Scotty Hopson

[u2larkin04]

I don't watch a ton of college basketball, but I'd totally be all for the Celtics moving up in the second to try and take this guy. The way he developed in 3 years at Tennessee and from what I've seen of his game, he looks like he can definitely contribute in the NBA. Get it done Danny!

[cdif911]

nbadraft.net has him going 50 to the celtics as of right now (not to say they take any team needs into account at this point) but he may still be there

the one thing I've noticed with Danny's 2nd rounders is he almost never takes who we think is the bpa but often comes up with a decent player

[Rondo_is_better]

He'll be an effective scoring combo guard in the NBA. Off the bench, of course.

Flip Murray-esque production, I think. Occasionally drop 9 in a quarter.

[MBz]

I'd take him in the second round, he was a big time recruit coming in as a freshman than really disappointed.  He did improve quite a bit though.  His body is very similar to Rip Hamiltons.  He's a solid scorer. 

[jr_3421]

Ehhhh not yet sure what I think of this guy. He has the skill set to be a lottery pick but has underperformed at Tennessee. I usually am against  the idea of drafting players like that.

[Atzar]

I've watched a ton of Scotty Hopson.

First of all, he's not a combo guard.  He's 6'6"-6'7" but not really strong enough to deal with SF's on a full-time basis.  He has length and great hops, and if you search YouTube you'll find several highlight reel dunks.  When he's aggressive and decides that his matchup can't guard him, he's capable of really pouring it in - he has a high release with a rainbow arc that is unblockable, and he's capable of getting hot from midrange.  He's a poor dribbler for a guard but his athleticism makes him effective on straight-line drives to the basket.  He's not strong enough to consistently finish through contact, but his athleticism will allow him to finish some pretty acrobatic plays - or to just go straight over the top of the defense.  

At Tennessee, he typically displayed poor effort in every area of the game except scoring.  He won't rebound much, isn't a good passer and is typically ineffective on defense (although his length will nab him the occasional steal).  He's prone to sulking on the court - if a call or play goes against him, he's prone to pouting and will subsequently disappear for long periods of time.  

He's not a leader, but he's a good kid - no off-court issues at a program that was sometimes rampant with problems.  I really think one more year at school would have done him a world of good.  Tennessee has a new coach who has a history of demanding that his players give him full effort in every phase of the game, and I think a dose of discipline would have been immense for Hopson's future.  

For the Celtics, I don't really see him as a good fit.  I don't see Hopson providing anything that we couldn't already get from Von Wafer, and after this last year I think Wafer is probably superior in the other areas of the game aside from scoring.  He has more potential than most juniors out of college, and a disciplined team where he is allowed to grow and make mistakes could do wonders for his eventual productivity.  I see him as a benchwarmer at present, with the potential to be an important piece of a good team if he figures it out.  

[manl_lui]

idk, from what I heard, and seen this year's college ball, this year's draft is pretty weak

[greenhead85]

Highlight reels show his wonderful shooting form. The ball swishes through the net smoothly which proves his perfect follow through. He even shifts his dribble and carefully takes time while attacking the paint. I like his game. A SG like that- if he can bring his game to NBA level - is one of our needs.

[Atzar]

Highlight reels show his wonderful shooting form. The ball swishes through the net smoothly which proves his perfect follow through. He even shifts his dribble and carefully takes time while attacking the paint. I like his game. A SG like that- if he can bring his game to NBA level - is one of our needs.

I disagree that it's one of our needs.  Like I said earlier, Hopson will bring nothing that Wafer doesn't already give us.  Both have three-point range.  Both are athletes who can attack the basket in straight lines; Wafer has a slightly better handle and has exhibited a consistent ability to kick to the open man on the drive, something that Hopson did not do regularly at Tennessee.  Neither is a good rebounder.  Wafer demonstrated an activity and energy on the defensive end last year that I've never seen from Hopson. 

Both players have a good deal of untapped potential, but I'm much more willing to develop the player who is already in the NBA, played some effective minutes last year and is showing positive signs of improving the necessary parts of his game that will turn him into an effective player going forward.  Hopson, to me, is just as likely to end up in Europe as he is to carve out a productive career in the NBA. 

[greenhead85]

Hopson is entirely an unknown to me because our tv networks here in the Philippines do not cover NCAA games and the international networks like the ESPN, Star sports, etc do not air games of basically unknown and not so popular teams. My assessment on Hopson is only through the highlight reels from NBADraft.Net. From it, I see him having a better skills set, shooting form, size and athletic ability (than Wafer playing in the NBA) while playing in the NCAA. Like I said, Hopson has yet to bring his game to NBA level. It is obviously a wait-and-see scenario and I see him having more untapped potential.