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YahooSports NBA draft analyst Krysten Peek knows that Kentucky freshman guard Rob Dillingham has a “lot of learning” left to do in his game but still has him as a top 10 pick in her upcoming NBA mock draft.
“I would not say he was the biggest surprise in college basketball in terms of a draft stock riser but he certainly showed the NBA that he is more than a one dimensional player,” Peek said on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports. “There were question marks coming into college for Rob about whether he could create separation off the dribble, can he catch and shoot, how would he read the pick-and-roll.
“He showed he can play at the highest level and do all those things and NBA scouts certainly noticed.”
Peek also credits former Kentucky coach John Calipari for giving Dillingham the freedom to show what he could do.
“He showed he could do all those things because he was able to play more loose, be a facilitator and show he had a different gear than most other guards in this draft class. Coach Cal let him play his game and that let him catapult himself into a lottery pick.”
Peek said this draft is not overloaded with can’t miss players and there could be a lot of emphasis on “upside and potential” by teams and that could favor UK freshman Justin Edwards. He did not have the kind of overall season most expected from him but had flashes of brilliance at times that Peek believes might intrigue NBA personnel.
“Justin has the length. He looks the part. He passes the NBA eye test,” Peek said. “I think back to two years ago when the Denver Nugget drafted Peyton Watson (of UCLA) at No. 30 as a draft and stash because they saw potential in him playing meaningful minutes in two years.
“Justin could really help himself during the pre-draft process and be that same type of Peyton Watson player for an established team and maybe go late in the first round.”
