Washington guard Isaiah Thomas has been quiet throughout the 2011 NBA Draft process, with Washington State's Klay Thompson stealing most of the headlines locally. Thomas opted to forgo his senior year at Washington and enter the NBA Draft after coming to the realization that he likely wouldn't be able to play point guard for the Huskies next year, and he hopes to take advantage of the weak draft class while sneaking into the first round. But judging by the latest 2011 NBA mock drafts, nobody has a clue where Thomas will end up, and it's hard to find a set of projections with him in the first round.
Over at Draft Express, Isaiah Thomas is not only outside the first round, he's near the end of the second round. Meanwhile, SB Nation's Tom Ziller has Thomas part of his first five out, just missing the first round in his latest 2011 NBA mock draft. Here are the players joining him:
Next five, in some order:
Charles Jenkins, G, Hofstra
Iman Shumpert, G, Georgia Tech
Tyler Honeycutt, F, UCLA
Travis Leslie, F, Georgia
Isaiah Thomas, G, Washington
While it's good Thomas is close to the end of the first round, the fact he's the last of the next five doesn't bode well, either. Ziller has moved Thomas in and out of the first round throughout the process, but it's hard to find anyone else with the same feelings.
The good news for Thomas is that he's a prime sleeper candidate. He's the type of player nobody is talking about, but may suddenly pop-up on Thursday. He could be a player that surprises and comes off the board suddenly in the late-first or early-second round.
We'll find out where Thomas ends up as the 2011 NBA Draft gets underway on Thursday at 4 p.m. For the latest projections ahead of the draft, stay with our 2011 NBA mock draft StoryStream. For more on the Washington Huskies, head over to SB Nation's UW Dawg Pound.