Is Nate Wolters NBA Ready?

At the 2013 Summit League Tournament, all eyes are going to be on Nate Wolters from South Dakota State University.

Clearly the most talented player in the conference, "Nate the Great" has garnered a lot of national attention for his 50+ outburst this season and his consistency being a force offensively for the Jacks the last couple of years.

Not only has the national media taken notice of Nate's talents, the NBA has as well.

There will be at least 15 NBA scouts in attendance for SDSU games at the Summit Tournament and current mock drafts have Nate hearing his name called come the draft this summer.

According to numerous mock drafts, Nate Wolters is a projected mid-second round pick in the upcoming NBA draft, however, a strong performance in the Summit League Tournament and even potentially in the NCAA Tournament could vault his stock.

NBAdraft.net actually has Nate being selected with the first pick in the 2nd round, much higher than some other sites, but it just shows how valuable some think he could be.

Talking to NBA scouts, the main concern is once Nate gets to the next level that he first will be able to drive the lane like he does so well now, yet in the NBA, it will be against much better talent and much more length than he sees in the Summit League.

Secondly, they want him to continue to evolve as a shooter.  He relies so heavily on his ability to drive the lane and make shots in the paint, that scouts wonder how he will do when is forced to shoot more perimeter shots.

Time will tell on both fronts, but for a kid that was overlooked by big time U's all over the Midwest and even in his backyard of Minnesota, Nate Wolters has made one thing clear: He is on a mission to bring home another Summit League title and that could pay off big time for him next year in the NBA.