Last season was disastrous for the Pac-12, and it showed on draft night. Just three Pac-12 players were selected in the 2012 NBA draft.
Usual NBA production factories like UCLA and Arizona were left out in the cold. Washington's Terrence Ross was the only Pac-12 player drafted in the lottery.
This season, things look much better for the Pac-12, thanks in large part to stellar recruiting classes for UCLA and Arizona.
I spoke with a number of NBA scouts to get a take on five players they'll be scouting closely in the Pac-12 this season. Here's the breakdown:
1. Shabazz Muhammad, G/F, Fr., UCLA
Top 100 Ranking: 3
If ruled eligible by the NCAA, Muhammad has a terrific shot at being the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft. He's blessed with elite athleticism, a motor that runs nonstop and plenty of tools on both ends of the floor -- scouts say he's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with more offensive game.
To read more of Chad Ford's top NBA prospects from the Pac-12's, become an Insider today.
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Chad Ford
Chad Ford covers the NBA and NBA draft for ESPN Insider. He also is a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and makes weekly appearances on ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS.
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Fran Fraschilla
Fran Fraschilla is a college basketball analyst for ESPN and ESPN Insider. He formerly was the head coach at Manhattan, St. John's and New Mexico. He has been part of ESPN's NBA draft broadcast coverage each of the past five seasons.
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David Thorpe
David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. and the executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Fla., where he oversees the player development program for NBA and college players. David has trained Kevin Martin, Corey Brewer, Omri Casspi, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Kyrylo Fesenko, Earl Clark, Jrue Holiday, DeJuan Blair and others.
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