Certainly in today's NBA he can grow to play center. A frontcourt of Yao, Scola (old, savvy accomplished vets) and Hill, Monroe (younger, explosive, improving) players could be great.
This is the scouting report that worries me about Monroe: Takes a passive approach to the game ... Rarely looks to dominate, choosing rather to take what comes to him and often defers to others. (In fairness, the Georgetown system stresses team play and limits individual creativity) ... Lacks the killer instinct to bury his opponent ... Often times look disinterested in playing and appears he would rather be some place else ... Does not possess explosive athletic ability ... His quickness and leaping ability are ordinary by NBA standards ... Despite putting on weight, still has difficulty absorbing contact and finishing in traffic ... Adding bulk in the past has slowed him down and it's apparent he's not a player that can carry any additional weight comforably ... No true post game repertoire ... His footwork has improved but still needs significant advancements ... Very awkward and deliberate in the post ... Needs to improve his handle with his off (right) hand ... His face up game can be very predictable and he's prone to turnovers (2.6 per game) when shut off from his original move ... Jump shot consistency is a concern ... Has an extremely high arch on his shot ... Incorporation of a mid-range jumper would be beneficial to his growth ... Regression in free throw accuracy is alarming- dropping from 70% to 63% ... Does not display his passion for defense on a play in play out basis ... Could use an edginess to his game and get his hands dirty more often …
A lot of those effort & passion concerns(even though he seemed pretty fired up against Marquette) could be turned around by training a summer with Scola(whose shown more passion and effort than any player I've seen in recent memory), and constantly being around guys like Scola & Hayes should teach him about effort and scrappy(ness) ..... In addition, concerns about his post up game should be settled by constantly working with Yao and Dawson in practice and a couple of session with Hakeem would also be very beneficial to his post up game. Monroe also has good mechanics when it comes to shooting free throws, all he has to do is be more consisted, however we got to remember his only 19 yrs old.... so inconsistency is normal for someone his age... --RB
And, you are correct, sir. After watching him in person at MSG last night, I have to say that my initial impressions by watching video of Greg Monroe were proven wrong. Strengths: 1) Basketball IQ - the kid knows where to be on the offensive end, and passes out of the double team as well or better than most NBA post players. 2) Passing - excellent passer, both from the elbow and from the post. Multiple times, last night, he had the ball at the elbow, and found cutters with Chuck Hayes type passes, passes which whizzed by the defender as his head was turned. From the post, he did a great job of getting the ball to the open man on kick outs, and a few times he hit teammates cutting to the hoop. As has been said before, he would be a wet dream for Rick Adelman. 3) Ball handling - he beat men off the dribble, once beating a man to the baseline for a drive and dunk, a great move which had the whole arena on its feet! He led the break making a pass at full speed, which led to an and 1. 4) Size - he is long and has long arms, no Yao like alligator arms. His frame does appear to be able to carry significantly more weight. The only issue is, if he were to put on another 20 lbs, he may end up a center and not a power forward. 5) Jump shot - he hit a 3 with a nice release. When rushed his jump shot is not good, he took an off the dribble pull up jumper on the baseline last night which was an airball, but when given time with his feet set, he had a nice release and hit the open shot. 6) Athletic ability - he has Jordan Hill type speed getting from baseline to baseline. He has very good feet, quick, which allowed him to make spin moves and drop steps in the post. The most impressive play of the game last night; off a Georgetown turnover, the Marquette point guard was dribbling ahead of the pack for a layup, Monroe kept up with him and as the kid was going up for the layup, Monroe threw his shiite! It was a thing to behold. Weaknesses: 1) Athletic ability - yes, both a strength and a weakness. He is very far from a leaper. He doesn't elevate well, which limits his ability to block shots and finish on the post. 2) Defense - Georgetown's defense is one in which picks are switched, so last night Monroe ended up defending smaller players quite often. Against bigs, he was a solid defender, but against stronger NBA players, I don't think he would be able to hold his ground and would get beat up in the post (which is to be expected for a 19 year old college sophomore). Against smaller players, he did a very poor job of giving ground and forcing jump shots, and his poor defensive footwork got him beat off the dribble multiple times. Monroe would run out towards the guards and small forwards out of control, which allowed him to be beaten with the dribble drive. These are weakensses which can be corrected through coaching. 3) Finishing in the Post - multiple times last night he was under the basket after grabbing an offensive rebound or after beating his man to the bucket, and he missed layups. His poor leaping ability is one big reason for his inability to finish over multiple defender, he cannot just elevate and finish above the crowd. Also, his lack of physical strength (which is correctable) meant he couldn't absorb contact and finish. 4) Free throws - he shoots with a nice release but he did not get good results. The poor ft shooting is most likely due to poor concentration, b/c he doesn't shoot with a hitch, his release which gives him range out to the 3 point line should be solid enough to hit fts. I think through repetition and coaching, his good release will turn him into a mid 70% free throw shooter. -so those are just the things I saw last night, he definitely is an impressive player in person. The thing which I was impressed by was his energy and aggression. Other scouting reports knocked him for his aggression, but last night, he showed emotion after big buckets, and when he got the ball in one on one situations, he wasn't passive, he took the rock and got into the lane and got good shots. His post game does need work but he has the ability to become a solid post player. I really like the kid and would love to see him on the Rockets. A future front line of Jordan Hill and Greg Monroe would be very solid if they develop as we think they can. But, I would definitely be on board with trading this pick to pick up an all star post player currently playing in the NBA (whoever that may be.....).
I like the Brad Miller comparison. He's a very dangerous passer who knows how to run the Princeton offense from the high post.
Saw G'town play the other night... the guy can absolutely dribble. He did disappoint me by his inability to box out well however but he is everything I want on the Rox..
To early to tell, a lot of this mock draft's are not taking into consideration team needs, which will make the draft look a lot different than the current mock drafts... --RB
I could not have described his strengths and weaknesses any better, great job. I am really excited at the prospect of having him in Adelman's offense. We could easily trade up for this guy.
He strikes me as a project... and not among the most physically gifted projects in this draft, either. Furthermore, he has some key problems which will cause him a lot of grief at the NBA level. His lack of vertical athleticism will also hurt him on shotblocking and rebounding, two areas we desperately need help on at the center position. I would also prefer a guy who can jump in and play C right away without needing work and additional bulk.
Read more: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archi...o_georgetown_for_junior_season/#ixzz0idTBFcrn Well there goes that.
His team just got punked by a 14 seed, of course he's going to feel like he still has something to prove. Theres still a lot of people who are going to be waving the $$$ in his face though. He'll be in the draft soon enough.
I wouldn't say all of that is completely off. He strikes me as the PF/potential center version of Rudy Gay, honestly. Maybe somewhat less athletically, but they seem to have similar build, style of play and apparent approach to the game. Meaning, I wouldn't coulnt on him to lead you to a championship, or to become a MAX all-star type player, but could he develop into a high teens ppg average, with 7 or 8 boards? I think so. Not having seen Morey be in charge of a lottery pick, it's somewhat hard to tell what he will want to do - draft need or best player available? I think in the past few years he's drafted value, and best player available, and being in the second round he's seen and in most cases been right about finding players who should have been drafted much higher but slipped for whatever reason. Would Morey still do that or would he try and fill out the positions that are bigger needs - like interior defense and rebounding?
I wouldn't take what he says about returning to G.Town, to heart, he was emotional coming after a loss to Ohio.... I bet he changes his mind once his at the NBA draft combine and meets Morey.... IMO Monroe is more than capable of playing Center (been playing center in G.Town), All he needs to do is to add some muscle to that frame, the guy is 6'11 with a 7'4 wingspan that will allow him to defend in the center position....specially if we combine him with 6'10 Jordan Hill (PF) in the front court... However I wouldn't mind any of those other guys you mention as well... except for Alabi, I think our pick will be to high for him --RB
It's good that his team lost. He did everything he can. His stock will hopefully drop to our position, unless we somehow miraculously get the #1 overall.
