Tony Wroten = Ryan Mallet?

[arambone]

QB Ryan Mallet was thought to have the best natural throwing ability in the 2011 NFL draft. He dropped because of attitude questions and poor decision making. BB took a flyer on him in the 3rd, and the pick was universally praised as an ideal situation for Mallet, being groomed under Brady and Belichick.

Tony Wroten is believed to have about as much potential as anybody in this draft. His talent is compared to Rajon Rondo, although Wroten might be as much as 5" taller.

It is believed that if Wroten can model his game after Rondo, and not try to be something else, he can maximize his potential. Like Rondo, Wroten comes out of college with many of the same questions about jump shooting, free throw shooting, being a good teammate, and leadership.

Playing a year or two (or less) under Rondo and Rivers would be the absolute ideal situation for Wroten to reach his potential and increase his value. Rondo is the unquestioned alpha dog in that relationship, and Doc would keep Wroten off the court when he doesn't do exactly what he should be doing.

In short order, Wroten could become a trade asset far more valuable than the 22nd pick of the draft, while providing Boston with immediate depth and insurance at both the 1 and the 2, and even SF.

It is entirely possible that Wroten could be traded as early as before the '12-'13 trade deadline for something really valuable.

Nobody really predicted that Kentucky Rondo would be capable of shooting outside like he did last night. I don't think many people would now dismiss Wroten being capable of such potential either.

We saw how dominating Rondo can be when he takes it strong to the hoop unafraid of contact. That is Wroten's game, he relishes contact, as is much better built for contact than Rondo.

I think it's unlikely that Wroten will last until 21. If he does last that long, it will only be because teams are skeptical that they can effectively develop Wroten as he needs to be developed.

Wroten might not be the ideal fit on the Celtics roster next year, but he could very well add the most value, especially future trade value. At the very least, he could be the Al Jefferson centerpiece of the next Celtics trade for a superstar - even as soon as the February trade deadline.

[CFAN38]

I understand where your coming from the problem will be how can the Cs develop Wroten and try to show case him to the league when he and Rondo will never be able to play together at the same time.

If he is as talented a passer as scouts say then the bobcats should figure out a way to get a pick in the late teens and draft him to pair with Kemba. This allows Kemba to play SG on offense while defender the point 

[pork3]

QB Ryan Mallet was thought to have the best natural throwing ability in the 2011 NFL draft. He dropped because of attitude questions and poor decision making. BB took a flyer on him in the 3rd, and the pick was universally praised as an ideal situation for Mallet, being groomed under Brady and Belichick.

Not sure if you've been following OTA's, but Mallett's performance as of late has been compared to Rohan Davey, which is not a good thing. A gunslinger who is painfully slow in his decision making.

Obviously, that is simply a preliminary assessment, but the risk/reward ratio on players such as Mallett/Wroten often tend to lean significantly towards risk.

-jamman

[Ocie1]

sounds good

[arambone]

"A gunslinger who is painfully slow in his decision making."

Bummer to hear that.

[celticinorlando]

boston doesn't need another guard that can't shoot from the outside on a consistent basis. Already have that in rondo and bradley

who knows..but it seems like a risk taking a kid that will only play off the bench...i prefer getting the 6'7 SF out of this draft

[jambr380]

I guess I see the reasoning behind getting a player who is much better than his draft position in order to use in a trade; however, I really think we need to come away with a pf/c type with at least one of those picks. I know people are talking about the sf position, but if we are planning to hang on to Green, there is really no reason to even consider it. Avery is set to start at sg next year, but I wouldn't mind a lights out shooter either (who wouldn't) One of our picks probably should be Nicholson. I am all for a project on the other one.

[arambone]

Bradley can indeed shoot outside on a consistent basis, but does so more effectively with two arms as opposed to one or 1/2 of one.

Wroten is at least 6'5.5" without shoes, and built like a tank at 19 years old. I think he could definitely play some 3, much like Tony Allen can.

At 19 yo, you can't write off his outside shooting ability. Westbrook couldn't shoot outside at 19 yo either. Wroten has decent form and an obviously high level of coordination. The biggest issue for him is inconsistent release point on his shot, quite fixable.

I know Wroten wouldn't be the absolute ideal 3rd guard to complement Rondo and Bradley, but the 3 of them in a rotation would be legendary defensively, awesome on the break, and Wroten can get to the basket every bit as easily as Rondo, even when defenders sag off.

The biggest questions for me are whether he can learn to make better decisions, and whether his teammates and coaches will be able to trust him.

Doc and Rondo would be the best combo to teach this guy.

I like Nicholson with one pick, and either Wroten, Melo, or White with the other.

"but if we are planning to hang on to Green, there is really no reason to even consider it."

Agreed, although White tempts me.

Can't wait for the Combine! ESPNU

[arambone]

Here's a new Wroten scouting video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbS62r2fP9k&feature=player_embedded

[EJPLAYA]

That scouting tape wasn't impressive at all! The guy seems to have the worst hops for a 6'5" "athletic" labeled player I've ever seen. He couldn't even get off the ground based on those videos. Pass thank you. We have enough tweener sized guards with serious flaws in their game. Look at his FT shooting and 3pt shooting. No thanks...

[arambone]

He tore an acl 2 years ago, not sure if the hops are coming back or not.

He's not tweener size, he has the size of a big 2, and the quickness/agility/vision of a talented 1.

I think he's Tony Allen with elite handles and good point guard skills. 

He could guard Iguadala, Turner, or Lou Williams. Joe Johnson, Jeff Teague, or Kirk Hindrich. Dwyane Wade and Chalmers for sure.

There are tons of hyper-athletic combo sized and bigger guards in the NBA. John Wall, Derrick Rose, Westbrook, Wade, Jennings, Monta Ellis, Tyreke Evans, etc. Wroten can get to the hole and to the line with the best of them, and he can also D them up.

Rondo and Bradley are just about the 2 best perimeter defenders in the league, and we saw what happened when they played together. Historically dominant.

Having a full sized tenacious guard like Wroten to relieve Rondo and Bradley would allow the C's to keep the pedal to the metal defensively on the perimeter for 48 minutes.

This is more important over the 82 game regular season than the playoffs, I suppose, but being able to stop the hyper-athletic guards in today's NBA is as important as anything. Bradley kinda proved that in his limited time.

If we can get perimeter shooting from our bigs like Garnett, Johnson, and maybe (hopefully) Nicholson, Wroten's outside shooting woes would be minimized, and his rebounding prowess very useful.

Fab Melo also brings some pretty important abilities to the table, which is why I'm torn between he and Wroten as prospects right now.

If there's a full sized 2 who can shoot outside and also defend Derrick Rose, let me know.

[Atzar]

I love his potential, but I'm not crazy about his fit with this team.  The size, athleticism, and aggression on both ends of the court is great.  The poor jumpshot and the need to dominate the ball to be effective is not.

If I'm GM, whether I take a chance on him depends entirely on whether my scouts think he can become an above average shooter.  He's going to have to play off the ball here, and to do that he needs to be able to space the floor. 

I predict that some team will like what they get out of this kid, but unless Ainge is convinced that he can mesh with our team (particularly Rondo) then I'd rather pass in favor of somebody who complements our team more.

[clover]

QB Ryan Mallet was thought to have the best natural throwing ability in the 2011 NFL draft. He dropped because of attitude questions and poor decision making. BB took a flyer on him in the 3rd, and the pick was universally praised as an ideal situation for Mallet, being groomed under Brady and Belichick.

Not sure if you've been following OTA's, but Mallett's performance as of late has been compared to Rohan Davey, which is not a good thing. A gunslinger who is painfully slow in his decision making.

Obviously, that is simply a preliminary assessment, but the risk/reward ratio on players such as Mallett/Wroten often tend to lean significantly towards risk.

-jamman

Rohan Davey?  That's harsh...and disappointing to hear.

[arambone]

Yeah, the fit is definitely not ideal for the C's, barring development of a consistent jumper or glimpses of it in the pre-draft workouts. He's been working out with Brandon Roy in LA since the season ended, so hopefully Roy is teaching him useful off the ball skills and shooting with a consistent release point.

If only to push somebody else down to the C's.

[ManUp]

He's a turnover prone point-guard. He has the size to play shooting guard, but his shooting might be worse than rookie Rondo's. He's a terrible fit for the Celtics and I can't imagine us drafting him unless we plan on trading him. I also hate that he finishes almost exclusively lefty.