He was a really raw player when we drafted him. I think he still needs a lot of work, in terms of explosive athletic ability. His shot was terrible when drafted.
On the positive, he has a great basketball IQ and is a superb passer. He can set a pick and has improved a lot in that regard.
I would not bet against him in terms of him being a competitive NBA player in a year.
I think that's a reach for next year. I like his passing but other than that, he's too passive on the boards and not is the best position for defense/rebounding. That can be taught (he's supposedly pretty smart and teachable) so that would hopefully improve. I think next year might be too fast to expect real results. I think it would be more fair to hope he can improve to 3rd string center in 2 years (or to provide a more direct comparison, Queta's level last year) and if he does, he was a good pick. As of right now though, I think that's more than a bit on the optimistic side.
Fair enough, you may be right but we can hope, eh?
He is from England, where basketball is obviously not a major sport. He switched from playing soccer after a teenage growth spurt, so he is a relative newcomer to the sport and from somewhere without great basketball resources
Playing soccer I believe helps guys understand passing in basketball. I have seen it a lot. If you cut and are open ex-soccer players will get you the ball. I think it helps with foot coordination which can translate to good basketball foot work.
I think another factor is he is tall. Tall players can get by with less skill development because they are tall and can dunk.
