Prospect: Reggie Hamilton

With the 2012 NBA Draft happening tomorrow, fans and bloggers are going a mile-a-minute with speculation and trade rumors involving draft picks and prospects. A lot of names are going around. Anthony Davis, who was featured on the most recent SLAM cover wearing a Hornets jersey even though he hasn't been drafted yet, is the consensus number 1 pick. With the next picks, scouts are saying that Thomas Robinson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal, and Harrison Barnes will be lottery selections. Here's a name you probably haven't heard: Reggie Hamilton.

Hamilton, a 23 year-old senior, led the NCAA in points per game this year with an average of 26.2 ppg. Here's a list of other players who have recently done the same thing: Jimmer Fredette, Stephen Curry, and Reggie Williams. All of those players are in the NBA currently. Fredette was a first-round draft pick to the Kings a year ago, Curry is a rising star who has only been held back by ankle injuries, and Williams has been in the league since 2009.

However, Hamilton is expected to go undrafted tomorrow. Even though he is 23 years old, played in what most would call a weak conference, and is only about 5-11 or 6-0, he averaged 26.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals a game last season with Oakland. He also shot 44.7% from the field, 42% from 3-point range, and 87.6% from the free-throw line. That's great in my opinion. If I was an NBA gm, I'd draft him.

Despite him probably not being drafted, Hamilton has worked out with a bunch of teams including the Pistons, Jazz, and Pacers, among others. If one of those teams doesn't take a chance on him with a second round pick, he could still sign with an NBA team. He could play in the Summer League, get invited to a training camp, be named to their preseason roster, and then make the squad for the regular season.

I'm pretty high on Hamilton right now. Unlike most bloggers, I don't care to look at the draft too much as a whole, but instead focus on a few prospects that I think are underrated. During last year's draft, I particularly liked Talor Battle, Scotty Hopson, Jacob Pullen, Isiah Thomas, and Josh Harrellson. I was right on the money with what I speculated about Thomas and Harrellson. Battle, Pullen, and Thomas went undrafted and haven't really been given a chance with an NBA team.

This year, I'll say this. Reggie Hamilton is my sleeper pick. I think he's underrated and could blossom into a star or a solid role player in the NBA. If he ends up with the Miami Heat, he could be a reserve point guard or a role player like Norris Cole and help them repeat in 2013. With the New York Knicks, he could end up being Jeremy Lin 2.0, especially if Lin signs with another team this offseason. With a team like the New Orleans Hornets, he could emerge as a starter and put up Kemba Walker-like stats in his rookie year. Other teams that I think he could be a starter on are the Los Angeles Lakers (if Ramon Sessions leaves), the Phoenix Suns (if Steve Nash leaves), the Toronto Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

I hope that Hamilton gets drafted tomorrow, but if he doesn't, I hope he can prove the doubters wrong. Here are a few point guards who went undrafted that Hamilton could end up like: Jeremy Lin, Mike James, Earl Boykins, David Wesley, Avery Johnson, Mike Wilks, Troy Hudson, and Darrell Armstrong.

Have any thoughts on Reggie Hamilton or this year's draft? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.