Shabazz napier

[Dr Positivity]

His combination of shooting and feel for the game is high, but driving to the basket will be a problem in the NBA. Best case scenario is probably one of the 10 worst starting PGs

[Golabki]

i love his handles. he has incredible control of the ball and is very good at shifting speeds.

that being said, he might be able to score but his size is going to limit him in 1. finishing ability and 2. defense...much like damian lillard, opposing guards will drop 20 on him easy. he's just so damn small it is hard to justify keeping him on the court unless his offense is insane (ie. isaiah thomas)

Lilliard isn't undersized... He's bad defensively because he losses focus and doesn't play with energy on that end

Napier clearly doesn't have that problem, his ability to harass the ball was a key part of
two championships. He'll be a plus defender despite being slightly undersized.

Offensively I think he's a complementary guy at the nba level. That's what I'd be more worried about.






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[karkinos]

i love his handles. he has incredible control of the ball and is very good at shifting speeds.

that being said, he might be able to score but his size is going to limit him in 1. finishing ability and 2. defense...much like damian lillard, opposing guards will drop 20 on him easy. he's just so damn small it is hard to justify keeping him on the court unless his offense is insane (ie. isaiah thomas)

Lilliard isn't undersized... He's bad defensively because he losses focus and doesn't play with energy on that end

Napier clearly doesn't have that problem, his ability to harass the ball was a key part of
two championships. He'll be a plus defender despite being slightly undersized.

Offensively I think he's a complementary guy at the nba level. That's what I'd be more worried about.

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i'm not saying lillard is undersized
i think ppl will score on him easily though just like they do on dame

[karkinos]

I still think people are sleeping on Shabazz's passing ability, court awareness, and basketball IQ. For those reasons, I think he's mislabeled as an undersized 2. His shot making ability is unquestioned.

you can still create from the 2 spot
i mean, kobe still gets 5+ dimes a game as a SG. doesn't mean he's a PG though.
just an opinion though, but i think shabazz is better when his primary job is to attack and score first. when uconn started off slow against florida, boatright started bringing up the ball and shabazz played on the wing and that's where things really started rolling for uconn. when he has that scoring mentality, everything else opens up for him.

[Golabki]

His combination of shooting and feel for the game is high, but driving to the basket will be a problem in the NBA. Best case scenario is probably one of the 10 worst starting PGs

Agree - but I think he could start on a really good team in a chalmers/hill/Beverly type role.


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[Talent Chaser]

i love his handles. he has incredible control of the ball and is very good at shifting speeds.

that being said, he might be able to score but his size is going to limit him in 1. finishing ability and 2. defense...much like damian lillard, opposing guards will drop 20 on him easy. he's just so damn small it is hard to justify keeping him on the court unless his offense is insane (ie. isaiah thomas)

Lilliard isn't undersized... He's bad defensively because he losses focus and doesn't play with energy on that end

Napier clearly doesn't have that problem, his ability to harass the ball was a key part of
two championships. He'll be a plus defender despite being slightly undersized.

Offensively I think he's a complementary guy at the nba level. That's what I'd be more worried about.

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i'm not saying lillard is undersized
i think ppl will score on him easily though just like they do on dame

They don't score on him easily because he's a poor defender. It's Portland's defensive scheme and P&R defense. Stotts is one of the worst defensive coaches in the NBA.

[carrottop12]

Serious size problem, and is horrific as a passer moving towards the basket. As good as he was last night, he was a nightmare when he wasn't looking to shoot down low.

Good hands defensively, but is going to be dominated physically.

I really see him as a Nate Robinson type spark plug off the bench. Lots of jumpers, dangerous is transition, never a true PG, and not big enough to play much D.

[BRIGGS]

Serious size problem, and is horrific as a passer moving towards the basket. As good as he was last night, he was a nightmare when he wasn't looking to shoot down low.

Good hands defensively, but is going to be dominated physically.

I really see him as a Nate Robinson type spark plug off the bench. Lots of jumpers, dangerous is transition, never a true PG, and not big enough to play much D.

He's a legit 6 feet tall 190 pounds or so--he's not small. He's a great passer--maybe a better passer than shooter--b ut he was not allowed to show those skills enough with the lack of interior scoring. Notice how good he is at rebounding the ball--with all of those huge Kentucky players--Shabazz was still getting his 6 boards--he's bigger stronger than you think. How tall is Chirs Paul--when you see the 1-1 video with Paul and Napier they are the same size. Shabazz has some flaws but hes going to be really good and right away good. He wont be able to be double teamed and his passing will show up at the next level. I like the Augustine model--same kind of player but--he's he has a 6-1 version of Paul Pierce to his game as well. Also mental toughness--hes tough confidant and a big time leader. Hes a winner two titles--one in a supporting role and one in a lead role. Hes got tremendous pedigree you are getting a great player---I would NEVER take guys like Payton or Ennis over him . To me its fairly simple Exum--first PG Smart --2 Napier --3

[No-Man]

Paul is built like a tank, Napier is nowhere near to his athleticism.
I still like DJ Augustin comp the most.
JJ Barea could be another one, but he is a different player.

The comp with Burke must be a joke, Burke is, younger, longer, stronger, a better athlete, a way better shot creator, a way better PG with true general skills, a fierce competitor and better overall in defense, even if Shabazz got pretty good hands, he has a better tools to finish around the basket, is just not even close.

I will take Napier in the late teens, and probably somebody will, but the PG class is deep and good, so I don't really know, players that for me are PG going forward, and probably got chances of getting picked ahead of Napier,

Marcus Smart
Elfrid Payton
Vasilije Micic
Tyler Ennis
Andrew Harrison

Probably, he has actually leapfrog Jahii Carson and Nick Johnson, that for me were better prospects, and might still be.

[karkinos]

Lilliard isn't undersized... He's bad defensively because he losses focus and doesn't play with energy on that end

Napier clearly doesn't have that problem, his ability to harass the ball was a key part of
two championships. He'll be a plus defender despite being slightly undersized.

Offensively I think he's a complementary guy at the nba level. That's what I'd be more worried about.

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i'm not saying lillard is undersized
i think ppl will score on him easily though just like they do on dame

They don't score on him easily because he's a poor defender. It's Portland's defensive scheme and P&R defense. Stotts is one of the worst defensive coaches in the NBA.

again
all I'm saying is that he will be scored on
I'm not saying their defensive weaknesses are similar
I'm saying they will drop points on Napier like they would on dame, regardless of their different defensive weaknesses.

[jfuchs91]

Just because his college team relied heavily on him to score doesn't mean he's not capable of leading a team as a PG. If you've watched Shabazz throughout the year (and not just a couple games at the end of the season) you'll see that he's made some absolutely incredible passes; his vision and court awareness are very, VERY good.

At the next level he won't have to carry his team like he did in college. And playing with professionals will only help emphasize how good of a passer he is. He probably would've averaged another 2 assists if he played with pro-caliber post players. If you watched last night's game, how many times did Phillip Nolan and Amida Brimah either not catch a pass cleanly or get stuffed at the rim?

Shabazz won't be able to be a great finisher at the next level because of his size and the fact that he's not an explosive athlete. But I want my PGs to lead, make others you're playing with better, and be able to make shots. He's got all that, while having the ball on a string and having an off-the-charts basketball IQ. Teams that pass on him for a player with more "potential" will be making a mistake.

[Hoopstar23]

Too Small IMO and not althetic enough, the point position is changing a lot of big PGs in lineups like posters been saying hes going to get dominated on physically

[karkinos]

i don't think anyone is saying that he's not a good passer

there's just a lot more to being a point guard than putting up assists in the box score or making good passes

napier's best asset is still scoring over play making. his biggest strength is putting up buckets. it's not a knock on him as a player. he's about as much a pg as westbrook is. westbrook is a shoot first, pass second type of guy. it's just that if you're going to play napier night in and night out, you have to be realistic with whatever tools he has. having him play off the ball isn't a terrible idea. having a tiny guy start for 82 games as your pg where it will be harder for him to score...how much will he be creating for his teammates after that?

[ManualRam]

napier's best asset is still scoring over play making. his biggest strength is putting up buckets. it's not a knock on him as a player. he's about as much a pg as westbrook is. westbrook is a shoot first, pass second type of guy. it's just that if you're going to play napier night in and night out, you have to be realistic with whatever tools he has. having him play off the ball isn't a terrible idea. having a tiny guy start for 82 games as your pg where it will be harder for him to score...how much will he be creating for his teammates after that?

or he could be used as 6th man scorer off the bench. he wouldn't have to play off the ball then.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

I like the Barea comparison.

It's amazing Napier shoots that well from the 3 pt line, considering he's fading away, or kicking his legs out all the time.

[Ell Curry]

I don`t see the upside for him as a creator, but he definitely has NBA range on his 3, takes care of the ball and though I`d need to see more, he seemed like an agressive defender.

So, as a low usage PG, he`s a nice prospect. A team like Indiana could really use him as a backup. Be fun to see him on the Knicks if they can pick up an early 2nd.

[ColdBlooded]

he's more of a undersized SG.

im not getting caught up in the tournament hype. i wouldnt touch him in the 1st, i question if he can translate at the next level.

[BRIGGS]

Should be ranked in the top 10.

NBA DRAFt NET just moved Napier into the lottery today.

[The_Hater]

NBA DRAFt NET just moved Napier into the lottery today.

draft express still has Napier going 28th which seems a far more likely outcome. I can't see him going in the top 20.

[Zombiesonics]

NBA DRAFt NET just moved Napier into the lottery today.

draft express still has Napier going 28th which seems a far more likely outcome. I can't see him going in the top 20.

Ford has him at 19 to the bulls. A lot of buzz the celts want him, as well as the hornets. DX has him going to back up his old teammate in charlotte. His range is 17-28.