To say that UW's best basketball player—and athlete, for that matter—does not have thoughts of the next phase in his progression would more than likely be a falsity. Ideally, Alando Tucker's sole focus right now should be figuring out how he can put this team on his shoulders and win a national championship.
While he does that, though, we armchair observers and basketball enthusiasts can speculate, even though months remain until the NBA Draft.
Where does Tucker fit in the NBA? We're talking about position and team, and where he'll be selected when teams make their choices June 28 in New York City.
Of course, a lot of this depends on factors that have yet to be determined. It goes without saying that he must be healthy in pre-draft camps. The medical chart shows an injury to his right foot during his redshirt season that caused him to miss all but four games, but since then he's been full-go.
Then there's the audition he has to put on in front of NBA execs at those camps, but, assuming he's healthy, playing under pressure should not be a concern. Tucker thrives under those conditions, as evidenced by his head-turning numbers on the road this year in leading the Badgers to a 7-1 record.
One of the questions teams will have to ask themselves is what position best suits the 23-year-old. Is it shooting guard or small forward? The answer is that it probably doesn't even matter in this day and age of hybrids.
At two-guard, Tucker faces limitations shooting the ball from the outside, but you learn in the NBA that the jump-shot is a developable skill. There are also questions about his ball-handling ability, which has to be good at that spot on the floor.
More likely is that Tucker will find himself playing a lot of small forward. At 6'5'—we can quibble over eighths of an inch in early June—he's just a bit small for the ""3."" Still, he has an NBA-ready body and the athleticism to defend his opponents, even if they are one or two inches taller.
So, what teams are spoiling for an Alando Tucker? Draft order mostly notwithstanding, I could certainly see Miami keeping tabs on a guy like this. The Heat are aging badly, and they know a little something about choosing athletes from this state.
Seattle also sounds interesting. Rashard Lewis may leave. If that's the case, they're going to need a more physical player to complement Ray Allen.
In Los Angeles, the Clippers have lost their heart from last year and could use a player like Tucker.
I digress, though. The reality is that guessing what team Alando Tucker will end up on is pointless now, because too many variables remain, both in the professional and college ranks. While speculation may be fun, the real fun is watching UW's leading scorer take his team somewhere special this year.
And at the moment, suffice it to say that Alando is going to make an NBA team pretty happy soon enough.
Email Jon at bortin@wisc.edu with your thoughts on where Tucker should be drafted.
