zimpy27 wrote:The-Power wrote:zimpy27 wrote:
Pretty much most boards have it that way that I've seen. Who do you have Ivey in over?
I have Idey over anyone and feel quite good about it. I think he has arguably the highest upside if he hits and his profile (athletic combo guard with decent size and good effort who can create shots and is not a shooting-liability) has the fewest concerns to me. I'd have Smith in my top 3, too. So it's either Chet or Paolo – or both – that are out. I'd be somewhat scared to draft Chet but I'm not too bullish on Paolo's upside. It's wait-and-see for me on both but I wouldn't be surprised if neither ends up in my top 3 (even though the competition isn't particularly strong this year either, so who knows).
Ivey is a sophomore and doesn't look like a great shooter. What's the main appeal with him? Athleticism? What's his elite NBA skillset?
As Duke mentioned, he's young for a Sophomore.
I also agree with Duke that his elite trait in the NBA is his quickness – especially his explosive first step. He'll have one of the most explosive first steps in the entire league and be a terror in transition from day one. He combines that with a very decent skill-set and a high motor.
In terms of skills, his handles are good enough to attack in half-court, he has solid playmaking skills for a secondary playmaker, and he has worked himself into becoming a respectable enough, confident and even somewhat versatile shooter (although this will be a swing-skill for him that could be the difference between very solid NBA player and All-NBA-level player).
In terms of motor, he is engaged on defense, he is active on the defensive glass, and on offense he is actually one of the most active off-ball players I've seen among players of his ilk. In other words, he is willing to work and play team-oriented basketball.
All in all, that's a lot of great things to work with for an NBA team. You just don't often see that level of athleticism in a Guard that also has ancillary skills, for which he has also shown notable improvement, and a really good motor and demeanor.