Saturday, June 18, 2011

Selby a gamble, Nolan Smith a possibility.




Saunders is being slept on in our opinion. 
Damian Saunders of Duquesne brings a considerable amount of talent to the court. He is a right handed wing player (6'8" 215 lb.) that can score and defend well one on one. He was the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. ...Team defense may take patience with Saunders because he gambles and digs for steals all the time. That said, he is VERY good at stealing the ball from his man. He has quick AND strong hands.  ...He recovers quickly. ...Not a good three point shooter by percentage (.304 career) but he will still jack threes. He is very good at getting to the hoop. He has some of that Tyreke Evans ability to get to the rim. He can finish with his left hand. ...Has the body of a SG. ...Capable of an acrobatic finish in transition (measured 36" vertical at Chicago Pre-Draft Combine - draftexpress.com). ...Poor shot selection. ...I'm of the opinion that Saunders overall skill set is being wildly underrated. I think he would be a steal in the second round.

Selby is athletic but low hoop IQ
Josh Selby was just shy of horrible at Kansas this past season. the 6'3" 195 lb. freshman guard shot only 37% FG and looked out of place on a team that moved the ball so well when he was not on the floor. However - Selby is a player. His gifts include quickness, leaping ability, and an aggressive nature. He is a right handed guard that can really score. He is quick and can take his man off the dribble. His three-ball looks pure. A lone bright spot at Kansas for Selby was a solid .362 percentage from beyond the college arc. ...He makes plays at NBA speed. ...Offensively, he is not a Point Guard. He had 63 assists and 60 turnovers in the numbers I could dig up for him in all of his games in the last year. He certainly has the quickness to guard opposing PG's. ...73% FT. ...A 2010 McDonald's All-American that also played in the Jordan Brand Classic. In fairness to Selby - he joined the K.U. team after missing the first nine games of the season (suspended for improper benefits). That can be tough to come in and suddenly just fit in. On the other hand - a player with a higher basketball IQ would have done a much better job than Selby did. ...I view him as a risky pick that could possibly be a huge reward. But in this case - I would let someone else gamble on him. I just don't see an 'overall type of player' (including off-the-court) that I would select.

Nolan Smith keeps improving. 
Nolan Smith dramatically improved since his freshman season. He became a confident leader at Duke and was named the ACC Player of the Year as a Senior. He led the conference in scoring at 20.6 points per game. ...He can score in a variety of ways. He is best at driving into the paint after a little hesitation dribble he uses. He is athletic enough to finish at the rim. ...He can hit a three-point shot (35% as a Senior). ...Had a career free throw percentage of .800. ...Smart player that uses screens well, and plays with poise and patience most of the time. His career assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.66 to 1. ...He participated with the USA Basketball Men's College Select Team in 2010. The Select Team trained with the U.S. Men's Senior National Team in Las Vegas and New York in preparation for the 2010 World Championship. ...As a high school senior, Smith averaged 22.1 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 4.1 apg. and 3.2 spg. to help Oak Hill to a 40-1 record, tying the school’s all-time season high for wins, and a final No. 1 spot in the USA Today 2007 Super 25 national rankings. ...Son of the late Derek Smith.

Hazell is already 25 years old but he could help. 
Jeremy Hazell is a 6'5", 185 lb. scoring guard that can get hot and hit shots of all varieties. He was among the handful of players I watched that I thought had an unquestionable NBA game. What I mean by that is that the things I saw Hazell do at Seton Hall were all moves that would also fly in an NBA contest. …He is athletic, he has deep, deep range on his jump shot and he showed signs of "clutchness". He averaged 19.8 points per game this season. …Great body control and great speed. …Quick to shoot. …Has coast-to-coast ability. …Finishes at the rim. …Has enough of a handle to create for himself. ...75% free throw shooter (career). ..Finds a way to score. ...On the downside, Hazell is a volume shooter that made only 42% of his career field goal attempts. He also had more turnovers than assists and he is already 25 years old. ...Hazell was robbed and shot in December 2010. Read this story.

Jackson is a good defensive BIG
Rick Jackson is a BIG with good hands that blocked 2.5 shots per game this season on his way to being named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. While the guards on his team hog the spotlight - Jackson is in the back doing the dirty work and doing it well. …A lefty, standing 6'10" and weighing in at 246 lbs., Jackson rebounds well, and recovers quickly defensively. He rebounded in traffic as well as any BIG in the college game. …Controlled tips of the ball at the rim are a specialty for Jackson. He has a nice drop step half-hook that he uses to score effectively in the low post. …He shot 59% FG for his career with the Orange. ...This season, Jackson averaged 13 points and 10.6 boards per outing. ...What he does not do well is shoot free throws. Jackson is a putrid 51% for his career. He also had more turnovers than assists.

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