Has anyone watched this guy play? He is putting up some pretty nice stats at Fresno St. And at 6-10, 256lbs, 23ppg, 10rbs, and 3.5 bpg, I am wondering why he is not being mentioned?
I like the guy a lot...there has been some concern over his attitude (lack of desire or along those lines), but he should definitely be a first rounder. He's mobile for a big guy, and he's pretty physical, too. What I was really surprised with is his post moves--he's pretty quick with his moves down there, although sometimes he'll force up shots. He is a good free throw shooter, too.
I think he is not mentioned as much as other players because he plays for the greatist coach the NCAA and other establishment folk (refs, stuffy media & coaches) love to hate, the Shark. Ely has looked good to me as well.
Here are my thoughts on Ely: A key for him will be how tall he measures, and how much he weighs. If he's 6'9'', he'll be questionable to play the 5, and thus lower his stock. If he's 6'11'', that could boost him up into the top 7, IMO. Defensively, he's NBA talent. From watching him, he's a ferocious shotblocker, excellent man defender, and solid help defender. Good rebounding skills. His offensive play will determine if he's a big time player or not. Here are some various ramblings of what I think: -He'd be greatly helped if he developed a mid-range shot, a la Antonio Davis. -He's shown nice footwork with his back to the basket, but didn't always make the shot after the move (may have just been the times I saw him). -He has not shown any face the basket game-considering the amount of face-up players there are, this may not be a disadvantage. -the Fresno State offense runs through him. To his advantage, he's improved his passing and court vision a great deal because of this, and may have an easier time in the NBA, not facing consistent double/triple teams. However, partly due to average guard play, he has not been allowed to showcase his skills as a backdoor option and "diving to the hoop". Overall, I think he'll at a minimum have a solid career as a backup 4/5, or if he develops his offensive skills, possibly a long term 4/5 starter. I see him similar to a slightly taller Etan Thomas, who I think will still have a productive NBA career when he gets past his injuries.
Nike Your comments are right on the money according to the times I have seen him play. He always sets himself up right on the block...never more than a couple feet outside the paint, and they give it to him seemingly every time. He has been kind of 50/50 as far as how to attack the double teams that come his way...sometimes he'll force up a shot right into the face of the double team; sometimes he'll make the right pass or spin quickly enough away from the double to get his shot off. That is what I like most about him...he doesn't screw around once he gets it down there--he knows what he's going to do and he does it very quickly. Sometimes he has trouble finishing, but I think that will come soon enough. So long as he checks out in the "personal" category, as OP has said the Rockets are sure to check up on, I'd love for the Rockets to jump on him if they could, unless of course we end up using those picks for something else.
I saw him play last year against Rice, and was thoroughly impressed with his athleticism. Namely his ability to jump quickly, as well as run down court. However, his problem is that he lacks any kind of shooting range. I think he does have a decent hook shot. I think a good comparison to him would be Keon Clark.
