OhayoKD wrote:Was dwight not being compared to Shaq?
NBAdraft.net on Dwight Howard
Scouting Report back in June of 2004. How accurate would you guys say this is? Didnt realize how much praise he was getting for his “stunning array of post moves” & “knock down jumpers”. Guys ever think if he didnt go on that weight gaining program if he could have become a “superstar” at the 4 position ala KG?
Dwight Howard
Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (Ga.)
Power Forward, 6-11, 243
Strengths: How much time do you have? Seriously, though, Howard has almost too many strengths to mention. He’s a beast in the paint offensively, using exceptional footwork and quickness to perform a stunning array of post moves and finish with both hands. But he’s also an excellent passer and capable ball-handler who can step away from the basket and knock down jumpers. In addition, he runs the floor, blocks shots and rebounds as well as any big man in the draft, including Emeka Okafor. Although he’s probably headed for a career at power forward in the pros, Howard’s versatility, size and athleticism could allow him to play center or even small forward down the line. And if all that isn’t enough, he’s also extremely mature and is a hard worker.
Weaknesses: There aren’t many. Some critics fear he lacks passion and might be more Kwame Brown than Kevin Garnett. Aside from that, his biggest weaknesses are lack of experience and strength, which can be said of all players who come straight out of high school. He’ll obviously have to adjust to the physical nature of the NBA, and it remains to be seen whether he can continue to dominate against players who are all his size or bigger. Essentially, Howard’s main weakness is that he’s not as proven a commodity against big-time competition as Okafor.
The Lowdown: The No. 1 pick will come down to Okafor and Howard, and it appears Okafor has the edge at this point. Okafor is definitely a more proven player who can contribute right away, but Howard has a much bigger upside because of his versatile skills. Because of that, don’t expect to see Howard’s name on the board past the No. 2 pick. In our opinion, Howard has the best chance of anyone in this draft to be a superstar down the line. He’s certainly not a sure thing, but he’s the horse we’d bet on.
Arguable #1 pick, chance of being a superstar, "certainly not a sure thing." No one said that about Shaq.
NBAdraft.net on Greg Oden coming out of HS:
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NBA Comparison: David Robinson/Bill Russell
Matthew Maurer – 1/21/2007
Strengths: One of those dominant centers that surfaces in the high school ranks every 10 or so years Has the size and NBA ready body that few his age possess Great athlete who runs the court with ease and excellent leaping ability Gets great position in the post and most importantly gets his body wide to give guards a good target to pass into Wherever the ball goes, Oden works the lane constantly working to get open Does a great job of keeping the ball high away from opposing guards Finishes well around the lane with authority via dunk, lay-up or put back Defensively he is a top notch shot blocker Possesses the lateral quickness to be an excellent help defender Owns pro timing as he doesnt bite on pump fakes easily Plays the game with a calm and mature demeanor Hands have a rare quality in that they are both soft and strong Rarely do passes get bobbled nor do balls get stripped from his hands Excellent rebounder who is not only a good rebounder in his area but is also terrific out of position Post game has already shown good improvement since high school Potentially Oden has few peers and has yet to scratch the surface of his potential Underrated passer who has shown decent court vision Does a great job of recognizing double teams and reacting to them Great character guy. Despite all the publicity Oden has received from an early age, he has remained humble and hungry to improve as a player
Weaknesses: Offensively Oden isnt very polished with his back to the basket Nor does he possess a big assortment of moves Needs to expand his shooting range, as of right now Oden is very uncomfortable facing the basket Has struggled when playing against strong aggressive players Although this is to be expected when you consider his age Still learning what he’s capable of, especially against big and strong opponents, he can go through periods when he doesnt dominate and often he will defer to his teammates Post footwork could stand to refinement From a fundamental stand point, he is still behind in development. As of right now he is often relying on pure athleticism and size Doesnt always finish after contact Can get into foul trouble when faced with physically aggressive players
Aran Smith – 7/9/2005
Strenths: Incredibly fluid athlete for a 7 footer Tremendous speed in the open court A center with his agility and talent comes along roughly every 8-10 years Extremely quick and explosive Enormous potential His game has improved significantly from his sophomore to junior seasons Starting to understand how to use his body and how dominant he can be Big defensive presence, and a terrific shot blocker with great length, timing and instincts Excellent rebounder Soft touch around the basket Has developed a decent turnaround hook with his right hand Very good passer with nice court vision (averaged 3.7 assists per game as a junior) Quality kid with a great attitude Very coachable, listens and wants to improve Team player with a winners mentality Improving on a daily basis Decent free throw shooter at 64% but needs to and should improve upon it (improved considerably from 51% as a sophomore)
Weaknesses: Soft spoken. Very humble personality, which is a positive and a negative in that some would like to see him develop more of a swagger of confidence, but Tim Duncan and David Robinson were/are both silent (humble) assassins Needs to add more nastiness on the floor to dominate Still raw in terms of post moves, they are developing, but still have a ways to go He is so dominant on the high school level he hasn’t needed to develop any range or post skills Doesn’t have the ability to create offense for himself as he can overwhelm anyone he faces with his size and athleticism Still scores mostly on ally oops and put backs Has nice touch, but needs to develop a consistent mid range shot ( la David Robinson) Strength wont be an issue for him ultimately, but right now he needs to add muscle to his upper body and legs Almost too unselfish
Outlook: The top candidate for the number 1 pick in the 2007 draft, one year removed from high school A year of college should give him a great stepping stone for the NBA.
Notice the comps -- Bill Russell and David Robinson. 10/10 for athleticism. "A center with his agility and talent comes along roughly every 8-10 years."
Same site for Zion:
NBA Comparison: Charles Barkley/Blake Griffin
Strengths
Incredibly unique prospect from a physical attribute standpoint … Strength and explosiveness to finish through contact easily and hang in the air … Impacts the game on both ends of the floor … Foot work and body control are like a guard’s at 280 lbs … Has an incredibly explosive second jump with the touch and concentration to finish … Underrated length with a near 6’11 wingspan … Tremendous anticipation, which allows him the ability to play a step ahead of opponents … A nightmare to defend in space … Very well coordinated movement for someone with his size and youth. Incredibly smooth and light on his feet at size. Agile and nimble … Ability to catch the ball, gather and quickly change direction, avoid defender … Excellent acceleration with the ball in hands, blows by guys playing off him, beats guys to spot … Good motor on offensive glass, strong along with leaping ability … Good hands … Catches tough passes, gets 50/50 balls … Wide frame makes it hard to get around him for defenders to contest, able to finish around and through defenders … He is a freight train in the open court and nearly impossible to stop with his combination of size, speed and ball skills … Often beats double and triple teams with both strength and finesse … Strong enough to finish through contact, able to get to rim at a high rate … Good court vision and solid decision making … Imaginative passer and play maker … Solid recognition of defensive schemes, unselfish, looks for teammates … Recognizes traps and double teams, doesn’t panic, moves the ball intelligently … Ball handling moves and shiftiness is super high level at size/age … Very coachable. Absorbed a lot of instruction and improved his skill set at Duke … Good hand eye coordination, able to split traps, keep dribble low, very quick hands … Very effective in and out dribble in transition … Has a solid spin move off the dribble and a quick behind the back dribble as well. Natural instincts for where defense is coming from and going to, instinctual dribble counters … Nice outlets, keeps his head up in transition Defensive instincts … Good anticipation on blocks, pins shots w/o goal tending or fouling and allows for team to recover … When he tries, moves feet well on perimeter, quick hands, changes direction well … Plays defensive back well, baiting opposing guards to throw a pass to his guy and then jumping the pass for an easy steal with his great closing speed … Quick hands, gets a lot of strips and deflections … Has shown improvement on pull ups and step back jumpers, looks fluid, getting squared, going straight up but hasn’t made them with great accuracy so far … Magnetic personality, natural entertainer, great kid off the court by all accounts … As long as he continues to develop, intangibles are in place to be a future star … Great conditioning, especially considering his body type …
Weaknesses
Playing style and weight puts a lot of pressure on his legs and feet. The question begs to be asked whether he can stay on the floor for a lengthy NBA career … He will likely need to drop another 15-20 lbs in order to sustain his playing style … 250-260 lbs would be ideal. But may not be possible … Shot is somewhat flat with awkward release position, from the side of his head … Is developing into a capable shooter but still needs refinement … Plays with a great deal of emotion, but at times that emotion can get the best of him as he struggles to contain it … Will need to work on not getting too emotional as the 82 game NBA season is a long one and can burn out players that put too much into each and every game … Can get a little out of control at times, needs perimeter game to develop to be less predictable … A good portion of his points come through overpowering less physically developed players, which will not work as well at the next level … Jumper is flat, needs more arch … Struggles to shoot from the perimeter in rhythm … Is much more adept at spotting up when defenders sag off of him than creating shots with defenders on him … Needs to work on polishing a pull up jumper … Poor effort defensively at times and does not always get in a low stance, even though he can sometimes make up for it with his unique athleticism … Loses focus defensively at times, gambles for blocks and steals … Not always in great position, at times late on rotations … Back to the basket game could use some work …
Notes: Measured 6’6 with a 6’10.5 wingspan and 8’7 standing reach in high school events … Full name is Zion Lateef Williamson … Born on July 6, 2000, in Salisbury, S.C. … His mother is Sharonda Williamson and stepfather is Lee Anderson … Has a brother, Noah … His mother ran track at Livingstone College, and his stepfather played basketball at Clemson …
Strengths
6’6 explosive forward … Good length with a 6’10.5 wingspan and 8’7 standing reach … Outlier athlete with his insanely explosive leaping ability … His body type and ability to jump defy physics… Can pop off the ground quickly off one or two feet … Doesn’t need a gather to jump, can explode from a standstill … Can take off from a long ways away from the rim off two feet and finish with a highlight dunk … Finishes jams with either hand. Great transition finisher … Tremendous body control and hang time … Quick first step … High level competitor who seems to raise his intensity level above opponents and out quick them on plays around the basket … Dangerous scorer from midrange and around the rim … Good touch on jump hook/floater at different angles and heights, which he gets off in heavy traffic … Shoots efficiently from the floor. Shot 82.1% (23-28) at adidas Nations in 2016 and 64.5% in 2017 while finishing second in scoring with 22.5 points per game … Led the adidas Gauntlet in scoring with 27.1 points per game while shooting 56.2% from the floor … Aggressive mindset … Good strength, overpowers other perimeter players. Doesn’t shy away from physicality. Handles contact well, can absorb while still elevating to get off a clean and accurate shot. Rare combination of power and finesse … Effective spin move in traffic … Draws a lot of fouls. Shot 8.9 free throws per game over the adidas Gauntlet and 8.5 per game at adidas Nations … Despite the criticism of his competition throughout his high school career, he’s able to step up and play well against bigger and better competition without being behind the curve … Had great showings when facing top players: NBPA Top 100, adidas Nations, USA, etc. … Good rebounder … Led adidas Gauntlet with 11.3 per game and finished top five at adidas Nations with 7.2 per game … Sees the floor well and has solid passing ability … Unselfish and can pass on the move … Good tools, athleticism, and anticipation/timing as a defender on and off the ball. Averaged 2.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game over the adidas Gauntlet … Started to show emphasis on getting into shape and improving conditioning. Weighed 272 pounds at the USA Basketball Minicamp and noticeably lost weight, getting down to 250 pounds … Younger for his class, will turn 18 in July going into his freshman year of college … Has done a solid job of toning his excess weight (butt) over the past year, but still has constant work on it …
Weaknesses
Although he hasn’t needed it at the high school level, he needs a more expanded half-court game as it will be predictable moving forward … Often resorts to bully ball … Struggles against a set defense … May struggle against help defense at the highest level as he does a good job of getting into his defenders chest and clearing space … Reading the game as a perimeter player will be an adjustment at the next levels … A bit of a tweener as he lacks the perimeter game of a three and ideal size of a four … While he shows solid shooting mechanics, he doesn’t show much shooting or perimeter skills … Shot could use more arc and he lacks the reps at game speed/pressure … Doesn;t seem to develop much rhythm in space on the perimeter, and seems to have more success and balance on shots with contact … Missed his only two three-point attempts at adidas Nations over six games … Shot 19.2% (5-26) from three and 62.9% from the free throw line over the adidas Gauntlet … Finished with a negative assist/turnover ratio with 1.9/2.3 over the adidas Gauntlet … Injury concerns persist due to his thick legs and the extreme amount of stress his incredible leaping ability puts on his lower body (knees, ankles and feet) … Any injury could be detrimental as his weight could be affected by extended time off the floor …
Outlook
Incoming Duke freshman… Played in the McDonald’s All-American Game… Named to the Jordan Brand Classic… Named to the 2018 Nike Hoop Summit but sustained an injury a week earlier to his thumb preventing him from playing in the game. Attended the Hoop Summit to support his teammates… Led Spartanburg Day to three consecutive state titles… Averaged 36.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game his senior year… A YouTube sensation and one of the biggest names in high school basketball… Among the elite prospects of the 2018 high school class… MVP of adidas Nations with 28 points and ten rebounds in the championship game… MVP of the Under Armour Elite 24 in 2016 with 23 points and shooting 10-10 from the floor… Has drawn comparisons to Charles Barkley due to his dimensions, explosiveness and playing style…
Comp is Barkley. " A YouTube sensation and one of the biggest names in high school basketball… Among the elite prospects of the 2018 high school class…"
“Most people use statistics like a drunk man uses a lamppost; more for support than illumination,” Andrew Lang.
