I'm liking what Indiana's Thomas Bryant is all about...
BLOOMINGTON – Thomas Bryant turned to his new student section, flexed his arms toward one another and tossed his head back, letting go a ROAR that brought fans around Assembly Hall to their feet Thursday.
There were barely three minutes left in Indiana's blowout win over hopelessly overmatched Creighton.
It was in one moment both silly and superbly fitting of the best performance of Bryant’s young career. And it was illustrative of the burgeoning adoration for IU’s newest McDonald’s All American big man.
“The lion came out of me,” Bryant said postgame, smiling widely.
What’s most impressive about Bryant, at least early in his career, is that despite that energy, he never loses poise.
IU coach Tom Crean terms it “playing with emotion, not emotionally.” Bryant perfectly illustrates his point, able to keep his motor revved all the way up yet rarely moving too fast to make the right decision.
When the ball found him in the post Thursday, Bryant looked more like a quarterback than that lion. He’d size up the defense in front of him, run through options for kicking the ball back out and then go to work.
His array of post moves are advanced for a freshman, and they were on display. He went right and left, up and under and, once, simply through a visibly frustrated Creighton post defender. Some of his decisions could have been better, but he played with maturity beyond his 18 years.
That emotion fueled him but never controlled him.
“It’s for real,” Crean said of Bryant’s blend of emotion and level-headedness. “He doesn’t run around stomping his feet every day in practice, but he does play hard. He’s been well coached. He’s poised.”
The night first belonged to Bryant, though. He’s been called everything from Indiana’s missing piece to a dark-horse Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate, and he looked like those things for sure.
But that self-description, “lion” – for now, it works just fine.
“I've always had that passion in me, ever since I started playing in grade school,” Bryant said. “I wasn't the most talented player, so I had to do something to separate myself from others, and the passion, the will to drive and the will to play was the difference, and I've always kept it with me.”
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2015/11/19/creighton-no-match-iu-hoosiers-dominate/76039582/ESPN - 6'11, 241
DX - 6'10.5, 241, 7' 5.5" Wingspan, 9' 4" Standing Reach
Chad Ford Mock - Pick #18 (BOS)Boston's biggest need is for an athletic shot-blocker. However, you're not really going to find one worth taking in the lottery.
Bryant is intriguing. He's big, has a massive wingspan and plays hard. He also has a skill set that allows him to face the basket -- but he's very, very raw. In this draft, that upside probably outweighs what will be a long developmental curve.
nbadraft.net - Pick 21 (ATL), 2017 MockStrengths: Possesses great length with a 7'5 wingspan, a 9'3.5 standing reach and solid athleticism … Competitor. Plays with great intensity, passion, and aggression … Hustles hard, runs the floor well ... Great finisher around the basket … Finishes well in transition but also knows how to play in a half court setting … Great rebounder. Crashes the glass on offense. Does an excellent job of keeping the ball high on offensive rebounds and not letting smaller defenders get a hand on it … Can face up and shoot, all the way out to the three if the defender is sagging off … Reliable, good teammate who has the ability to put his team on his back ... Active, doesn’t take plays off. Isn’t the type to stand around and wait for something to happen … Good defender. Active hands. Protects the paint, blocks shots, good help defender … Isn’t afraid to bang in the paint … His intensity and desire gives him a lot of promise as these are qualities you don't often find in a talented young bigman ...
Weaknesses: Not the most fluid or athletic player, but his great intensity helps combat this ... His great length gives him shot blocking potential, however he lacks explosive leaping ability ... Feet appear somewhat anchored to the floor as he isn't good at moving laterally ... Still needs to develop his low post game ... While he makes a high percentage of his shots in the paint, he needs to develop his footwork and back to the basket game moving forward ... He has made strides in filling out his frame over the past few years but still has room to get stronger ...
DX - Pick 18, 2017 Mock[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oDTpS3Pnzo[/youtube]
Game Log:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/results/players/gamelog/_/id/20271/thomas-bryantAs it looks more and more like we will be picking towards the end or outside of the lottery, I think we have to adjust our expectations of which players will be in our range. Bryant is a raw prospect right now, but I love the combination of excellent size and length, positive attitude and passion that he brings to the table. If/When his skills catch up to his confidence, then he should be an out of the box defender with the legitimate potential to space the floor down the road. The search for the unicorn PF won't be easy, but I like the make up of Mr. Thomas Bryant from what I've observed so far!
