Biggest NBA draft risers, fallers from Duke-MSU and UK-KU

Approximately 80 NBA executives, including the majority of top-level decision-makers, made their way to Chicago for Tuesday's Champions Classic, featuring four of the top seven teams in college basketball and 10 of the top 32 prospects in our Top 100.

Here's who helped and hurt their draft stock the most, including Miles Bridges, Grayson Allen, Kevin Knox and Trevon Duval.

Kansas 65 | Kentucky 61

Kevin Knox kept Kentucky alive

During a game in which Kentucky badly struggled to get anything going offensively, particularly in the half court, freshman Knox showed why he was the highest-rated prospect on our Top 100 from either squad. He scored 20 points, on 8-of-13 shooting (and 3-of-6 from 3), displaying nice versatility with his ability to make jumpers with his feet set, off the dribble and coming off screens, while also attacking closeouts in a straight line with soft-touch floaters.

Knox is still in an early stage of development offensively in terms of his ballhandling and overall feel for the game, and he wasn't able to make the iso floater attempt that potentially would have tied the score for Kentucky in the last minute. It's unlikely any team will ever ask Knox to be the go-to guy he was forced to become Tuesday on a Kentucky team with little in the way of playmaking, passing, shot-creation or perimeter shooting ability, and that might lead to some rough moments at times this season. Still, it's important to remember he is one of the youngest players in this draft class at 18, and he is already showing some extremely impressive versatility defensively that could allow him to emerge as a multipositional stopper down the road.

Hamidou Diallo's skill set remains unpolished

Diallo showed some flashes of shot-making in the first two games of the season that indicated he might be turning a corner with his jumper -- clearly the biggest key to his NBA outlook. Unfortunately, he came down to earth in a major way against Kansas, even airballing one corner 3-pointer badly right in front of the packed Section 105 that seated 50 NBA scouts. Diallo's mechanics have improved considerably since we first started scouting him, and considering his reportedly very strong work ethic, there's still plenty of time for him to continue to develop this part of his game.

What hasn't really improved as much as hoped is his feel for the game, as he still tends to play with his head down and is very prone to baffling decision-making on both ends of the floor. That might be difficult for NBA teams to swallow from the shooting guard position these days, certainly from someone without a consistent jumper. Diallo played in only his third game of college basketball and will earn plenty of experience as the season progresses, but NBA teams will be monitoring his progress in these areas closely. With how little it appears Kentucky will be able to rely on their freshmen point guards Quade Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for offense, Diallo will be asked to do quite a bit.

Lagerald Vick's versatility

One of the biggest keys to Kansas' win was the energy and intensity Lagerald Vick brought to the table. While severely undersized at 6-5 and listed at just 175 pounds, Vick spent plenty of minutes at power forward and wasn't taken advantage of by Kentucky's army of big men. His six rebounds, five assists and three steals tell the story nicely for how many different ways he was able to contribute. He remains somewhat wild and unpolished on the court, but his tremendous length, athleticism and toughness help compensate for that in a major way. And in a league that is currently starved for wing players, Vick's improved shot-making ability makes him a far more attractive prospect than in the past. He put himself firmly on the NBA radar in Chicago and will be monitored closely all season to see how his perimeter skill set continues to hold up.

Kentucky's freshman big men weren't ready

John Calipari didn't get enough out of starters Nick Richards and P.J. Washington, certainly not offensively, where the two contributed a combined four points, seven turnovers and only two offensive rebounds. Neither looked focused nor ready to operate at the speed that this very intense game demanded, resulting in disappointing performances.

It's important to keep things in context and realize how steep the learning curve can often be in making the jump from high school to college, especially for prospects like this who didn't come in considered sure-first one-and-done first-rounders. Richards, in particular, looks as if he might need a few years in Lexington to maximize his draft stock.

Azubuike dominant inside

Kansas' sophomore Udoka Azubuike dominated the paint for the Jayhawks and made a much bigger contribution than his 13 points and eight rebounds suggest. He appears to have made significant strides from last season with his ability to catch the ball, step outside of the paint defensively and even find the open man with nifty passes, not to mention his conditioning and basketball IQ. His massive frame, huge motor and impressive toughness certainly stood out, and we'll have to continue to monitor his progress to get a better gauge for his NBA outlook as the season progresses. He's not a prototypical athlete, and his free throw stroke is hardly a thing of beauty, but at 280 pounds with a 7-5 wingspan, Azubuike can certainly put a body on opposing bigs.

-- Jonathan Givony

Duke 88, Michigan State 81

Jaren Jackson Jr. emerges

Despite playing only 24 minutes, Jackson helped himself more than any prospect Tuesday, scoring 19 points, grabbing seven rebounds, altering everything at the rim and knocking down three 3-poiners. NBA scouts are in search of bigs who can block shots, switch ball screens and space the floor, and Jackson showed he's capable of doing exactly that on a big stage against the No. 1 team in the country. Although his marquee matchup against Marvin Bagley was cut short because of an eye injury to Bagley, Jackson played a big role in Wendell Carter Jr.'s 3-of-9 shooting performance, as well as Trevon Duval's and Grayson Allen's struggles at the rim.

With a 7-4 wingspan, great feet, sharp timing, and sound discipline, Jackson helped force Duke into 21-of-53 shooting (39.6 percent) from 2-point range. Jackson also caught the eye of NBA scouts with his floor spacing potential, regardless of his unorthodox low release push shot. Jackson has excellent touch and should be able to develop into a reliable NBA 3-point shooter with more reps. Jackson didn't play a perfect game, as his ability to think the game in traffic and read the ball off the rim on the defensive glass still needs work. With that said, the 18-year-old Spartans big man has made tremendous strides over the last year and a half or so. Jackson's stock is certainly rising.

Grayson Allen's 37-point outburst

Duke's senior leader set the Champions Classic single-game scoring record with 37 points in 40 minutes, highlighted by 7-of-11 shooting from 3. After a down junior season tainted by emotional outbursts and inefficient scoring, Allen reminded scouts of his NBA value by drilling tough shot after tough shot while playing with a level of fearlessness teams like to see on a big stage. Allen looked much more comfortable playing off the ball next to Duval, getting his feet set quickly off of screens, spacing the floor out of spot-ups and rising up for contested one-dribble pullups out of ball screens.

Allen's toughness and shooting stroke certainly have value at the NBA level, and he's in line for a huge senior season, but he'll still need to improve his finishing at the rim as well as his playmaking at times. He struggles to get by more athletic defenders in a half-court setting and he is a bit heavy-footed around the rim (4-of-9 from 2), without elite tools to fall back on. We weren't able to get a good look at Allen's defensive development, as Duke played zone all game long. All in all, the sharp-shooting guard more or less won the game for the Blue Devils, and he has shown that there's a spot in the NBA for a gutsy shot-maker like him.

Jumper-less Trevon Duval impacting winning

The 6-3 freshman guard played a strong game in front of all 30 NBA teams, many of which were once questioning his status as a prospect after attending preseason practices and scrimmages. Duval, who finished with 17 points, 10 assists and 6 steals, had a positive impact on both ends of the floor, turning the Spartans repeatedly at the top of the Duke zone while running the show and putting pressure on the rim offensively. Somewhat erratic at times in high school, Duval now has 30 assists and only four turnovers through three games. He's far and away at his best in transition, moving the ball ahead quickly, but he also proven capable of making basic pocket passes and finding shooters or dunkers while on the move. Duval is also able to use his tight handle, strong frame and long strides to shift gears and get downhill quickly.

He has potential as a finisher as well, given his big hands, leaping ability and extension, although he struggled a bit with Jackson's length, shooting 7-of-16 from 2 overall. He still has a long way to go as a shooter (0-of-4 from 3), which remains his biggest hurdle as a prospect as it handicaps him as a scorer in the half court. He might not be a sure-fire lottery pick like his high school ranking would suggest, but Duval's two-way impact, open-court speed and playmaking ability are enough to make him a first-round caliber prospect, especially if he continues to influence winning.

Bridges shows strengths and weaknesses

Although his 19-point, four-assist, four-block, five-turnover line was much better than last year's nine-turnover, 2-for-11 Champions Classic debacle, Bridges didn't move the needle in the United Center. Playing almost exclusively at the 3 against Duke's zone, some of Bridges' shortcomings showed as he looked a bit bulky with the ball, made some poor decisions when put in skill situations and remained a fairly limited off-the-dribble shooter (8-of-37 on pullups last season, according to Synergy Sports). With that said, Bridges knocked down 5-of-10 3-pointers, showed his defensive versatility -- helping limit Gary Trent Jr. to 3-of-14 shooting -- and made a few timely plays on both ends to keep Michigan State afloat.

Bridges clearly isn't afraid of the moment, as he wasn't shy hoisting up deep 3s early in the clock with the Spartans reeling. He still sports a set shot that needs time and space to get off, which when combined with his body type make him best at the 4 at the NBA level. It's worth monitoring how Bridges evolves as a decision-maker on the move and out of ball screens, as he figures to play the 3 for the better part of this season with Jackson and Nick Ward inside. When he's able to operate as a small-ball 4 in space and use his versatility and explosiveness to his advantage, Bridges is certainly an intriguing prospect who fits well in the modern NBA. Despite his ups and downs, there's still a lot to like about Bridges' explosiveness, physicality, defensive versatility, spot shooting, ambidexterity and flashes of playmaking ability.

Bagley's night cut short

The heavyweight bout lost some of its luster with Bagley playing only 10 minutes because of an eye injury sustained in the first half. This was a great opportunity for scouts to see Bagley against an NBA-level defender like Jackson, but they'll have to wait until the PK80 in Portland, Oregon, to see him against top-flight competition. In the minutes he did play, Bagley showed his impressive instincts and quick leaping on the offensive glass, snaring five offensive boards including an explosive tip dunk. He also dropped in a left-handed floater in traffic.

Bagley did show some of his warts, though, getting moved off of spots on the defensive glass, missing an assignment as a rim protector and struggling to create on one occasion in the half court. Overall, scouts shouldn't put too much stock into Bagley's 10 minutes as it's such a small sample and he was never really able to get into a rhythm. He's physically impressive with a developable shooting stroke based on what we saw in warm-ups, and remains a top-flight prospect moving forward.

--Mike Schmitz