10. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin Badgers
NBA Doppelganger: Kelly Olynyk
Frank Kaminsky might be the favorite to win the Player of the Year Award, but he’s definitely not the best player in the 2015 draft class.
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Generated 1/8/2015.
Kaminsky’s draft stock was at an all-time high after he led Wisconsin to the Final Four and within two points of the national championship game last season. Surprisingly, Kaminsky decided to return Wisconsin.
After watching Kaminsky last season and watching him this season, I don’t see much improvement. He’s a little bit better at passing and making plays for himself, but he’s also playing three more minutes per game and his team is better overall than the Badgers were last season.
In college basketball, Kaminsky is a huge matchup problem for most big men. He has the footwork, size, and quickness to finish against pretty much any defender in college basketball. Kaminsky is also a 35 percent 3-point shooter in his career at Wisconsin. He can stretch defenses and force bigger players away from the basket, and then take them off the dribble if they closeout too quickly.
I’ve seen a lot of people have been comparing Kaminsky to Ryan Andersen of the New Orleans Pelicans. I can see where that comes from, two tall white dudes who can shoot, but the closest comparison is definitely Kelly Olynyk of the Boston Celtics.
Kaminsky is a bit more conventional than Olynyk and is a purer scorer than Olynyk is, but Kaminsky isn’t very athletic, and he hasn’t quite figured out how to use his body. Kaminsky is going to be in for a rude awakening in the NBA, but he should be a decent role player eventually.
Next: Montrezl Harrell