Keith Appling signs non guaranteed contract

[myersia]

As a spartan I am extremely excited about this potential signing!

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/23 ... ith-Lakers

[ROballer]

Solid player,certainly talented

But with 13 guys already signed,probably a camp fodder

Maybe he winds up on the D-Fenders and gets called up when Nash inevitably goes down

[LApwnd]

Solid player,certainly talented

But with 13 guys already signed,probably a camp fodder

Maybe he winds up on the D-Fenders and gets called up when Nash inevitably goes down

thought we can carry 15? and doesn't Mitch like carrying 14, leaving 15th open for future trades? Also whats details on this guy?

[Slava]

6'0 PG with no real standout skill from his draft express profile.

[LApwnd]

6'0 PG with no real standout skill from his draft express profile.

8ft standing reach is pretty impressive for a guard of his sz.

[crazyeights]

From DraftNet:

NBA Comparison: James Robinson

Strengths: A very experienced lead guard prospect with a winning pedigree … Has some experience playing both guard spots, and developed some of his skills at each spot … Pretty good athleticism, has nice speed and high-level quickness, with underrated leaping skills … A decent natural talent and is another well-coached Tom Izzo product … Is a pretty nice defensive player, and can make an impact pressuring the ball … Long armed, has a 6’5 wingspan at 6’1 … Learned how to pick his spots better as his career progressed, and made nice strides as a decision maker running the point … A crafty slasher who knows how to “get skinny”, can find his way to the rim and shows good creativity to finish around bigs using either hand in spurts … Seems to be most comfortable when he can be aggressive and look to get to the rim … His best skill at the moment is how well he runs the pick and roll … Has enough speed to turn the corner, shows good timing and can read his teammates and the defense well on the move … Good at knowing when to pass and when to attack the rim … Would rather make a simple play than go for the home run, which makes him a steady player … Showed adequate ability to hit jumpers with his feet set from as far as 23 ft out … Has a good understanding of how to set tempo and start an offense up in the half-court game ...

Weaknesses: Appling is the type of player who has to have things kept simple for him to be effective … Though he developed into a lead guard, he is mostly used to do the more basic things on the court, and isn’t to be asked to handle a great deal of responsibility relative to an ordinary PG prospect … Doesn’t have a natural instincts for the position … Seems to think too much as a player, doesn’t always show real strong confidence in himself on the court and was prone to shooting/scoring slumps throughout his career … Never became as aggressive as he should’ve been throughout his career … Pretty thin, not hard to see him struggle to deal with stronger NBA PG’s in the halfcourt game … A bit foul prone for a perimeter player, can struggle a bit to defend without hand checks … Inconsistent shooter, and usually needs time and space to make shots with any regularity … Usually needs screens to break down the defense off the dribble, not a great ball-handler for a PG … Not a great FT shooter (66% as a Sr.) ...

Overall: Appling has experience as a lead guard, and he’s a good athlete with some promise as a slasher in pick and roll play … He also can be a pest on defense with his quickness and length … He ended his career in a bad way with his infamous foul on Shabazz Napier while he was shooting a 3 just a step away from his 1st Final 4 appearance, but he did enjoy a reasonably productive career at Michigan State … He might have a future as a backup PG if he plays well in workouts and camps before next season … Look for Appling to be a late 2nd round pick or likely a free agent or overseas player looking to make a team over the summer ...

Jorrye Nixon 6/1/14

Looking at the roster he seems like the kind of acquisition we should be looking at. A combo guard who is relatively NBA ready, although one who might never scratch playing time if we don't get ravaged by injuries again.

Not a perfect prospect, but he could fill a need.

[Jhoby]

Watched him play in college and never felt he was a real threat. Sure, he'd have games where he went off, but other than that would prove to be a very mediocre pro. Much more excited about the potential of Jordan Clarkson. I feel like in 3 years he can be starter material based on what I've seen so far. He seems to know how to adapt to new playing styles, and I'm really intrigued by his game if he can get his handles and shot a bit more up to snuff.

[dj20001]

As a spartan I am extremely excited about this potential signing!

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/23 ... ith-Lakers

Fellow Spartan myself and excited about this signing.

Hopefully he shows enough in camp to warrant a stash on the bench or D-Fenders roster.

[aaron_gray]

The dude was putting up numbers pre-injury.

[crazyeights]

The dude was putting up numbers pre-injury.

What kind of injury did he have?

[aaron_gray]

Google says it's wrist, but if I'm not mistaken this isn't the first time he's had an injury that forced him to sit out for a while.

[dj20001]

The dude was putting up numbers pre-injury.

What kind of injury did he have?

Allegedly he had a chip in his wrist on his shooting hand.

Stats took a major dip after he got hurt against UNC last season. If you go back and watch highlights from the game against Kentucky, the kid was making play after play on both ends.

[myersia]

If he wouldn't had got hurt he would have been a late 1st round or early 2nd round pick. He's really talented. High iq. Yes he made two stupid defensive fouls in the tourney but it wasn't because he was dogging it. Dude plays super hard

[LApwnd]

dam even the nba comparison guy I dont recognize...who the hell is James Robinson?

[crazyeights]

dam even the nba comparison guy I dont recognize...who the hell is James Robinson?

You mean James "Hollywood" Robinson? How can you forget?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/robinja02.html

[Hellcrooner]

Extra Body for Pre-Season?

Hello everyone from Spain btw.

[ElectricMayhem]

Watched him play in college and never felt he was a real threat. Sure, he'd have games where he went off, but other than that would prove to be a very mediocre pro.

Spartan fan here. If he could become a mediocre pro, that would be incredible. I never thought he had a shot at the NBA. If I recall correctly, his free throw shooting was in the 60s. If you're a PG who in incredibly good at your craft, that's forgivable, but Appling is more of a converted PG. He can slash, he can get hot from 3 at times, and he's got solid handles and passing, and strong Izzo defense, but he doesn't have any standout skills. I wish him the best, though.

[Jhoby]

Watched him play in college and never felt he was a real threat. Sure, he'd have games where he went off, but other than that would prove to be a very mediocre pro.

Spartan fan here. If he could become a mediocre pro, that would be incredible. I never thought he had a shot at the NBA. If I recall correctly, his free throw shooting was in the 60s. If you're a PG who in incredibly good at your craft, that's forgivable, but Appling is more of a converted PG. He can slash, he can get hot from 3 at times, and he's got solid handles and passing, and strong Izzo defense, but he doesn't have any standout skills. I wish him the best, though.

I went to IU, so I also got a fair share of MSU basketball. I'm also a fan of Izzo, so I I like to tune in on their games from time to time. The one thing that stuck out the most about Appling to me was how well he fit into the offense, and how he didn't tend to force the issue too often. He was great at playing within the system. I also remember, however, that I wanted him to shoot over guys like Payne, Nix, Trice, and especially Draymond Green (beast). I think he's the type of guy who can play sound basketball for an NBA team, but won't provide enough statistically to earn playing time.

[kinein]

60% free throw isn't a good sign. If he gets onto the D-League roster it would be a win for him to continue to work on his abilities and add some muscle over the next year.

I don't see Clarkson losing his depth chart ranked spot to Appling.

[Rip'nTheCourt]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JR4K_-ccrc[/youtube]

I will always remember that dunk by Appling. Pretty impressive athleticism at the PG position.

And to those who are analyzing Keith's stats from his senior year, you need to take them with a rather large grain of salt because the player that he was after he insjured his wrist against Carolina and then reinjured it again a couple weeks later was NOT the same player who was averaging over 17 ppg early in the season and was playing like the Big Ten POTY favorite.

Regarding his FT%, prior to his wrist injury he was shooting 85% from the stripe and was hitting the three point shot at a clip of over 45%. He shot 81% from the FT line in his frosh through junior seasons. That along with all of his other shooting stats should tell you all you need to know about how bad he was playing through an injury for the bulk of his final season at MSU.