Scouting report from Duke-UNC matchup

[rotogod00]

From behind the ESPN Insider wall, a good breakdown of some of the "eight legit NBA prospects playing":

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=6112516

For those without Insider, a Duke summary:
Smith - scouts impressed with improvement over the years, but remain skeptical about playmaking abilities; when has ball in his hands and is looking to score, he's terrific. but given lack of size, would be expected to play some PG at the next level; scouts' worry that he lacks instincts to run the point means he's still on 1st round bubble.

Singler - struggled with UNC's length and athleticsm. stock sliding all season and in danger now of falling out of the 1st round.

[dukelifer]

From behind the ESPN Insider wall, a good breakdown of some of the "eight legit NBA prospects playing":

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=6112516

For those without Insider, a Duke summary:
Smith - scouts impressed with improvement over the years, but remain skeptical about playmaking abilities; when has ball in his hands and is looking to score, he's terrific. but given lack of size, would be expected to play some PG at the next level; scouts' worry that he lacks instincts to run the point means he's still on 1st round bubble.

Singler - struggled with UNC's length and athleticsm. stock sliding all season and in danger now of falling out of the 1st round.

Who are the eight and were any considered first round locks?

I wonder what it says about Barnes when an a NBA second rounder in Singler who apparently lacks athleticism can hold him in check. Kyle has a lot of time to impress. Not to say that the NBA is the best judge of what makes a good basketball player.

[weezie]

Not to say that the NBA is the best judge of what makes a good basketball player.

lol, good point. I remember watching "Gunning for that #1 Spot" film about four years ago and watching Kyle keep his mouth shut and head down but playing with and above the other "phenoms" on that team.
Kyle will be fine and he'll make a very good pro. Who wouldn't want that kind of work ethic and steely determination on their team? I just wish there was a magic formula to fatten him up a bit.

[rotogod00]

Who are the eight and were any considered first round locks?

I wonder what it says about Barnes when an a NBA second rounder in Singler who apparently lacks athleticism can hold him in check. Kyle has a lot of time to impress. Not to say that the NBA is the best judge of what makes a good basketball player.

They didn't list all 8, but on the UNC side they talked a bit about Henson, Zeller, and Barnes. The only one of the three they had a projection on was Zeller who scouts now have as a mid- to late-first-round pick.

[TwiceDuke]

Who are the eight and were any considered first round locks?

I wonder what it says about Barnes when an a NBA second rounder in Singler who apparently lacks athleticism can hold him in check. Kyle has a lot of time to impress. Not to say that the NBA is the best judge of what makes a good basketball player.


Kyle Singler played very smart defense on Barnes. In fact, I think Kyle's best asset this season has been his play on the defensive end.

Some here have pointed out that Kyle had some open looks during the UNC game and just missed them. While that is true, Kyle had to work so intensely to get open that he was often short on energy when he shot the ball. Barnes, I'm afraid to admit, really bothered Kyle... which is indicative of whether and to what extent Kyle will struggle against athletic wings in the League.

On the other end, the League ain't all that big on defense. Where it is, Kyle's game fits in well (someone posted an article the other day from a Celtics fan blog). But that does not mean anything about Barnes' game; as a freshman, he went up against one of the best defenders at the position in the college game. Yes, he struggled. But the kid has a high ceiling, and Kyle's efforts were greater than most that Barnes would see at the professional level, must less the college level.

I wouldn't expect any NBA scout to make a decision based on this match-up, but it does point to the directions in which the two players are trending: Barnes has a lot to learn, and Kyle is going to get by on his basketball IQ and toughness more than on his athleticism. But I think that's beating a dead horse...

[Class of '94]

Who are the eight and were any considered first round locks?

I wonder what it says about Barnes when an a NBA second rounder in Singler who apparently lacks athleticism can hold him in check. Kyle has a lot of time to impress. Not to say that the NBA is the best judge of what makes a good basketball player.

Don't forget Scouts projected Carlos as a 2nd round pick and were skeptical of his ability to effectively play in the post due to his "supposed" lack of height, length and athleticism; and look how wrong that scouting report actually turned out to be.

[Billy Dat]

On the other end, the League ain't all that big on defense.

I don't think this is true. Perhaps for elite NBA scorers, there is some slack given. For everyone else, you need to be able to defend to see the floor. The League is all about exploiting mismatches. If you can't defend, the other team will keep going at you until you get pulled. I think Kyle's defense is one of his big pluses. It is on offense where I think he needs to stick with his strengths. I think he's less effective when he goes into his triple threat, repeatedly jabs steps, and then buries his head, lowers his shoulder and tries to bull his way to the basket. He is much better coming off screens and either catching and shooting or making a quick move. When the ball sticks, he becomes predictable. Bottom line, he'll get drafted and he'll make a team. The rest of the season will determine how big that first contract is.

[InSpades]

These scouts "miss" often enough that I wouldn't really worry too much about Kyle. From recent memory I thought it was laughable that Dejuan Blair fell to the 2nd round. Anyone who watched him play in college saw he was ridiculously talented. A year and a half later he's started 52 games for the best team in the NBA.

Landry Fields was taken in the 2nd round last year... if they redid the draft he'd be a no-brainer lottery pick (probably top 5). One of 3 players to start every game for the Knicks.

Hopefully Kyle and Nolan are both 1st round picks but in the end whether they stick around in the league doesn't really depend on where they are drafted but how they play when they get there.

[Highlander]

These scouts "miss" often enough that I wouldn't really worry too much about Kyle. From recent memory I thought it was laughable that Dejuan Blair fell to the 2nd round. Anyone who watched him play in college saw he was ridiculously talented. A year and a half later he's started 52 games for the best team in the NBA.

Landry Fields was taken in the 2nd round last year... if they redid the draft he'd be a no-brainer lottery pick (probably top 5). One of 3 players to start every game for the Knicks.

Hopefully Kyle and Nolan are both 1st round picks but in the end whether they stick around in the league doesn't really depend on where they are drafted but how they play when they get there.

Being picked at the end of the 1st round means you go to a playoff team more than likely, so might not be the worst thing in the world. Alternatively, the #1 pick in the draft gets to go to a place like Cleveland or the Clips.

[SupaDave]

Stock sliding for Kyle really means - I hope he's still available when it's our turn to pick...

[Kedsy]

Don't forget Scouts projected Carlos as a 2nd round pick and were skeptical of his ability to effectively play in the post due to his "supposed" lack of height, length and athleticism; and look how wrong that scouting report actually turned out to be.

Well, Carlos was a second round pick. He's done well since he was drafted, but the draft prediction was right on.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

Well, Carlos was a second round pick. He's done well since he was drafted, but the draft prediction was right on.

But when Billy King did not pick Booz the year he came out, I lost about 75% of my interest in the team of my youth (and truth be told did at first question my own eyes when Billy King etal did not apparently see what I saw). Trading Barkley was the original sin since he was too entertaining an interview to get rid of.