FROM ESPN:
May 31 Update: Jordan is huge and more polished on offense than you'd think. With him, the issues are all about toughness and motor. Many GMs see him as laid-back; he's going to have to get physical and play a little nasty in workouts to convince them that he's got the temperament to man the middle in the NBA.
May 11 Update: In Chad Ford's pre-draft workout tour, he evaluated Jordan in Los Angeles: At the start of the 2008-09 season, we had Jordan ranked in the lottery. Jordan was coming off a terrific summer run at the LeBron James Skills Academy, and a number of NBA scouts thought they were looking at a potentially dominant big man.
However, Jordan never quite developed the way many teams thought he would. He got better, but he rarely dominated. By the midpoint of his senior season, it seemed like most NBA teams had lost interest.
I think they'll be regaining it soon. I was really impressed with Jordan in his workout. He was light on his feet, showed a soft touch around the basket and looked absolutely huge.
Jordan has measured nearly 7-1 in shoes and has a big-time, 7-5 wingspan. Size-wise, he's the real deal, which was evident watching Jarvis Varnado struggle to get his shot off against him.
Jordan's two biggest weaknesses are correctable. He only started playing seriously when he was 17 years old, missed his senior season in high school and rarely played as a freshman at Tulsa. In other words, he has a lot of room to grow as a player. He also needs to add strength, especially in his lower body. He's made some progress in that area over the course of his college career, but he needs more time in the weight room.
Of all the players I saw Monday, he was the one I walked away convinced was too low on our Big Board. There is a dearth of centers in the draft, and Jordan has too much potential to slide out of the first round. Big guys rise as we get closer to draft night, and if Jordan continues to play like he did in Los Angeles, someone is going to take a chance on him in the 20s.
Feb. 17 Update, by Fran Fraschilla: No one is really talking about Jordan and I sense that some NBA scouts have given up on him. But, in his last nine Conference USA games, Jordan is averaging 17.3 points on 10.7 shots a game, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He recently dropped 20 points on a long and athletic UTEP Miners squad during a 7-for-11 shooting performance. Not bad for a guy who is playing without a true point guard and is seeing double- and triple-teams nightly.
The 7-foot, 250-pound native of Jamaica is still a work in progress and in the infancy of his game. He didn't play as a high school senior and played sparingly as a freshman at Tulsa. Since his sophomore season, however, he has become one of the most effective low-post players in college.
The criticism of Jordan is in his ability to hold his ground in the low post because of his narrow lower body base. Yet, when I saw Jordan early in the season, he had clearly improved his frame and his strength and he can still handle another 25 pounds of weight easily. I really liked his agility and athletic ability, but everything revolves around playing more physically. Interestingly, he is drawing seven fouls a game, according to kenpom.com and is shooting seven free throws a game.
In the low post, Jordan can turn over both shoulders and on both blocks, though he prefers the left side of the court. He possesses a nice jump hook to his left shoulder and a turnaround jump shot over his right shoulder. This year, he's added a soft 17-foot jumper which will fit nicely into a pick-and-pop game in any NBA screen-and-roll offense. And Jordan has gotten better at recognizing the various traps that come at him and he has improved his passing ability.
While Jordan is ranked No.45 on the latest draft Big Board, given that this is a weak draft, in my opinion he is a steal after the 20th pick. Physical strength still holds him back, but in a draft devoid of low-post players, he's had a more productive college career than anyone not named Aldrich.
Nov 24 Update: Jordan has been showing up strongly on NBA radar screens for a few years. He has the size and girth to be a legit NBA starting center. But does he have the skills? He has gotten marginally better the past few seasons, but his numbers haven't improved that much on the court. He's going to have to show a huge improvement on the offensive end to get back into lottery consideration.
Nov 13 Update: In 2008 at the LeBron camp, Jordan was a real standout, so much so that a few scouts thought he might be a top-10 pick in 2009. Once the season came, Jordan's stock fell back to Earth and he hasn't done much to help it climb again. Scouts came away unwowed by his performance at this summer's camp. Said one scout, "It's one year later and he's not any better." Ugh.
Apr 11 Update: Jordan announced on April 10 that he'd return to Tulsa for his senior season. Jordan is big and athletic, but NBA teams are still waiting to see him put it all together on the basketball court. If he has a breakout year as a senior, he could be a lottery pick. If not, he should end up somewhere in the first round in 2010.
Feb 6 Update: After getting off to a slow start this season, Jordan has been on fire lately, putting up big numbers in Conference USA play. A solid shot-blocker and rebounder, Jordan possesses great size and good athletic ability for a big man. While he doesn't look like a superstar, he does have enough ability that someone will likely grab him in the late lottery or mid-first round.
Jan. 15 update: Before the season began, we had Jordan ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the draft. His size and agility, combined with an impressive performance at LeBron's summer camp, had scouts drooling. After a lukewarm start to the season, Jordan has been phenomenal of late. He has dropped double-doubles in five of his past six games, including an impressive 20-point, 13-rebound performance against Memphis on Tuesday, carrying Tulsa on his shoulders and almost producing the upset. While Jordan needs to get stronger and tougher, the raw tools and skills are all there. He has moved back into our top 15, and could rise higher if he continues to produce.
Jan. 2 update: On potential, Jordan is a lottery pick. But as far as actual production goes, he's been a mixed bag. His rebounding and scoring numbers are up a bit, but his shot-blocking is down. He's coming off, perhaps, his best game of the year versus BYU, where he had 13 points and 14 rebounds. If he can build on that in the second half of the season, Jordan still has a chance to rise into the lottery. Remember, scouts are hungry for big men and there just aren't many quality ones in this year's draft.
6/25/2010 12:13 AM