Harrison Barnes has struggled to meet expectations, but that hasn’t stopped NBA scouts and executives from drooling over his potential.

"When you watch him, really watch him close, I think you gain a major appreciation for his game," one veteran NBA executive said. "He hasn't wowed us the way we expected him to, but his maturity level, his skill set and his overall feel for the game are outstanding. He's better than his box score shows and I think he's going to go much higher than most people expect him to on draft night. If he has a big game against Duke and in the [subsequent ACC and NCCA] tournaments, he could still go No. 1."

Barnes is averaging 13.9 points on 40.6 percent shooting.