The last time we saw Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, he was crumpled up on the floor after an extremely painful knee injury against the Florida Gators. It wasn't much better the last time we saw Otto Porter, for that matter, as his Georgetown Hoyas were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the 15 seed, Florida Gulf Coast University. But at least you saw those two play. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the SEC Player of the Year, but played for the woeful Georgia Bulldogs and didn't see much time on the TV screen.
It doesn't appear that those final impressions will make much of a difference moving forward, as all three players declared for the NBA draft on Monday. Noel and Porter are sure to be taken in the lottery, with Noel in contention for the top overall spot, while KCP has impressed scouts of late and may sneak into the late-lottery picks as well.
That, in a nutshell is basically the theme of the 2013 NBA draft. Few people are excited about this year's class, and while the draft is always a risk in some fashion, many teams will be reaching on June 27 — whether it's drafting young, unproven talent like Caldwell-Pope or Ben McLemore, or hoping an injured prospect can still reach his potential.