NBA Preseason Scouting Reports

I've been taking a closer look at some of the guys I haven't had the chance to see much at an NBA level so far - rookies, sophomores, little used young "potential" players. I've been taking notes during summerleague and preseason games, and decided to share what I saw here. Feel free to add your own scoting reports as you watch these guys - the more guys we cover, the better. It will help everyone get a better understanding of the numerous guys around the league that we haven't yet seen a whole lot of. I will only add the scouting report of players I see in preseason - just a summerleague game is not enough, as in preseason players will be within their teams offence and they will be experimented with.

First up - The Utah Jazz's rookie Morris Almond, sophomore Ronnie Brewer and Bucks rookie Yi Jianlian.

Morris Almond | G/F | 6-6 | Utah Jazz

Strengths:

Very good at sticking with his man off the ball... Extremely active on the boards despite his size, mainly on the offensive end... Doesn't force shots... Fantastic at creating space in off-ball situations by means of v-cuts and screens, Rip Hamilton-like in that regard... Deep range, showed no signs of second guessing when launching from the NBA three... Quick release

Weaknesses:

Much less effective trying to create a shot when the ball is in his hands rather than him moving off the ball... Doesn't box out enough, often comes bursting to the rim to grab the rebound without sealing his man... Ballhandling looked a little shaky, didn't appear to comfortable handling the ball on the perimeter

Ronnie Brewer | G/F | 6-7 | Utah Jazz

Strengths:

Very active off the ball, hard to lose him on screens... Fronts the post extremely well, caused many passes to be tipped or not thrown into the post at all... Finishes strong and not afraid of contact... Very comfortable bringing the ball up the court and either initiating the offence or carrying on straight to the hoop... Equally as good driving to the rim with the left hand or the right hand, finishes with both also... Always seems to be in the right place both offensively and defensively... Great pivot/spin move ability to create a better shot... Extremely athletic... Leaks out on the break very well leading to easy fast break baskets... Great on ball defence, especially when the offensive player is still in the triple threat position

Weaknesses:

Could improve on his passing ability and ty to get teammates more involved, especially off the drive and kickout... Plays somewhat recklessesly and sometimes just needs to slow down... Needs to get better at creating space for his jumpshot rather than just using his slashing ability on every play... Needs to box his man out better and be more active on the boards

Yi Jianlian | F | 6-11 | Milwaukee Bucks

Strengths:

Beautiful stroke and a money jumpshot anywhere from 10-25 feet... Very strong and quick going to the hoop... Can play three positions offensively, looks best facing the basket... Is as fast as most small forwards yet his height on the perimeter causes alot of problem if he decides to pull up off the dribble... Makes the smart play, passes out of double teams and passes into situations where his team has a better chance of scoring... Moves extremely well off the pick and roll, and once he's open it's over... Legitimate three point range at almost 7 feet... Very energetic when denying the post.. Great ballhandling for a guy his size, could take almost any big off the dribble

Weaknesses:

Has a tendency to rush his shot early in the game... Very poor defensive footwork and overall ability, the average NBA power forward or center should have no problems scoring on him... Needs to bulk up and get stronger... Despite his offensive versatility, would probably not be able to gaurd NBA small forwards right now... Barely ever boxes his man out... Often looks lost on bost offence and defence... Needs to refine his back to the basket game

Wilson Chandler | F | 6-8 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Runs the floor very well, great guy to get the ball to on the break... Strong and athletic, pretty quick when going to the rim... Active on the boards, both offensively and defensively, very good rebounder for his size... Likes to shoot the three, doesn't hesitate and appears comfortable shooting from that distance... Attacks the rim very well, not afraid of contact and loves to finish around the rim

Weaknesses:

Needs to work on taking the right shot, though this has improved since summerleague... Often caught out of position or is a step slow mentally on a play, needs to work on understanding the game better... Makes the mistake of rebounding with one hand too often, and going for the rebound without taking a moment to box his man out... Has trouble creating a shot for either himself or his teammates... While not being extremely poor, he needs to work on his defence, especially off the ball

Randolph Morris | F/C | 6-11 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Very good at establishing position on the low post... Big body and great strength, very hard to move once he gets set... Loves the physical play, but isn't overly aggressive causing fouls... Great looking post defender, keeps his hands up and in the way of the offensive player, moves his feet very well defensively... Strong rebounder, if he goes up for it, chances are he's gonna come down with it

Weaknesses:

Needs to develop better post moves downlow and not rely on strength... Doesn't have great hands, drops his fair share of passes which would have otherwise been easy baskets... Quite slow, especially with the ball, which hampers his post scoring ability somewhat... Makes the mistake of not boxing out his man once the shot is off, usually boxes out a bit too late... Needs to work on ballhandling alot, he rarely keeps his head up when dribbling and this tends to lead to him losing position or missing an open man

Mardy Collins | G | 6-6 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Extremely energetic and alert defender, does a fantastic job of shutting his man down off the ball... Runs the break very well, often finishes breaks by himself... Overpowers smaller gaurds easily and uses this to score inside... Good court vision, makes smart passes and doesn't try anything to risky... Plays the passing lanes very well... Solid ballhandler, takes care of the basketball

Weaknesses:

Not very quick with the ball, although it doesn't appear to really effect his ability to get the rim... Poor perimeter shooter, hesitates to take any shot near the three point line, bar a wide pen one with no clear lane to the rim... Lacks athleticism and explosiveness... Has a tendency to stand around on offence, doesn't make anything happen offensively without the ball...

Demetris Nichols | F | 6-8 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Extremely good shooter, especially from long range... Good rebounder for his size, puts in the effort on both ends to get the rebound... Pesky defender, long arms tend to bother offensive players alot... Moves very well within the flow of the offence, often resulting in open looks... Has the size and length to shoot over almost anyone defending him... Perfect looking stroke on his jumpshot

Weaknesses:

Not very strong, has alot of trouble keeping defensive position when being backed down... Slow with the ball, negates his ballhandling ability and makes it har from him to create space for his jumpshot... Has a tendency to drive baseline and get trapped, doesn't always take the right route from point A to point B... Has alot of trouble getting to the rim

Jared Jordan | G | 6-2 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Very good court vision, always finding the open man no matter how difficult the situation may be... Great ballhandler, makes it very tough for defenders to trap him... While not the best defender, puts alot of effort in and exerts alot of energy on the defensive end... Great at drawing a crowd arounf the basket and then kicking it out to the open man... Quick with the ball, has a great looking spin move... Very smart play

Weaknesses:

His size hurts him alot on defence as does his athleticism, has alot of trouble gaurding the perimeter and stopping penetration... Sometimes struggles shooting the ball... Doesn't do a good job of creating a shot for himself or creating enough space to get a jumpshot off... Gets pushed around easily, gets posted up early and often... Struggles to stick with his man on defence, especially during on-ball situations...

Aaron Gray | C | 7-0 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Great size, big and strong... Strong rebounder despite his lack of athleticism and explosiveness, simple takes up alot of space... Scores pretty well in the post, has a decent jump hook and always get's good position... Good passer, has pretty good court vision... Sets great picks and rolls to the basket well, most of his points come from him rolling to the basket or off of tips and offensive rebounds

Weaknesses:

Doesn't have great footwork on both offence and defence... Is very slow and unathletic, this is combination with his footwork is dangerous on defence when defender quicker centers... Doesn't have much of a jumpshot... Struggles to create a shot for himself in the post, doesn't have much to offer downlow offensively except for size, strength and good offensive rebounding ability

JamesOn Curry | G | 6-3 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Decent ballhandler, but not good enough to run the point gaurd position for long stretches... Active on the ball defender, does a pretty good job defensively, though he tends to have defensive lapses and can get lost on offball situations... Great shooter when he gets going, perfect mechanics on his jumpshot... Range out to the NBA three, is a threat from downtown... Runs the break very well

Weaknesses:

While his jumper looks great, he is very streaky... Stands around on offence far to much, needs to get himself open and cut to the basket alot more, a layup or two would help his confidence when his shot isn't dropping... Hesitates to shoot when he is having a bit of a shooting slump, even when he has a good shot he will pass it up... Not very good off the ball on the defensive end... Isn't very quick with the ball, nor is he very strong

Nick Fazekas | F | 6-11 | Dallas Mavericks

Strengths:

Very comfortable shooting the ball from outside, all the way out to the NBA three... Decent passer, makes the right pass... Great form on his shot, doesn't get effected to much when shooting with a hand in his face... Very good at boxing out and doing the little things to come up with the rebound, grabs plenty of boards... Pretty good footwork downlow despite his lack of post moves

Weaknesses:

Doesn't make anything happen offensively unless the ball is in his hands, needs to move around alot more... Seems to get lost quite often, especially on defence where he is slow to rotate... Not very good athletically, below average speed and exposiveness...Size goes to waste somewhat as he hangs around the perimeter, yet is too slow and lacks the ballhandling ability to get to the rim so his only scoring option is often the outside jumper... Needs to get alot stronger to become more of a factor especially defensively

Tyrus Thomas | F | 6-9 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Very pesky and active defender on the ball, causes alot of problems both on the perimeter and inside for the ballhandler... Great rebounder, always finds a way to the ball, especially on the offensive end which leads to plenty of putback buckets... Good ballhandler for his size, can get to the rim... Gets to the line alot with his active play and has improved his free throw shooting... Extremely athletic, very fast and explosive... Great hustle player, is all over the court, will dive for loose balls and put his body on the line... Very good at getting open around the freethrow line, just needs to knock those jumpers down, though he has improved considerably... Excellent passer, fantastic court vision

Weaknesses:

Must continue to improve his jumpshot to become a factor on offence... Is easily pushed out of position, looks stronger than last year but has to keep working on his strength... Needs to calm down a bit on defence as he has a tendency to pick up ticky-tack fouls early and often... Needs to do a better job of setting screens so he can score off the pick and roll... Despite his quickness and ballhandling ability, he struggles to create a shot for himself... Has little to none back to the basket game, must improve his footwork and post moves alot

Joakim Noah | F/C | 7-0 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Very few players possess his ballhandling ability at his size, an amazing ballhandler... Will often take players off the dribble from the perimeter which is extremely rare for a 7 footer... Pretty athletic, is runs the floor better than the vast majority of power forwards and centers... Seems to have improved his release, but his jumpshot is still very inneffective in any situation other than a freethrow... Can run the break both with an without the ball very effectively... Good shotblocker, uses his athleticism and length very well... Very good rebounder, despite his slim frame... Great defender, especially when gaurding the ballhandler - both inside and outside - very active and causes alot of trouble on defence for the opposition

Weaknesses:

Must get stronger, this will help him tremendously downlow both offensively and defensively... Sometimes gets lost on defensive rotations and leaves a man wide open... Has the tendency to get overexcited especially defensively, which leads to foul trouble...Must refine his post game alot to become a legitimate post option, as it appears he'll never be a great jumpshooter outside of 7 feet from the basket... Will often struggle with stronger players downlow or be pushed out of position offensively

Jeff Green | F | 6-9 | Seattle Supersonics

Strengths:

Good ballhandler for his size, does a good job of getting by his man and to the rim... Sees the court very well, is a talented passer... Love to take his man baseline, although he must work on not putting himself into tough situations that might force a bad shot or a turnover... Strong body, hard to stop if he wants to get position downlow or wants to go to the rim... Very versatile both offensively and defensively, capable of playing three positions... Effective defender, sticks to his man... Underrated athletically, is quick and explosive

Weaknesses:

Must work on his shot selection and focus on making the right play rather than the soonest one... Doesn't yet have great range on his shot, he doesn't appear very comfortable or effective from the three point line... While being a decent rebounder, he could definately improve with his strength, athleticism and length... Sometimes is over aggresive defensively and instead of playing calm, smart defence he will reach and pick up fouls

Kevin Durant | F | 6-9 | Seattle Supersonics

Strengths:

Has great range on his jumpshot and is a deadly shooter from anywhere on the court... With his combination of size and ballhandling ability, he can get any shot he wants... Very quick for his size with the ball, bigger defenders have a tough time stricking with him... Is fantastic on the brek, will almost always make the right choice... Works very well off the ball at getting himself open, which almost always results in points... Has a huge wingspan, will block alot of shots coming over for help due to this... Rebounds extremely well despite his lack of strength, has good timing and solid fundamentals when it comes to rebounding the ball... Has good back to the basket moves and footwork and if he could bulk up would be a great option downlow.. Great spinmove downlow and uses an array of fakes to get the shot he wants... A clutch player who isn't afraid to take the final shot, very confident

Weaknesses:

While being a good ballhandler, sometimes struggles to go left and will often just pull up, if he could work on his offhand his slashing game would essentially be twice as effective... Underrated passer but doesn't have great court vision... Doesn't have great timing when it comes to blocking shots, soetimes picks up fouls because he bites on alot of fakes... Is very slim an doesn't possess NBA level strength, he is easily pushed out of the post both offensively and defensively, and this is a big setback because he can't really use his size and length on the perimeter... Not the fastest guy moving laterally, while he does run the floor extremely well, he has his fair share of problems sticking with his man defensively... Has trouble finishing with contact...

Ike Diogu | F/C | 6-8 | Indiana Pacers

Strengths:

Very strong and is very good at establishing good position on the low block... Amazing footwork and has a very wide array of post moves to choose from, very hard to stop downlow... His size doesn't appear to hurt him offensively, as his great footwork negates that somewhat... Great jumpshot for a low post guy, can hit the midrange jumper with consistancy... Very good shotblocking ability for a guy his size... Good post defender and has the ability to gaurd players who like the midrange game or perimeter, such as Dirk Nowitzki... Smart player, usually makes the right play... Works hard off the ball to get himself open... Finishes with contact well... Great rebounder, very hard to get by him for a rebound... Good hands, rarely drops a pass

Weaknesses:

Has trouble defensively with quicker and/or longer players, though he does a good job defensively on most of his matchups... Not a great ballhandler, doesn't seem very comfortable putting the ball on the floor... Apart from his strength, he isn't great athletically, not exceptionally quick or explosive... once he establishes position, if he doesn't recieve the ball he has a tendency to stand around and not make things happen offensively... Needs to keep his head up when putting the ball o the floor as he is sometimes slow to react to double teams and will get trapped, usually causing a turnover

So there we have it. I ignored everything I had heard about the player before this season and tried to basically write out everything I saw in them. As I said, feel free to post your own once you feel you have enough info on the player. I'll be sure to put some other guys up as I get a chance to get a closer look at them.

Last edited by --- on Sun Oct 14, 2007 7:32 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Add Kelena Azubuike.

Haven't watched him play in preseason as of yet.

I will only add the scouting report of players I see in preseason

Sorry, Shannon beat me to it..

I like what you said about Almond, i read about him a fair bit through college, and im looking forward to when i up my internet speed so i can watch some Jazz games

Last edited by Dean on Thu Oct 11, 2007 3:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think Almond is going to be a good player. Maybe never a starting quality player, but a decent role player that can space the floor and inject some offence off the bench. If he improves the rest of his game and keeps his shooting then perhaps he could become something special. At the moment I see him as a Kapono type player, but if he works hard and learns from Sloan maybe he could become like Redd.

I really like Brewer as a player. A guy I would like the Bucks to target. Seems to work hard on both ends and has great athleticism. I don't know what his ceiling is, but I think he can become an above average player in this league. He teams up nicely in the backcourt with Deron, and provides the Jazz with some spark.

I think it is hard to judge Yi at this early stage. At the start of games nerves are obvious. He has bricked a couple of easy shots. I think the pace of the game is still throwing him off a bit. Once he gets comfortable with the speed, expectations and physicality we will get a better picture. In saying that, tonight he got a hot streak and got 11 quick points including a three showing some nice range. His jump shot is flawless. I think he will become even more dangerous when he gets confident to put the ball on the floor and play more in the post. He is quick and quite aggressive. Needs work on defence. Has got a couple of steals already, showing quickness and his reach. Is an above average shot blocker, which the Bucks need. Needs to get stronger to defend the post, but this will also become easier, once again, when he gets familiar with the American style of play. Needs to box out more, which is his major weakness. While he is quick I doubt he could guard 3's. I think his rookie year will like Bargaini's in many ways. Start to slow off, but once he gets more comfortable and familiar with the Bucks offensive and defensive sets and his confidence grows he will put up some nice numbers. But at this stage he looks like a very skilled 4, but still to early to judge what he will acheive this year and beyond.

N.B Yi is now officially listed a 7 feet from the Bucks measurements at his physical.

Ty-Land, from what I saw Yi looked better to me as a 3 than 4. Definately will defend the post though. I thought that during summerleague and still think the same. Chances are, once he bulks up he'll be alot more effective down low.

Anyway, got done watching the Knicks beat Maccabi a while ago. The guys I watched real closely were Wilson Chandler, Mardy Collins, Demetris Nichols, Randolph Morris and Jared Jordan. Jordan and Nichols barely played, and Chandler and Morris only played a bit more than them, so I don't have that much to go off. Luckily, I've seen all these guys play alot in summerleague so I have a bit more to go off, but the reports will be a shorter today as a result.

Wilson Chandler | F | 6-8 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Runs the floor very well, great guy to get the ball to on the break... Strong and athletic, pretty quick when going to the rim... Active on the boards, both offensively and defensively, very good rebounder for his size... Likes to shoot the three, doesn't hesitate and appears comfortable shooting from that distance... Attacks the rim very well, not afraid of contact and loves to finish around the rim

Weaknesses:

Needs to work on taking the right shot, though this has improved since summerleague... Often caught out of position or is a step slow mentally on a play, needs to work on understanding the game better... Makes the mistake of rebounding with one hand too often, and going for the rebound without taking a moment to box his man out... Has trouble creating a shot for either himself or his teammates... While not being extremely poor, he needs to work on his defence, especially off the ball

Randolph Morris | F/C | 6-11 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Very good at establishing position on the low post... Big body and great strength, very hard to move once he gets set... Loves the physical play, but isn't overly aggressive causing fouls... Great looking post defender, keeps his hands up and in the way of the offensive player, moves his feet very well defensively... Strong rebounder, if he goes up for it, chances are he's gonna come down with it

Weaknesses:

Needs to develop better post moves downlow and not rely on strength... Doesn't have great hands, drops his fair share of passes which would have otherwise been easy baskets... Quite slow, especially with the ball, which hampers his post scoring ability somewhat... Makes the mistake of not boxing out his man once the shot is off, usually boxes out a bit too late... Needs to work on ballhandling alot, he rarely keeps his head up when dribbling and this tends to lead to him losing position or missing an open man

Mardy Collins | G | 6-6 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Extremely energetic and alert defender, does a fantastic job of shutting his man down off the ball... Runs the break very well, often finishes breaks by himself... Overpowers smaller gaurds easily and uses this to score inside... Good court vision, makes smart passes and doesn't try anything to risky... Plays the passing lanes very well... Solid ballhandler, takes care of the basketball

Weaknesses:

Not very quick with the ball, although it doesn't appear to really effect his ability to get the rim... Poor perimeter shooter, hesitates to take any shot near the three point line, bar a wide pen one with no clear lane to the rim... Lacks athleticism and explosiveness... Has a tendency to stand around on offence, doesn't make anything happen offensively without the ball...

Demetris Nichols | F | 6-8 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Extremely good shooter, especially from long range... Good rebounder for his size, puts in the effort on both ends to get the rebound... Pesky defender, long arms tend to bother offensive players alot... Moves very well within the flow of the offence, often resulting in open looks... Has the size and length to shoot over almost anyone defending him... Perfect looking stroke on his jumpshot

Weaknesses:

Not very strong, has alot of trouble keeping defensive position when being backed down... Slow with the ball, negates his ballhandling ability and makes it har from him to create space for his jumpshot... Has a tendency to drive baseline and get trapped, doesn't always take the right route from point A to point B... Has alot of trouble getting to the rim

Jared Jordan | G | 6-2 | New York Knicks

Strengths:

Very good court vision, always finding the open man no matter how difficult the situation may be... Great ballhandler, makes it very tough for defenders to trap him... While not the best defender, puts alot of effort in and exerts alot of energy on the defensive end... Great at drawing a crowd arounf the basket and then kicking it out to the open man... Quick with the ball, has a great looking spin move... Very smart play

Weaknesses:

His size hurts him alot on defence as does his athleticism, has alot of trouble gaurding the perimeter and stopping penetration... Sometimes struggles shooting the ball... Doesn't do a good job of creating a shot for himself or creating enough space to get a jumpshot off... Gets pushed around easily, gets posted up early and often... Struggles to stick with his man on defence, especially during on-ball situations...

Glad you did ones on Chandler, Collins and Jordan
Players i liked alot through college, through reading and highlights and stuff, but never got to see play much, if at all..

Jordan is going to be a great point guard

If anyone watches a Dallas Mavericks game, post about how great Nick Fazekas is. plz, kthxbai.

I'll be watching the Mavericks (vs. Bulls) tommorow, as long as I don't sleep in like the last time.

I'm a bit late on this one, but I figured I should get it done befor I head off to bed. Today's game was Chicago vs. Dallas and it was a great game to watch. Joakim Noah is amazing, thought it may not show up in the boxscore, he was the most impressive player for Chicago other than Luol Deng. I took notes on Aaron gray, Joakim Noah, JamesOn Curry, Nick Fazekas and Tyrus Thomas. I've seeen all these guys quite a bit, bar Fazekas. I didn't see Joakim Noah in the NBA till today because he missed summerleague with his shoulder injury, and he looked quite alot different from what I remember from the Florida games I watched. He was given plenty of freedom, he was taking guys off the dribble from the perimeter, simply out running guys his size. So, here we go:

Aaron Gray | C | 7-0 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Great size, big and strong... Strong rebounder despite his lack of athleticism and explosiveness, simple takes up alot of space... Scores pretty well in the post, has a decent jump hook and always get's good position... Good passer, has pretty good court vision... Sets great picks and rolls to the basket well, most of his points come from him rolling to the basket or off of tips and offensive rebounds

Weaknesses:

Doesn't have great footwork on both offence and defence... Is very slow and unathletic, this is combination with his footwork is dangerous on defence when defender quicker centers... Doesn't have much of a jumpshot... Struggles to create a shot for himself in the post, doesn't have much to offer downlow offensively except for size, strength and good offensive rebounding ability

JamesOn Curry | G | 6-3 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Decent ballhandler, but not good enough to run the point gaurd position for long stretches... Active on the ball defender, does a pretty good job defensively, though he tends to have defensive lapses and can get lost on offball situations... Great shooter when he gets going, perfect mechanics on his jumpshot... Range out to the NBA three, is a threat from downtown... Runs the break very well

Weaknesses:

While his jumper looks great, he is very streaky... Stands around on offence far to much, needs to get himself open and cut to the basket alot more, a layup or two would help his confidence when his shot isn't dropping... Hesitates to shoot when he is having a bit of a shooting slump, even when he has a good shot he will pass it up... Not very good off the ball on the defensive end... Isn't very quick with the ball, nor is he very strong

Nick Fazekas | F | 6-11 | Dallas Mavericks

Strengths:

Very comfortable shooting the ball from outside, all the way out to the NBA three... Decent passer, makes the right pass... Great form on his shot, doesn't get effected to much when shooting with a hand in his face... Very good at boxing out and doing the little things to come up with the rebound, grabs plenty of boards... Pretty good footwork downlow despite his lack of post moves

Weaknesses:

Doesn't make anything happen offensively unless the ball is in his hands, needs to move around alot more... Seems to get lost quite often, especially on defence where he is slow to rotate... Not very good athletically, below average speed and exposiveness...Size goes to waste somewhat as he hangs around the perimeter, yet is too slow and lacks the ballhandling ability to get to the rim so his only scoring option is often the outside jumper... Needs to get alot stronger to become more of a factor especially defensively

Tyrus Thomas | F | 6-9 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Very pesky and active defender on the ball, causes alot of problems both on the perimeter and inside for the ballhandler... Great rebounder, always finds a way to the ball, especially on the offensive end which leads to plenty of putback buckets... Good ballhandler for his size, can get to the rim... Gets to the line alot with his active play and has improved his free throw shooting... Extremely athletic, very fast and explosive... Great hustle player, is all over the court, will dive for loose balls and put his body on the line... Very good at getting open around the freethrow line, just needs to knock those jumpers down, though he has improved considerably... Excellent passer, fantastic court vision

Weaknesses:

Must continue to improve his jumpshot to become a factor on offence... Is easily pushed out of position, looks stronger than last year but has to keep working on his strength... Needs to calm down a bit on defence as he has a tendency to pick up ticky-tack fouls early and often... Needs to do a better job of setting screens so he can score off the pick and roll... Despite his quickness and ballhandling ability, he struggles to create a shot for himself... Has little to none back to the basket game, must improve his footwork and post moves alot

Joakim Noah | F/C | 7-0 | Chicago Bulls

Strengths:

Very few players possess his ballhandling ability at his size, an amazing ballhandler... Will often take players off the dribble from the perimeter which is extremely rare for a 7 footer... Pretty athletic, is runs the floor better than the vast majority of power forwards and centers... Seems to have improved his release, but his jumpshot is still very inneffective in any situation other than a freethrow... Can run the break both with an without the ball very effectively... Good shotblocker, uses his athleticism and length very well... Very good rebounder, despite his slim frame... Great defender, especially when gaurding the ballhandler - both inside and outside - very active and causes alot of trouble on defence for the opposition

Weaknesses:

Must get stronger, this will help him tremendously downlow both offensively and defensively... Sometimes gets lost on defensive rotations and leaves a man wide open... Has the tendency to get overexcited especially defensively, which leads to foul trouble...Must refine his post game alot to become a legitimate post option, as it appears he'll never be a great jumpshooter outside of 7 feet from the basket... Will often struggle with stronger players downlow or be pushed out of position offensively

I'm going to do scouting reports for my 2 man-crushes. Stephane Lasme and Al Thornton.

Anyone see the cavs game last night?

Shannon Brown 19 pts 4/8FG, 11/14 from the FT line? Damn. He must be driving alot to the hoop or something to get that many free throw shots. Maybe he can break out in his 2nd year and step up if the cavs dont resign Pavlovic.

I'm going to do scouting reports for my 2 man-crushes. Stephane Lasme and Al Thornton.

Looking forward to it - I haven't seen either of those guys play all that much. Saw Al twice in summerleague and Lasme a couple times, but I didn't get to see them much at all in college.

Anyone see the cavs game last night?

Shannon Brown 19 pts 4/8FG, 11/14 from the FT line? Damn. He must be driving alot to the hoop or something to get that many free throw shots. Maybe he can break out in his 2nd year and step up if the cavs dont resign Pavlovic.

That's his game, driving to the hoop. He's one of my favorite college players ever, he was amazing to watch at MSU. I have no idea how he didn't get burn with that offensively-struggling Cav's team last year. I think he's better than Pavlovic.

LASME!!! Took forever for Umass to create another NBA player, hopefully he'll make an impact. He's mainly a defensive player with a lot of energy, but he's fairly undersized. He was OK here in the A-10 because there weren't that many tall and superb PFs, but hopefully he does well in the NBA regardless.

I watched the Seattle/Indiana game today, took notes on Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Ike Diogu. I wanted to write down alot about Shawne Williams, but the stream seemed to freeze up everytime Shawn got the ball. I completely forgot about Travis Diener being on this team, and he was great in this game. Unfortunately, I didn't really realize until mid-way through the third, so I didn't write anything about him. Maybe Indy could write up one for Diener.

Jeff Green | F | 6-9 | Seattle Supersonics

Strengths:

Good ballhandler for his size, does a good job of getting by his man and to the rim... Sees the court very well, is a talented passer... Love to take his man baseline, although he must work on not putting himself into tough situations that might force a bad shot or a turnover... Strong body, hard to stop if he wants to get position downlow or wants to go to the rim... Very versatile both offensively and defensively, capable of playing three positions... Effective defender, sticks to his man... Underrated athletically, is quick and explosive

Weaknesses:

Must work on his shot selection and focus on making the right play rather than the soonest one... Doesn't yet have great range on his shot, he doesn't appear very comfortable or effective from the three point line... While being a decent rebounder, he could definately improve with his strength, athleticism and length... Sometimes is over aggresive defensively and instead of playing calm, smart defence he will reach and pick up fouls

Kevin Durant | F | 6-9 | Seattle Supersonics

Strengths:

Has great range on his jumpshot and is a deadly shooter from anywhere on the court... With his combination of size and ballhandling ability, he can get any shot he wants... Very quick for his size with the ball, bigger defenders have a tough time stricking with him... Is fantastic on the brek, will almost always make the right choice... Works very well off the ball at getting himself open, which almost always results in points... Has a huge wingspan, will block alot of shots coming over for help due to this... Rebounds extremely well despite his lack of strength, has good timing and solid fundamentals when it comes to rebounding the ball... Has good back to the basket moves and footwork and if he could bulk up would be a great option downlow.. Great spinmove downlow and uses an array of fakes to get the shot he wants... A clutch player who isn't afraid to take the final shot, very confident

Weaknesses:

While being a good ballhandler, sometimes struggles to go left and will often just pull up, if he could work on his offhand his slashing game would essentially be twice as effective... Underrated passer but doesn't have great court vision... Doesn't have great timing when it comes to blocking shots, soetimes picks up fouls because he bites on alot of fakes... Is very slim an doesn't possess NBA level strength, he is easily pushed out of the post both offensively and defensively, and this is a big setback because he can't really use his size and length on the perimeter... Not the fastest guy moving laterally, while he does run the floor extremely well, he has his fair share of problems sticking with his man defensively... Has trouble finishing with contact...

Ike Diogu | F/C | 6-8 | Indiana Pacers

Strengths:

Very strong and is very good at establishing good position on the low block... Amazing footwork and has a very wide array of post moves to choose from, very hard to stop downlow... His size doesn't appear to hurt him offensively, as his great footwork negates that somewhat... Great jumpshot for a low post guy, can hit the midrange jumper with consistancy... Very good shotblocking ability for a guy his size... Good post defender and has the ability to gaurd players who like the midrange game or perimeter, such as Dirk Nowitzki... Smart player, usually makes the right play... Works hard off the ball to get himself open... Finishes with contact well... Great rebounder, very hard to get by him for a rebound... Good hands, rarely drops a pass

Weaknesses:

Has trouble defensively with quicker and/or longer players, though he does a good job defensively on most of his matchups... Not a great ballhandler, doesn't seem very comfortable putting the ball on the floor... Apart from his strength, he isn't great athletically, not exceptionally quick or explosive... once he establishes position, if he doesn't recieve the ball he has a tendency to stand around and not make things happen offensively... Needs to keep his head up when putting the ball o the floor as he is sometimes slow to react to double teams and will get trapped, usually causing a turnover

he could definately improve with his strength, athleticism and length

How is he supposed to do that? Take growth hormones to increase his length instead of waiting for his body to grow itself naturally?

Yep.

Nah a mistake on my part. I meant to say explosiveness, but I guess that comes under athleticism. I'll fix it up later, thanks for pointing that out.

You should really be on the gaurd on how you write your thoughts. People take effort in reading your post you know. Don't disappoint me again.

You should really be on the gaurd on how you write your thoughts.

You should really be on guard on how you spell

Thanks for the scouting report, Shannon. I'll add one of Andrea Bargnani:

Andrea Bargnani | F/C | Toronto Raptors

Strengths:
For a seven-footer, has an excellent shooting range and is capable of hitting the three-pointer on a consistent basis. Reminiscent of Dirk Nowitzki with his agility and good shooting form. Can slash to the hoop. Now he's playing center, he can create problems by scoring inside or outside with his range. According to the Caliper scale, his toughness and confidence is off the charts. Can create amazing passes. Good defensive presence. Good team player and attitude.

Weaknesses:
Still needs to improve his rebounding. Needs to be more careful with the ball and not foul as often. Won't be able to stop bigger guys at the center position. Though he has some post moves, he needs to utilize them more often. Needs to play with more toughness.

To add to Bargnani's strengths and weaknesses, I think an important part (or a part of Il Mago's game that WILL be important in the near future) is his pull up mid range jumper. Bargnani has got a nice lanky stride and his release is quick enough to bait a lot of opposing players into jumping for his three point shot. A lot of the times, Bargnani has shown that he can take a dribble or two towards the basket and hit that medium range pull up. This can really become his bread and butter move if people start respecting his three point shot. Then again, with his length and quick release, there aren't that many people that can bother his shot.

I think one part of Bargnani's game that he needs to work on is his ball handling when slashing to the rim though. He's not a stiff by any means, but more often than not you'll see Bargnani have the ball poked lose from his bands taking the ball to the rim last year. He also tends to struggle finishing when contact has been made, and that was before when he wasn't starting at centre and played the majority of his minutes at power foward.

You should really be on guard on how you spell

Don't you know that that's the way we spell guard now? Just read every Shannon's posts.

Hey Cy, what is the Caliper scale?

Once again, great work Shannon.. I like the sound of Jeff Green, doesnt sound like there is much risk of him not being a great player

The Caliper test is a test that tests your personality type and whether or not it is compatible with others I think.

I think Jeff Green is a risk. For one, he can't shoot.

Stephane Lasme | PF | 6'8" | Golden State Warriors
Lasme was a guy I watched very closely at UMass. He was an older guy without a lot of upside, but he really seemed more sure of himself his Junior season, and I thought he could really break out in to a first round pick if he had a great senior year. Even though he was a second round pick, he did what I thought he'd do, and I'm now convinced he'll be a good NBA player.

Strengths:
Stephane is extremely athletic and fast, so right away you know he'll fit in to the Warriors scheme. However, the thing that should really make him a productive rotation player is his passing. He has excellent court vision. He'll also grab a lot of offensive rebounds and he makes smart decisions with the ball. You'll never need to run a play for him, but he is still capable of being a double digit scorer in the NBA. He'll score plenty on putbacks, and will be completely content to be a garbage guy. He is also excellent at drawing contact and going to the line. The thing I really want to stress about Lasme is his basketball IQ. He always makes the smart play.

Weaknesses:
He is undersized for a Power Foward, that is the obvious thing that you will continue to hear about Stephane. He doesn't have a lot of range on his jumper, but he can hit out to 15 feet if he's open. As a lot of young athletic, active big men do, he will get himself in to foul trouble. Goes for the block a little bit too often. Hurts himself sometimes by trying to do too much, but that's something he'll fix pretty quickly, or he won't see the court. He's also 25 already, so its not like there is a lot of upside.

I'll do the other elderly rook in Al Thonrton tomorrow.

You should really be on the gaurd on how you write your thoughts.

You should really be on guard on how you spell

Thanks for the scouting report, Shannon. I'll add one of Andrea Bargnani:

Andrea Bargnani | F/C | Toronto Raptors

Strengths:
For a seven-footer, has an excellent shooting range and is capable of hitting the three-pointer on a consistent basis. Reminiscent of Dirk Nowitzki with his agility and good shooting form. Can slash to the hoop. Now he's playing center, he can create problems by scoring inside or outside with his range. According to the Caliper scale, his toughness and confidence is off the charts. Can create amazing passes. Good defensive presence. Good team player and attitude.

Weaknesses:
Still needs to improve his rebounding. Needs to be more careful with the ball and not foul as often. Won't be able to stop bigger guys at the center position. Though he has some post moves, he needs to utilize them more often. Needs to play with more toughness.

I'll need to watch some more Raptor's games, last time I saw Andrea play he got burned by KG badly. Then again, who doesn't?

You should really be on the gaurd on how you write your thoughts. People take effort in reading your post you know. Don't disappoint me again.

Bitch, please.

Hey Cy, what is the Caliper scale?

Once again, great work Shannon.. I like the sound of Jeff Green, doesnt sound like there is much risk of him not being a great player

Thanks. Personally I think Jeff has all these great tools (bar shooting), he just hasn't yet put everything together. It'll be interesting to see what I happens, I thought he and Corey Brewer had the highest bust potential other than Yi (couldn't really speak on him though since I hadn't seen him play on draft day) and Brandan Wright (who I believe fell to far, and really can't be too much of a bust now anyway).

By the way, I just can't focus on spelling "gaurd" right. I just do it automatically, and when I try to focus on spelling it right each time it works for a bit then reverts back. Hopefully it'll change, because I noticed that on alot of my work for my course and just personal projects that other people are gonna see, I have spelled it wrong. Not a good look.