The NBA Draft is a tough egg to crack sometimes and with a number of star players at the top this year, teams like the Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns will be doing their due diligence and one player they will be looking at closely is Ben McLemore.
According to ESPN.com, McLemore's former AAU coach said that he was paid to get the star to leave Kansas and enter the NBA Draft after one season, which was revealed last month by USA Today Sports. His coach Darius Cobb, said Rodney Blackstock, CEO of Hooplife Academy, paid him over $10K and also sent the cousin of McLemore to meetings with agents during the time leading up to his decision.
McLemore was a Wooden Award finalist at Kansas and declared for the draft in April and many feel that he is one of the top three players in the draft with Victor Olapido and Otto Porter as well as Nerlens Noel. The Cavaliers and the Magic are reportedly interested in McLemore, as are the Wizards and the Suns, who could even trade up for the former Kansas star.
McLemore had an excellent season last year and he shot over 40 percent from behind the arc and he has proven that he plays well in pressure situations and he is an above average defender on the outside. At 20-years-old he still has a lot of development to come and he is solid on the boards while averaging over five rebounds and his shooting was excellent at over 50 percent from the field. Oladipo likely will go first, but McLemore will get looks from all the top teams.
McLemore can create his own shot and from playing at Kansas he showed that he makes people around him better. McLemore has potential to be a top scorer and he could come in a work hard and get a crack at the starting five for some teams.
