Skal Labissiere (Photo : Twitter)
Now that Ben Simmons college career is officially over, he leaves the door open for other draft prospects to improve their stock.
The player who should make the most of that opportunity is Brandon Ingram of the Duke Blue Devils.
Ingram was already intriguing NBA scouts because he does the one thing that Simmons can't seem to do-shoot the ball. That skill has become the most important in today's NBA.
While he can still improve his perimeter game and defense, scouts can see that Ingram is built for the new NBA style of play, as ESPN draft guru Chad Ford mentioned.
"He has the intriguing combination of size, length and athleticism, with an ability to stretch the floor and guard multiple positions," Ford said. "Scouts use comps of everyone from Paul George to a better shooting Giannis Antetokounmpo."
The Duke standout was already gaining on Ben Simmons of LSU. The school has declared that it will not decline an invitation to the NIT. The program was highly criticized for not making the tournament despite having the best player.
Now, Ingram will have the chance to showcase how he performs in crucial games and that could be the x-factor that makes teams choose him over Simmons, who was also (unfairly) given the red flag of failing to rally his teammates.
Another prospect who could make strides in the tournament is Skal Labissiere of the Kentucky Wildcats. Labissiere was actually the prospect who projected to challenge Simmons but he got off to an awkward, rocky start with the Wildcats and this led to him dropping out as a lotter pick in most mock drafts.
However, the 19 year old has started to turn things around lately and if the Wildcats go on an extended run, he might turn more heads, as Today's Fastbreak speculated.
"I feel like Skal Labissiere has finally figured it out for Kentucky, and it's right at the perfect time for this team to make a deep run in March," Ben Stram of TFB stated. "Many people wrote off the athletic, two-way big man as a one-and-done talent after Labissiere was benched after just 11 games. He averaged just 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds during his first 16 SEC games."
In a showdown against Simmons' LSU, Labissiere had 18 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. If he continues to deliver those consistent numbers in the tournament against quality opponents, he may creep into the top 5 again.
