the_ouskull
6/29/2006, 03:39 AM
Originally posted by the_me near the end of Febuary:
Taj Grey's NBA Prospects:
By: the_ouskull
Here's the deal... Does he have the size and athleticism to play in the NBA? Yes, he does... At the 3. (For the uninitated, the '3' means small forward. '1' is point, '5' is center, '2' is shooting guard, '4' is power forward.)
HOWEVER, at the NBA level, there are some other things that are required out of the '3' position. Tell me how many of these are things that Taj not only does well, but does NBA-caliber well...
- A consistant jump shot with 18' range and the ability to catch it and shoot it with no hesitation.
- Ball handling capabilities... not well enough to run an offense, but well enough to allow an offense to run through you.
- The ability to face the basket from 15 - 18 and drive to the hole, spot up shoot, or turn around and post it. (All of these require the aforementioned ball-handling.)
- When posting, the ability to pass well out of the post.
- The ability to move well without the basketball and create scoring opportunities through floor placement, setting good picks, and second-chance opportunities.
- The ability to defend both 4's and, occasionally, 2's... generally on defensive switches, even just for short periods of time. (Keep in mind that, in the NBA this could very well mean Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson... not to mention other 3's, like Paul Pierce.)
Taj Grey has the athleticism to play in the NBA, yes... but he lacks almost every other major category. Now, if he were able to put on 20-30 pounds of muscle, without losing any of his explosiveness, he could play the 4 in the NBA with many fewer problems...
...although he'd still have to work on passing out of the post and his 15' jumper.
...and his defense, specifically his post defense.
...and his rebounding.
Taj is a great college player, or at least he has the potential to be when he's not tiring and / or in foul trouble at the end of games. Taj has a LOT of work to do to stick in the NBA.
...and don't me started on Terrell Everett.
Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that I knew what I was talking about. So, anyway, on to Terrell:
Lacks NBA range on his shot, decent ball-handler, but would get ripped by NBA point guards at least 1 or 2 times per game due to his high, unprotected dribble. (He's no Magic Johnson...) Passes poorly, especially for his position. (Assist totals nonwithstanding... he has a lot of trouble making the post entry pass, and often times makes too many passes when he's in transition.) No work ethic. Takes absolutely terrible shots at times. Ignorant of the shot clock. Not a good defender, even though his arms should allow him to be. Plays out of position too often, especially on defense, going for steals that his athleticisim won't allow him to make, hurting his team on their defensive rotations. Not a good on-the-ball defender. Lacks strength and stamina, especially late in games. (See also: Turnover ratio, 1st to 2nd half...) Good free-throw shooter, but doesn't get to the line NEARLY often enough. (He'd rather shoot a crazy-assed shot than draw the contact and go to the line, proving my next point.) Lacks the maturity to consistantly run an NBA offense.
Sound about right?
Yeah, I can live with my assessments of our players. Now, here's to hoping that they get into a good camp and are given a legit shot to try to do what they can do.
the_ouskull
Taj Grey's NBA Prospects:
By: the_ouskull
Here's the deal... Does he have the size and athleticism to play in the NBA? Yes, he does... At the 3. (For the uninitated, the '3' means small forward. '1' is point, '5' is center, '2' is shooting guard, '4' is power forward.)
HOWEVER, at the NBA level, there are some other things that are required out of the '3' position. Tell me how many of these are things that Taj not only does well, but does NBA-caliber well...
- A consistant jump shot with 18' range and the ability to catch it and shoot it with no hesitation.
- Ball handling capabilities... not well enough to run an offense, but well enough to allow an offense to run through you.
- The ability to face the basket from 15 - 18 and drive to the hole, spot up shoot, or turn around and post it. (All of these require the aforementioned ball-handling.)
- When posting, the ability to pass well out of the post.
- The ability to move well without the basketball and create scoring opportunities through floor placement, setting good picks, and second-chance opportunities.
- The ability to defend both 4's and, occasionally, 2's... generally on defensive switches, even just for short periods of time. (Keep in mind that, in the NBA this could very well mean Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson... not to mention other 3's, like Paul Pierce.)
Taj Grey has the athleticism to play in the NBA, yes... but he lacks almost every other major category. Now, if he were able to put on 20-30 pounds of muscle, without losing any of his explosiveness, he could play the 4 in the NBA with many fewer problems...
...although he'd still have to work on passing out of the post and his 15' jumper.
...and his defense, specifically his post defense.
...and his rebounding.
Taj is a great college player, or at least he has the potential to be when he's not tiring and / or in foul trouble at the end of games. Taj has a LOT of work to do to stick in the NBA.
...and don't me started on Terrell Everett.
Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that I knew what I was talking about. So, anyway, on to Terrell:
Lacks NBA range on his shot, decent ball-handler, but would get ripped by NBA point guards at least 1 or 2 times per game due to his high, unprotected dribble. (He's no Magic Johnson...) Passes poorly, especially for his position. (Assist totals nonwithstanding... he has a lot of trouble making the post entry pass, and often times makes too many passes when he's in transition.) No work ethic. Takes absolutely terrible shots at times. Ignorant of the shot clock. Not a good defender, even though his arms should allow him to be. Plays out of position too often, especially on defense, going for steals that his athleticisim won't allow him to make, hurting his team on their defensive rotations. Not a good on-the-ball defender. Lacks strength and stamina, especially late in games. (See also: Turnover ratio, 1st to 2nd half...) Good free-throw shooter, but doesn't get to the line NEARLY often enough. (He'd rather shoot a crazy-assed shot than draw the contact and go to the line, proving my next point.) Lacks the maturity to consistantly run an NBA offense.
Sound about right?
Yeah, I can live with my assessments of our players. Now, here's to hoping that they get into a good camp and are given a legit shot to try to do what they can do.
the_ouskull