And they're smitten with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the Kentucky freshman whose nonstop activity at both ends of the court makes him the top choice of NBA personnel types at the small forward position right now, less than two months before the June 28 Draft. It isn't a deep class of threes to begin with, so Kidd-Gilchrist stands out even more. Barring some dramatic turn in opinion, the 18-year-old will be a top-three pick.

The other small forward prospect with Top 10 potential is North Carolina's Harrison Barnes, who surprised many last year when he didn't opt for the Draft after his freshman season. If Barnes had come in then he probably would have been a top five pick. This year, he's still likely to go top 10 because of his shot-making ability. 

What makes Kidd-Gilchrist's ascension even more dramatic is the fact that he was neither a great shooter (he was a ghastly 25.5 percent from 3-point range) nor scorer (11.9 points per game, third on the team) in his one season in Lexington. He was a good-but-not-great rebounder, and he didn't add many assists or blocked shots. But MKG is beloved by NBA scouts for a simple reason: he plays hard. His path to the pros is his relentlessness. Playing hard, as I'll say for the billionth time, is a skill.

"He's not overly vertical," said a Pacific Division executive of Kidd-Gilchrist, "but he plays the whole game. He plays all aspects of the game. He's a tough, tough minded kid." 

He's compared to Gerald Wallace and Richard Jefferson, neither of whom came into the league with great jumpers, but have had long and productive careers by being explosive around the rim and getting good enough around the perimeter.

"You can't have enough guys who play like that," said a Pacific executive. "I know (shooting) is a concern. But we've thrown around in a lot of meetings examples of guys who developed their shot. Guys like him, they just find a way. When you play that hard, you just find a way. I'm not saying you don't play off of him for the jump shot. But it's like Gerald Wallace. He's not a great ballhandler, not a great shooter. (But) for a guy who plays that hard, there's a certain value because of the way it rubs off on other players." 

Barnes' skill is catching and shooting. He's a smooth perimeter talent, and at 6-foot-8 he's more than big enough to get his shot off against most pro threes. A team with a low-post option or a penetrating point guard could have a field day rotating the ball out to Barnes on the weakside.

"No question he's a catch-and-shoot guy," said an Eastern Conference exec. "He's not a slasher. He's not a good finisher at the basket. Doesn't look all that athletic. But he's going to look good. I have to believe he'll be all of 6-8, NBA body, he can shoot the ball and would be a willing defender. He didn't have a great year, but I still don't think it's going to hurt him." 

"I think he should be an adequate defender, but to be honest, he's got to get over the fact that he was the high school player of the year and the greatest thing going, and the fact that he's no longer that," said a Pacific Division scout. "I don't know where his head's at. But he's a quality kid. No reason he can't figure it out. When he came to college I expected someone who was ahead of Shane Battier at that developmental stage, and Shane's had a pretty good career ... I never saw Harrison Barnes as LeBron James or Kobe Bryant or Jerry Stackhouse. I just saw a nice, solid player."

"I think Harrison could be a guy that we get down on and forget about, and then he has a solid, 15-year career," a Western Conference executive said. "You always want more from him, but he's talented enough and good enough that he's going to last. When you come in with so much hype, it's a disappointment when you don't live up to that."