Depending on which pick the New York Knicks win the lottery, team president Phil Jackson could have the pick of the litter - Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay - in the 2015 NBA draft. Mudiay is the most enigmatic of all the prospects, given his decision to play in China rather than play a year of college basketball. While not many American fans have seen Mudiay in action, ex-NBA star Stephon Marbury played against him in China and insists the 18-year-old guard is the real deal.
Mudiay's game has been compared to that of Derrick Rose and John Wall, but not many have actually seen the Congo native play. Marbury had the opportunity to go against Mudiay in the CBA semifinals and offered his own assessment of the NBA prospect.
"He's a kid who is going to be really good, has a big upside,'' Marbury told the New York Post. "He's got real potential, started at 18. He can play at a high level. It's about the people around (him), and who he surrounds himself with is important to what goes on in his career. ...
"He's got his own style - fast. He's got a little bit of everybody's game. What I like about him is he can jump and he's big, too, a big guard, more of a tweener. He can't really shoot that well right now, but he's got point-guard skills, sees the floor really well. He's definitely an NBA player. The question that teams want to know is if he'll be impactful for the organization before they invest the top pick. I gave him advice - stay on the right path.''
While one could argue Mudiay's decision to play overseas was a financial one, he said he made the decision because he felt playing in China would prepare him better than college would for the NBA.
