Post by Brophdog88 on Dec 29, 2010 4:44:25 GMT -5
The 2012 UOSL4 Draft is all about Will Barton. A star in his time at Memphis, Barton has scouts everywhere raving about his game. An excellent scorer in college, Barton has the potential to score 20 a game right outta the gate. While he isn’t the going to impress anybody with his explosiveness athletically, no scouts are questioning Bartons ability to get to the hole at will. Expect him to be a star in UOSL, and sooner rather than later.
The rest:
Centers
Lucas Nogueira is the kind of player you love to have in the post, if you don’t care about offense. Think of him as a Ben Wallace type, only taller and skinnier. Nogueira has excellent upside as a stud defensive big, but There is no question that he will never have any sort of offensive game.
Meyers Leonard can do it all…literally, he has nice range, can pass, is a good rebounder, has a few post moves, but, he doesn’t stand out at anything. Still, Leonard has solid upside, and should be a nice player
Rudy Gobert is a scorer, everything else is a project for him. His D is poor, he will never be a great rebounder, but, he can score if he has the ball inside. Its questionable whether he will ever become well rounded enough to be a starter, but, scouts think he has nice upside.
Power Forwards:
Rakeem Christmas screams stud big, he has it all physically, strength, size, athleticism, post moves…everything. He doesn’t block shots very well, and he tends to be careless with the ball, but that’s not the biggest issue he faces..There are some BIG concerns about Rakeems attitude and willingness to put in the work to improve.
Tristan Thompson is a freak of nature, at 6’9, Thompson has the quickness to guard any player on the court, which scouts have fallen in love with. Defensively, Thompson is excellent, and he can even block shots. However, Thompsons offense is quite raw, and he does have some scouts worried about his ability to develop that part of his game…don’t expect him to contribute offensively for a couple of years at least. Thompsons game is extremely raw, but, he is also insanely athletic for a man his size leading scouts to view him as a very good prospect.
James McAdoo is very young coming out of North Carolina, but, he is also very intriguing. McAdoo is athletic enough to play the 3 and 4 spots, has a nice set of moves for an 18 year old, and is pretty athletic. However, McAdoo’s knock is, his defense is a work in progress…at best, he isn’t gonna block shots, and he really isn’t a great defender positonally. McAdoo is still intriguing though, and at such a young age scouts love his potential to grow at least offensively and as a rebounder.
Joffrey Lauvergne is a raw big man outta France, but, unlike the other French big, Joffrey is very very raw all around. He has a solid jump shot, and nice size, but, overall his game needs a lot of work. Joffrey has shown improvement in the short time he has been in the US for predraft workouts, but it will take a lot of improvement for him to ever become anything serviceable
Small Forwards:
Gordon Hayward decided to stay at Butler rather than move onto the NBA following the near Cinderella season in 2010, and his draft stock has taken a bit of a hit because of it. Its not necessarily the fault of Hayward, but, after watching two more years of him play, scouts have had time to pick apart every single weakness in Haywards game..defensively he isn’t very good, he isn’t overly athletic, and he just isn’t amazing. On the other hand, Hayward is still willing to put in whatever work is necessary, and has an excellent outside game and is a fairly crafty scorer. He passes well, and could probably handle the 1-3 positions in a backup role. Expect Hayward to be a very nice 3rd option type player, never a superstar, and never with much in the way of defense and you wont be disappointed.
CJ Leslie is an extremely exciting prospect athletically Leslie is a beast, and while he isn’t polished at all, his length gives opposing players all sorts of problems, he can block shots, steal, and is quick enough ad strong enough to cover most 2-4s. He is a nice passer, and while he has a very small turnover problem when asked to create for himself offensively, its nothing that isn’t easily fixed. Leslie is definitely a project player, but given time, Leslie is the kinda project that will pay off.
Tyler Honeycutt is a very very smart player, he is rarely caught out of position, takes care of the ball and has a decent outside game and knocks down shots. Scouts love Honeycutts defensive fundamentals, but, he will ntot be stealing or shotblocking at all, he doesn’t like to gamble on being caught out of position. Honeycutt has nice range, and will hit the open shot, but, it will take time for him to develop. Nice upside.
Rodney Williams is an intriguing prospect to say the least. Coming out of Minnesota, scouts love his athleticism, but the rest of his game they are a bit worried about. He isn’t a good rebounder, which makes it tough for him to play SF, but he really doesn’t have 3 point range, making his shooting guard prospects a bit hazy. He isn’t a great defender…or even a solid one at this point…but, he is impressively athletic and does have a solid jump shot, and for a Small Forward he is impressively strong. Some Scouts think that Williams will be an allstar in a few years, others say he wont even be in the league…Boom or Bust guy.
Shooting Guards:
Alessandro Gentile is a very hyped wing coming to UOSL4 from Italy. He has an excellent offensive game, and is one of the best passing wings you will see. He takes excellent care of the ball, can score and pass. His defensive game is a bit worrying…he has none, and he cant rebound at all, which makes him incapable of handling the Small Forward Position. However, as an overall offensive weapon, there may not be a more well rounded player in this draft than Gentile, expect him to be a very good player, with the possibility of an all star game or two.
Klay Thompson has been fighting off scouts questioning his potential for a very long time, he isn’t overly athletic, nor is he very fast, and coming out of Washington State as a senior, he looks to be a very polished player. Of Course, this has lead to worries about just how good he will be in the long run, and whether he will really have any room to improve. Thompson has a great work ethic though, and wants to prove doubters wrong.
Reggie Bullock is an excellent player with great range for a rookie, excellent positional D, and great rebounding for the position. Coming out of North Carolina, there are some questions as to whether Bullock will ever be able to create his own shot, as he isn’t overly athletic, is a bit slow on his feet, and at North Carolina he could spot up to shoot. In time, Bullock should still be an excellent sharpshooter defender, but, the odds of him becoming a star player are low.
Point Guards:
Abdul Gaddy is your typical pass first Point Guard He doesn’t have great range on his shot, and isn’t really fast, but, he takes excellent care of the ball, is a great positional defender and has very good court vision. Draft Gaddy if you are looking for a Point guard who will take care of the ball, get assists, knock down jumpers and play D and you wont be disappointed…expect a big time stud PG who can score…and you will be very disappointed.
Josh Selby is a Shooting Guard trapped in a Point Guards body. He is quite athletic, and can handle most opposing guards, but, his size will always be a detriment to his overall game, as will his poor range. He isn’t a great FT shooter and has had some handling issues in the past. Selby is stuck between positions, but the skills are there that he could potentially handle either. Most scouts agree Selby should have declared for the draft last season when his stock was at a high, but most still feel like Selby is a nice prospect, they just aren’t sure whether his game will carry over to the next level.
Shelvin Mack is a triple double just waiting to happen. He enters the league as probably the best rebounding point guard, and he has the strength to matchup with any position. He isn’t going to wow you offensively, and his court vision is just ok, but defensively he is amazing, as he plays the passing lanes well, and doesn’t find himself out of position often. At 23 though his overall upside is a bit questionable.
Paul Lacombe is the third big time French prospect to come out in this draft. He is an excellent sharpshooter, takes care of the ball well, and is well rounded. However, Lacombe is not an explosive player at all, as he lacks the quickness to beat opposing Point Guards off the dribble. He should be a good player, and as a passer and ball handler he will be very good, making him a serviceable starter for sure.
The rest:
Centers
Lucas Nogueira is the kind of player you love to have in the post, if you don’t care about offense. Think of him as a Ben Wallace type, only taller and skinnier. Nogueira has excellent upside as a stud defensive big, but There is no question that he will never have any sort of offensive game.
Meyers Leonard can do it all…literally, he has nice range, can pass, is a good rebounder, has a few post moves, but, he doesn’t stand out at anything. Still, Leonard has solid upside, and should be a nice player
Rudy Gobert is a scorer, everything else is a project for him. His D is poor, he will never be a great rebounder, but, he can score if he has the ball inside. Its questionable whether he will ever become well rounded enough to be a starter, but, scouts think he has nice upside.
Power Forwards:
Rakeem Christmas screams stud big, he has it all physically, strength, size, athleticism, post moves…everything. He doesn’t block shots very well, and he tends to be careless with the ball, but that’s not the biggest issue he faces..There are some BIG concerns about Rakeems attitude and willingness to put in the work to improve.
Tristan Thompson is a freak of nature, at 6’9, Thompson has the quickness to guard any player on the court, which scouts have fallen in love with. Defensively, Thompson is excellent, and he can even block shots. However, Thompsons offense is quite raw, and he does have some scouts worried about his ability to develop that part of his game…don’t expect him to contribute offensively for a couple of years at least. Thompsons game is extremely raw, but, he is also insanely athletic for a man his size leading scouts to view him as a very good prospect.
James McAdoo is very young coming out of North Carolina, but, he is also very intriguing. McAdoo is athletic enough to play the 3 and 4 spots, has a nice set of moves for an 18 year old, and is pretty athletic. However, McAdoo’s knock is, his defense is a work in progress…at best, he isn’t gonna block shots, and he really isn’t a great defender positonally. McAdoo is still intriguing though, and at such a young age scouts love his potential to grow at least offensively and as a rebounder.
Joffrey Lauvergne is a raw big man outta France, but, unlike the other French big, Joffrey is very very raw all around. He has a solid jump shot, and nice size, but, overall his game needs a lot of work. Joffrey has shown improvement in the short time he has been in the US for predraft workouts, but it will take a lot of improvement for him to ever become anything serviceable
Small Forwards:
Gordon Hayward decided to stay at Butler rather than move onto the NBA following the near Cinderella season in 2010, and his draft stock has taken a bit of a hit because of it. Its not necessarily the fault of Hayward, but, after watching two more years of him play, scouts have had time to pick apart every single weakness in Haywards game..defensively he isn’t very good, he isn’t overly athletic, and he just isn’t amazing. On the other hand, Hayward is still willing to put in whatever work is necessary, and has an excellent outside game and is a fairly crafty scorer. He passes well, and could probably handle the 1-3 positions in a backup role. Expect Hayward to be a very nice 3rd option type player, never a superstar, and never with much in the way of defense and you wont be disappointed.
CJ Leslie is an extremely exciting prospect athletically Leslie is a beast, and while he isn’t polished at all, his length gives opposing players all sorts of problems, he can block shots, steal, and is quick enough ad strong enough to cover most 2-4s. He is a nice passer, and while he has a very small turnover problem when asked to create for himself offensively, its nothing that isn’t easily fixed. Leslie is definitely a project player, but given time, Leslie is the kinda project that will pay off.
Tyler Honeycutt is a very very smart player, he is rarely caught out of position, takes care of the ball and has a decent outside game and knocks down shots. Scouts love Honeycutts defensive fundamentals, but, he will ntot be stealing or shotblocking at all, he doesn’t like to gamble on being caught out of position. Honeycutt has nice range, and will hit the open shot, but, it will take time for him to develop. Nice upside.
Rodney Williams is an intriguing prospect to say the least. Coming out of Minnesota, scouts love his athleticism, but the rest of his game they are a bit worried about. He isn’t a good rebounder, which makes it tough for him to play SF, but he really doesn’t have 3 point range, making his shooting guard prospects a bit hazy. He isn’t a great defender…or even a solid one at this point…but, he is impressively athletic and does have a solid jump shot, and for a Small Forward he is impressively strong. Some Scouts think that Williams will be an allstar in a few years, others say he wont even be in the league…Boom or Bust guy.
Shooting Guards:
Alessandro Gentile is a very hyped wing coming to UOSL4 from Italy. He has an excellent offensive game, and is one of the best passing wings you will see. He takes excellent care of the ball, can score and pass. His defensive game is a bit worrying…he has none, and he cant rebound at all, which makes him incapable of handling the Small Forward Position. However, as an overall offensive weapon, there may not be a more well rounded player in this draft than Gentile, expect him to be a very good player, with the possibility of an all star game or two.
Klay Thompson has been fighting off scouts questioning his potential for a very long time, he isn’t overly athletic, nor is he very fast, and coming out of Washington State as a senior, he looks to be a very polished player. Of Course, this has lead to worries about just how good he will be in the long run, and whether he will really have any room to improve. Thompson has a great work ethic though, and wants to prove doubters wrong.
Reggie Bullock is an excellent player with great range for a rookie, excellent positional D, and great rebounding for the position. Coming out of North Carolina, there are some questions as to whether Bullock will ever be able to create his own shot, as he isn’t overly athletic, is a bit slow on his feet, and at North Carolina he could spot up to shoot. In time, Bullock should still be an excellent sharpshooter defender, but, the odds of him becoming a star player are low.
Point Guards:
Abdul Gaddy is your typical pass first Point Guard He doesn’t have great range on his shot, and isn’t really fast, but, he takes excellent care of the ball, is a great positional defender and has very good court vision. Draft Gaddy if you are looking for a Point guard who will take care of the ball, get assists, knock down jumpers and play D and you wont be disappointed…expect a big time stud PG who can score…and you will be very disappointed.
Josh Selby is a Shooting Guard trapped in a Point Guards body. He is quite athletic, and can handle most opposing guards, but, his size will always be a detriment to his overall game, as will his poor range. He isn’t a great FT shooter and has had some handling issues in the past. Selby is stuck between positions, but the skills are there that he could potentially handle either. Most scouts agree Selby should have declared for the draft last season when his stock was at a high, but most still feel like Selby is a nice prospect, they just aren’t sure whether his game will carry over to the next level.
Shelvin Mack is a triple double just waiting to happen. He enters the league as probably the best rebounding point guard, and he has the strength to matchup with any position. He isn’t going to wow you offensively, and his court vision is just ok, but defensively he is amazing, as he plays the passing lanes well, and doesn’t find himself out of position often. At 23 though his overall upside is a bit questionable.
Paul Lacombe is the third big time French prospect to come out in this draft. He is an excellent sharpshooter, takes care of the ball well, and is well rounded. However, Lacombe is not an explosive player at all, as he lacks the quickness to beat opposing Point Guards off the dribble. He should be a good player, and as a passer and ball handler he will be very good, making him a serviceable starter for sure.