Written by Jason King at Bleacher Report.com
Don’t bother scouring the 2016 NBA mock drafts for information on the players you’ll see in the Final Four this weekend in Houston.
You won’t find any.
Unless, of course, you’re looking for the skinny on projected lottery pick Buddy Hield. But by now you probably know everything about him anyway.
Other than Hield—Oklahoma’s star senior sharpshooter—not one player in this year’s Final Four is expected to be selected in the first round of this summer’s NBA draft. That’s according to DraftExpress, arguably the country’s most reputable website on such matters.
Still, even though Villanova, North Carolina, Syracuse and Oklahoma aren’t stocked with surefire NBA millionaires the way Duke, Kentucky and Wisconsin were last season, there are still plenty of players worth watching this weekend besides Hield.
Here are 10 of them, ranked according to the impact they’ve had for their teams this season, with an emphasis on tournament games.
10. Malachi Richardson, Syracuse
The Orange wouldn’t be in the Final Four if not for Malachi Richardson, who scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half of Sunday’s come-from-behind victory over No. 1 seed Virginia in the Elite Eight.
As impressive as the performance was, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim knew the 6’6” freshman was capable of big things when he signed him out of Trenton, New Jersey, a year ago. Richardson hardly played like a first-year collegian in 2015-16, ranking second on the team in scoring (13.3 points) despite shooting a mediocre 36.4 percent from the field.
A big wing with NBA potential, Richardson is a slasher who can also shoot the three. In two games against Syracuse’s Final Four opponent, North Carolina, this season (both losses) Richardson averaged 13 points.
9. Daniel Ochefu, Villanova
The Wildcats have a high-level rim protector in Daniel Ochefu, a senior who swats an average of 1.5 shots per contest and alters plenty of others.
Even though he’s never been viewed as a big-time scorer, the 6’11”, 245-pound Ochefu is no slouch with the ball in his hands down low. He’s averaging a career-high 10.1 points per game and has enough post moves to capitalize when a weaker or smaller defender guards him. Just ask Kansas, who ‘Nova eliminated in the Elite Eight.
Ochefu also leads Villanova in rebounds with 7.6 per contest. On a less balanced team, his numbers—in all categories—would likely be higher.
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