The Ben McLemore Thread

[BigSlam]

Post here.

[BigSlam]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qddd80N1i3U[/youtube]

[BigSlam]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzufDLiYTNc[/youtube]

[HornetJail]

Noel's my #1 option, but McLemore isn't a bad backup option. That said, both could be gone by the time we pick.

I just don't know if McLemore is going to be anything more than decent.

[Eoghan]

I like him a lot. I'm not concerned about his deferring to his older teammates and the tourney performances. Stuff like that will be more and more of a non-issue with experience and confidence. I'm glad we might get him at 4 so he doesn't have such lofty expectations to live up to.

But adding a shooter with athleticism that can avoid dribbling the ball off his foot will be a great get for us.

[Liver_Pooty]

Good player, but that interview was rather eh.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

I honestly hope McLemore falls to #4. He's the guy that I think best fits this team.

[Snidely FC]

The way the game is being played right now - drive&kick, shoot 3s, protect the rim - we can't have enough guys like this on our team.

Perfect fit alongside Kemba, MKG.

[MasterIchiro]

The way the game is being played right now - drive&kick, shoot 3s, protect the rim - we can't have enough guys like this on our team.

Perfect fit alongside Kemba, MKG.

I think you nailed it. McLemore is the one player who brings out the offense in MKG and Kemba. His sharp shooting and perimeter play balances the offense like no other player in the draft. Not only is he going to be a #1 or #2 scoring option but he's going to make the players around him better even when he's off. He may not excel at creating his own shot but he's going to create open space and better shots for our #1 scoring option in Kemba and that same space is crucial to the development of MKG's offensive game, bringing out his strengths and allowing him to slash. Ben is excellent at moving without the ball. Kemba is a much better point guard when his teammates are moving because he plays so fast. I think the chemistry would be perfect and I would be willing to trade up to #2 if Orlando drafts McLemore, giving them Burke at 4 and something more.

[MasterIchiro]

Adding Ben as a potential #1 or #2 scoring option allows the HornBobs to focus on the front court in the 2014 draft. Randle is the player I really want in 2014, also Willie Cauley-Stein.

[_tijo_]

I honestly think Ben could fall to us at #4. Cleveland doesn't take him, they had Waiters and they take Noel (or trade with someone who wants Noel). Orlando may take Trey Burke, especially if he tears it up in workouts. Washington just took Beal last year, and will probably take Porter, so Ben could be our pick at #4.
'
If we can get Randle next year, to go with Kemba, BenMac, MKG, and Biz, we will look nice on Hornets opening night. Kemba would be our OLDEST starter, and that group brings back excitement to the Hive.

[DTM704]

I'm surprised McLemore isn't being talked about more on here. Yes, he seemed passive and deferred to older teammates at Kansas, but he still had strong numbers. He avg. 15.9 pts on 50% from the field, 42% from 3 and 87% on FTs. Those are excellent numbers from a Freshman. This team needs somebody that can score, shoot and stretch the defense. I believe his potential is a #2 player on a contender. I really hope he falls to us at 4. Picking Oladipo over him would be dumb.

[Elden Payton]

McLemore has been discussed quite extensively all year which is probably why it is pretty quiet in here.

[James Gatz]

He's still my guy. I doubt he will fall to us but I'd be thrilled if he did.

[mrknowitall215]

Anonymous Eastern Conference Scout’s Take On Ben McLemore:

"Which Ben is a team going to get? That’s my concern with Ben. He’s inconsistent and a little too passive at times for how talented he is. He’s definitely got the look of a potential All-Star though if he wants it. He’s gotta get better at changing it up off the bounce though. He can’t just be a catch-and-shoot guy.

"I haven’t really seen any change of pace or change of direction in his game with the dribble, and he’s got to get that to become a better finisher. "

[HornetJail]

That's been my concern with him for the last few months. I don't want a guy at #4 who won't even assert himself on the offensive end.

[LamarMatic7]

The first impression I ever had of him still has an affect on me - it took me almost a whole half of a March Madness game until I fully comprehended which exact player he is. I think he attempted two field goals during that stretch. It might be a biased opinion based on a random game but disappearing from games is a huge red flag, imo.

[penquin11]

I would cry myself to sleep if we traded #4 for Henson.

I wouldn't mind us going for Favors- but even then I wouldn't want it to be #4 for Favors straight up.

In fact, I can't think of anyone that any team would be willing to trade that I would want to trade the #4 pick for straight up..... Unless the Pistons suddenly caught a case of the stupids and decided to trade Andre Drummond or Monroe to us....

This draft class isn't THAT bad. I would be fine with us getting Oladipo or McLemore. I think both have solid potential. I still side with McLemore because I see where, if he improved select areas of his game, he could become one of the most dangerous scorers in the NBA.

also in response to comments in the last thread:

Go back and watch any game. Your pick and you still won't find one where he dribbles well. He gets knocks on your favorite draft express for creating offense because he can't dribble and shooting off the bounce again because dribbling is so weak.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzUi7M_iYVA[/youtube]
He does some good things in this game- once again, note that I'm not saying he is a great handler- but hell he isn't as bad as you make him out to be.

I'm sure I could reference more If you would like.

You are making the assumption that his dribbling is average. You have 0 support to back this up as he is knocked on the sites for it and there is no evidence he is a decent dribbler anywhere. I say this because he did not use it enough to support being average and when he did dribble he was prone to turnovers.

I said he was a "below-average" ball handler, but that you guys were exagerrating how bad it was. Once again I will point at Klay Thompson- who comming out of college had even WORSE handles then McLemore. Who was docked for his "inability" to create a shot off the dribble, and who is far less athletic- while not shooting at the efficiency that McLemore did last season.... Klay Thompson- who once again, is less athletic, and who is in the same tier of shooting as McLemore, has been great for the Warriors. At the very worst I expect that McLemore will be able to have a Klay Thompson-like impact for us....

I do not overlook his athletic ability. He has tons which will help him on defense but since we established his dribbling was subpar against weaker competition he will suffer more on offense at the next level. Oladipo have the same athletic ability as Ben plus more strength and better dribbling. JJ was less athletic but uses screens and off ball movement to get open plus dribbles better too. JJ scores some of screens inside but he is limited in there by size he has to use the dribble to create some space at time, which Ben can't do right now.

Kansas doesn't play only bad teams. McLemore played well in most games. Fine: He was a non-factor against UNC, and had a terrible game against Oklahoma State. But for the most part he was solid most nights. He had great games against Ohio State, Iowa State, and Michigan. He played well against Michigan State. He went for 24 on Baylor. He played well against Colorado... The list goes on....

Also, by god, please don't EVER say that JJ dribbles well. There was an ongoing joke at one point in a game thread that every time JJ took more than 2 dribbles it was a turnover.... McLemore reads screens like a book, and has the speed + agility to take advantage of them. He can shoot in traffic, and can convert contact drives, especially when near the basket. All the other things will come in time.

Offensively, Westbrook’s biggest source of production (nearly 30% of his offense) curiously comes in transition. He plays a fairly small role in UCLA’s half-court offense (only 8% of his offense comes from either pick and roll or isolation plays) , mostly as a complimentary piece—moving off the ball trying to find holes in the defense to get to the rim with his tremendous strength and leaping ability, or shooting wide open jumpers. It’s pretty clear when breaking down his footage that he lacks quite a bit of polish on this end of the floor, even if he is extremely effective at the few things he does well.

The above is from Draftexpress's scouting report on Russell Westbrook before he was going to get drafted. It should ring a bell- as McLemore has similar strengths. People forget that Westbrook was a turnover machine when he entered the league, and those that didn't watch him in college wouldn't know that he was utilized in the same fashion as McLemore. But there is more....

Westbrook’s ball-handling skills are fairly limited, as he has the ability the beat players off the dribble with his tremendous first step going left or right, and is solid getting to the rim in a straight line, but he struggles when trying to do much more than that. He lacks the advanced dribbling skills needed to create his own shot and change directions sharply in the half-court (for example at the end of a shot clock), and thus often looks a bit out of control when dribbling in traffic, forcing him to flip up some awkward shots at the rim. It’s not uncommon to see him called for various violations in the rare occasion that he tries to go out and make something happen on his own, be it traveling calls, palming or offensive fouls.

If you have watched McLemore, you can't deny the similarities.

Deja Vu Anyone?

[James Gatz]

^ Good post.

[catch20two]

Are we comparing Ben McLemore to Russell Westbrook in this thread?