Damion James

[ISB]

What do you guys think of Damion James? Would he be a guaranteed first rounder in this year's draft, or does he need to stay in school? From what I understand he is a guy that has always dreamed of playing in the NBA, and will leave early if the opportunity exists. However, he could probably move into lottery contention if he stays for his junior year.

I see him as a Shawn Marion type player (not necessarily that good by any means, but a similar player)

Strengths:
∙ Great Athlete even by NBA standards
∙ Awesome rebounder for the 3 position
∙ Hits the college three consistantly (currently 46%. however he is very careful with the shot)
∙ Has shown good passing skills. Not a point forward by any means but he isn't a black hole.
∙ Can really finish at the rim

Needs to improve:
∙ Ball handling: plays more like a face up PF than a true 3. He'll need to improve his handles to play on the wing in the NBA.
∙ Plays mostly inside on defense so it's hard to say how he effective he will be at guarding the perimeter.
∙ Free throw shooting is terrible, but it's likely a mental thing considering he hits threes and was a good FT shooter in high school.
∙ Will need to improve his shooting to be more than a garbage player offensively