From Chad Ford's article today....
5. Austin Rivers: The next Kobe Bryant or the next Jerryd Bayless?
I don't think there's a more polarizing player in the draft than Rivers. Fans and scouts tend to love him or hate him. I know that several teams have him ranked in the top 10 on their big boards. I know several others that have him in the second round. How's that for a draft range?
Rivers does model his offensive game after Bryant's -- for better and for worse. He's a superaggressive scorer. He has a killer crossover, has mastered the fadeaway J and wants the ball in his hands at the end of close games. He loves himself some hero ball.
Again, for good and for bad, Rivers also has modeled his off-the-court behaviors to emulate Bryant's. He works hard. He's tough. He's superconfident. However, he also has a rap as a selfish player who bristles at teammates and doesn't know how to share.
Factor in Rivers' pedestrian shooting numbers, poor free throw shooting and poor assist-to-turnover ratio, and suddenly he looks very un-Kobe-like.
But the real concern for Rivers is that he physically doesn't hold a candle to Bryant. He's not as big, not as long and not as explosive as Bryant was when he entered the league. Take away Bryant's size, length and explosiveness, and Kobe isn't Kobe. That's why, in some respects, Rivers looks a lot like Raptors combo guard Bayless.
Whichever team takes Rivers will take a risk. It could pay off big time or blow up in a team's face.
6. Who is the most underrated player outside the lottery?
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Scott Sewell/US Presswire
Quincy Miller could be a steal in the late first round.
Three players stand out to me -- Baylor's Quincy Miller, Washington's Tony Wroten and Michigan State's Draymond Green.
There couldn't be three more different players than Miller, Wroten and Green. And I think NBA GMs may regret letting all three guys slide into the late first round.
Miller was widely regarded as a top-10 pick coming into Baylor last season as a freshman. However, the effects of an ACL injury suffered the previous spring, combined with a shifting role at Baylor once Perry Jones returned to the lineup, led to a fairly mediocre freshman campaign.
However, a number of things suggest Miller could be much better as he matures. He has great size for his position and can really score the basketball from anywhere on the floor. Once his ACL injury is healed (remember, it can take up to two years to fully recover), I think he'll look more athletic than he showed as a freshman. In addition, John Hollinger's Draft Rater (which every year outperforms what actual GMs are doing in the draft) had Miller ranked as a top-10 pick.
To top it off, most NBA scouts and GMs I spoke with felt Miller would have been a top-10 pick in 2013 had he remained in school. The talent is there for a team that uses it the right way.
Wroten, on physical tools and skills, is one of the four or five most talented players in the draft. He has elite size for his position and is a terrific athlete. He also is a special passer and can really get to the basket, and he can be a lockdown defender. However, Wroten's broken jump shot, tendency to play out of control and reputation as a team chemistry killer have damaged his stock.
Wroten has very real obstacles to overcome and could be Lance Stephenson 2.0, but with so much raw talent there, he also has the potential to be a Gary Payton-esque player in the NBA someday. If he matures and fixes that jumper ... wow.
Green isn't anything like Wroten. He is not a great athlete, plays questionable defense and doesn't really have a position in the NBA. However, he's an excellent scorer both inside and outside, rebounds the basketball, has a super high basketball IQ and is a winner.
On top of that, every advanced statistic I've seen suggests Green one of the top players in the draft. Although it's clear that he has limitations, he's just a basketball player -- the type of glue guy who helps good teams win and stays in the league far longer than anyone expects. I get why teams wouldn't take him in the top 10. But after that, if I were a GM, he'd be fair game.
7. Which prospect do NBA GMs fear most?
Baylor's Perry Jones.
Teams are afraid to take him in the lottery. However, they're equally afraid not to take him in the lottery.
No one is really sure what to do with Jones. He's a freak athlete with elite size and skills to play three positions on the floor. However, he's been tagged with the dreaded "soft" label. Teams worry he has no motor, and the position he favors at the next level, small forward, is the position he's furthest from being ready to play.
If you haven't read the excellent blog post on TrueHoop about Jones and his questionable motor, pause and do it right now.
Now you're confused, too, right?
If Jones went at pick No. 5, I could defend it. If he went at pick No. 20, I could defend that, too.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/n ... -questions
NO, please NO.
