DMVleGeND wrote:rockymac52 wrote:It seems inevitable that this will be yet another year that the Wizards end up with a very high draft pick, and sure enough, it just happens to come in a year where there seems to be a lack of elite talent. Sigh.
With that said, TONY MITCHELL.
What position do you think he'll play in the NBA, SF or PF?
Tough to say. He is in many ways your prototypical tweener. At 6'8" 235 lbs, with a 7'3" wingspan, coupled with freak athleticism, he has the size and physical abilities to play either position. But it's probably in his best interest to pick one and stick to it. Right now I'd say he's probably better off at PF.
He reminds of of Michael Beasley in a lot of ways, which I know, is not a good thing. But don't forget, Beasley was drafted 2nd overall, and for good reason. They both have several elite abilities, and you can easily envision them both becoming a true star player. It's hard to still look at Beasley in this light after we've seen him play in the NBA for several years and he's failed to live up to that star potential, but don't let that necessarily be a knock on Mitchell - they're not the same person, after all. And they have plenty of differences on the court, in the way that they play as well. I just can't help but think of Beasley when I watch Mitchell play. Maybe there's a better comparison out there, hell, there almost definitely is. But like I said, Beasley was just the first to come to my mind. But again, the comparison doesn't do him justice, at all.
The knocks on Mitchell will be his attitude and motor, and the fact that he's playing in the Sun Belt conference, where he honestly has no competition. It's a good sign that he is truly dominant in that conference, because if you're going to be a good NBA player, then you sure as hell better dominate the Sun Belt. But it could be troublesome, because he might not get as much experience playing against NBA-caliber talents. If Damian Lillard continues to excel this season, then his success will probably help Mitchell in this regard, but IMO, coming from a small conference is even more of an issue for a big man, where there simply aren't NBA-sized bodies down low in that conference. Mitchell isn't challenged in the Sun Belt at all, and he knows it. This has exposed him a bit, and has led to many scouts questioning his motor and drive. He appears lazy at times, jogging back on defense, and selfish, taking step-back 3 pointers with 30 seconds left on the shot clock. But then again, he's good enough to get away with it - he shot over 40% from 3 last season, and he's shooting 3s at a high rate. He definitely has range.
Hopefully he's so good that he'll lead North Texas to the NCAA Tournament single-handedly, and if we're lucky, we'll get to see him go head to head with an NBA caliber big man in the tournament.
He has legitimate star potential. There's going to be a ton of question marks around this kid no matter how well he plays this season, mostly because he's playing in the Sun Belt. He can rely on his freak athleticism at this point, but I think he has a lot more to his game than just that. I hope for his sake that he does have the drive to become a star at the NBA level, and that he isn't taking this year lightly because he doesn't have to work hard to be the best player in his conference by a mile.
Mike Schmitz, over at Draft Express, did a really great scouting video on Tony Mitchell if you'd like to check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 6tNGmh3ieE