Devin Ebanks - RaptorsHQ Draft Prospect Preview #2

With its second Friday draft preview, Franchise discusses one of his favourite players from college the past two seasons and a player he feels would be a great addition to the Toronto Raptors, West Virginia's Devin Ebanks.

Before we get into this Friday's prospect preview, a few quick thoughts on last night's Celtics win, which I believe directly impacts the Toronto Raptors.

For starters, there's a good chance of course that LeBron James now leaves the Cavs and heads to NYC, Chicago or Miami.  I was fairly certain LeBron wasn't going anywhere up until the past couple of games but you can't say anything for certain now, and I think that makes a Chris Bosh departure even more likely.  Had James stuck around in Cleveland, suddenly CB4's "pairing up" options were probably limited to joining Wade or going somewhere with Joe Johnson; the Cavs couldn't financially keep LeBron and take on a contract of Bosh's size without going way, way, way, over the luxury tax limit...not to mention they had only recently traded for Antawn Jamison.  But now there's a very real chance that LeBron and Bosh, who share a number of relationships, from agency to celeb friends like Canadian rapper Drake, head somewhere together, a scary thought for the East.

That being said, I hope everyone who watched the game noted that once again, teams beat individuals.  Yes guys like LeBron, Kobe and Wade are the definition of "max" and "franchise" players, but if the chemistry isn't there and they're not surrounded by the right players, it rarely matters...especially when playoff time rolls around.  Last night I saw much of the same thing I'd seen through most of the series; a more cohesive and better-prepared Celtics team beating a Cavs' club that frankly looked unsure of itself in key moments.

You can fault LeBron, or his supporting cast.

You can take Mike Brown to task for his rotations and decisions, or Danny Ferry for failing to provide James with the help he needed.

But regardless, the better team won the series, plain and simple, and they're moving on.

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And so shall we as we turn to the second in our weekly prospect series.

Today we focus in on West Virginia forward/swingman Devin Ebanks. Ebanks was a key cog in West Virginia's recent Final Four run, a long and very athletic player who was slated as a first-round pick last season as a freshman, before he opted to return to college.

We checked in with Mark Stickel from SB Nation's West Virginia blog, The Smoking Musket, and here was his take on Devin:

From my POV, Ebanks will be a solid defender/rebounder in the NBA, but needs work on the Offensive side of the ball.  His mid-range jumper has been inconsistent, but that improved down the stretch and may have been attributable to an early season hand injury.  His biggest strength is his great length/reach.  At his best, he could harrass the top offensive types and be a lock-down defender.  He's a decent ball handler for someone of his length (we counted on him bringing the ball up often, especially after we lost Bryant to injury).  He still needs more muscle, which he did gain quite a bit after one year in the off-season program.  I see him in the mold of a hybrid Marcus Camby/Scottie Pippen/Dennis Rodman type player at the next level if he reaches his full potential, although not putting up their superstar numbers.  I think Devin will be a solid NBA player though with tremendous potential.