AJ Abrams - NBA Draft Prospects

Numbers: 16.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 rpg, 1.6 spg, 42% FG, 81% FT, 38% 3's

About Him: AJ Abrams played sidekick to very well this season, making a living off of DJ Augustin's penetration and kick outs. Abrams was one of the best shooters in college basketball this season, making more than 3 treys a game. He can hit them from deep, and when he gets hot he can rattle of four or five in a row. He's able to shoot with a hand in his face, which is very important for him given his stature (5'11"). He also is able to shoot off the bounce either way, but is much more effective using a pump fake when the defender is closing out than when he has to square a defender up. Abrams biggest issue is that he is going to have to play point guard in the NBA, and in the last two seasons he didn't get a chance to show off his point guard skills because he was playing alongside Augustin. However, his freshman year he averaged 3.0 apg in just 21 minutes, compared to 1.5 apg in 36 minutes the last two seasons. Defensively, he is pretty solid, but will have trouble guarding big, physical guards in the NBA.

Comparisons: Eddie House, Juan Carlos Navarro, Jason Terry (stretch)

Bottom Line: Abrams is making a good decision. He is not signing with an agent, and he is utilizing the early entry rule the NBA put in place in the way it was intended. Most likely, he should come back because, barring some phenomenal workouts, he will be a second round pick at best, and may not get drafted. But if he comes back and can impress with his PG ability, who knows what will happen.