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Ira
Posts: 24692
Alba Posts: 0
Joined: 8/14/2001
Member: #91
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I'm starting this thread not because Lawson is someone who should be considered with our pick at #6, but because he hasn't been mentioned much on this board and because he's a floor general type of point guard who would do well in an offense similar to what D'Antoni ran in Phoenix. Here are some of Draft Express's comments on his skills 43% of Lawson’s offense comes in transition, according to Synergy Sports Technology’s quantified player reports. That’s an incredibly high number—for comparison, Derrick Rose stands at 23.3%, DJ Augustin at 17.8%, Eric Gordon at 21.9%, O.J. Mayo at 18.3%, Jerryd Bayless at 16.8%, and Darren Collison is at 25.3%.
Lawson not only pushes the ball incredibly well after his team makes a stop, he also has an uncanny ability to get his team into transition after a made basket, which is extremely difficult. He does more than just get out into the open floor, though, he also finishes extremely well at the hoop (despite his lack of size), thanks to his terrific strength and toughness, and just how open he is by the time he gets there. Synergy’s quantified reports tell us that he converts on 72% of the shots he takes at the rim, which again is better than all the other point guards we have in our first round. Rose converts on 52.3%, Augustin 48%, Gordon 61%, Mayo 43%, Bayless 65%, and Collison 55%. More than just a scorer, though, Lawson also has outstanding court vision to find the open man, and is quite unselfish doing so.
In the half-court, Lawson is getting better, but still isn’t quite as good as you might hope. His 3-point shot is still not a consistent enough weapon, although he can hit shots from behind the arc with his feet set if he has time to get it off, due to his slow, low release point. He is pretty streaking doing so, though, and does not have much of a mid-range game to compensate for that either. If Lawson can’t get to the basket (as lethal a weapon as his right to left crossover is), his team’s offense tends to bog down--as he isn’t the most natural improviser you’ll find at the collegiate level. He’ll sometimes get out of control and take excessive chances with the ball, overpenetrating or dishing out risky passes. More than any other point guard in this draft possibly, Lawson is a guy that needs to be drafted into the right offensive system, with a coach that is fully committed to taking advantage of his strengths. Lawson's the kind of player we should consider if we get an extra pick in the middle of the first round or if we trade down to that area. |
6/5/2008 7:28 PM