C.J. Leslie, Junior, Small Forward, North Carolina State
Overview:
I was relieved when it was announced that C.J. Leslie would return to NC State for his sophomore season. If he hadn’t, the reaction when his named was called in the draft was inevitable. “Wait, he was taken HOW early? Did anyone even watch him play in college?”
Buoyed by his strong credentials coming out of high school, the expectations were not met during Leslie’s freshman campaign. He was widely inconsistent, notching double-doubles followed up by hitting one or even zero field goals in subsequent games. There is also not much depth to his game just yet. He shot terribly from three and had only one game all year where he collected more than two assists.
Final Projection:
Of course one year of college does not make a career. However, it seems Leslie would have been better off entering the NBA draft out of high school if rules allowed. He did nothing to improve his stock. His sophomore season will be a second chance to bring his name back into lottery contention for the 2012 draft. Yet another similar season could drop him from the first round entirely meaning he might do well to return to NC State yet again.
See all NBA Draft Profiles and Rankings
