Along with other members of the media, I got the opportunity to talk to ESPN analyst Jay Bilas yesterday. Here is what he had to say about Kentucky's P J. Washington, Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson...
PJ is probably going to hear his name first, PJ Washington will probably go first. My guess is it will probably be Tyler Herro right after that.
PJ Washington is going to be a good player for a long time in the league. He’s just solid. With his athletic profile, the fact that he’s very skilled, do I see him being a star in the NBA, an All-Star? Probably not. Do I see him being a starter in the league? I do. I think he’s got the opportunity to play for a long, long time.
Herro is one of the best shooters in the draft, really improved his defense. But his perimeter shooting, along with his range, he showed I thought a good frame, really good athleticism, but knocks his free throws down at a really high rate. I think it’s 93, 94 percent and continued to get better.
I thought his improvement as a defender and his toughness was really, really impressive. The best game I saw him play in person was at Louisville. His defense was probably the difference in the game. He scored well, too. Not a super long athlete. His arms are actually shorter than his height, which is not usually the case for NBA prospects.
But because he can really shoot it, I really like him in the league as a guy who can space the floor, knock down shots. He showed his ability to take a bump, too. He doesn’t back off at all.
I like Keldon Johnson a lot. He’s a hard-nosed, physical player that can guard people. I think as a defender, that’s where he shows the most promise, but he can get downhill on offense, hit a pullup jump shot. I think he’ll continue to improve his range as a shooter.
But from the college line, shot a very solid, what, 39%, if I remember right, made almost 50 threes. I think he can improve his shooting and free-throw shooting. That’s the next step. But he has a lot of ability. It just needs to be refined.