More and more, NBA teams are turning to analytics in the quest to maximize their return on coveted draft slots, or to unearth the gem farther down the board. When I talk to front-office types around the league, the topic of rating prospects almost always comes up. There is no magic in the process, either objectively or subjectively, and there certainly isn't any particular algorithm that's going to nail every prospect.
However, teams that ignore the analytical side of the game are working at a disadvantage. I've always liked the way Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein describes it: The scouting side is one lens and the quantitative side is the other. It's only when you put both lenses together that the picture comes into focus.
I've been rating prospects for about five years using what I call the ATH system, which I've also used for various purposes on NBA-level topics as well. This year, I've made a few enhancements to the system (outlined in the chart at the bottom of this piece). The goal is to determine how a player's non-NBA production will translate to the game's highest level.
(Each player's prospect score (PROS) is denoted in parenthesis. Any score more than 100 denotes a deserving top-10 pick. Late first-rounders and early second-rounders -- always a gray area -- rate in the 65-75 range. Players fall off the draft board at about 50.)
Top 15:
1 - Noel
2 - Zeller
From a per-possession-efficiency standpoint, Zeller ranks as the best prospect on the board. The excellent athletic markers he displayed at the combine hold up statistically, as he's got the third-best ATH rating in this class. Zeller lags in the skill area in terms of outside shooting and passing, but I'm still convinced Zeller is underrated in the prospect rankings I've seen.
3 - McLemore
4 - Len
5 - Bennett
6 - Adams
7 - Burke
8 - MCW
9 - Porter
10 - Olidapo
Scouts love Oladipo's defensive upside, but it just doesn't translate statistically. ATH rates him 70th in defensive rating, 41st in steals and 52nd in blocks, and Synergy ranks him 81st against isolations.
11 - McCollum
12 - Schroeder
13 - Karasev
14 - Withey
15 - Dieng
16. Dario Saric, Croatia (84.2)
17. Glen Rice Jr., Georgia Tech (83.1)
18. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga (82.7)
19. Mason Plumlee, Duke (78.8)
20. Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State (78.5)
21. Jackie Carmichael, Illinois State (76.1)
22. Tony Mitchell, North Texas (75.1)
23. Mike Muscala, Bucknell (73.4)
24. Andre Roberson, Colorado (72.9)
25. Laurence Bowers, Missouri (71.7)
26. Allen Crabbe, California (71.7)
27. Rodney Williams, Minnesota (70.7)
28. Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA (69.8)
29. D.J. Stephens, Memphis (69.5)
30. Rudy Gobert, France (69.5)
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draf...y-zeller-rank-top-projected-prospects-numbers