I would take Willie Barton over Austin Rivers everyday of the week. He is a projected 2nd rounder, But he will blow everyone away in the combines and I expect him to go in the first round. He already has a skillset that is lacking on our team and that is to create his own shot. He can drive to the basket and get a layup or pull up for a 10 feet jumper. And he has the size to and athleticism that I see no problem him doing it at the NBA level. He has great hops, a good wingspan and while he has a small frame that didn't stop him from being one of the best wing rebounders in college. He's a solid passer and gets to the free throw line better than almost any wing in the league. He shoots at 57% amazing since teams are trying to stop him and although he shoots 33% from behind the arc he is almost always contested and rarely gets an open spot up 3. Just watch in this one game you see his athleticism in alley oops, the ability to drive the length of the court and pull up and hit open jump shot, Rebound in traffic and put up it back up for a score. The degree of difficulty on some of the things he does are off the charts. I see him as a 2 in the NBA but he can easily play the 3 with his length and athleticism. He definitely is still a bit raw and he needs to improve his handles and and a few pounds to his frame and also develop a purer spot up 3 but he see nothing about him to suggest he can easily do that. The more I watch this kid the more I want him. He has the potential to be a scorer in this league but he can play D and rebound as well. I tried to think of another player he reminds me of in the league and the best I could come up with is Rajon Rondo. He is that kind of wiry athletic player with a lot more size. He has amazing athleticism. He will be better than Marshon Brooks IMO. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/chZNPzyY3pQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Package our picks and attempt to get Andre Drummond or Harrison Barnes Realistically though I do like us getting Rivers at #21 but not so much Henson at #10. I feel we can get trade up possibly if we stay in lottery land w/ the knicks pick and our likely 14th pick
Ikr? Seriously, Royce White amazed me when he played against Ky. That dude was bulldozing Jones at the post at will and his awareness off the fast break was pretty good. That dude could run the point like a guard. I'm surprised some of the mock drafts have him going late in the 1st round.
I like that guy too but he seems to have a lot of baggage. He got kicked out of high school for getting caught cheating and then screaming at his teacher. Then at Minnesota he was suspended after he got busted for stealing pants at the mall and pushed the mall security out of the way. He later got suspended again from the team for stealing laptops from the school. That sounds like some serious character flaws. He may have been able to control them for one college season but I doubt he has really changed. You only needed to watch the game against Kentucky to see some old stuff. After dribbling the length of the court and scoring against the whole Kentucky squad, He jumps towards the fans screaming I AM THE BEST, while thumping his chest. Keep in mind Iowa St. was losing at the moment. Shouldn't he have he been saying WE CAN BEAT THIS TEAM or something more team oriented. "I am the best" is a little egocentric to say in a tournament were only winning matters. Compare him to Jae Crowder he has a similar skillset but wills his team to victory. Still the kid is a talent and I watched him ouplay Thomas Robinson earlier in the year. But he is another undersized PF. He probably is better suited to play the SF at the NBA level than Morris but he doesn't have much of a shot. And I am saying all of this and not mentioning the fact he has an anxiety disorder that he is on medication for and is so bad he had to get his Gramps to drive him 600 miles to the tournament because flying makes his anxiety act up even with medication. So for me unless there is evidence that he is not a wacko bad seed and his disorder can truly be controlled I would pass I would pass. By the way he got an agent so it looks like he is declaring soon. Link
I like Motiejunas better than Royce White or another big man in this class outside of Davis, Drummond, Robinson, or Sullinger. In short I have little use for Royce White, John Henson, Perry Jones, etcetc.
We already have Thomas Robinson, havent you seen him on the court http://www.nbadraft.net/players/thomas-robinson
Robinson is like Patterson with elite rebounding skills and better post skills. In other words the all-star version of Pat.
