NBA Draft Profile: Elias Harris

March. 2, 2013; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Elias Harris cuts off a piece of the net after a game against the Portland Pilots at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga won 81-52. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Good day, WCC lovers!

The NBA Draft is nigh, and with that comes another riveting edition of the Gonzaga Draft Prospects. This week, we (attempt to) cover the enigma that is Elias Harris, senior forward, four-year starter, and total question mark.

To be completely honest, I was reluctant to write an article about Elias’s draft prospects. Just as his college career was, so are his prospects in the pros: confusing, opaque, unpredictable…the list goes on and on. To be completely honest, this article would have been a complete breeze to write should Elias have left after his freshman year, when he was viewed as a consensus first round pick.

Now? Not so much.

Elias’s final three seasons of collegiate basketball were enigmatic (at best). There were games when Elias looked like an unstoppable force at small forward. Then came the ever-unhelpful transition to an undersized power forward role, and then came the Achilles injury, and then came the final couple seasons in which Elias looked lost at times on offense, and unimpactful on defense. Clearly his draft stock has since plummeted.

I’m confused as to what will happen to Elias. He’s participating in tons of workouts, yet he’s not getting rated as a draftee by any experts. It’s a confusing (and frustrating) situation for both fans of Gonzaga basketball at the professional level and of Elias Harris.

Personally, I don’t see Elias being drafted. He’s too much of an enigma for teams to take a chance on him. I think he latches on somewhere as a developmental project. It’s unclear what he translates to in the NBA. Does he become a small forward? Does he go the Barkley route and become an undersized power forward?

Time will tell.

Thanks for reading, all.