Top 10 Most Intriguing Prospects in the 2013 NBA Draft

The Greek Myth, Giannis Adetokunbo

The thing I like the most about the NBA Draft is to see where teams are going and which teams are going nowhere. Draft picks are the purest, most unadulterated expression of your front office's competence. The GM is 100% responsible of the player picked in front of his fanbase. But my second favorite thing about the NBA Draft is to see who's confident enough to go after the risky prospects. Kids who have shown something interesting, but not quite tangible.

My top 10 most intriguing prospects regroups the 2013 draft prospects who mirrored something very enviable, but require a leap of faith, for a reason or another. They are interesting, but overlooked for their lack of well-defined aspect to their game. The ten young gentlemen named in this piece don't have anything NBA material to sell, but nonetheless looked very, very good. Selecting them will requires cojones and a development plan. Without further ado, here are this year's suspects.

Top 10 Most Intriguing Prospects in the 2013 NBA Draft

1-Giannis Adetokunbo (SF) - He's been said to be the next Magic Johnson. He's been said to be disappointing. He's been said to want to remain in Greece. I don't know what to think about Giannis. What I've seen of him looks extremely promising. He looks like hell on wheels. Perfect body for playing wing, quick, explosive and already a scorer playing with men at eighteen years old. If handled right, he could be one of the two best players coming out of this draft (along with Ben McLemore), but it's very much a gut feeling right now, for he has remained secretive the last few months. It's a high-risk/high-reward thing, but a team who would be ready to invest time and energy in him might be agreeably surprised.

2-Ricardo Ledo (SG) - Ledo, the enigma. Labeled as one of the nations' top scorers out of high school, Ricky Ledo sat out last season due to the NCAA's bureaucratic bullshit. It's a very confusing process, so Ledo didn't take any chance to be shelved for another year and declared for the draft. According to the buzz, the kid can shoot. He's as athletic as any other prospect and he's been working out for several teams. If I had two picks in the first round, I would most likely take a bet on him.

3-Shabazz Muhammad (SF) -It's the "in" thing right now amongst basketball journalist to say Shabazz Muhammad's draft stock is crashing down. He had a terrible year in UCLA. He's got into a strange mix up about his age (he's a year older than advertised) and took several bad decisions throughout the year. Same as Andre Drummond in 2012. He was labeled a bust by everybody and their mothers, but he kept working, he took criticism with a great professionalism and became the most exciting rookie in the league, last season. Shabazz seems to have cleared up the air around him and is still working hard at selling himself to NBA teams. He's a workhorse and I have a nagging feeling that he'll make a risk taker very happy.

4-Vander Blue (SG) - Part of what makes Vander Blue interesting is the school he comes from. If you pull it together in Marquette, you can probably pull it together in the NBA too. It's the college that gave us fashionista Dwyane Wade and more recently, elite perimeter defender Jimmy Butler, who probably defended LeBron James the best in the playoffs. Given that Blue never showed much promised before this year, he turned in around, had a good season and even more important, a great March Madness tournament. He's perceived as a borderline prospect, yet something tells me he's going to make a reliable sixth man in the NBA.

5-Dario Saric (SF) - That's a weird one. Every GM loves Saric. Every single one of them. Since the draft process has begun, he has climbed from late first round pick to potential top 5. He's only nineteen, he's versatile, he's a scrapper. Nothing to dislike about him. Except he's bizarre. He doesn't seem to know if he wants to declare or not? Six days ago, he was announced that he was probably pulling himself from this year's draft, but since then, nothing. For all we know, he could still go this year. Given the kid's weird decision-cycle thing (he declared like three time this year, pulled two), I'd have a difficult time pulling the trigger. Some of these European players just want to stay home, like Nikola Mirotic or Fran Vasquez. He's intriguing, but I would take a rain check on him.

6-C.J McCollum (SG) -What scouts reproach to C.J. McCollum has nothing to do with basketball. They say he's not the best athlete (they said the same about Kyrie Irving). They say he's a "tweener", that he doesn't have a set position (they said the same thing about Russell Westbrook). They're worried about his foot injury history (once again, Kyrie Irving had the same history when he declared). I can't really explain why he was considered potential first overall pick last year and that this year he's borderline top ten (the draft is supposed to be weaker). McCollum is a dangerous shooter, has a nasty crossover and has great offensive instinct. So what if he doesn't play great defense? Doesn't that description remind you of someone? My point, exactly.

7-Steven Adams (C) -Nobody liked Adams before the draft combine. I'm still unsure whether I like him or not. But he came to the draft combine in a ridiculously good shape compared to other centers, showed a dramatically improved shooting stroke from mid-range and at eighteen years old, it's difficult to say how exactly badass he'll become, give a proper environment. He's a seven foot, 250 pounds center already, wears his weight very well, is agile. If he can put everything together, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. But if you draft him, it's on you to make it happen. Maybe another college years would have made the picture cleared in his case.

8-Seth Curry (PG) - On any given year, Seth Curry would likely go undrafted. But not in 2013. Someone is bound to give him a chance, this year. His brother Stephen and his Warriors lit up California in this year's playoffs, and no GM right in their mind will want to let pure shooter DNA like this slip through their hands. I don't care if he's undersized, he's got the most vital skill a basketball player must have to succeed: he can put the ball in the hole. If you've got that, your life will already be easier at the next level.

9-Erick Green (PG) - Nobody would think twice about Erick Green if he wasn't such a good scorer. But he is. He's a rather small point guard, but not exactly diminutive. His assist numbers are underwhelming. His shooting percentage is good, but not great. He has put up the number, but he hasn't shown anything to make a general manager dream. I heard through the grapevine that he's a good kid, very coachable, so sky is the limit for him, but he might slip behind prospects like Shane Larkin, Isaiah Canaan and Lorenzo Brown, who aren't necessarily better, but offered a more seducing sales pitch since the draft combine.

10-Mike Muscala (C) - Most big men in this year's draft have something to sell, or at least a recognizable trait that make them unique. Kelly Olynyk is unathletic, yet has tremendous scoring instinct. Gorgui Dieng's offense is raw, but he's a smart, combative defender. Muscala should be getting first round considerations, he's an athletically average big, with strong offensive instinct, he can shoot and has a knack to block shots. He's not the best at anything, but somehow I think he might have his game more together than every other centers in this draft.