he doesn't have many NBA level skills.
This is an absurd comment. He was one of the best defenders of the draft, one of the best shooters in traffic, didn't dip in big games, can score on anyone, etc.
Isn't scoring an NBA skill? I could've sworn that it was.
And yet he wasn't drafted in the Top 10??
Wait!! He's that good and wasn't drafted in the first round!!
Oh my freaking God!! You mean he's got all those NBA skills and is one of the best in the draft and lasted all the way until pick 58???
Yeah...my comment's absurd. Sure it is because we must have obviously just drafted Michael Jordan. Oh wait. We drafted a relative unknown who scored a lot in a weak conference on a bad team because he was probably the only guy on his team that could dribble a basketball and chew gum at the same time.
He scored a lot and rebounded a lot because he was playing with stiffs against stiffs for almost all his career. He's short. He has a body more geared towards being a football player. He's an okay shooter. He doesn't have explosive speed or great lateral movement or exceptional ups. He has a very questionable handle and questionable decision making skills. He isn't the best passer. And he needs a lot of work extending his range, not to mention that he's ball dominant and doesn't really run a very good half court offense.
And that assessment is being nice and straight from a scout in the ACC..
But my comments are absurd.
Did anyone say anything about him being a top 10 talent?
He needs to extend his range? This is ludicrous and shows that you have not seen him play. He has unlimited range and that is with people guarding him.
Also, the scored a lot in the weak conference thing is played out because....he scored a lot against the top teams in the nation.
His body being more geared towards being a football player is a bad thing??? Have you seen Lebron lately? Big Baby? That's one of the worst criticisms out there.
A lot of the times teams know they don't have any room on their roster so they take a flier on a random international player so they will have the rights if they ever turn out good.
It is true that he is a longshot to crack the roster because we are a championship contending team. But this kid will be on an NBA roster next year and that's a great job if you are picking at 58. I'm not the kid's father or anything, but I have seen legitimate game film on him outside of Youtube and I just don't like to see the people hating on his game before they even see him.
Could have fooled me.
BTW, having a football players body and being a forward or center is one thing. Having a football player's body and being a PG, who needs speed, endurance, quickness, and lateral movement is a bad thing to NBA scouts. The criticism is justified.
Also, you must only be watching Youtube because his hitting three pointers with people in face are the only things on Youtube. He shot only 35% from the 19ft three point line this year. He would need to extend his range another 4 -6 feet to make that shot in the pros. 35% isn't all that great a percentage and pro scouts don't love when your shooting percentage goes down over the years.
As for the level of competition he played this year. he played three good teams, USC, Tennessee and Auburn. His only good game was against Auburn, the last game of the year when Auburn had everything set in their conference and for the tourney. They cruised and still won. USC and Tennessee destroyed UT-Martin and Hudson had bad games.
Tennessee - 20 Pts, 4 Rebs, 5 Asts, 4 TOs, 7-22 FG, 3-14 3PTFG
USC - 20 pts, 4 Rebs, 2 Asts, 3 TOs, 8-24 FG, 4-14 3PTFG
Not exactly awe inspiring numbers against better competition.
Listen, Danny could have done a lot worse than this pick but the over exuberance for what he is on this site is ridiculous. He's an okay little player with little to no upside, who, if he can't contribute right away, never will. It really is that simple and unfortunately, there are many, many, many people out there who think he won't.
BTW, I have two friends at high positions in the athletic departments at schools in the Big 12 and ACC. I have access to a lot of info on college players most won't. My opinions on college players are from personal watching and long convos with my two very good friends because we are college basketball junkies. Please don't lump me in with the Youtube crowd. It's insulting.