Klomp wrote:Duke4life831 wrote:He's a 2nd round flyer and nothing more in my opinion. Even when you get over the bad athleticism and short arms. What is he actually good at on the basketball court?
He's not a facilitator in any aspect of the word.
He's never been known as a defender and with his athleticism and body type, you sure arent drafting him for defensive potential.
And if youre drafting him for his scoring. In conference play last year he shot 28% from 3 and had a 49 TS%. And we arent even talking power 5 conference play either. The dude is a 6'9 wing playing in the MAC. And he couldnt even crack 50 TS% as a Soph.
He definitely has his flaws, but you're not going to find much better upside in the middle to late second round if he's there, where he's been projected. Anyone in that range will need development and refining, so what's most important...a higher floor or higher upside?
*NOTE: The following is NOT a direct comparison of upside as prospects, but merely a collegiate statistical and situational comparison.* His stats at EMU actually are rather comparable to Anthony Edwards at Georgia, which is intriguing to me. Like Ant, he's also young for his class. Just turned 19 in January with two years of college experience.
Edwards 19.1 points on 15.8 shots per game. 40.2% FGs, 29.4% 3s. 2.8 assists to 2.7 turnovers.
Bates had 19.2 points on 15.9 shots per game. 40.5% FGs, 33.0% 3s. 1.4 assists to 2.5 turnovers.
What about Bates makes him have a high upside? He's a bad athlete with a horrible frame.
And again lets compare Bates 2nd year of college in the MAC, vs Edwards 1st year in college in the SEC
(Im using conference numbers to cut nonconference games where many of those include teams that shouldnt even be considered Div1)
Bates:
18/6 with 1.6 assists to 2.7 turnovers. On 37/28/82 shooting (49 TS%)
Ant:
20/5 with 2.5 assists to 2.9 turnovers. On 41/29/79 shooting (53 TS%)
The difference between playing in the MAC and SEC is drastic. Ant also had (still has) a very high ceiling when you including his freakish level of athleticism and a very good frame. This doesnt even include Bates graded out to be a very poor defender in the MAC.
And I know youre not saying its a 1 to 1 comp. But going away from any Ant talk. How many 2nd year guys in a mid major conference who had a sub 50 TS% to go with bad athleticism and a bad physical frame ended up being guys worth a draft pick? Let alone a guy that is considered to have a high upside? I feel like the only reason he is perceived to have a high upside is because his name and high school rep.
