The consensus seems to be relatively the same on former Syracuse forwards Rakeem Christmas and Chris McCullough when it comes to where they will fall in the NBA Draft. Most experts have them landing anywhere from the late first round the the middle of the second, with questions surrounding each determining which end of that spectrum will provide them with a professional home.

Here’s a compilation of where a handful of sites predict the two landing at Barclays Center on Thursday night.

Chad Ford, ESPN: McCullough No. 29 to the Brooklyn Nets, Christmas No. 38 to the Detroit Pistons

Ford: McCullough tore his ACL and will likely miss most of the NBA season. But there is lottery talent there, and given the Nets’ atrocious draft-pick situation in the coming years, they need to take a half-court heave here and hope that when he’s healthy, McCullough will live up to his raw potential.

Christmas has been a star in the draft process, and if he goes in the late first round, I wouldn’t be surprised. I doubt he slides further than here. The Pistons will need backup help at both frontcourt positions, and Christmas can come in and contribute right away.

Gary Parrish, CBSSports: McCullough No. 30 to the Golden State Warriors, Christmas No. 36 to the Minnesota Timberwolves

Parrish: McCullough remains a compelling prospect even though he was mostly injured as a freshman. At this point, for a team already built, he’s worth the gamble for the Warriors.

Christmas finally, as a senior, became the college player he was always supposed to be for the Orange.

Jonathan Givony, DraftExpress: McCullough No. 29 to Brooklyn, Christmas No. 34 to the Los Angeles Lakers

Givony: After being forced to swap first-round picks with Atlanta, the Nets will have to dig for gold to try to bring some sorely needed talent onto their roster. One solution could be swinging for the fences for McCullough, who has the physical attributes and upside of a top-20 pick, but is a few years away from being able to contribute because of his lack of experience and the fact he’s coming off a torn ACL. The most difficult thing to find in today’s NBA is a power forward who can shoot 3s and block shots, and McCullough shows nice potential in those areas.

Derek Bodner, USA TODAY: McCullough No. 29 to the Nets, Christmas No. 31 to Minnesota

Bodner: McCullough would be a nice value pick here for the Nets based on pure talent, something the Nets could use with few options in the draft in coming years.

NBADraft.net: McCullough No. 34 to Los Angeles, Christmas No. 35 to the Philadelphia 76ers

And the sites only projecting the first round:

Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated: McCullough No. 30 to Golden State

Mannix: McCullough — whose season ended early due to a knee injury — would seem to be an ideal fit for Golden State’s up-tempo system. He is long, athletic and has a nice looking jump shot. He will need to bulk up and the knee injury was certainly a setback, but the deep Warriors can afford to be patient with a player with terrific talent.

Reid Forgrave, Fox Sports: Christmas No. 28 to the Boston Celtics

Forgrave: Sure, Christmas is old for a first-rounder at 23. But for a team in need of a rim protector, he has enormous length — his wingspan is the second-highest of any draft-eligible player. During his dominant senior season, Christmas expanded his reputation as a shot-blocker/rebounder, then he had an excellent NBA Combine where he showed more versatile offensive skills than ever before. He’s a strong, dynamic athlete who has the feel of a solid NBA rotation player.

Joe Kotoch, Sheridan Hoops: Christmas No. 25 to the Memphis Grizzlies

Kotoch: The Grizzlies are expected to re-sign All-Star center Marc Gasol and want to re-sign backup Kosta Koufos, But with forward Zach Randolph getting on in years, drafting a versatile big and legitimate rim protector such as Christmas would be a good choice.

Published on June 25, 2015 at 11:08 am

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