Delon Wright

Snow Villiers · Jun 9, 2015

Delon could be a nice little role player but Tyus is the better player hands down. Will create more points for the offense. The pick n roll with D12, Dmo and Capela would be glorious.

PointZero · Jun 9, 2015

Need defense to beat Golden State and ball dominant point guards don't work with Harden. That's why I like Wright. He can play off the ball at 6'5" and he's the best defensive point guard in the draft. Averaged 14.7 points 5 rebounds 5 assists 2.1 steals 1 block 50.5% FG 83.5% FT 35.6% 3-PT

Normalus · Jun 14, 2015

A 6'5" point guard, Wright passes the eye test as a savvy playmaker and long-armed, steal-generating defender (he got the nickname "Sticky" from his old AAU coach for always getting his hands on the ball), and he excels in key statistical categories.

Assists, rebounds and blocks per 40 minutes are some of the college stats with the strongest correlations to the NBA, and college steals per 40 are viewed as a success indicator. This past season, Wright averaged 6.2 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 2.6 steals per 40 minutes, pace-adjusted. In the past 15 seasons of college hoops, there were only five other players—overall, not just among draft prospects—who averaged at least 5.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 2.5 steals:

An MVP, Linsanity, a 10-year veteran, a Rookie of the Year and a guy who at least briefly played well for OKC: This is good company for Wright to keep. He was arguably a better college player than everyone on that list except Dwyane Wade, has held his own in Drew League and pickup games with his older brother Dorell's NBA friends for years, and should be able to contribute in a bench role immediately as a pro. Scouts have concerns over Wright's long-range shooting ability, due to his general reluctance to take threes, and the fact that he made just 22.6% of them as a junior, but I think it's a bit overblown. He shot 35.6% from deep as a senior and 83.5% from the free-throw line, which is relevant because it tends to correlate to distance-shooting success in the NBA.

raining threes · Jun 14, 2015

After seeing Jones vs Wright in the sweet 16, I would pass on Wright. Doesn't have NBA shot and Jones thourghly outplayed Wright.

PointZero · Jun 16, 2015

Normalus said: ↑

A 6'5" point guard, Wright passes the eye test as a savvy playmaker and long-armed, steal-generating defender (he got the nickname "Sticky" from his old AAU coach for always getting his hands on the ball), and he excels in key statistical categories.

Assists, rebounds and blocks per 40 minutes are some of the college stats with the strongest correlations to the NBA, and college steals per 40 are viewed as a success indicator. This past season, Wright averaged 6.2 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 2.6 steals per 40 minutes, pace-adjusted. In the past 15 seasons of college hoops, there were only five other players—overall, not just among draft prospects—who averaged at least 5.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 2.5 steals:

An MVP, Linsanity, a 10-year veteran, a Rookie of the Year and a guy who at least briefly played well for OKC: This is good company for Wright to keep. He was arguably a better college player than everyone on that list except Dwyane Wade, has held his own in Drew League and pickup games with his older brother Dorell's NBA friends for years, and should be able to contribute in a bench role immediately as a pro. Scouts have concerns over Wright's long-range shooting ability, due to his general reluctance to take threes, and the fact that he made just 22.6% of them as a junior, but I think it's a bit overblown. He shot 35.6% from deep as a senior and 83.5% from the free-throw line, which is relevant because it tends to correlate to distance-shooting success in the NBA.
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Thank you! Great info about Delon Wright.

Tyus Jones is a no-defense Jordan Farmar clone.

Rockets need Delon Wright alongside Harden! Not a traditional PG, but a modern 6'5" two-way PG who handles, defends, rebounds and scores.

haoafu · Jun 17, 2015

MrButtocks said: ↑

Zelon Wright?
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http://www.blazersedge.com/2015/6/9...file-delon-wright-utah-portland-trail-blazers

The brother of current Portland Trail Blazer Dorell Wright, Delon Wright is the tallest point guard in the draft at 6'6.
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saleem · Jun 17, 2015

I don't know if Delon will be available at the 32nd pick. He is a safe pick. Morey needs to go after a player with more
potential and upside, if the opportunity presents itself.

The purpose of the draft should be all about taking players who have the best chance of being packaged in a trade. I know that is hard to do, with the 18th and the 32nd picks, but that is what Morey needs to aim for.

haoafu · Jun 17, 2015

IMO Delon has pretty good potential, and is a high flooring high ceiling prospect.

coachbadlee · Jun 17, 2015

saleem said: ↑

I don't know if Delon will be available at the 32nd pick. He is a safe pick. Morey needs to go after a player with more
potential and upside, if the opportunity presents itself.

The purpose of the draft should be all about taking players who have the best chance of being packaged in a trade. I know that is hard to do, with the 18th and the 32nd picks, but that is what Morey needs to aim for.
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I have always said that one of Grant/Wright will fall to 32, but i was hoping that the Rockets could use that pick for Richaun Holmes.

PointZero · Jun 17, 2015

Best defensive PG in the Draft.

He'll play great defense, can play off the ball with Harden, and will score better than Terry/Pablo at the position.

haoafu · Jun 22, 2015

In recent draft talk Utah Jazz podcast, Kevin Pelton said Delon would likely win rookie of the year if he's drafted by Mav to be a starter...

rockets2012 · Jun 23, 2015

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...elon-wright-follows-brothers-footsteps-to-nba

NBA Draft Prospect Delon Wright Follows Brother's Footsteps to NBABy Grant Hughes , National NBA Featured Columnist Jun 18, 2015

Delon Wright has been through the NBA draft process before, but June 25, 2015, will be the first time his role in the proceedings goes beyond harassing his brother.

Eleven years ago, Delon's older sibling, Dorell Wright, sat nervously at home, waiting for his name to be called. Dorell was fresh out of high school, a likely lottery selection, but still anxious as names other than his own filled the empty spaces in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft.

"I won’t do him like he did me on draft night," Dorell said. "I’m sitting on the couch, and the 10th pick goes by, and the 11th pick goes by, and Delon keeps on running up to me like, 'Why didn’t they call your name yet? Why didn’t they call your name yet?'

"He kept asking me, kept bothering me, and I’m like, 'Mom, can you please tell him to get out of my face and leave me alone?!' I won’t do him like that because it’s very nerve-wracking."

"I don't remember it too much," Delon recalls. "But so many people have told me stories about it that I think it has to be true. When I was younger, he used to give me a hard time, so it was natural for me to shoot back at him and bug him. I wasn't doing it to be mean, though. I just didn't know any better."

Eleven years later, it's Delon's turn to hear his name called on draft night.

Scouting Delon, with Dorell

Delon, projected by most experts, such as Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, to be taken in the mid-to-late first round, is a vastly different player than Dorell (who eventually went 19th to the Miami Heat in 2004).

At 6'6", Delon has NBA size at the point. His outside shot needs work, but he brings plenty of other plusses to the equation.

Dorell explains Delon is "a lot smoother than I was," but "I'm the one with all the charisma and the swag and stuff like that, though. So I got him on that."

Delon spent two years in junior college before landing at Utah, where swag is generally scarce. There, he quickly became one of the Pac-12 conference's most dominant players. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 and second-team All-American in 2015. He took home the Bob Cousy Award as the country's best point guard. Only Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky accumulated more win shares (9.8) than Wright's 8.4 on the season, according to Sports-Reference.com.

Dorell says his brother stands out most on the defensive end.

"That's the No. 1 thing, and that's the thing that every team in the NBA needs. He's willing to sacrifice his offensive game to get on the court to guard guys."

Delon steals basketballs, Dorell steals moves

Delon has the size to guard either backcourt position and features strong anticipation skills—not to mention fantastic hands. His 73 steals ranked 18th in the nation last season.

Delon is quick to admit there's an area of Dorell's game he wishes he had: "Definitely the three-ball. That three-pointer. That's his specialty. If I had just half of that shot, I'll be fine with that."

But Delon thinks he's got his brother beat on the defensive end.

"Getting steals and deflections, things like that. He has that a little bit in his game, but primarily it's not one of his strong sides on defense."

Ironically, Dorell has stolen a thing or two from his younger brother.

"That’s where I got my pump fake from, from Delon. Delon had been always the slowest, smallest guy on the teams he played on before he grew, and he always used to use pump fakes. And my dad would always use Delon as an example and say, ‘You see how Delon does that?’ So I kind of got that from him a while ago."

Delon thinks there may be some revisionist history at work here.

"If he said that, I'll take it. But I'm not sure. He was with Dwyane Wade for six years, and I actually got my pump fake from watching D-Wade. Maybe there's a circle or something there."

Thanks to Dorell, Delon will enter the league more comfortably than most rookies. Having been around NBA players since age 12, Delon isn't easily starstruck.

"I still see some of those guys and think, 'Oh wow, that's so and so.' But just being around (Dorell), I've been meeting these guys since I was going into seventh grade. I'm not really in shock anymore when I see some of these guys. It's kind of natural now."

Another benefit of growing up around NBA talent: the chance to get your game validated early.

"I can't specifically say any names, but there was a gym in L.A., and there were about three courts of all NBA guys," Delon recalled. "My brother let me play, and I did pretty good. I was hitting shots and getting steals and stuff like that. And some of the guys there were like, 'Yeah, you're going to be good.' That was probably the first time I got to play with a whole bunch of other NBA guys and play pretty well. This was 2010. I was 18."

Figure it out, bro

Dorell doesn't plan to hold Delon's hand through the draft process—partly because their paths to selection night have been so different (Dorell skipped college altogether, while Delon, 23, got four years of post-high school seasoning), and partly because Dorell understands the value of figuring things out independently.

"I totally want to be that brother that gives advice, lets him know this and that. But I don’t want to overstep my bounds because when I was going through it, I really had no idea what was going to happen. So I had to learn it on my own."

That's not to say Dorell will leave his brother out to dry. It's just that the veteran wants to wait until Delon's situation solidifies before he gives him the lay of the land.

"I just want to see the situation he’s in so I can get a better read for it. If he’s on a young, developing team, I’m going to have advice for him. If he’s on a team that’s nothing but veterans and there’s two or three guys in front of him. ... I’m going to let him know what he needs to do to be successful and to stick around and to get his playing time."

It's not entirely out of the question that Dorell could offer hands-on guidance during Delon's rookie season. Dorell, 29, is an unrestricted free agent, meaning he's at liberty to sign with any team.

"Of course I’ve thought about (playing with Delon). I would like to play with him, but at the same time I wouldn’t, just because I don’t want to be hanging around like I’m the big brother, you know? I want him to experience things on his own. ... I don’t know if he’d want that, either.

"I wouldn't mind playing with him, but I'd rather not," Delon explained. "I'd rather figure it out on my own and be under the wing of some other veterans."

Besides, Dorell has spent a lifetime giving his brother lessons on what his first year will be like.

"We used to have a basketball court in front of our house, and it was kind of on a hill," Delon recounted. "So I had to go out, and it would be dark, and I'd have to rebound for him. And if a ball would miss badly, it would roll down the hill. So I would have to go chase the ball for him."

"He’s been my rookie his whole life," Dorell said. "I just saw him this weekend in L.A., and he was at my hotel, and I was like, 'Come on, rook, I need you to take the table outside.' And he’s like 'Maaaaaaan.' And I said, 'Hey, I’m just getting you ready.' I’ve been doing him like that his whole life."

Delon's game figures to translate to the next level, particularly on defense. Good genes, early tests against NBA talent and a tolerance for hazing make Delon a uniquely prepared NBA prospect.

And though Dorell is content to let Delon navigate much of this new path on his own, as an older brother, he's still proud of his role in the process.

"I’m gonna feel awesome," Dorell said of the moment when his brother officially joins him in the NBA fraternity. "My mom and dad, too, they’re going to be overwhelmed. It’s a humbling experience to see your brother six years younger than you follow in your footsteps, because it means the things I’ve been doing my whole life, since I was six years old when he was born, have been the right things. I haven’t lived a clean-slate life. I’ve had my ups and downs, but the things I’ve learned have helped me and helped him as well."

"For sure, he'll be ready," Dorell concluded.

And if he's not, a little brotherly guidance is only a phone call away.

All quotes obtained firsthand.
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don grahamleone · Jun 23, 2015

basketballholic said: ↑

He is a defender. But his shooting is a huge negative. If you want a defender at the point just sign Aaron Craft for the minimum. He'll be the best point defender in the NBA the minute he signs.
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His highlights are awesome on the defensive end, but he's not very impressive in game play. He looks a lot slower and more disinterested when things aren't going his way. He can't even get to the basket against d-league guys. If the Rockets signed him, they'd be the laughing stock of the NBA. You act like he's Bev, but he's not even Prig.

PointZero · Jun 23, 2015

Delon has precisely the skills the Rockets need. Not Tyus who is slower, shorter and can't defend.

zeeshan2 · Jun 23, 2015

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch for guard Delon Wright to rise in the draft. Decent defender with great size and is a great decision maker.</p>— Sports Spot (@SportsSpotNet) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsSpotNet/status/613175324013121536">June 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

PointZero · Jun 23, 2015

Delon Wright
Height: 6'4.25"
Wingspan: 6'7.5"
Reach: 8'5.5"
No Step Reach: 10'11"
Max Vert Reach: 11'0.5"
Lane Agility: 11.21
Sprint: 3.29

Comment: Solid.

Tyus Jones
Height: 6'0.25"
Wingspan: 6'5"
Reach: 8'1"
No Step Reach: 10'3.5"
Max Vert Reach: 10'9.5"
Lane Agility: 11.89
Sprint: 3.32

Comment: Weak. In terms of agility and lateral movement, Tyus tested as the slowest point guard in this draft. The lane agility drill is essentially a lateral quickness drill and Tyus tested as one of the slowest point guards in draft history. He can't move his feet well enough on D.

PointZero · Jun 23, 2015

Delon Wright 6'4.25"
14.7 points 5.0 rebounds 5.0 assists 2.1 steals 50.5% FG 83.5% FT 35.6% 3PT

Tyus Jones 6'0.25"
11.8 points 3.5 rebounds 5.6 assists 1.5 steals 41.7% FG 88.9% FT 37.9% 3PT

omgTHEpotential · Jul 12, 2015

Nice debut for Wright in the SL. 9pts/9asts/2stls

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