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MS
Posts: 27064
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Joined: 7/28/2004
Member: #724
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23 wins and 34 under curry this season most likely, but lets get a closer look at the draft
ODON and Durant are not in the cards for the selection, however below is a list of the talent that is expected to come out this season
Jeff Green
NBA Comparison: John Salmons/Lamar Odom
Strengths: Versatile player who’s all around ability creates mismatches for opposing teams … Above average passer with great court vision to recognize open teammates … Very good ball handler for his size … Defensively Green does a excellent job defending players on the perimeter … With his size and length he is capable of guarding a multitude of positions on the floor … Unselfish player almost to a fault … Shows a good post up game that Green uses to take advantage of smaller defenders … Sees double teams extremely well … Excellent finisher around the basket with a soft touch and springy legs … Smart player who possess a high basketball IQ … Moves extremely well without the ball and is a threat for backdoor alley-opps … Owns tremendous body control, capable of hanging in the air and finishing after contact … Decision making ability is very good, rarely does Green make mental mistakes during crucial moments in a game … Excellent finisher in transition where he has the explosiveness to finish … Good rebounder who does a decent job of using his arms and leaping ability to get rebounds out of position … Has three point range on his jumper, an area he has improved greatly upon this year … Solid attitude in his approach to the game and will be a strong locker room guy in the NBA … One of those select players who possesses a feel for the game that can’t be taught …
Weaknesses: While improved this year, Green still isn’t very comfortable shooting from the perimeter … Struggles to consistently create for himself off the dribble where his moves remain undeveloped … Has a tendency to force passes that aren’t there leading to turnovers … Will need to continue to expand his comfort level in shooting from mid-range … Needs to develop more of a scorers mentality at times he doesn’t assert himself on offense … While he possesses a great deal of small forward skills, some may consider him more of a pf … Would benefit greatly by improving his overall quickness and foot speed. This would aid him greatly on defense and allow him to gain better separation from his defender offensively … Defensively Green has a habit of gambling too much by reaching, leading him to pick up fouls …
Brandon Wright
NBA Comparison: Chris Bosh
Strengths: Extremely mobile for his size, Wright runs the court with great fluidity … Excellent help defender thanks to his long arms and lateral quickness … Does a great job of getting his body wide and establishing position in the low post … Emerging as a very good post passer … Possesses great shooting touch around the basket, he converts on hook shots and short jumpers with a soft touch … Great rebounder who uses his athleticism and long arms to obtain rebounds … Foot speed and footwork is incredibly advanced for his age … Because of this he can face the basket and get past his defender on the baseline … Recognizes double teams extremely well … He has yet to scratch the surface of his potential … Offensively Wright is an efficient player who plays to his strengths and rarely operates outside his comfort area … Moves well without the ball and is a threat to score on the quick lob pass … For a freshman Wright’s understanding of the game is exceptional … Possesses great hands and shows no problem catching passes thrown to him into the post …
Weaknesses: Must gain more upper body strength to withstand the physical play at the next level … Lacks the upper body strength to consistently finish after contact occurs … Could stand to expand his perimeter shooting, as of right now he shows the touch needed but hasn’t developed the confidence nor consistency to make shots from mid-range … Shooting mechanics could stand to be tweaked … Free throw shooting remains a work in progress, shows improvement but has yet to convert regularity. Should focus on less motion before his release … Can get disrupted and pushed away from the basket as his doesn’t have the body strength to hold position … Back to the basket skills are still in need of refinement …
Al Horford
NBA Comparison: Horace Grant/Carlos Boozer
Strengths: Runs extremely well, able to beat most forwards down the court … Is blessed with an NBA ready body and good strength … Defensively Horford is a very strong post defender able to use his body strength to disrupt opposing players from setting up … Solid shot blocker thanks to his timing and great anticipation skills … Attacks the basket with aggression and power … A surprising ball handler and passer for his size … This enables him to pass out of double teams with relative ease … Is physical in the low post and does a good job of drawling fouls from opposing defenders … Usually he is able to use his upper body strength and finish after contact … Really makes a big impact on the glass where he uses his body strength to box out … Has proven to be a very coachable player with a solid work ethic … Possesses a calm presence, doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him … Shows good court awareness, rarely does he try moves that are beyond his skill level … Has shown the ability to hit the 12-15 foot jumper from mid-range … Maintains good body control and balance absorbing contact well from opposing post defenders … Rarely bobbles or fails to catch passes thrown into the post thanks to his soft hands …
Weaknesses: Offensively, Horford lacks consistent shooting from mid-range and the perimeter … Defensively Horford tends to get into foul trouble at times due to his aggressiveness … Although his back to the basket skills are greatly improved, they are still in need of refinement … Post footwork can be choppy. By improving this, Horford will become a lot more effective post player … Has a tendency to defer to his teammates instead of establishing his presence in the game … Still hasn’t played with the consistency that you except with someone of his talent … Can drift at times during games. Will have one dominating game followed by several so-so performances …fails to get rebounds out of his position the way he should … Below average free throw shooting prevents him from taking full advantage of the foul shots he creates …
Chinese Center
NBA Comparison: Pau Gasol
Strengths: Good ball handler who has no problem taking opposing defenders off the dribble … Great finisher around the basket as he is capable of making some impressive dunks on the break … Fundamentally sound player with a decent basketball IQ and court awareness … Rarely does Jianlian force the issue, instead he let’s the game come to him … Unlike many players his size, he is a great free throw shooter …Runs the floor especially well considering his size ... His perimeter shooting is very impressive as he can stretch the defense out to 18-20 feet comfortably … While he doesn’t own many back to the basket moves, Jianlian possesses a consistent turnaround jumper in the post … Does a great job of using his long body and athleticism to make an impact on the boards … Passes out of double teams well due to his court vision and awareness … Excels in an open court offense that promotes fast breaks thanks to his mobility and leaping ability … Rarely gets intimidated when physical play occurs … Although he has been on the NBA draft radar for quite some time, and may be a few years older than his listed age, he appears to still have considerable upside … Defensively he is a solid help defender due to his lateral quickness and wingspan … Possesses quick hands that can disrupt passing lanes …
Weaknesses: There is some concern as to what position he will play in the NBA: He lacks the upper body strength and the back to the basket moves at power forward and is a bit long and rangy for the three … Needs to improve his three point shooting to play minutes to be effective at SF … Despite his vast improvement, Jianlian needs to continue to develop his upper body strength … At this point of his career, he’s more comfortable facing the basket than with his back to the basket … Although he doesn’t shy away from physical contact he can get disrupted with rough post play … Struggles to maintain his position in the low post as opposing defenders tend to push him out … Defensively he will not be the huge shot blocking presence that he is in the China, due to his timing and the speed of the NBA game … Has a habit of putting the ball on the floor to achieve rhythm instead of keeping the ball high away from opposing guards …. Confidence can wavier in games when he’s struggling to score … Although listed as being born in 1987 many within China place him between 1985-1986 … Doesn’t always play defensive with great intensity, he won’t be able to get away with it in the NBA …
Corey Brewer
NBA Comparison: Stacey Augmon
Strengths: The premiere perimeter defender in college, capable of being a lock down defender on the next level … Physically he has everything you need to stand out defensively: long arms, footwork, quickness, anticipation, long arms and height plus a willingness to exert as much effort on defense as on offense … Tough minded player with a strong work ethic … Not a bad passer for his size who unselfishly looks for open teammates … Decent rebounder who uses his leaping ability and long arms to make an impact on the glass … When driving to the basket, he converts difficult baskets due to his body control and leaping ability … Is a solid three point shooter when his feet are set … Excellent finisher in transition where his athleticism allows him to finish with ease … Approaches the game with a blue collar attitude and does all the dirty work with a smile on his face … Shows above average post up skills for a SF … When everything is clicking, he can put up points in a hurry … Moves well without the ball and has become efficient running off of screens ...
Weakness: Offensively he still doesn’t seem to have a great grasp of the game … Not really able to score at will, or create offense for himself or others the way you would expect someone with his physical abilities … Ball handling must continue to improve as he’s clearly not comfortable with the ball in his hands … From a fundamental standpoint he doesn’t do a good job of keeping his dribble low and away from his defender … Right now his body should be a priority for him to work on … Currently he lacks upper body strength and needs to bulk up on his slight 185 pound frame … Offensively Brewer does a lot of things well but nothing spectacular. While he has range, he lacks consistency … Has slashing ability but too often settles for shooting the jumper … Is prone to making mental mistakes in games during critical moments … …
Roy Hibbert
NBA Comparison: Joel Przybilla
Strengths: Center with great size and strength ... Has soft hands, excellent touch on his shot ... Strong rebounder ... Very good free throw shooter, (around 80%) which is especially important for a center ... Post moves are developing well ... Smart player, has a good understanding of his role and what to do on the court ... Strong character guy ... Hard worker, has shown great improvement in his skill level, body and conditioning in his time at Georgetown ... Has transformed himself into a legitimate prospect ... More athletic than he appears ... His quickness in decision making has improved ... Body strength and agility seems to still be developing, his upside is very intriguing considering how much he improved in the past year ... Good vision and passing ability ... Calm demeanor, never gets out of control or loses his cool ... Has the size to block shots inside without jumping ...
Weaknesses: Limited athletically: Lacks quickness, speed in the open floor, and explosiveness ... Has trouble against big and athletic centers, must work on ball fakes and becoming less predictable offensively ... Runs very stiff, slow transitioning from half to full court ... Has decent shot blocking skills due to his size, but lacks great quickness and reflexes vertically ...
Followed by: Julian Wright, Jakim Noah, and Mike Conely Jr.
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Last year's selections
Brandon Roye
NBA Comparison: Jalen Rose
Strengths: Roy is a no nonsense 2-guard with excellent all around skills ... Very cerebral player, makes excellent decisions. Understands the game ... Very polished, great experience with four years at Washington under his belt ... An excellent shooter who steps up in big situations. Hit a number of huge shots at the end of games this year ... Has worked hard on his outside shot which has improved each year ... Great competitor ... Excellent ball handler with the ability to create shots for himself and others ... His midrange game is relatively impressive and his range has really improved this year ... Really stepped up in his senior year assuming a leadership role and taking over as the go to player for the Huskies ... Has spent time at the point guard position this year, and played admirably ... Not afraid to take the ball inside. Utilizes the spin move in the paint well ... Good free throw shooter at 81% ... Has great composure and confidence. Never gets rattled ... Good one on one skills with the ability to shoot off the dribble and get by his man to the basket ... An underrated athlete ...
Weaknesses: Does everything very well but nothing out of this world ... On the small side. Lacks tremendous size and length at just 6-6 with a short wing span ... Lacks great body strength. His body is solid but not overpowering ... Foot speed and quickness is strong but wont stand out on the next level ... Defensively he is just average giving solid effort, but lacks the foot speed to be a lock down defender ...
Ty Thomas
NBA Comparison: Shawn Marion
Strengths: Agile bigman with great leaping ability ... Feathery touch out to 12-15 feet ... Has a very nice turn around jump shot ...Spectauclar dunker, his explosiveness and quickness getting off the ground is unrivaled among college post players ... A super shot blocker due to his long arms and explosiveness ... Runs the floor well ... Huge wingspan ... Has good hands for rebonds and catching passes ... Plays with good energy, loves to dunk ... Extremely long arms plus great lift make him a monster on the boards and allow him to play much bigger than 6-9 ... Plays with great intensity, has an edge to him ... Excellent passer, great vision ... Great upside ...
Weaknesses: Unproven, must prove himself on the college level ... Must put on a good deal of weight as he can be pushed around due to lack of bulk . He needs at least 20-25 pounds of muscle ... How well he weight trains and maintains his agility will be huge ... He's so talented he can get away with not hustling or working hard, so staying intense and focused is important ... Needs to become better conditioned, gets winded easily ... Has a bit of a hitch on his free throw shot ... He's a risky pick because it's uncertain how his body will turn out. Will he be able to add the weight?
Randy Foye
NBA Comparison: Chauncey Billups
Strengths: Talented lead guard ... Has persevered through a rough upbringing (losing both parents young) and shows great hunger and toughness because of it ... Excellent one on one player ... Has a bag of tricks offensively with crossovers and AND1 type moves ... Uses change of direction well to get his defenders off balance ... Plays well in an open court game with great speed and body control ... Handles the ball effortlessly ... Strong finisher capable of taking the ball all the way to the rack in traffic ... Very strong body able to physically overpower opponents ... Picture perfect high release and high arc on his shot ... Hard worker, his outside shot has shown steady improvement ... Capable of big time scoring outbursts ... Adept at shooting with just an inch of daylight ...Strong defender, very aggressive looking for steals on the ball and on passes ... Great leadership ability ... Excellent maturity ... Has excellent size/strength for the point guard position ... Quality free throw shooter ...
Weaknesses: Some consider him more of a combo than a true point guard ... Isn't a natural at setting the table and running the show as a point guard but has shown improvement in that area ... With Lowry playing the point, some of his deficiencies are covered up ... His passing ability is decent, but not great for a point guard ... Can be too aggressive at times offensively forcing bad shots ... Aggressiveness defensively can lead to foul problems, he can also get caught gambling for steals ...
Larmarcus Aldridge
NBA Comparison: Channing Frye
Strengths: Considered the top bigman prospect in the country ... Extremely smooth post player ... Has excellent touch within 12 feet of the basket ... Soft hands ... Excels on the offensive end with great fundamentals and footwork ... Put on 25 pounds of muscle between his freshman and sophomore seasons and it's made him a much more aggressive and confident post player ... Runs the floor especially well for a (near) 7 footer ... Good transition player ... Good shot blocker, with his long arms he should get a fair number of blocks on the next level ... Long arms and a quick leaper ... Very versatile big man ... Has many effective moves in the low post including a go-to jump hook. Has even developed a sky hook in his sophomore year ... Great at positioning himself in the post ... Has nice form on his jumper, range is developing ... Positions himself well for rebounds and excels on the offensive glass ...
Weaknesses: In high school he developed a reputation for being soft and not showing enough heart. Scouts still have some question marks about his toughness inside. He is vastly improved in that area, but still struggles against big and strong players on the NCAA level ... Not a physically imposing player inside, plays more a finesse game. Needs to get nastier ... Should still add an additional 10-15 pounds ... Not an out of this world leaper, but solid ... Not an extremely emotional player, which is both a positive and a negative ... Passing and ball handling are decent but can improve ... Also has been injury prone (missed half of his freshman year after a hip injury that required surgery) ... Must develop a killer instinct, more intensity ... Free throw shooting is just average ...
Balkman projected as the 43rd pick in this draft
It's curious to think back that the Bulls would have taken the 30th selection in draft prior and give up the knicks lottery protection for it.
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