While the rest of the college basketball world continues to go nuts over undefeated Kentucky or outstanding young players like Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns on the road to March Madness, one player is left on the outside looking in, and it’s not right.
That player is Frank Kaminsky. Though his name sounds more like that of a man who you’d consult when buying insurance or changing a tire, the Wisconsin senior center is very quietly having a season worthy of a Top Ten pick in this summer’s NBA draft. Yet, scouts continue to pay more attention to the likes of Okafor, Towns or even Kaminsky’s fellow Big Ten star D’Angelo Russell, an Ohio State freshman point guard.
Granted, each of those players are having incredible freshman seasons. Okafor has tallied 17.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for Duke; Towns has flourished as the big man in the middle for John Calipari’s undefeated Wildcats; Russell’s unique size and versatility has his value skyrocketing as the tournament approaches. In an era where declaring for the draft after one year of school has basically become the rule rather than the exception, to say that these three young men will enjoy successful NBA careers is not only an expectation, but a certainty.
But Kaminsky’s path has been much different than that of his peers. Blessed with excellent size at 7’0”, 234 pounds, he has evolved from riding the pine his freshman year, to being a roleplayer as a sophomore, to being the starting center his junior and senior years, and continually improving his game. And yet, he still flies under the radar.
How the man doesn’t get more attention is beyond me. Kaminsky currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring with 17.7 points per game, second in rebounding with 8.3 per game, and is also ranked fifth in blocks with 1.6 per game. Moreover, he has shot 55 percent from the field and 41 percent from long range, displaying poise and intelligent shot selection in all circumstances.
Earlier today, in the final home game of his college career, he posted the following stat line in a 68-61 win against an ever-feisty Michigan State Spartans squad: 31 points (11-17 shooting, 3-4 from three-point land), eight rebounds, three blocks and even two steals. It’s clear that after leading the Badgers to the Final Four last year, he is already in championship mode.
And yet, nbadraft.net only has Kaminsky projecting as a late-first round pick, with unproven international prospects like Emmanuel Mudiay and Mario Hezonja finishing ahead of him on the draft board along with fellow college center Myles Turner, who has talent but plays for the far inferior Texas Longhorns of the Big 12. Ironically, like the players I mentioned before Kaminsky, Turner is also a freshman. Thus exists more evidence that teams’ obsession with freshmen and youth is becoming more valuable than experience and leadership.
The fact of the matter is that Kaminsky is the kind of player that NBA GMs should be lining up to scout. Though a big man, he moves with the grace of a 2-guard with his ability to drive the lane and stretch the floor, and can also fill a traditional role by standing and banging in the lane. Give him five to ten more pounds of muscle to his frame, plus proper development, and he easily has what it takes to become a Dirk Nowitzki-like power forward.
Of similar size at 7’0”, 237 pounds, Nowitzki was drafted ninth overall out of the German leagues in 1998 and has built a surefire Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Mavericks in years since. He is currently in his 17th season, and holds career marks of 22.4 points and eight rebounds per contest and has shot 48 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point land. For a big man, those are phenomenal percentages.
On top of that, Nowitzki also spent his rookie season as more of a role player, averaging 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds while posting mediocre shooting numbers over 20.4 minutes per game. Since then he has become a 13-time All Star, won an MVP Award and championship ring, and has been named to 12 total All-NBA Teams.
Given Kaminsky’s drive to succeed and similar gameplay, there is nothing to suggest that he cannot achieve the same success on the professional level. His career three-point percentage at Wisconsin is only about 35 percent, but the fact that it has improved every single year and he makes his inside game a priority over it is proof positive that he has all of the necessary tools to become an NBA star.
Still, freshman players for more storied teams continue to get more attention than the four-year workhorse who has shown nothing but commitment to becoming a better player since Day One. If Kaminsky can continue his strong play through the end of the regular season and into the tournament, scouts will have no choice but to finally give him the respect he has long deserved.
*Section Photo credit to Jamie Squire, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Cal Sport Media via AP Images
