Former NBA scout Mike Procopio suggested Meyers Leonard should spend a third year in college.

“There are pluses and minuses for him to stay and go,” said Procopio who, in addition to being Kobe Bryant’s personal scouting consultant is also director of basketball operations for Tim Grover’s ATTACK Athletics. “I think there’s more risk for him to leave. Bottom line, he’s seven feet tall and has an NBA skill that he can rebound, run and be active. In my opinion, he hasn’t played in enough big games and had to carry a team. Granted you don’t have to play in big games to be an NBA player, but battling with adversity is a very underrated skill.”

Procopio views Leonard as an active, high-energy big man at the next level.

“I think NBA comparables are Tiago Splitter from San Antonio, Jeff Foster from Indiana, Andris Biedrins from Golden State, Louis Amundson from Indiana,” Procopio said. “Some of those guys are at a higher level. It all depends on how focused he is coming into the league. If he’s a guy who is focused like Tyler Hansbrough, he can get better. If he’s not focused, he can be like Leon Smith and fall on his face.

“Even if he does play next year in college, he’ll probably still play in the D-League the following year. He could be someone like Byron Mullens who spent time in the D-League and now is not a bad player for Charlotte.”