2012 Draftee Big getting attention from Morey and the Rockets

2012 (Potential) Draftee Center getting attention from Morey and the Rockets?

-1/5/2012-

-Morey says on 610 that he was attending an Illinois game to scout "a player." Although Morey cannot name players they are scouting for competitive reasons, last year Morey, Rosas, and Hinke all publicly admitted to scouting multiple Kansas games and low and behold guess who they draft in 2011.....

Just a hunch. We all know that the Rockets scout pretty much every prospect in the world, but I would keep an eye on this kid this year because if the Rockets fall in the lottery to keep their 2012 1st round pick(owned by NJ but lottery protected), this kid could be very high on the Rockets list. A likely guess of the player they are scouting heavily would be -


Meyers Leonard

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PIHKeM8yuKA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


H: 7' 0"
W: 240 lbs
Bday: 02/27/1992
(19 Years Old)


Draft Express profile-

By Jonathan Givony (Draft Express)

Meyers Leonard didn't look the part of one of the NBA prospects in the Big 10 in his freshman campaign, producing a meager 2 points and 1 rebound in 8 minutes per game. However, there are signs which lead us to believe he could be on the verge of a breakout season.

Rated a top-20 recruit coming out of high school, no one has ever doubted the talent Leonard possesses. Inexperience and immaturity plagued Leonard his freshman year, but he's vowed to come back this season with a much different attitude, some of which we saw this summer at the U-19 World Championship in Latvia, where he had some impressive moments, ranking 4th overall in per-minute efficiency.

A physically gifted 7-footer with an excellent frame, a long wingspan and very nice mobility, Leonard is a rare commodity in college basketball. He shows most of the attributes you look for in a big man prospect, albeit in small doses at this stage, still struggling to put everything together for extended periods. With senior big men Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale moving onto the professional ranks, though, Leonard looks primed to step into a much bigger role for Illinois, something he looks more than capable of handling.

The first thing that stands out about Leonard is how agile and coordinated he is for a player his size. He runs the floor extremely well, can play well above the rim and has good quickness. Inside the paint, Leonard has average footwork and a somewhat rudimentary post game at this stage, but is capable of finishing with either hand around the basket and should be able to expand his back to the basket arsenal in due time with added lower body strength and polish.

From the perimeter, Leonard shows promising touch and form on his mid-range jumper, often elevating off the floor more like a guard than a 7-footer. He converted over 70% of his free throw attempts both as a freshman and in Latvia. He's a surprisingly adept passer, showing a better feel for the game than his lack of experience and production would suggest.

Defensively, Leonard has excellent tools, and appeared to do a solid job in limited minutes, besides being somewhat foul prone. He's pretty active on this end of the floor, competing willingly inside the paint, where his size and length makes it difficult for opponents to shoot over him if they don't get deep position on him. Unfortunately stronger and more physical big men can, at times, get the best of him as he has yet to fill our his frame. Leonard would benefit from increased lower body strength in particular.

Thanks to his quick feet he's also able to step out and hedge a screen effectively, even looking capable of switching onto smaller players and using his agility and dexterity to stay in front of them on the perimeter. Leonard was mediocre on the glass last season, grabbing just 6.1 rebounds per-40 minutes, something that wasn't the case this summer in Latvia, where he averaged more than double that rate.

Where Leonard may need to improve the most, as he's admitted himself, is on the mental part of the game. He seemed to lose his confidence quickly last season, looking tentative, getting easily frustrated and not showing the type of toughness you hope to see from a top-shelf prospect. For him to take the next step in his career, he's going to have overcome that.

Leonard might still be another year away from becoming the dominant force at the collegiate level his physical tools and upside indicate he can, but if he improves as expected this season, he might not last that long in Champaign.



-So what do you guys think? In a draft thats loaded with talented bigs like Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond, would Leonard be an exciting prospect to fall in between the 8th and 14th pick in the 2012 draft for the Rockets to possibly draft(assuming the Rockets draft somewhere in that range)????

 

How is it misleading?... Is he not being scouted by the Rockets?

 

Mock drafts have him going as high as 7th. Athletic 7 footers dont grow on trees. The Rockets always take best available and weigh that with best fit. I would not be shocked if they were giving him a good look if he falls to them in the 10 to 14th slot in the lottery.

 

I would assume most people who follow the game of basketball would realize that the 2012 draft has not yet taken place smart guy.

 

I dont care if he's purple, yellow, or green. If he can man the glass and protect the paint, Ill take em.

 

Not advocating that they use a lottery pick on him if he's available, just thought to bring it to the attention of clutchfans that he's more than likely getting heavily scouted by the Rockets. Who knows where they are ranking him on their draft board.

Mock drafts have him going somewhere in between 7 to 14th. Somewhere the Rockets will most likely be if they continue to play the way they have lately.

I think he's an intriguing prospect. I have seen a couple of Illinois games this year and from what Ive seen he is very raw but does seem to have a higher BBIQ for a big. Also has not totally filled in his large frame. Seems to run the court well for a big and has decent athleticism for a big.(And despite being WHITE) He's worth a look for sure. Lets see how he does the rest of the winter and in the combine.