Caris LeVert

[mattao313]

I think he can be a Evan Fourier type player.

[Manocad]

No way at 18, but second round? Absolutely

[coordinator0]

A good comparison for LeVert might be Dinwiddie. Not on a strict player-to-player basis, but more towards the overall situation. Contrary to his NBA career thus far Spencer shot the ball really well at Colorado and is a big guard with handling/passing skills. He went into the draft coming off of an injury as will Caris. Seems like the latter will end up as a second round pick too.

I know, it kind of puts a damper on things.

[Manocad]

Dinwiddie is not a good comparison to LeVert, obviously not on a player to player basis but even overall. LeVert has a fair amount more upside than Spencer. Put 25 lbs on LeVert and you've got a slashing tweener; that's not Dinwiddie.

[coordinator0]

Dinwiddie is not a good comparison to LeVert, obviously not on a player to player basis but even overall. LeVert has a fair amount more upside than Spencer. Put 25 lbs on LeVert and you've got a slashing tweener; that's not Dinwiddie.

I'm talking Dinwiddie as a prospect out of Colorado, not Dinwiddie now. Sadly there's a vast difference between the two. If I didn't know better I wouldn't even say they're the same player.

Without the injury concerns both Dinwiddie and Levert would have been/would be top candidates to go in the top 20. And yes adding weight to a college Spencer (who only played PG in his injury-shortened last season) would have been considered a tweener.

[mattao313]

Not similar at all to me. Dinwiddie is /was a pure point coming out of college. Levert is a SG/SF that can handle the ball a bit. Also I think Levert has better physical tools.

[Manocad]

There's no point in talking about a "then" Dinwiddie; then isn't now. And Dinwiddie isn't close to having the ability to get to the rim that LeVert has.

[coordinator0]

Not similar at all to me. Dinwiddie is /was a pure point coming out of college. Levert is a SG/SF that can handle the ball a bit. Also I think Levert has better physical tools.

No, he wasn't. Dinwiddie played off-ball (very well) his first two years at Colorado. They moved him to point guard his last season where he only played 17 games before his ACL injury. I know it's hard to reconcile that with the Dinwiddie we see now but he's completely different. Not in a good way either.

There's no point in talking about a "then" Dinwiddie; then isn't now. And Dinwiddie isn't close to having the ability to get to the rim that LeVert has.

That's why I was comparing them as prospects. It's a valid exercise. I agree LeVert gets to the rim better than current and prospect Dinwiddie.

[Manocad]

If Dinwiddie got moved to PG his last year at Colorado, then he was a PG coming out of college. You've admitted that he's not the same player after his injury that he is now. Knowing that without knowing what LeVert will be like post-injury, you can't realistically equate the two.

Comparing the two isn't the issue; trying to equate them is. We can equate Isiah Thomas to Shaquille O'Neal relative to who would make a better small forward but there's not much of a point to it.

[coordinator0]

Dinwiddie wasn't a "pure" point guard coming out. There's a difference between that and saying "he was a PG his last year at Colorado, then he was a PG coming out of college." Spencer was (is?) very much a work-in-progress for being a NBA point guard but showed adequate promise there. This was a pretty good scouting report for him, along with the DraftExpress one of course: http://www.celticsblog.com/2014/6/26/5836824/2014-nba-draft-scouting-report-spencer-dinwiddie-combo-guard-colorado

Comparing them was all I was trying to do, not equate them. You're the one attempting to make that distinction.

It's a shame he didn't/hasn't panned out though because prospect Dinwiddie is pretty much a perfect fit for what we want the Pistons to add in the backcourt. A big combo guard that can kind of lead the second unit (duty which will be shared by Johnson) and play seamlessly with Jackson.

[Manocad]

They don't really compare. Dinwiddie was a combo guard and now a PG. LeVert is a SG/SF type of player.

[coordinator0]

They don't really compare. Dinwiddie was a combo guard and now a PG. LeVert is a SG/SF type of player.

That might be where our differences are stemming from then. I do see LeVert projecting as somewhat of a combo guard in the NBA, but definitely leaning more towards a two and not a point. He would have to put on a lot of functional weight to be considered a true wing in my opinion.

[Manocad]

Who is going to try to make LeVert into a point guard? His game has 2/3 written all over it.

[coordinator0]

Who is going to try to make LeVert into a point guard? His game has 2/3 written all over it.

Not a real point guard, just a combo that would share ball-handling duties with someone else. Like he would with Stanley on Detroit's second unit. That's of his most appealing skills as a prospect and I think NBA teams will try and take advantage of it. He would still be playing/defending the two, but for offensive purposes his role is probably going to edge more towards what you expect from a combo guard.

If the Pistons did end up bringing him in they would still need a backup point guard in the worse way. But they might not have to focus so much on a guy who could lead the second unit given LeVert's ability to do so and Johnson likely taking a bigger role in that facility.