Spurtacus
06-28-2008, 11:30 AM
Sorry if this has already been posted.
George Hill (http://www.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/1622391)
Positives: Smooth open-court runner who might not have great ball-handling skills to play the point, but his quickness and leaping ability help him compensate for a lack of size playing the two-guard position ... Uses his lateral agility, explosive first step and good arm length to slip past traffic to elevate above the rim to feather the ball into the basket, doing a nice job of taking his man off the dribble, as he gets lots of his points off screens and catch-and-shoot situations ... Defenders need to pressuring him on the perimeter, as he can quickly turn and shoot once he secures the pass ... Frontcourt types struggle quite a bit to stay with him, as he has a nice array of spin/pivot moves with an explosive crossover to fly past his man on the way to the basket ... Uses his frame well to power his way past defenders trying to block his shot around the basket ... Quick to fade back or change directions in attempts to separate from his man to get a cleaner shot ... When given space, he can be very consistent shooting behind the arc ... High-energy type on defense, using his lateral skills well on rotations ... Gets good elevation and shows nice form executing his jumper ... Can create his own shot, working hard to get to the rim and finish ... Moves well without the ball, doing a nice job of coming off screens to get other teammates involved ... Has confidence in his shot selection to want the ball in crunch time ... With his natural ball-handling skills, he is efficient taking his man off the dribble ... Despite his size, he attacks the basket, even when big forwards collapse on him ... Has a smooth, quick release and a high release point, showing good range firing up his 3-pointers (made 40.4% of those shots for his career, including 45% as a junior) ... Gets good elevation and sets his feet well with his pull-up jumper ... Has very good balance moving through traffic and is a valid free-throw shooter who uses his body well to draw contact on the way to getting opportunities at the foul line ... Good passer with the vision to bounce the ball out from defensive rotations ... Has a tight handle on the ball and comes off the dribble with good elevation to flip in a quick jumper ... More comfortable shooting the ball, but knows his size will limit him to playing the point at the next level and worked hard this offseason to improve his handle, showing at the Orlando pre-camp that he can control the tempo of the game and create scoring opportunities for others (just needs reps to get comfortable in the point guard role) ... Has good strength and times his leaps well crashing the boards, showing good second jump ability for putbacks and rebounds (averaged 5.8 rebounds for his career, including 6.8 rebounds per game as a junior) ... Keeps his hands active, coming up with steals in the passing lane ... Times his leaps well trying to alter or impede the perimeter player's shot selection.
Negatives: Played mostly at the two-guard spot and while he showed the ability to play the point at the Orlando pre-camp, he has minimal experience at the position ... Will over-dribble and hold on to the ball too long, looking for an open teammate instead of creating his own shot ... Tries to be "too perfect" in creating his own scoring opportunities and is a bit too deliberate making a decision with the ball in his hands (this lets the quicker guards take him off his element, resulting in a high turnover rate (had a career-high 94 turnovers, most coming off the dribble last season) ... Must do a better job of pressing the perimeter shooters (gives too much space at times) ... Not really an explosive open-court runner, but compensates with good change of direction and lateral agility ... Does not have that long wingspan to alter shots and while he has good leaping ability, his reach is not good enough to make an impact as a shot blocker ... Has a tight dribble, but will get out of control and leave the ball exposed when trying to drive past traffic ... Foot injury suffered in 2006-07 might scare off a few teams (reports state that he might have screws inserted).
Compares To: JAMEER NELSON-Orlando ... Like Nelson, Hill will have to sacrifice some of his scoring duties and learn how to play the point. There are not many 6-foot-1 shooting guards in the league and he lacks the blazing speed to cover speedy point men, but he did show in Orlando that he is improving his ability to control the tempo of the game and create scoring opportunities for others. He certainly could have used another year of schooling, especially since he never faced good competition during his college career.
James Gist (http://www.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/524663)
Positives: Gist lacks height and bulk (for a power forward), but he makes up for those weaknesses with his impressive wingspan (88 inches), vertical leap (36 inches) and standing reach (8'11 1/2") ... Regarded as one of the best leapers in the collegiate game, as he does a good job of elevating above the rim to put in a resounding dunk and uses his second jump skills to fight bigger forwards for the rebounds ... Uses his frame to draw contact driving to the basket, where he is becoming an adequate free throw shooter ... Uses his leaping ability and long arms to get up and over the bigger forwards and has the strength to power his way to the basket ... Has room on his frame to add more bulk without it affecting his overall athleticism ... Plays with a relentless motor and his stamina is very impressive, as he logs long stretches of minutes without tiring ... Has good foot motion and speed playing in transition and uses his body well to set up picks and screens ... Also does a good job of getting his body wide to make him a nice target for post entry passes ... Shows good weave slashing to the basket and his quickness creates mismatches when a bigger defender tries to take him on along the perimeter ... Has enough quickness and adequate ball-handling skills to get in front or put the ball on the floor for a dribble or two when playing on the fast break ... His natural hands are evident with his ability to secure the ball in the post, power his way through traffic and get to the rim ... Shows good touch, generally finishing around the basket with a quick turnaround jumper and shows good hands in catch-and-shoot situations playing in the post ... Showed much better patience waiting for his shot to develop and execute his attempts with a higher release point as a senior, seeing 3.3-point improvement in his scoring average from the previous year ... A work in progress shooting from the perimeter, but has enough range to connect from NBA 3-point range (just needs to be much more consistent with his shooting mechanics, as he will shoot from the hip at times, even after working hard on generating a high release point in 2007-08) ... When he sets his feet, he has had much better success connecting with his jumper from mid range (took too many off-balance shots earlier in his career until improving his foot mechanics) ... Has most of his scoring success from his inside game, but is also good at catching the defender off guard by suddenly pulling up and firing off his shot from the top of the key ... The best thing about his offensive game is the development of his turnaround jumper, which he showed good consistency hitting it from either side ... He has shown improvement and better confidence using his jump hook, as he times his leaps well to elevate over the outstretched arms of a defender ... His best asset comes from defending in the post -- he uses his strength well to maintain position and lock down his man in the paint ... Times his leaps and uses his length well as a shot-blocker ... Shows good snap in his hips rotating on defense and the lateral agility to prevent the perimeter players from slashing to the basket often ... His lateral range and active hands cause problems for an opponent in the passing lane and with his foot speed, he seems to be capable of covering smaller opponents on the open floor, making Gist a better fit to play small forward in the NBA ... Very determined under the boards to get to rebounds and on the offensive glass, he has made a decent living scoring on putbacks ... Even though he has been matched up vs. much bigger frontcourt types, he has the power to prevent them from boxing him out and the quickness to mirror shooters facing the rim.
Negatives: Despite his leaping ability and wingspan, he lacks the ideal height you want from a power forward and if he is to stay at the "four" spot at the next level, he will have to add more bulk to his frame, but the added weight could impact his impressive foot speed and lateral mobility ... Needs to develop better moves around the basket, as he is too right-hand dominant and appears very mechanical in his stride (must develop pivot moves) to the rim ... More effective when used as a post player, as he does not seem to create the mismatches he should vs. smaller defenders when facing the basket ... Very predictable when he does put the ball on the floor, as most of his drives to the basket will come over the right side ... Good pressure defender, but will get a bit too confident in his reach and elevation, giving too much space to perimeter shooters, daring them to take a shot ... Scores most of his points around the basket and even though he is slowly developing a mid-range game, he does not have much confidence taking his shots from the perimeter, attempting just two treys his first two years and compiling a 33.0 percent success rate from 3-point range ... Can power his way to the rim, but must be more consistent setting his feet before executing his jumper away from the basket ... Lacks the creativity with his shot coming off the dribble (scores mostly on dunks or on short jumpers), as he lacks a quick release and does hesitate some following through to his release point ... Has decent assist totals, but lacks the court vision and feel for the defense to be relied upon as a passer (most of his turnovers came when he put the ball on the floor last year, as he has a high, loose dribble), as his assist-to-turnover ratio is very poor (45 assists to 90 turnovers last season).
Compares To: SHANE BATTIER-Houston ... Like Battier, Gist has a power forward's mentality, but is trapped in a small forward's body. He is a great shot blocker and rebounder for a player his size, known more as a defender than a shooter. He gets most of his points around the basket and while he is slowly developing a mid-range shot, he lacks confidence and ability to be consistent firing from the perimeter, a critical part of any small forward's game. With his defensive skills, long wingspan and leaping ability, he is certainly a valuable asset for the rotation off the bench, but until he develops a much better perimeter game, he's not going to receive consistent minutes in the NBA.
No analysis of Malik Hairston.
George Hill (http://www.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/1622391)
Positives: Smooth open-court runner who might not have great ball-handling skills to play the point, but his quickness and leaping ability help him compensate for a lack of size playing the two-guard position ... Uses his lateral agility, explosive first step and good arm length to slip past traffic to elevate above the rim to feather the ball into the basket, doing a nice job of taking his man off the dribble, as he gets lots of his points off screens and catch-and-shoot situations ... Defenders need to pressuring him on the perimeter, as he can quickly turn and shoot once he secures the pass ... Frontcourt types struggle quite a bit to stay with him, as he has a nice array of spin/pivot moves with an explosive crossover to fly past his man on the way to the basket ... Uses his frame well to power his way past defenders trying to block his shot around the basket ... Quick to fade back or change directions in attempts to separate from his man to get a cleaner shot ... When given space, he can be very consistent shooting behind the arc ... High-energy type on defense, using his lateral skills well on rotations ... Gets good elevation and shows nice form executing his jumper ... Can create his own shot, working hard to get to the rim and finish ... Moves well without the ball, doing a nice job of coming off screens to get other teammates involved ... Has confidence in his shot selection to want the ball in crunch time ... With his natural ball-handling skills, he is efficient taking his man off the dribble ... Despite his size, he attacks the basket, even when big forwards collapse on him ... Has a smooth, quick release and a high release point, showing good range firing up his 3-pointers (made 40.4% of those shots for his career, including 45% as a junior) ... Gets good elevation and sets his feet well with his pull-up jumper ... Has very good balance moving through traffic and is a valid free-throw shooter who uses his body well to draw contact on the way to getting opportunities at the foul line ... Good passer with the vision to bounce the ball out from defensive rotations ... Has a tight handle on the ball and comes off the dribble with good elevation to flip in a quick jumper ... More comfortable shooting the ball, but knows his size will limit him to playing the point at the next level and worked hard this offseason to improve his handle, showing at the Orlando pre-camp that he can control the tempo of the game and create scoring opportunities for others (just needs reps to get comfortable in the point guard role) ... Has good strength and times his leaps well crashing the boards, showing good second jump ability for putbacks and rebounds (averaged 5.8 rebounds for his career, including 6.8 rebounds per game as a junior) ... Keeps his hands active, coming up with steals in the passing lane ... Times his leaps well trying to alter or impede the perimeter player's shot selection.
Negatives: Played mostly at the two-guard spot and while he showed the ability to play the point at the Orlando pre-camp, he has minimal experience at the position ... Will over-dribble and hold on to the ball too long, looking for an open teammate instead of creating his own shot ... Tries to be "too perfect" in creating his own scoring opportunities and is a bit too deliberate making a decision with the ball in his hands (this lets the quicker guards take him off his element, resulting in a high turnover rate (had a career-high 94 turnovers, most coming off the dribble last season) ... Must do a better job of pressing the perimeter shooters (gives too much space at times) ... Not really an explosive open-court runner, but compensates with good change of direction and lateral agility ... Does not have that long wingspan to alter shots and while he has good leaping ability, his reach is not good enough to make an impact as a shot blocker ... Has a tight dribble, but will get out of control and leave the ball exposed when trying to drive past traffic ... Foot injury suffered in 2006-07 might scare off a few teams (reports state that he might have screws inserted).
Compares To: JAMEER NELSON-Orlando ... Like Nelson, Hill will have to sacrifice some of his scoring duties and learn how to play the point. There are not many 6-foot-1 shooting guards in the league and he lacks the blazing speed to cover speedy point men, but he did show in Orlando that he is improving his ability to control the tempo of the game and create scoring opportunities for others. He certainly could have used another year of schooling, especially since he never faced good competition during his college career.
James Gist (http://www.sportsline.com/nba/players/draft/524663)
Positives: Gist lacks height and bulk (for a power forward), but he makes up for those weaknesses with his impressive wingspan (88 inches), vertical leap (36 inches) and standing reach (8'11 1/2") ... Regarded as one of the best leapers in the collegiate game, as he does a good job of elevating above the rim to put in a resounding dunk and uses his second jump skills to fight bigger forwards for the rebounds ... Uses his frame to draw contact driving to the basket, where he is becoming an adequate free throw shooter ... Uses his leaping ability and long arms to get up and over the bigger forwards and has the strength to power his way to the basket ... Has room on his frame to add more bulk without it affecting his overall athleticism ... Plays with a relentless motor and his stamina is very impressive, as he logs long stretches of minutes without tiring ... Has good foot motion and speed playing in transition and uses his body well to set up picks and screens ... Also does a good job of getting his body wide to make him a nice target for post entry passes ... Shows good weave slashing to the basket and his quickness creates mismatches when a bigger defender tries to take him on along the perimeter ... Has enough quickness and adequate ball-handling skills to get in front or put the ball on the floor for a dribble or two when playing on the fast break ... His natural hands are evident with his ability to secure the ball in the post, power his way through traffic and get to the rim ... Shows good touch, generally finishing around the basket with a quick turnaround jumper and shows good hands in catch-and-shoot situations playing in the post ... Showed much better patience waiting for his shot to develop and execute his attempts with a higher release point as a senior, seeing 3.3-point improvement in his scoring average from the previous year ... A work in progress shooting from the perimeter, but has enough range to connect from NBA 3-point range (just needs to be much more consistent with his shooting mechanics, as he will shoot from the hip at times, even after working hard on generating a high release point in 2007-08) ... When he sets his feet, he has had much better success connecting with his jumper from mid range (took too many off-balance shots earlier in his career until improving his foot mechanics) ... Has most of his scoring success from his inside game, but is also good at catching the defender off guard by suddenly pulling up and firing off his shot from the top of the key ... The best thing about his offensive game is the development of his turnaround jumper, which he showed good consistency hitting it from either side ... He has shown improvement and better confidence using his jump hook, as he times his leaps well to elevate over the outstretched arms of a defender ... His best asset comes from defending in the post -- he uses his strength well to maintain position and lock down his man in the paint ... Times his leaps and uses his length well as a shot-blocker ... Shows good snap in his hips rotating on defense and the lateral agility to prevent the perimeter players from slashing to the basket often ... His lateral range and active hands cause problems for an opponent in the passing lane and with his foot speed, he seems to be capable of covering smaller opponents on the open floor, making Gist a better fit to play small forward in the NBA ... Very determined under the boards to get to rebounds and on the offensive glass, he has made a decent living scoring on putbacks ... Even though he has been matched up vs. much bigger frontcourt types, he has the power to prevent them from boxing him out and the quickness to mirror shooters facing the rim.
Negatives: Despite his leaping ability and wingspan, he lacks the ideal height you want from a power forward and if he is to stay at the "four" spot at the next level, he will have to add more bulk to his frame, but the added weight could impact his impressive foot speed and lateral mobility ... Needs to develop better moves around the basket, as he is too right-hand dominant and appears very mechanical in his stride (must develop pivot moves) to the rim ... More effective when used as a post player, as he does not seem to create the mismatches he should vs. smaller defenders when facing the basket ... Very predictable when he does put the ball on the floor, as most of his drives to the basket will come over the right side ... Good pressure defender, but will get a bit too confident in his reach and elevation, giving too much space to perimeter shooters, daring them to take a shot ... Scores most of his points around the basket and even though he is slowly developing a mid-range game, he does not have much confidence taking his shots from the perimeter, attempting just two treys his first two years and compiling a 33.0 percent success rate from 3-point range ... Can power his way to the rim, but must be more consistent setting his feet before executing his jumper away from the basket ... Lacks the creativity with his shot coming off the dribble (scores mostly on dunks or on short jumpers), as he lacks a quick release and does hesitate some following through to his release point ... Has decent assist totals, but lacks the court vision and feel for the defense to be relied upon as a passer (most of his turnovers came when he put the ball on the floor last year, as he has a high, loose dribble), as his assist-to-turnover ratio is very poor (45 assists to 90 turnovers last season).
Compares To: SHANE BATTIER-Houston ... Like Battier, Gist has a power forward's mentality, but is trapped in a small forward's body. He is a great shot blocker and rebounder for a player his size, known more as a defender than a shooter. He gets most of his points around the basket and while he is slowly developing a mid-range shot, he lacks confidence and ability to be consistent firing from the perimeter, a critical part of any small forward's game. With his defensive skills, long wingspan and leaping ability, he is certainly a valuable asset for the rotation off the bench, but until he develops a much better perimeter game, he's not going to receive consistent minutes in the NBA.
No analysis of Malik Hairston.