fitting culmination to his college career—and the ideal finishing touch to his draft resume.
A successful championship run against such a formidable series of opponents would make him more irresistible than ever. It would leave a sweet impression on NBA decision-makers and reinforce his status as a versatile weapon.
In June, he could edge past some of the late-lottery competition and land in the top 10.
It's there for the taking Monday night in Indianapolis.
His versatile skills have helped fuel the Badgers' extraordinary run to the NCAA national title game, and they've also drawn the gaze of NBA scouts.
The 7'0" senior's draft stock has gradually climbed the charts throughout the season. It's currently at its highest point yet, especially after his 20-point, 11-rebound magnificence during Saturday's stunning semifinal triumph over Kentucky.
On Monday against Duke, the 2015 Naismith College Player of the Year has a chance to put the final exclamation point on his season-long audition for the Association.A little more than a year ago, Frank the Tank wasn't even on the draft radar. The scarcely recruited youngster was just starting to gain traction as a key part of Wisconsin's rotation. He didn't really turn heads until he carried Wisconsin past then-No. 1 seed Arizona and into the 2014 Final Four.
Nowadays, his blend of size and inside-out offense are highly valued in NBA circles, and he's viewed as a mid-first-round prospect or better.After cruising past Coastal Carolina and Oregon in the early rounds, he out-dueled three towering, athletic front lines to reach the NCAA championship game. He dropped 19 points and eight boards on North Carolina, 29 points and six boards on Arizona, and then delivered Saturday's feast against Big Blue Nation.
Kaminsky smoothly drilled outside jumpers, drove to the rim with nimble footwork and carved foes up in the post. He also supplied timely passing and solid, if unspectacular defense.He was tremendous on the offensive end and stayed out of foul trouble," one scout told ESPN's Jeff Goodman after Wisconsin's Final Four win. "He got whatever he wanted, and is so versatile. I thought he was overall the best player on the floor and he's gone from anonymous to a possible lottery pick now."Monday's title clash against the Blue Devils will be his final showcase, the ultimate chance to cement his status as an elite prospect.
He's not just going up against head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Tobacco Road's legendary program. He's squaring off against potential No. 1 pick Jahlil Okafor and the squad that knocked off the Badgers in December at Madison.
During that early-season meeting, neither prospect won the individual battle. Okafor looked the part of a supremely gifted freshman, and Kaminsky offered a productive performance in the loss.
This time around, there's much more on the line, including something other than an NCAA crown.
Kaminsky won't launch into the top-five conversation or anything with a win, but the game is an opportunity to show once again that he can tangle with—and defeat—upper-crust NBA recruits.
Leave it to Okafor to break down the Badger star's value.
"He's an extremely versatile player, and he's been the best player all over the country all year," Okafor told Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News. "He's been very consistent. He's obviously an amazing shooter, and he does so much for their offense—driving, posting up, passing…He's a special player."
If there's anything we've learned from the increased exposure to Kaminsky, it's that he's far more than a big man who can shoot. He possesses exceptional footwork for a 7-footer, and his fluidity and handles are outstanding.His perimeter accuracy forces opposing bigs to stick to him, and then he's able to use a variety of jabs, spins and drop steps to get all the way to the rim.
Watch how he blows by Arizona's Kaleb Tarczewski here in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats center has to honor Kaminsky's shooting threat, and Wisconsin's star makes him pay dearly:He'll present some significant matchup problems for adversaries at the next level. When 5s guard him, he can take them out to the perimeter and create space for his team.
If opponents put rangy and athletic 4s on him, he can go to work in the post. In another pretty sequence against Arizona, Kaminsky turned a nifty fake spin into a smooth baby hook:Just as Monday's title game will be a final chance for him to display his offensive repertoire, it will also be his last audition defensively.
Kaminsky has not been an elite defender at the college level, and he won't be a top-shelf stopper in the Association. He's not massively strong, nor can he trampoline to challenge the most acrobatic finishers.
However, he's positionally sound and an underrated rim protector. He can cover a lot of ground.
He's enjoyed 12 multiblock games, including Saturday's tilt against Kentucky's athletic front line. DraftExpress.com's Mike Schmitz explained that, in addition to the offensive production, he "also showed a willingness to battle defensively and on the glass, despite his average strength and explosiveness."
Kaminsky's not going to be the fleetest NBA frontcourt stopper, but here's a little taste of his surprisingly swift footwork. Watch him hang with North Carolina's shifty guard, Marcus Paige:What does all of this mean for his NBA outlook, and what would a robust title performance do for his draft stock?
For starters, he's already delivered an abundant sampling of skill demonstration and statistical production to warrant lottery consideration. Outside of the Okafors and Karl-Anthony Towns of this draft, he's one of the most valuable bigs on the board. It's hard to imagine a scenario where he falls past No. 15 or 16, just based on where he stacks up with the rest of the field.
If he outshines Okafor and Co. and puts up another 20/10 night, it will be a fitting culmination to his college career—and the ideal finishing touch to his draft resume.
A successful championship run against such a formidable series of opponents would make him more irresistible than ever. It would leave a sweet impression on NBA decision-makers and reinforce his status as a versatile weapon.
In June, he could edge past some of the late-lottery competition and land in the top 10.
It's there for the taking Monday night in Indianapolis.