rockymac52 wrote:I like Beal a lot. Followed him a bit in high school because I'm a Mizzou fan. Still pissed we let him go out of state. At least he didn't end up at Kansas though at least.
I like the idea of a Wall/Beal back court, although I'm definitely worried about his size as a 2 guard in the NBA. I think he'll be able to manage just fine, but I don't know how he'd work out next to Wall. But I think it has promise, and I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on him this season.
I really like the Wall/Beal combo. It has a lot of that Rondo/Allen flavor to it. Beal won't need the ball in his hands a lot, and should be very effective in catch and shoot situations with Wall. I also love Beal's maturity and intelligence, and swapping Beal in for NY would really improve our overall BBIQ. There is a reason Beal has won a HS championship and two gold metals in international play.
As much as I want to dislike Austin Rivers for some reason, I also think that he could be deadly for us. While lacking the elite range and winning pedigree that Beal has, Rivers is still a tremendous outside shooter. Where Rivers has the advantage over Beal is in his handle, first step, explosiveness, and aggressiveness in attacking the rim. I really think that Rivers is going to be instant offense in the league. Between his very good perimeter shooting, ability to get to the rim, and scorers mentality, I see no reason that he can't be as good or better than players like Monta Ellis and Eric Gordon.
In trying to figure out who I like better, I recently made the post below in the draft thread...
I was just considering which player I thought would be better for the Wizards next year, and trying to assess the pluses and minuses for each player. Overall, I think it would be hard to go wrong with either. I think Rivers will generate more highlights and score more, but that Beal maay be more efficient and contribute more readily to a championship team.
Beal (6'4" 6'7.5" wingspan-draft express):
Pluses:
11 months younger
elite range
winner in H.S. and international play
more of a true SG
could thrive as a catch and shoot player
very mature/bright
mature game, sees floor well, rebounds and passes well
Minuses:
good but not elite athlete
not overly agressive attacking the rim
slightly undersized for a SG
Rivers (6'4" wingspan 6'8"-draftexpress):
Pluses:
Better 1st step
better handle
more explosive
more agressive attacking the rim
natural and very aggressive scorer
very good perimeter shooter
Minuses:
may need the ball in his hands a lot to maximize effectiveness
slightly undersized for a SG
occasionally poor shot selection
sometimes poor body language bringing maturity into question
Any thoughts/additions?
