Kyle Anderson stands out at Celtics workout

[fairweatherfan]

Anderson strikes me as a guy with a really high upside but also a higher potential of busting than some of the other possibilities around 17.  Seems like Danny's type of player for a mid- to late-1st rounder.

[Galeto]

I want to love him but he's just too poor of an athlete.  If he was even the so-so athlete that Grevis Vasquez is, he could be a solid contributor but he's one of the worst athletes who were great college players I've ever seen.  I've waited to see a deceptiveness to his athleticism, a flicker of burst and have never seen it.  Even on full court rushes where he could build up speed, he's never displayed even a half gear of extra speed. 

I think to maximize his value, he's going to have to be a bench player who can run an offense in the absence of a good backup point guard.  If he's playing with a good point guard, what's the purpose of letting Anderson have the ball as much as he did at UCLA?  The point guard is going to be the better option at bringing up the ball 9/10 in favor of the slowest guy on the floor.  Without the ball in his hands, it becomes a question of whether he can create enough value.  His defense projects to be very poor at either SF or PF.  His scoring is questionable due to his lack of lift and incredibly slow release.  He needs to be a great facilitator who boards to have enough value and without the ball in his hands, I don't know if that's possible.

[clover]

I've been high on Anderson, but this report actually worries me. If the word on his workout prowess had come from the other players, I expect the media would have reported it as such and it would have a little more credibility.

That all the reporters had it without any hint of attribution makes me think it was intended to give Anderson a boost in the market--which doesn't say much for the C's interest in him.

Are we to the point where they C's pull a double switch to throw the other GMs off, and he really is their guy? Seems unlikely.

[Evantime34]

Anderson strikes me as a guy with a really high upside but also a higher potential of busting than some of the other possibilities around 17.  Seems like Danny's type of player for a mid- to late-1st rounder.

Why does he provide more upside? It's not like he's going to become an elite athlete. I think he is going to be able to come in create, knock down shots and rebound but I'm not sure how much better he can get than that.

To me factors that matter in upside are 1. How raw a player currently is. 2. How athletic they currently are. 3. How young they are.

Upside is about room for improvement, and other than becoming a better shooter i'm not sure how much Anderson will be able to improve.

[footey]

Any reports on Wed's Celtic workout?  Want to hear how Payne and Capella looked.

[fairweatherfan]

Anderson strikes me as a guy with a really high upside but also a higher potential of busting than some of the other possibilities around 17.  Seems like Danny's type of player for a mid- to late-1st rounder.

Why does he provide more upside? It's not like he's going to become an elite athlete. I think he is going to be able to come in create, knock down shots and rebound but I'm not sure how much better he can get than that.

Because he's really big and long and can potentially guard and play multiple positions?  If he's savvy and smart enough to overcome the athletic issues, a guy like that can be a really versatile weapon that can slot into a lot of different lineups and styles.  If not, he'll either be a bust or a limited rotation player. 

Personally I think it's more likely he'll bust, but if he puts it together, his skill level at that size will make him a very nice player.

[Nef-Oracle]

I don't want Slo Mo here! We can still have better at #17.

[clover]

Any reports on Wed's Celtic workout?  Want to hear how Payne and Capella looked.

Read somewhere that Capella looked raw, and Payne was the star of the group.

Speaking of how players looked, yikes--I hear the '70s called and they want their player back:

https://twitter.com/ESPNForsberg/status/474530883752693760/photo/1

[NorthernLightning]

You guys, how many of Kevin Durant's points come from pure athleticism?

Kyle Anderson has center length and reach, and he has a nice natural fade-away on his jumper. You combine that with his Durant-like ball handling and Rondo like vision and passing, and the potential for him to be a Star is staring you right in the face.

He's only going to get craftier as a scorer, and if he wasn't such an elite pass-first player, he would have put up much more impressive scoring numbers last year.

He's going to be able to give the team that drafts him whatever they need to win, and making his teammates better at the same time.

He's already an elite passer, ball handler, and rebounder, and he already has the moves and touch to get his shot off and score against anybody.

Defensively, he is very long and more sturdy than you'd think with strong legs and hips. He can do a decent job defensively at both the 3 and the 4, while being the best player on the floor offensively.

And he played in an uptempo system that did not emphasize defense, but he still racked up the steals and played his role in the zone just fine, or even very well. Most people playing in a zone look like they are just standing around, especially down low.

We're talking about one of the smarter guys in the NBA, so he's going to do well enough defensively while making it look effortless.

We'd be lucky if he's there at 17.

[Galeto]

Anderson strikes me as a guy with a really high upside but also a higher potential of busting than some of the other possibilities around 17.  Seems like Danny's type of player for a mid- to late-1st rounder.

Why does he provide more upside? It's not like he's going to become an elite athlete. I think he is going to be able to come in create, knock down shots and rebound but I'm not sure how much better he can get than that.

Because he's really big and long and can potentially guard and play multiple positions?  If he's savvy and smart enough to overcome the athletic issues, a guy like that can be a really versatile weapon that can slot into a lot of different lineups and styles.  If not, he'll either be a bust or a limited rotation player. 

Personally I think it's more likely he'll bust, but if he puts it together, his skill level at that size will make him a very nice player.

He has about 2.5 inches of wingspan on fellow prospects like Wiggins, Parker and Gordon, that's it.  They're all about 6'7 and change in bare feet with close to 9 feet in standing reach.  7 plus wingspans are not that special in small forwards or power forwards.  They're more of a necessity than a weapon.  His measurements aren't so unique that he can get away with being such a poor athlete.  Sure smarts and savvy matter on defense, but so does actually being able to move your feet quickly and jump.  There is no way in hell Anderson is going to be able to keep players in front of him.  Players who can guard multiple position have to actually be athletic.

[Evantime34]

You guys, how many of Kevin Durant's points come from pure athleticism?

Kyle Anderson has center length and reach, and he has a nice natural fade-away on his jumper. You combine that with his Durant-like ball handling and Rondo like vision and passing, and the potential for him to be a Star is staring you right in the face.

He's only going to get craftier as a scorer, and if he wasn't such an elite pass-first player, he would have put up much more impressive scoring numbers last year.

He's going to be able to give the team that drafts him whatever they need to win, and making his teammates better at the same time.

He's already an elite passer, ball handler, and rebounder, and he already has the moves and touch to get his shot off and score against anybody.

Defensively, he is very long and more sturdy than you'd think with strong legs and hips. He can do a decent job defensively at both the 3 and the 4, while being the best player on the floor offensively.

And he played in an uptempo system that did not emphasize defense, but he still racked up the steals and played his role in the zone just fine, or even very well. Most people playing in a zone look like they are just standing around, especially down low.

We're talking about one of the smarter guys in the NBA, so he's going to do well enough defensively while making it look effortless.

We'd be lucky if he's there at 17.

Kevin Durant is freakishly quick considering he is close to 7 feet tall. He has center height but shooting guard quickness. Kyle Anderson has the height of a power forward but the quickness of a center.

 I like him and think he is what he is already, maybe he gets slightly better on defense but I don't think his defensive ceiling is high at all because of his foot speed. If you watch his Dx video, skip to the weaknesses and watch him get blown by time after time on defense, often guys went right by him without him moving. I think he could be good on an uptempo team where defense isn't at a premium but I don't see the high ceiling because of his awful foot speed.

Anderson strikes me as a guy with a really high upside but also a higher potential of busting than some of the other possibilities around 17.  Seems like Danny's type of player for a mid- to late-1st rounder.

Why does he provide more upside? It's not like he's going to become an elite athlete. I think he is going to be able to come in create, knock down shots and rebound but I'm not sure how much better he can get than that.

Because he's really big and long and can potentially guard and play multiple positions?  If he's savvy and smart enough to overcome the athletic issues, a guy like that can be a really versatile weapon that can slot into a lot of different lineups and styles.  If not, he'll either be a bust or a limited rotation player. 

Personally I think it's more likely he'll bust, but if he puts it together, his skill level at that size will make him a very nice player.

I don't think he can guard even potentially guard multiple positions, I think he will be lucky to guard one position. On offense he can do a lot of different things, but I think he needs the right system to utilize all those things, so to me that doesn't make him versitile it makes him someone who needs a very specific team to draft him. Versitility allows a player to play many positions in lots of different styles, he can play the stretch/point forward and that's about it.

That being said I think he might be the best available value when we pick, I just completely disagree with the idea that he has upside because he is already a skilled player which doesn't leave a ton of room for growth.

[Galeto]

You guys, how many of Kevin Durant's points come from pure athleticism?

Kyle Anderson has center length and reach, and he has a nice natural fade-away on his jumper. You combine that with his Durant-like ball handling and Rondo like vision and passing, and the potential for him to be a Star is staring you right in the face.

He's only going to get craftier as a scorer, and if he wasn't such an elite pass-first player, he would have put up much more impressive scoring numbers last year.

He's going to be able to give the team that drafts him whatever they need to win, and making his teammates better at the same time.

He's already an elite passer, ball handler, and rebounder, and he already has the moves and touch to get his shot off and score against anybody.

Defensively, he is very long and more sturdy than you'd think with strong legs and hips. He can do a decent job defensively at both the 3 and the 4, while being the best player on the floor offensively.

And he played in an uptempo system that did not emphasize defense, but he still racked up the steals and played his role in the zone just fine, or even very well. Most people playing in a zone look like they are just standing around, especially down low.

We're talking about one of the smarter guys in the NBA, so he's going to do well enough defensively while making it look effortless.

We'd be lucky if he's there at 17.

No, Durant with his nearly 7'5 wingspan and 9'2 standing reach has nearly center measurements.  I write nearly because lots of centers have standing reaches in the 9'4 range and above.  Anderson goes 6'7.5 in barefeet, with a 7'2.75 wingspan and 8'11.5 standing reach.  You know who else has similar measurements?  Trevor Ariza who goes 6'7 in barefeet with a 7'2 wingspan and 8'11.5 standing reach.  Anderson isn't freakishly built enough to be such a poor athlete.  I've seen point guards in college block his shot in the post because he was so slow to turn around, so slow to get his arms up for a shot and so marginal off the ground.

Durant can get eye-level with the rim and is a gazelle in the open court.  I would say his athleticism helps him a good amount. 

If Durant was as poor an athlete as Anderson is, there would be no shot in hell he'll be anywhere near the player he is.  That said, he's an elite shooter while Anderson isn't.

[footey]

Any reports on Wed's Celtic workout?  Want to hear how Payne and Capella looked.

Read somewhere that Capella looked raw, and Payne was the star of the group.

Speaking of how players looked, yikes--I hear the '70s called and they want their player back:

https://twitter.com/ESPNForsberg/status/474530883752693760/photo/1

Thx. Not surprised by that report.  Payne needs strong consideration at 17, despite lack of team need, he is that good and long.  Just worry about his stamina.

[NorthernLightning]

No, Durant with his nearly 7'5 wingspan and 9'2 standing reach has nearly center measurements.  I write nearly because lots of centers have standing reaches in the 9'4 range and above.

Lots, eh? Lots?

[Celtics4ever]

Either a guy can play or he can't.   We have all seen slow guys who can ball.   

Does no one remember the White Mamba!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kRq7K-xHDM