On Monday's B.S. Report, ESPN personality Bill Simmons interviewed the NBA Draft Insider Chad Ford to get himself prepared for March Madness. On the way through the popular names like Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Kemba Walker, Jimmer Fredette and Perry Jones, they managed to forage their way through two prominent Pac-10 names and offer their insights (well, mostly Ford; Simmons is just along for the ride here).
Derrick Williams, Arizona Wildcats. Ford really likes the way Williams plays, and he especially likes how efficient a shooter he is. Williams is currently shooting an incredible 67% eFG and 70% true shooting percentage, both ranking him top five nationally, and his three point percentage is an incredible 60% (on only 58 shots, but nevertheless). Williams is considered by most NBA scouts to be the guy who's undoubtedly a lottery pick, making him the guy who stands out the most in a relatively lackluster looking class (FYI, Tom Ziller for SB Nation agrees with that assessment).. Ford thinks the biggest issue is Williams transitioning from the four spot that he plays in college to the three in the NBA, which is always a difficult shift to make.
After the jump, see what Simmons and Ford have to say about a potential Pac-10 prospect who might have made a name for himself in the conference tournament.
Isaiah Thomas, Washington Huskies: Simmons and Ford both appreciated the way he played in the Pac-10 tournament to win the whole thing. However, Thomas's biggest issue is height (he's probably three inches shorter than Kemba, who is himself a borderline draft prospect), and he really hasn't generated much buzz yet from scouts because he doesn't seem to have the body yet to succeed at the next level. It's very similar to Nate Robinson, who was himself overlooked until his senior season at UW (Thomas is a junior). Ford believes he's been playing his best ball as of late since Abdul Gaddy went down and could very well give scouts a reason to reevaluate what they've seen of the Husky point guard.
You can see the two in action this week at the NCAA Tournament. Arizona plays Memphis and Washington plays Georgia in the first round this Friday.
Click here to listen to the full podcast.