MORE: SN’s latest Mock Draft | Nash’s legacy plays on | Harden making MVP case Justise Winslow, G/F, Duke
The line that Winslow posted in Duke’s second win, over San Diego State, illustrates why scouts love his game: He had 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and four steals. He scored just six points in the Tourney opener, but notched 11 rebounds and seven assists. That’s not to say he is strictly a “little things” guy. Winslow can be an impact player on the next level. “He is going to be a much bigger scorer in the NBA,” one scout said. “He is a terrific athlete. He’s just scratching the surface.” Terry Rozier, G, Louisville
Rozier’s shooting shakiness continues to be the big knock on him, but there is little question that the guy can score — and even less of a question that he can lead a team. Rozier’s 25-point, seven-assist, five-rebound performance against Northern Iowa to help Louisville to the Sweet 16 was arguably his best game as a collegian. Not only did he shoot 8-for-13 from the field, but he was 8-for-9 from the line. Rozier might just be in the process of securing a first-round spot. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, F, Arizona
Everybody loves what Hollis-Jefferson does. He rebounds, he plays shut-down defense, he handles multiple positions. Heck, some scouts thought he would be a top 20 pick if he had come out last year. He scored 23 points with 10 rebounds in the opener against Texas Southern, and shot only 3-for-12 against Ohio State, but managed 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. “The one negative about him is that he is not aggressive on the offensive end,” one scout said, “but he has been playing on loaded teams, so aggressiveness has not really been what you want from him.” Jahlil Okafor, F/C, Duke
If you’ve been reading that Okafor is not really considered the No. 1 player in the draft anymore, you’ll have to take a closer look at what you’re reading. Across the league, front-office types are still saying that Okafor is at the top, and the two games he has had in this tournament — 47 total points in 54 total minutes of play — are pretty strong evidence that he still belongs at No. 1. “Sometimes there is fatigue, you know, when one guy is No. 1 all year, you start looking for something different,” one GM said. “But he’s still the best player out there.” Jerian Grant, G, Notre Dame
Grant has put a strong finish on his up-and-down college career. He came into the Tournament averaging 17.3 points in his last 16 games, and he has not slowed down since. He had 17 points and five assists against Northeastern, and followed that with 16 points and five assists against Butler — which included some clutch plays to gain the overtime win. He is shaping up to be a low first-rounder. Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah
Consistency has been an issue for Poeltl, and the Austrian did have foul trouble against Georgetown in the second round. But he did score 18 points in the opener and had 12, even on short minutes, against the Hoyas, marking just the fourth time this year has had double-digit scoring in consecutive games. He is a fairly mobile and intelligent big guy, who has some upside. Most scouts did not believe Poeltl would possibly come out in 2015 until only recently, and it’s still no sure thing. But he could do much more for his stock when he faces Okafor in the Sweet 16. Karl-Anthony Towns, F, Kentucky
Towns has been getting some play as a possible No. 1 pick, and he has certainly picked up his play in recent weeks. He came into the Tournament with a bang, scoring 21 points and notching 11 rebounds, and followed that up with eight points and seven boards against Cincinnati. But it’s his defensive presence that continues to be most important for Kentucky — he had three blocks in both games, and the Bearcats managed just 31.7 percent shooting against the Wildcats as the UK big men dominated inside. D’Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State
Russell is a wizard with the basketball, and those who have watched him throughout the year know he is the kind of player who will make at least one highlight play per game, if not more. He is not a big guy, and that’s probably the only thing that will keep him out of the top pick’s slot — but even that depends on which team lands No. 1 in the lottery. Russell’s 3-for-19 shooting against Arizona in the second round was not pretty, but on a Buckeye team lacking other options, he had little choice but to fire away. “I don’t think you hold a game like that against him,” one scout said. “He worked hard to get the best looks he could and he had to create for himself. That is a lot to do against a team like that.” Fred VanVleet, G, Wichita State
VanVleet is only 6-0, and that will limit his upside from an NBA standpoint. He is also a junior who probably will return to college next year. But he has made an impression (again) here in the NCAA Tournament, and even when his shooting was subpar in the Shockers’ upset over Kansas (4-for-12), he scored 17 points and added six rebounds, six assists and four steals. “You just have to like the kid,” one scout said. “I don’t know that he has the size or athletic ability to make it in the NBA. But I’d want him in my training camp. I’d want to be the team giving him a shot.” R.J. Hunter, G, Georgia State
It was mostly a down year for Hunter, who had a chance to firm up a spot in the first round if he’d continued the deadly shooting form (39.5 percent from the 3-point line) he’d shown as a sophomore. But Hunter shot just 39.5 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from the 3-point line, having trouble when he was the focus of defenses. He may yet go back to Georgia State to play another year for his dad, Ron, the coach of the Panthers — assuming Ron Hunter stays put, at least. If that was it for him in college, he left by scoring 12 of his 16 points late in the upset over Baylor, including the game-winning 3-pointer. He followed that with 20 points in Georgia State’s loss to Xavier.
