Assessing the 2015 five-stars (Eric Bossi; https://kansas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1759685)
Low Risk:
SF Jaylen Brown -- Another player who is physically and mentally ready for the college game, the No. 3 player in 2015 doesn't get rattled by much. He can draw and finish through contact, shoots well enough from deep to command respect and is a straight line driver who doesn't waste dribbles.
Medium Risk:
PF Cheick Diallo -- The No. 5 player in the class of 2015, the only reason Diallo checks in as a medium risk is because he still needs work with his skill game and probably needs to play center early in his career. While he plays like a man possessed, he is relatively thin for an elite level center at 6-9, 220. There will likely be some ups and downs with him early, but wherever he lands, he will be a fan favorite because of his non-stop motor and personality.
SG Malik Newman -- In college, Newman would like to play point guard and he is certainly capable of running and offense. However, what he does best is score as a two guard and his primary weapon is his pull-up jumper. As his classmates have caught up to him in the strength department, he hasn't been able to get by defenders as easily of the dribble. The No. 8 player is going to get his shots up wherever he lands, but to reach his full potential his style will need some altering.
High Risk:
SF Brandon Ingram -- The No. 4 player in the country, Ingram improved as much during his senior season as anybody in the country. As good as he is, though, Ingram is still quite skinny (6-8, 180) and the physical aspect of the college game could be an issue. The other aspect is that he's coming on so quick that he is one of those guys that won't necessarily have to put up huge numbers to have the NBA drooling over his skill set and potential. Six-foot-8 guys who can move like guards and fill it from deep don't grow on trees and it's possible that he is gone too quickly from college to help out at the level he's capable of.
C Thon Maker: For now, Maker plans to enroll at either Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas or Kentucky for the second semester of the 2015-16 season. That's dangerous, because it means there's a chance a college coach only gets him for a few months and he will at least have missed summer and fall weight sessions and skill work. Also, he will have to play catch-up when learning the offense and finding his role on a team. It's also risky to hold onto a scholarship until mid-winter in hopes that he comes to your campus. But make no mistake, his ability to protect the rim, run the floor and score out to 15 feet is tantalizing.
PF Carlton Bragg -- The upside for the No. 21 player is pretty high. He's athletic and pretty mobile at 6-foot-9. He is also a pretty good jump-shooter and can get out and fill the lanes in transition. However, Bragg can be inconsistent with his effort and sometimes gets lost out on the floor and misses assignments. That's something that could hurt him early on at Kansas. Much like Perry Ellis and Marcus Morris took their lumps as freshmen, Bragg is likely going to be equal parts frustrating and exciting early on.
Low Risk:
SF Jaylen Brown -- Another player who is physically and mentally ready for the college game, the No. 3 player in 2015 doesn't get rattled by much. He can draw and finish through contact, shoots well enough from deep to command respect and is a straight line driver who doesn't waste dribbles.
Medium Risk:
PF Cheick Diallo -- The No. 5 player in the class of 2015, the only reason Diallo checks in as a medium risk is because he still needs work with his skill game and probably needs to play center early in his career. While he plays like a man possessed, he is relatively thin for an elite level center at 6-9, 220. There will likely be some ups and downs with him early, but wherever he lands, he will be a fan favorite because of his non-stop motor and personality.
SG Malik Newman -- In college, Newman would like to play point guard and he is certainly capable of running and offense. However, what he does best is score as a two guard and his primary weapon is his pull-up jumper. As his classmates have caught up to him in the strength department, he hasn't been able to get by defenders as easily of the dribble. The No. 8 player is going to get his shots up wherever he lands, but to reach his full potential his style will need some altering.
High Risk:
SF Brandon Ingram -- The No. 4 player in the country, Ingram improved as much during his senior season as anybody in the country. As good as he is, though, Ingram is still quite skinny (6-8, 180) and the physical aspect of the college game could be an issue. The other aspect is that he's coming on so quick that he is one of those guys that won't necessarily have to put up huge numbers to have the NBA drooling over his skill set and potential. Six-foot-8 guys who can move like guards and fill it from deep don't grow on trees and it's possible that he is gone too quickly from college to help out at the level he's capable of.
C Thon Maker: For now, Maker plans to enroll at either Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas or Kentucky for the second semester of the 2015-16 season. That's dangerous, because it means there's a chance a college coach only gets him for a few months and he will at least have missed summer and fall weight sessions and skill work. Also, he will have to play catch-up when learning the offense and finding his role on a team. It's also risky to hold onto a scholarship until mid-winter in hopes that he comes to your campus. But make no mistake, his ability to protect the rim, run the floor and score out to 15 feet is tantalizing.
PF Carlton Bragg -- The upside for the No. 21 player is pretty high. He's athletic and pretty mobile at 6-foot-9. He is also a pretty good jump-shooter and can get out and fill the lanes in transition. However, Bragg can be inconsistent with his effort and sometimes gets lost out on the floor and misses assignments. That's something that could hurt him early on at Kansas. Much like Perry Ellis and Marcus Morris took their lumps as freshmen, Bragg is likely going to be equal parts frustrating and exciting early on.
