Just checked NBA Draft Net’s latest mock draft. It has UK’s Patrick Patterson as the 21st pick, down from 19th previously. It has Jodie Meeks at No. 47, a drop from No. 33.
The board has Pat going to the Utah Jazz, but not as a lottery pick. It has Philadelphia taking Meeks.
The site compares Patterson to Buck Williams. It doesn’t have a full analysis of Meeks, meaning that Jodie wasn’t on the NBA radar before this season.
Meanwhile, at Draft Express, Patterson is rated as the 17th pick, but doesn’t have Meeks as a selection.
I think both Meeks and Patterson will return for their senior and junior seasons, respectively.
I’m not convinced either is NBA-ready–another year in college will only make them better. Meeks needs to work on his passing, which leads to lots of turnovers. Patterson needs to work on his mid-range jump shot; I know he can hit it, but in the NBA he’d have to use it a lot more because he’s going to have lots of bigger defenders on him.
Second, both players see that the future is brighter for Kentucky, and I think they both want to be a part of that. Daniel, Jon, and G.J.; the imminent improvement of Deandre Liggins; the continuation of Darius Miller’s development (he could start next season); the eligibility of another big man in Matt Pilgrim–it’s not hard to see that with the return of Meeks and Patterson we could be the team to beat (again) in the SEC and could make a run in the NCAAs.
Third, I believe education is important to Meeks and Patterson. Every interview I’ve heard with Meeks, or even with his father, Orestes, I get a picture of a young man who wants to get his college degree, who is serious about his studies, and who realizes the importance of higher education (not only for himself, but in his influence on others). I feel much the same way about Patterson. His parents have repeatedly said that Patrick was going to get his degree. I believe them–and I’m sure that he’ll be graduating before he leaves.
While I realize the lure of big bucks would be virtually impossible to turn down, both of these young men are basketball players and extremely tough competitors. Getting drafted at the tail end of the first round or in the second is no real guarantee of playing time. Both of them may “test the waters,” but I fully expect both to return and help make Kentucky KENTUCKY again.