2016 Draft Prospect: George Lucas de Paula

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

http://content.draftexpress.com/headshots/georgelucas.jpg


Height: 6-5
Weight: 196
DOB: 5/24/1996
Team: Sky Pinheiros
Country: Brazil


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRkCW9Cf6B4

The guy is really raw in many aspects, but has an insane reach and pretty good ballhandling abilities already. He'll probably need a couple years at least before rotation minutes, but I think he can be worth the investment.

[Chinook]

That's my guy right there. Don't stash him; stick him in Austin like you did to CoJo.

[exstatic]

Dammit. I was going to post this, but thought I'd jinx it. He's a WAY better raw prospect than Delon Wright. He's got Kawhi hands and a wingpan that is an eyelash short of 7 foot, to go with his 6'6" height in shoes. He's a good ball handler, and has a decent shot already, he's just REALLY raw and hasn't played high level ball yet. He is going to be a BEAST on defense. If he were playing high level ball, like Euroleague, he'd be a lottery prospect.

[exstatic]

He has a pretty nice stroke, and keeps the ball in front of him, unlike Kawhi and Kyle when they got here, who both cocked the ball back behind their heads, flattening their shots.
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[Uriel]

If Lucas is such an intriguing prospect, will he still even be on the board by the time the Spurs draft? I remember how we all wanted Gobert a couple of years ago, only to have the Jazz get him one spot before us. Same with Batum in 2008.

[Chinook]

I don't think Lucas will still be on the board when the Spurs pick for the same reason why Anderson was. Dude has too much talent not to take a chance on. The only saving grace in this is that he had a poor NHS. That might help him fall. As I said in another thread, it's possible that a team like the Spurs asked him to dog the event in exchange for a promise. With a good summit, I think he would have definitely been slotted as a early post-lottery pick.

[Trill Clinton]

i like this guy too. his upside on defense is what intrigues me most.

[exstatic]

If Lucas is such an intriguing prospect, will he still even be on the board by the time the Spurs draft? I remember how we all wanted Gobert a couple of years ago, only to have the Jazz get him one spot before us. Same with Batum in 2008.

He's REALLY raw, and played low level ball. That's the only reason he might. Gobert and Batum played in the French league, probably second only to Spain in terms of competition and respect.

[AFBlue]

Measured 6'5 1/2 inches and 197lbs with a 7ft reach at the combine. You knew the measurables were going to be there, so this is just further confirmation.

[AFBlue]

What DX says about him specifically...

-George Lucas: The young Brazilian guard largely matched his Nike Hoop Summit measurements. Standing 6'4.5 without shoes with a 7' wingspan, Lucas has outstanding size for a player who spends time at the point guard position. De Paula is pretty much the same size as Marshon Brooks was coming out of Providence, except he plays exclusively at the point and not on the wing like Brooks. Brooks measured 6'4.25 without shoes with a 7'1 wingspan and a 195-pound frame. De Paula has an impressive frame in his own right tipping the scales at 197 pounds with a very low 6.7% body fat ratio, finished 7th in hand width and 2nd in hand length among all players here (largely surrounded by power forwards and centers on the list), and is still only 18. Needless to say, he's one of the most unique physical specimens at the point guard position in this draft, or any draft for that matter. It's safe to say that NBA teams will be watching him very very closely the next few days.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/#ixzz3a4mL1A00
http://www.draftexpress.com

[intlspurshk]

I like him and he should be the best possible player that Spurs can draft

[outmap]

High reward draft. Spurs will draft him based on potential; he's very, very raw.

[ace3g]

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)Basketball Insiders chats with George de Paula (also known as George Lucas) at the 2015 NBA Draft Combine: basketballinsiders.com/george-de-paul… (http://t.co/Zsl7vbvfSm)

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

That guy is super shy, even though being forced to speak English may do that. He mentions he interviewed with the Spurs. :tu

[buttsR4rebounding]

This guy makes perfect sense for the Spurs. It actually makes Tony's contract more palatable. A transition to Tony playing fewer minutes and saving his body. He plays in Austin for a year (getting called up for minutes whenever Tony gets hurt), becomes a bench contributor the next year and is starting PG by the end of the 3rd year. He sounds like he can guard 2's. I think this is their man if available.

[AFBlue]

That guy is super shy, even though being forced to speak English may do that. He mentions he interviewed with the Spurs. :tu

Did Tiago translate?

[intlspurshk]

It may make sense for SPURS to trade down to early second round (say get the 2 picks from 76ers) to draft George Paula and Timothe Luwawu together, if SPURS are serious in creating cap space for a max FA.

[palangi]

I would look at Andrew Harrison as well there.

[AFBlue]

Lucas makes a lot of sense as a long term prospect. If the Spurs want to maximize cap space, it's the likeliest of picks.

[Chinook]

It would be nice for the Spurs to buy a pick to use for Lucas. Maybe Minny would be willing to part with their second second-rounder for cash/some non-Bertans/LJC/Thomas prospect.

[outmap]

Watched him play, he has the physical attributes of Kawhi; length, body type, movement, stance, etc., but the mentality of Manu; careless, TO prone, bad shots, etc.
Potentially a defensive gem, needs to work on his shooting mechanics though (c/o Chip).
Worth a look, a high reward gamble for the Spurs.
NBA comparison: Avery Bradley

[jyra]

At the Eurocamp in Treviso:

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[Mayhem321]

As a brazilian I'd love to see him drafted by the Spurs because they can give him the best opportunity to fulfill his potential. Specially if he's brought to Austin as soon as he is drafted... I think that's the ideal situation since he would get playing time and get to workout with spurs trainers.
Drafting and stashing him in the brazilian league is a waste of time because he wouldn't get much playing time and the coaches/trainers aren't nearly as good as the spurs' ones.

[ace3g]

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)George de Paula is 6'6 PG with 7'0 wingspan and the largest hands ever measured for a PG. Oh, and he's 18 years old: basketballinsiders.com/nba-pm-who-is-… (http://t.co/bd3Pvnw0jK)

[maverick1948]

[QUOTE=ace3g;8037907]Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
(https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA)George de Paula is 6'6 PG with 7'0 wingspan and the largest hands ever measured for a PG. Oh, and he's 18 years old: basketballinsiders.com/nba-pm-who-is-… (http://t.co/bd3Pvnw0jK)


Would he be Klaw2???

[alfahdlan]

A potential defense-oriented point guard with length. His offense will just be a bonus. KL and DG, if he's still there, can focus on other threats. After familiarizing on spurs set plays, he can already be serviceable. Hope we get him at 55 or trade 26 for two early 2nd rounders.

[Maddog]

Seems to have completely fallen off several mocks

[AFBlue]

Seems to have completely fallen off several mocks

Still on the DX mock at #45, which was updated to exclude a couple notable international prospects (Kaba, Luwawu), so I think he's still in. And if he's still in then he's a sleeper pick for the late first round.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

He will withdraw, according to his agent and multiple sources.

[BackHome]

Man from a first round pick to not even being listed in some mocks that was fast.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Smart move to withdraw after falling. He can be a 1st round pick solely on his physical attributes.

[Maddog]

Smart move to withdraw after falling. He can be a 1st round pick solely on his physical attributes.

Well if the NBA, he can still live off the movie royalties

Anyone know if he has worked out for the spurs?

[AFBlue]

Well if the NBA, he can still live off the movie royalties

Anyone know if he has worked out for the spurs?

He interviewed with them, but I don't know if he did individual workouts with teams tbqh. He was one of the youngest, if not the youngest draft-eligible player that initially declared, so he'll be back next year. Lots of international prospects go this route to get their names out there for 1-2 years down the road. Alpha Kaba and Timothe Luwawu were much the same. None were ready for the big leagues, but they will all likely reap the benefits of exposure to the process.

[Chinook]

Updated and bumped.

[CGD]

Did he declare for this draft after pulling out last year? If so, those physical tools are very intriguing

[buttsR4rebounding]

Did he declare for this draft after pulling out last year? If so, those physical tools are very intriguing

I don't see him listed in any of the mocks that I saw. He may not be in this year either.

[jyra]

He is listed at 51st in next year's mock draft at draftexpress. As a second round pick it would be a no brainer. Going by the development trajectory of fellow Brazlians Caboclo and Nogueira (who were picked much higher) he probably won't put on an NBA uniform until 2020 if at all.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Apparently kept his name in the draft. DX's latest mock draft has him going 60th.

[Chinook]

I'd take a flier. Dude is like Livio in the sense that he's not going to get better outside the Spurs' system. Give him a two-way contract.

[BD24]

Was interested in what happened to this cat. He was showing promise a few years ago. Guessing he hasnt progressed much since then and is still incredibly raw.

[jyra]

Here is pretty detailed breakdown of his game: https://medium.com/@GabrielAndPaula/scouting-report-and-video-analysis-george-de-paula-9a345d7908c

It seems that he still struggles with a lot of the same issues as two years ago. I think he goes undrafted but I wouldn't mind bringing him over to Austin.

[Chinook]

I'd use 59 on him and feel good about it, especially if the team uses 29 on a big

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Moved up to 49 on latest DX mock. Really want this dude to fall to us in the 2nd.

[Chinook]

Moved up to 49 on latest DX mock. Really want this dude to fall to us in the 2nd.

I was surprised to see that. It's like they had forgotten about him. Only thing I can think of besides that is that he got a promise this time around.

[jyra]

877195066095357952

A bit more positive (less detailed) take in this report compared to the other one.

[Snaq O'Meal]

The force is strong with this one.