Zach Lavine shows 46in vertical at Lakers facility

[Tiesto_Lakers]

You can't develop into being a Westbrook at 18 or 19. Westbrooks are born.

He's already just as athletic as him, IMO. Westbrook was very raw in college and was seen as a defensive stopper, not an offensive player. OKC gambled by drafting him early and the same thing will occur for whoever drafts Lavine.

Lavine still has time to develop offensive skills, as Westbrook was around 21 or 22 when he become a stud.

Westbrook is a mentality. He is a force of nature. Not some developed skill set or vertical leap.

And that mentality is useless without the athleticism. Need both to be a player like him. Luckily, Lavine already has one of them down.

[leeprettyp]

For all of the younger folks here, two words: Joe Alexander.

Athleticism is great, but in order to succeed in the NBA you must have dominant skill. I watched UCLA games this year and barely noticed Lavine. If he can't dominate, or even contribute, to a middle of the road NCAA team, how is he going to be great at the next level?

Maybe he will develop, but much too risky to take with a lottery pick. Late first, early second, sure. But no way do you take him at 7.

The exact same argument could be made for Westbrook because he was stuck backing up both Affalo and Collison at UCLA. LaVine wasnt getting big minutes at UCLA because he was playing behind the coaches son. From my understanding that was the biggest reason LaVine wanted out early from UCLA because he didnt want to deal with the favoristicism in his mind. But nonetheless, this young man CAN PLAY and has the tools to be successful at this level. I think barring serious injury he's an allstar in the future. And it seems trading back to get multiple picks is dangerous because LaVine wont be there when we get the 14th or later picks. I think the guy goes anywhere from 8-12 in this draft.

[crazyeights]

He's already just as athletic as him, IMO. Westbrook was very raw in college and was seen as a defensive stopper, not an offensive player. OKC gambled by drafting him early and the same thing will occur for whoever drafts Lavine.

Lavine still has time to develop offensive skills, as Westbrook was around 21 or 22 when he become a stud.

Westbrook is a mentality. He is a force of nature. Not some developed skill set or vertical leap.

And that mentality is useless without the athleticism. Need both to be a player like him. Luckily, Lavine already has one of them down.

Right. LaVine's only currently lacking the one that is the difference between James White and Russell Westbrook.

[Tiesto_Lakers]

Westbrook is a mentality. He is a force of nature. Not some developed skill set or vertical leap.

And that mentality is useless without the athleticism. Need both to be a player like him. Luckily, Lavine already has one of them down.

Right. LaVine's only currently lacking the one that is the difference between James White and Russell Westbrook.

It's a risk either way, that's how the draft works every year. If we based players on their motors instead of their athleticism, James Harden wouldn't have been a good player in the NBA. Scouts questioned his competitiveness on draft day and look how that turned out. Players evolve as they improve.

Kobe was drafted 13th for crying out loud.

[crazyeights]

Kobe was 13th because his father called the Nets the night before the draft and told them he wouldn't play there. More importantly, it was 1996.

The idea of drafting a 17/18 year old wasn't the same as it is now. It's guys like KG/Kobe/T-Mac that changed all that and the gold rush to draft these young players--and all of the horrible busts that happened subsequently-- are the reason we're hearing about raising the age for a draftee again.

Although, with the rumors of Kobe beating Jerry Stackhouse one-on-one --while Kobe was in high school--show that Kobe wasn't just some potential great player. He was the real deal. It was tangible. And Jerry West knew that. Kob wasn't merely athletic, he was skilled, didn't have a two-handed jumper, and wasn't a shiny a vertical leap number....

LaVine needs to develop more consistency and improve his basketball IQ … Has a tendency to settle for too many pull up jump shots and doesn’t attack the basket nearly as much as he should off the dribble … Got to the foul line at a poor rate for someone with his shot creating potential last season (1.8 FTA per night on 69%) … Pretty thin and frail, needs to put on more weight … Not a physical player at all, and really struggles with any aspect of the game dealing with contact right now … Has a raw feel for the game, and decides to take some bad shots at times … Though he’s projected by many to be a combo guard, LaVine didn’t show a great ability to handle double teams and struggled some when pressured … Is a pretty underwhelming defensive player, and will have a tough time finding consistent minutes on an NBA team until he shows more effort and strength on this end … Doesn’t seem to be a very tough player. Body strength will obviously help his ability to play through contact … Though he has good shooting skills, his jumper faded badly down the stretch last season and rendered him pretty ineffective throughout the month of March … Struggles mightily to contribute when his jumper isn’t falling … Is a very promising prospect, but will need time to develop overall before he’s ready to play consistently in the NBA ...

LaVine could very well develop into a nice player, and I would love to acquire a second pick to take a swing at him...but from the sounds of it he is not the next Westbrook. Just as Kobe wasn't the next Grant Hill. He was Kobe.

The odds that LaVine totally changes his stripes and becomes as physical as Westbrook are next to none.

[TyCobb]

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Zac ... lysis-4600

His ability to play the PG, with his athleticism and size, will give him a nice foundation as an NBA player. It seems his problem with defense is due to a lack of effort, and not because he isn't capable. As he gets stronger he'll be much better at finishing at the rim, like Ennis. He has range, but definitely prefers to attack the basket.