With Oklahoma State star guard Marcus Smart dropping out of the 2013 NBA Draft, the crop of elite prospects for the Charlotte Bobcats to snag this year just got lighter. However, on the bright side, Smart no longer being in this year’s draft class makes it much more likely Charlotte won’t be foolish and draft a guard with what figures to be a very high lottery pick.

Anthony Bennett’s Strengths

They could still surprise us, but the odds are good that the Bobcats try to get bigger, stronger and more talented down low. With that line of thinking in place, we’re moving on to yet another big man that could interest the Bobcats come June. UNLV’s Anthony Bennett has been sky-rocketing up draft boards, and could be a serious threat to be a top-five pick if all goes well.

Let’s take a closer look at his strengths and weaknesses and decide whether or not he’s a good fit for the Bobcats:

An offensive dynamo. Has imposing well on the blocks and is extremely efficient inside. Has excellent range on his jumper – extending out to the NBA three. Has really nice athleticism for the NBA 4. Rises over defenders with ease and finishes strong around the rim. Very good ball handler for his position. Smart player who knows angles and can draw fouls and charges with the best of them. Takes care of the ball and is very much a team player. In just one season of college ball he’s displayed a great feel for the game and a ton of upside. There is a lot of untapped potential here.

Leave no stone unturned. That may not actually apply to the notion of the Charlotte Bobcats potentially drafting Michigan point guard Trey Burke, but depending on who you are and what you think of the current Charlotte roster, you could argue it should.

Kemba Walker has made significant strides in year two with the Bobcats. There’s no doubt about that. In fact, at first glance it looks like Burke is a borderline replica of Walker. He’s ball dominant, under-sized for the NBA point, not exactly an elite athlete, is a high volume scorer, and is a clutch performer with strong leadership capabilities.

One huge difference, however, is that (at least on the surface), Burke appears to have better point guard skills. But before we get too muddied up by this dirty, nasty idea of the Bobcats drafting another shoot-first point guard instead of what they really need (a high-quality big man), let’s at least scout Burke and see how/why he might be worth a look inside the lottery in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The last time I scouted a guard for the Bobcats for the upcoming 2013 NBA Draft, a loyal reader screamed bloody murder in regards to the mere possibility of Charlotte adding another guard when it’s painfully obvious their biggest need is down low.

That may be true, but it’s finally time to take a look at Oklahoma State product Marcus Smart for two reasons: First, he’s a heck of a prospect who at the moment stands a great chance at being a top-five pick. And secondly, as solid as Kemba Walker has been in his second season, no one else on the Bobcats at the guard position has been so awesome that they can’t be replaced or upgraded upon.

After all, NBA GM’s won’t waste much time in telling you that the draft is largely about upside, and usually that line of thinking can force you to bypass a need and simply draft the best player available.

We’re six NBA prospects in, but the possibilities remain endless for the Charlotte Bobcats heading into the 2013 NBA Draft. We’ll eventually cover all the bases by even scouting a guy Charlotte probably doesn’t necessarily “need” in Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart, but for now we’re trying to nail down the main big name prospects that make the most sense.

The Bobcats will likely have to get a tad screwed in the lottery to fall far enough to pick up Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk, but after taking a look at him, I’m starting to think that will only be the immediate popular knee-jerk reaction, and not the eventual reality. Let’s find out why:

The Charlotte Bobcats need help in their front-court. Badly. Byron Mullens isn’t efficient or a defensive stalwart, and Bismack Biyombo has no offensive game to speak of. Combine the two, and you’d have a pretty decent big man. But individually, their flaws are gigantic and easy to expose.

Needless to say, as we’ve exercised countless times here at Bobcats Planet during this disastrous 2012-13 season, the Bobcats are starving for some good, young talent in the paint.

Mullens and Biyombo serve a purpose and are solid young talents to grow on. But neither is a true go-to guy in any sense of the phrase, and the only way they’ll ever truly get better is if a more advanced post presence can help them find their true role and help Charlotte stop trying to make them into superstars.

Any way you shake it, Charlotte needs more meat down low, so it only makes sense to steer the draft ship toward big man Alex Len, as we start pondering what Charlotte might do should they pick outside the top-five. After all, with how god awful this year has been, it’s probably right to assume the Bobcats won’t be landing the #1 overall pick, right?

With that said, on to scouting Maryland center Alex Len.

We’ve now scouted some of the top 2013 NBA Draft prospects in Cody Zeller, Shabazz Muhammad, Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore. There are more hot prospects that could go in the top-five this year, and Georgetown’s Otto Porter comes in as the fifth big name we’ll take a look at in preparation for Charlotte’s “day in the sun” come June.

We all know the Bobcats are pathetic, but the hope is that this much losing will land a high lottery pick (crossing my fingers for top-three), and now we’re looking at Porter in case the Bobcats are forced to settle with the #5 pick. Prospects are rising and falling every day and March Madness could really shake things up. I was torn between Porter or Marcus Smart for this slot, but considering Smart is likely to play the point at the next level and Charlotte already has Kemba Walker, I’m skipping him for now.