CHICAGO -- The first NBA draft scouting event of the year took place Tuesday night when four elite teams met in Chicago as part of the Champions Classic.
In the first event of the night, Kentucky defeated Duke 74-63. In the nightcap, Michigan State defeated Kansas 79-73.
By my count, three lottery picks, seven players in our top 30 and 14 players in our top 100 were on the court Tuesday night. That's not the same level of talent we've seen in years past, but it's still one of the best scouting venues outside the NCAA tournament scouts will get all year.
NBA general managers and scouts were out in full force to get their first look at some elite players this season. First impressions (while often terribly misleading) really matter, and a couple of players made great ones, while others came up very short.
I attended the Champions Classic on Tuesday, and in addition to watching the games, spoke with a number of NBA GMs and scouts during and after the contests.
Here's a look at who helped and who hurt their draft stock on Tuesday night.
Stock: Hot
Jamal Murray, G, Fr., Kentucky
Top 100 Rank: 6
Murray is the unique guard who seems to excel equally at both running a team and taking over as a scorer. He thrives getting to the basket, can shoot with range and is a creative ball handler and passer. He has an elite feel for the game offensively, is a smart defender and plays with an edge on both ends.
"He's so good," one GM said. "Every time I see him, I think he's special. And every time I see him, he just gets better. He was a little up-and-down tonight, but when he was good, man, was he good."
vs. Duke: 16 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts, 4 steals, 7-for-17 shooting in 38 mins
Tyler Ulis, PG, So., Kentucky
Top 100 Rank: 38
While Murray might be the better NBA prospect, Ulis had a better game, once again proving why many scouts believe he's the best point guard in college basketball. Ulis was flawless against Duke. He played all 40 minute and didn't turn the ball over once. He hit big shots, made great decisions with the ball and played with terrific pace. But can his elite basketball skills overcome his lack of height?
"Usually I'd say no," one longtime NBA scout told me. "I've been watching the draft for over 20 years. The little guys just don't make it. But if I were to bet on one who could, it would be this kid. He really has everything you want in a guard. I'm not saying he's a top pick. He won't be a star. But I think he's going to get drafted and make a roster and have a long future in the league."
vs. Duke: 18 pts, 6 asts, 2 steals, 6-for-13 shooting, 0 turnovers in 40 mins
Denzel Valentine, F, Sr., Michigan State
Top 100 Rank: 54
Seniors are never in vogue when it comes to the NBA draft, but Valentine did his best to capture the attention of the NBA scouts and GMs in attendance, logging the first triple-double of his career. Valentine showed the complete package against Kansas, hitting 3s, setting up teammates, driving to the basket and grabbing rebounds in traffic. His age clearly works against him (he turned 22 on Monday), and scouts see him as a bit of a tweener, but with his skill set, basketball IQ and toughness and versatility, scouts say he's going to get a closer look as a first-round prospect.
"You have to be careful with seniors," one NBA scout said. "It's tough to compare them to freshmen. They are so much more experienced and physically mature. But we missed on Draymond Green. They are not the same players, but there are enough similarities that I think everyone will take another look. If he plays like this all season, he'll go in the first round."
vs. KU: 29 pts, 12 rebs, 12 assists, 10-for-23 shooting in 38 minutes
Isaiah Briscoe, G, Fr., Kentucky
Top 100 Rank: 25
While the combo of Murray and Ulis are getting all the love, Briscoe also earned major praise from scouts. His defense on Grayson Allen early in the game caused Allen significant problems, and while he's primarily playing off the ball, his ability to score anywhere on the floor is impressive. "He's obviously playing out of position," one NBA scout said. "But I love how he embraces it, tries to be a lockdown guy defensively and is just so active. He's better than I thought he was. He's got a chance to be a lottery pick if he keeps playing like this."
vs. Duke: 12 pts, 3 rebs, 2 steals, 5-for-8 shooting in 31 mins
Marcus Lee, PF, Jr., Kentucky
Top 100 Rank: 57
Lee is what he is. An athletic jumping jack who crashes the board, swats shots and finishes above the rim. He still lacks much in the way of a discernible offensive skill set. However, his length and elite athletic ability have always drawn scouts to him and his aggressiveness against Duke earned him some love. "He's getting better," one NBA GM said. "He's improved his strength and he's just playing with more toughness. I don't think we expect him to every be an offensive threat, but defensively he could really do some things in our league."
vs. Duke: 10 pts, 10 rebs, 2 blks in 22 mins
Amile Jefferson, F, Sr., Duke
Top 100 Rank: NR
Jefferson has really sleepwalked through his first three seasons at Duke. He's always had some athletic ability, but his lack of strength and passiveness on the offensive end have kept him off the radar. However, this season he's now posted three consecutive double-doubles and his aggressiveness offensively got Kentucky's young bigs in trouble. If he can play like that all season, scouts said he might get looks in the second round -- which is a major upgrade over his undrafted status at the moment.
vs. UK: 16 pts, 15 rebs, 7-for-8 shooting in 35 mins
Stock: Cold
Brandon Ingram, F, Fr., Duke
Top 100 Rank: 4
Ingram is a special talent, but after a solid performance against Bryant, he melted under the athleticism and toughness of Kentucky.
"He can do a lot more than he showed here," one GM said. "But this will be a theme among these long, skinny wings. Their bodies just aren't ready to play against stronger, more physical players. I think he'll adjust. But he'll have some struggles early."
vs. UK: 4 pts, 1 reb, 1 blk, 1-for-6 shooting in 19 mins
Grayson Allen, G, So., Duke
Top 100 Rank: 22
If anyone hurt their draft stock on Tuesday, it was Allen. After scoring 54 points in his first two games against Bryant and Siena, Allen cratered against Kentucky, going 0-for-9 in the first half. He had his shot blocked multiple times, struggled to run the offense when coach Mike Krzyzewski played him at the point and seemed to bothered by the length and strength of Briscoe. Everyone can have a bad shooting night, but his play against Kentucky pointed to all the weaknesses scouts feel he has.
"I love how tough the kid is," one GM said. "And I think he's better than what he showed here. But I've had legitimate concerns about his size and also whether he's a point guard. Everything I saw here tonight legitimized those concerns. He's going to need some big games against some other elite guards to convince me otherwise."
vs. UK: 6 pts, 3 rebs, 4 TOs, 2-for-11 shooting in 28 mins
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, G/F, So., Kansas
Top 100 Rank: 20
Mykhailiuk had one terrific coast-to-coast drive in the first half, but other than that, he was pretty quiet.
"I think he's going to need another year," one NBA scout said. "I'm still high on him, but he still doesn't look ready to me. I'm kind of disappointed. I expected a bigger leap this year than what I've seen so far."
vs. MSU: 4 pts, 2 asts, 1-for-4 shooting
Stock: Neutral
Skal Labissiere, F/C, Fr., Kentucky
Top 100 Rank: 2
Labissiere didn't play like the No. 2 prospect in the country. He was plagued by foul trouble and looked overwhelmed at times with Duke's older, more experienced front line. However, it wasn't all bad. If he was on the floor for 32 minutes, his numbers would've reached a double-double. "He's really good," one NBA GM said. "But he's not strong and he's getting pushed around and he made some dumb fouls. That's all par for the course with young bigs. He's going to be fine."
vs. Duke: 7 pts, 4 rebs, 1 blk, 3-5 shooting in 13 mins
Carlton Bragg, F, Fr., Kansas
Top 100 Rank: 27
Bragg clearly has talent and hit a couple of nice midrange jumpers in the game near the top of the key. But the zero rebounds and lack of impact in the paint on either end of the floor likely point to what scouts have been saying for a while -- at this point, he doesn't look like a one-and-done, yet.
vs. MSU: 4 pts on 2-for-2 shooting in 11 minutes
Derryck Thornton, PG, Fr., Duke
Top 100 Rank: 41
With Allen struggling to run the point, Thornton made some nice plays for Duke. He can shoot it, run an offense and is a pretty good defender. The Blue Devils are going to need a point guard, and while he might not physically be ready, he looked like their best option. Much like Bragg, he's probably a year away from being a hot NBA prospect. But after a slow start, it was nice to see him play some quality minutes against arguably the best point guard in the country.
vs. UK: 7 pts, 3 rebs, 3 asts 3-for-7 shooting in 29 mins
Alex Poythress, F, Sr., Kentucky
Top 100 Rank: 72
Poythress is coming back off a ACL surgery and was, for the most part, back to form. He still has crazy athleticism and plays super hard on the defensive end. We didn't get to see much from him offensively and, at times, you could see he was hesitating on offense, but it's been a solid start to the season for him. He's going to need to show major improvement offensively as the season goes on to get back into the first-round discussion. But, for now, neutral will do.
vs. Duke: 9 pts, 7 rebs, 3-for-10 shooting in 30 mins
Wayne Selden, G/F, Jr., Kansas
Top 100 Rank: 90
There has been hope that Selden would finally turn into the player many scouts thought he could be before the start of his freshman season. Unfortunately for Selden, tonight affirmed to most of the scouts I spoke with that he's basically the same player -- a physical wing who struggles to finish and takes too many bad shots.
vs. MSU: 12 pts, 2 steals, 3-for-12 shooting
Perry Ellis, F, Sr., Kansas
Top 100 Rank: NR
Ellis was the best player on the floor for Kansas, but he still struggles to get traction from NBA teams who wonder what he'll do offensively and who he'll guard at the next level. Ellis is trying to show off an improved 3-point shot (he went 1-for-2 from deep), but I'm not sure that will even get him drafted.
vs. MSU: 21 pts, 6 rebs, 9-for-18 shooting
Note: The No. 9 player on our Big Board, Cheick Diallo, didn't play on Tuesday because the NCAA still hasn't cleared him academically. While Diallo's lack of playing time does little to hurt his draft stock, it certainly isn't ideal for him and is very tough for Kansas. Scouts are hoping he'll be cleared this week so that they can see him against a loaded field at the Maui Invitational.