Draft Prospect: JR Giddens

[Marcus Bryant]

http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jr_giddens.jpg

Full Name: Justin Ray Giddens
Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 6-5 / 215
Birthdate: February 13, 1985
High School: John Marshall HS
College: New Mexico

NBA (http://www.nba.com/draft2008/profiles/J.R.Giddens.html)
NBADraft.net (http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/jrgiddens.html)
DraftExpress (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/J.R.-Giddens-74/)

[Mr. Body]

I like this guy. Character questions, but apparantly he's answered them at UNM. Has a lot of potential still, a good 2nd round pick. Has a tremendous rebounding rate for a guard.

[mountainballer]

has some Bonzi Wells in him. (unfortunately not only regarding the game, but as mentioned, he might have matured and developed a better character)
nice option for #45 and definitely a steal if he drops to #57.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

R O FFF LLL

JR Giddens? This guy is good for two things
1) Dunking
2) Selling out your team for selfish reasons

No chance in hell the Spurs waste a pick on a domestic that went out of his way to get into knife fights at bars.

[GSH]

He's got skills. Lots of young people do stupid things. I saw a couple of recent interviews with him. He says all the right stuff. If he's really grown up, he would be a steal. He's a guy that could actually make it out of the D-League and play. IF... he's really outgrown his problems.

Bottom line, this guy is probably one of the steals of this year's draft.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

If you would have asked me if J.R. was an NBA caliber player after his junior year I'd of said no way. But I watched him evolve and mature a lot as a senior. He went from being a "me first" selfish guard to a guy that really put the team before his own stat sheet.

He worked great within the Lobos system. In Alford's first year at UNM he basically had nothing to lose because expectations weren't real high so he gave Giddens the "tough love" he probably had needed earlier at Kansas and with Ritchie McKay at UNM his junior year.

To Giddens' credit he responded really well.

I'd actually love to see him on the Spurs. Personally I feel his best asset is his defense. Because of his 7' wingspan he's shown he can defend guys a lot bigger than him. The Lobos would put him on the other team's best player, regardless of size or position, similar to Bowen's role with the Spurs.

The other thing that makes me like Giddens as a Spurs prospect is his leaping ability. The guy is great at hitting the glass...definitely a weakness for the Spurs that Giddens could help address. He plays above the rim...something no one on the Spurs does currently.

He's not very good at creating his own shot, but if you give him the ball off a screen in the flow of the offense he's very good at the mid-range jumper and is a good finisher at the basket. The scouting sites say he's a good three point shooter, but I wouldn't rate that as one of his better qualities at this point...especially from NBA range.

I'd support the Spurs drafting J.R., I think he'd stand a good chance of making the team better.

[Mr. Body]

Third thing, Ed, is his rebounding. Any time you have a SG collecting nearly 10 a game at a division one school it opens your eyes.

Sorry: you mentioned his boards.

[timvp]

Thanks for the insight, EHJ. If the Spurs go with a point guard or a big at 26, Giddens should be in the mix at 45 along with players like Forbes and Weems.

[Spur-Addict]

Giddens is a huge no. Game, character, the whole taco.

[Blackjack]

Be advised, Long as hell (actually, hell might not be this long:lol) but a good read none the less.

Ask J.R. Giddens about his past. Ask him about May 19, 2005, the night he was stabbed in his right calf in a bar fight and the thirty stitches he needed. Ask him about how he transferred out of the basketball powerhouse that recruited him as a McDonald’s All-American. Go ahead and ask him; he has nothing to hide.

“I have no problems about answering the questions because I was a kid who made bad decisions,” Giddens said. “As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to make better decisions, so if people want to ask questions and find out all the details, they can, because I’ll answer them.”

Clearly no one can predict the future, but five years ago after completing a prep career that left him as one of the top twenty players in the nation, things looked anything but bumpy for Giddens. The Oklahoma City native would sign a letter of intent to play for the Kansas Jayhawks because as he said, “when Roy Williams offers you a scholarship, it’s kind of a no-brainer.”

The first of many shakeups during Giddens college career would come before he ever experienced his first Rock Chalk Jayhawk, as Williams would leave Lawrence to take the head position at North Carolina. Bill Self, Williams’s replacement, would meet with his star recruit and his family at their home to discuss the issue and hopefully convince Giddens to stick with Kansas.

“[Coach Self] is from Oklahoma, so I felt pretty comfortable with him,” Giddens said. “After talking I decided to still go to Kansas; there’s just so much tradition there so it wasn’t like I was only going originally because of Coach Williams. I knew that I would get a great college experience, they sell out every game, and I knew I’d be playing in front of big crowds.”

Giddens wasted little time making his presence felt, averaging over eleven points per game in taking home All-Big 12 Freshman honors. It seemed the talented guard was well on his way to becoming a high profile NBA draft pick in just a year or two, but his sophomore season would be a completely different story. Giddens’ numbers, though still solid, dipped slightly from his All-Conference caliber freshman year and there started to be rumblings amongst Kansas fans about his decision making abilities and attitude.

Everything would come to a climax that night at the Kansas night club. For Giddens it was a nightmare, “the worst time of my life,” he said. Perhaps the worst part was that for many that followed the team, the incident wasn’t all that surprising. An article published in the Kansas City Star shortly after the incident stated, “If you had to peg a Kansas basketball player most likely to get involved in an ugly brawl, it would be Giddens.”

As the media continued its criticism of the sophomore, Giddens was left to wonder about his future, not only at Kansas, but with the game of basketball.

“I didn’t know if I was going to come back one-hundred percent or not, it was just really hard. Everything happens for a reason, and I think in the end it was good that this happened because I had a lot of maturing to do at that time. It gave me the chance to sit there and think hey, I’m not going to let this happen again.”

Giddens would recover and return to the basketball court, but it would take longer than he might have expected. His relationship with Kansas had reached a point where it was no longer beneficial for him or the program to remain a Jayhawk. While the brawl wasn’t the only reason behind his decision to transfer, it certainly took away any uncertainties. Giddens said both he and the coaching staff felt he needed a fresh start somewhere else, and he would get that fresh start at the University of New Mexico.

The Lobos were coming off a 26-7 year that had culminated in a berth in the NCAA Tournament, thanks in large part to star player Danny Granger. Granger was on his way to the NBA, though, and several other players were transferring out of the program, which begs the question, why did Giddens transfer here?

“It was close to home and it had a good coach in Ritchie McKay,” Giddens said. “He let us play a freelance type of offense and we thought that would benefit my game. He did a lot for Danny, and Danny made it to the NBA, that’s one thing I wanted to do, take my game to the next level. I really thought going to New Mexico would be a benefit to me and my game.”

While Giddens harbored some concerns that his new teammates might have preconceived notions about him due to the headlines he had made at Kansas, he wasn’t worried about the coaching staff.

“They let me know that they had complete confidence in me; they kept reassuring me by saying that they wanted me there and that they were going to work with me to make me a better ball player. I really appreciated that. I wanted to go out there and show New Mexico that I could help them win games.”

During his first season with the Lobos, Giddens had to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules, and served as a member of the redshirt practice squad. During this first year in a new setting, not only did Giddens improve his abilities as a player, but as a leader as well. Being immersed in an environment completely different from the one he had been in at Kansas forced him to become more open minded. In doing this, Giddens began to grow off the court and earn the respect of his new teammates.

With a newfound resolve and a continually improving game, Giddens entered his junior season ready to make a splash in the Mountain West Conference. Things were looking promising; Giddens was posting career highs in points, rebounds and assists, but New Mexico was struggling. Unbeknownst to many at the time though, was a growing problem with Giddens’ attitude. Finally in late February Giddens was suspended indefinitely from the team. Head coach Ritchie McKay said of Giddens, “He did nothing illegal, nothing unethical. This program tries to promote being a good teammate and I want to emphasize that.”

After a second major incident in three years that called his character into question, Giddens had reached his biggest and quite possibly, his last fork in the road for his college basketball career. They say the greatest measure of a man is how he responds to adversity; Giddens response was a strong one. Rather than turning the suspension into a reason for feuding with the coaching staff, or continuing down a spiraling path, the junior owned up to his mistakes and pushed forward.

“I had a bit of an attitude at that time and I really needed to work on being a better teammate,” Giddens said. “It’s not that I was doing anything crazy, I could have probably just come into practice every day with a better attitude. The coaches taught me that real players play everyday, they don’t take plays off or have breakdown practices. They come in everyday and set the tone, because practice is very important. So I looked at all of this as a step towards becoming a better leader and learning how to better prepare for the games as best as possible.”

This past season, the former high school All-American finally put his past behind him, and things began to click on the court. Giddens saw his numbers improve in essentially every single statistical category from a year ago. In addition to being named an honorable mention All-American, Giddens was co-MWC Player of the Year and became just the second player in history to lead the conference in points and rebounds in the same season. He also helped return New Mexico to its winning ways, leading the Lobos to the NIT, where they eventually fell in a hotly contested battle with Cal. With so much having taken place in his life in the last several years, how did Giddens explain the sudden turning on of the proverbial light bulb?

“I was finally just going out there and playing with a free mind, I was having fun. This is the most fun I ever had playing basketball, and I’ve really been able to enjoy just being around my teammates and my coaches.”

Giddens stated that both his teammates and the coaching staff were extremely trusting of him with the basketball this year and gave him the necessary freedom to create for himself and others. Having never given up on himself with all that he had endured during the previous four years has earned Giddens the respect of everyone in the program.

This isn’t where the story of J.R. Giddens ends though. Just when you think you have him all figured out, the young man from the Sooner State makes you do a double take when he says he is happy with how the last few years have gone for him.

“It’s like I said, everything happens for a reason. Some people may not think it was all good, but for me as a person I felt I improved both on and off the court. Looking back, I’m glad I had the senior year that I had and the career that I had. After going through what I did, a lot of people probably would have wanted to give up on their dreams to play ball, but I fought everyday just to get to where I am. In the end, I’m just trying to keep going and play one more day of ball. It’s been a good experience, even though it’s been a bumpy one, I’m glad I stuck with it.”

It may seem unlikely that anyone, let alone a college student, having endured all of the pain and criticism that Giddens has could possibly be this positive, but you can’t deny the sincerity in his voice. This is clearly an individual who has taken to heart the lessons he has learned during the course of his adolescence and early adulthood years.

“I’m really blessed that it all happened in a funny sort of way; I don’t know if people will understand, but I feel like it was good for me.”

Now with the season over, Giddens, like so many other NBA hopefuls is hard at work preparing for the draft. Currently he is working out in California at the 360 Health Club with Oregon’s Bryce Taylor. Giddens felt that free throw shooting and ball-handling are the two areas he needed to make the most improvements before he shows off his skills in front of NBA scouts at the pre draft camp in Orlando. As for what he can bring to a pro team next season, Giddens was quick to point out his winning mentality.

“I want to make guys around me better and win games. I won’t necessarily go out and score a lot of points all the time, but I’ll do all the little things that are important. If I can get an open shot on the outside for a shooter or drive and give my teammate and easy lay up, I’m going to do that. I have a big desire to win, and if I don’t win, I’m going down swinging.”

Giddens is projected as a second round draft pick, so by no means is he a lock to be in an NBA uniform next season, even though his terrific physical tools combined with his versatility and upside has certainly piqued the interest of numerous teams. But for an individual who has been accused time and time again for lacking maturity and possessing major character flaws, Giddens shows tremendous perspective when discussing his future.

“A lot of people have jobs that they hate, so waking up everyday to become the best basketball player possible is the absolute best. I’m having a lot of fun doing it. I’m just trying to let all of this sink in right now. I’m still doing what I love to do, so everyday is a ball to me.”

Spoken like a true adult.

Worth a shot in the second round???

[angelbelow]

i can understand character questions in college, from that article it seems like hes at least trying to shape up. worth a look with our 45th pick.

[timvp]

I just realized he basically got kicked off of Kansas by Bill Self. With RC and Self best friends, I'm going to have to assume this kid has no chance to become a Spur.

[mrspurs]

he wouldnt last around pop.....you have to be able to make your own bed before you leave to work, or you will be in pops dog house quick.........go spurs go

[K-State Spur]

one of his big problems at KU was that if ANY kind of a defense was played on him, he was perfectly content to jack up 25 footers and never attack the rim.

i'd be curious if it was the lesser defense in the MWC or an overall change in mentality that led to driving more often.

[Gino20]

This kid has talent! He helped turn a horrible UNM team to a respectable team. I attended the University of New Mexico and was able to learn a great deal about him. He did have some character issues, but not really at UNM. I wouldn't mind if the Spurs took a look at him. Obviously, that depends on who they draft in the first round though. I doubt they take him, but you never know....

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

one of his big problems at KU was that if ANY kind of a defense was played on him, he was perfectly content to jack up 25 footers and never attack the rim.

i'd be curious if it was the lesser defense in the MWC or an overall change in mentality that led to driving more often.

That's how his junior year went, but Alford was much more strict with Giddens about staying within the offensive sets. I really credit Alford with a lot of Giddens turnaround.

The MWC plays some decent basketball. Take the two dogs out of the cumulative RPI and the MWC would be in the top 5. The Lobos were 2-0 against the Big 12, for those keeping score, albeit against Colorado and TTech.

[Blackjack]

I never saw J.R. in enough game situations to be able to make a good evaluation, but I'm interested in knowing how anyone familiar with his game would compare him to Carney?

[Spur-Addict]

I just realized he basically got kicked off of Kansas by Bill Self. With RC and Self best friends, I'm going to have to assume this kid has no chance to become a Spur.

Along with this, his game isn't there.

[GSH]

I just realized he basically got kicked off of Kansas by Bill Self. With RC and Self best friends, I'm going to have to assume this kid has no chance to become a Spur.


I thought about that. I wonder what Self thinks about him now? I really think Giddens is one of the biggest steals of this whole draft. More to the point, if he has really outgrown his past as he claims, he may be THE biggest steal of the draft. I didn't say best prospect, but the biggest bargain.

I think he could bring some of the same kind of spark as Stephen Jackson. (That may not impress the people who remember that it was often said that Jackson lost as many games as he won.) I've seen clips of him in slam dunk contests, and he's pretty stout for a 6'5" guy. He's an incredible rebounder for a SG, and his PER was very solid. If he hadn't gotten himself into trouble, I really think he's no lower than 20 in the draft.

If he hasn't outgrown his mistakes, then he has someone really good writing for him, and he is good at delivering his lines. Because he says all the right things, and says them convincingly:

“I have no problems about answering the questions because I was a kid who made bad decisions,” Giddens said. “As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to make better decisions, so if people want to ask questions and find out all the details, they can, because I’ll answer them.”

This isn’t where the story of J.R. Giddens ends though. Just when you think you have him all figured out, the young man from the Sooner State makes you do a double take when he says he is happy with how the last few years have gone for him.

“It’s like I said, everything happens for a reason. Some people may not think it was all good, but for me as a person I felt I improved both on and off the court. Looking back, I’m glad I had the senior year that I had and the career that I had. After going through what I did, a lot of people probably would have wanted to give up on their dreams to play ball, but I fought everyday just to get to where I am. In the end, I’m just trying to keep going and play one more day of ball. It’s been a good experience, even though it’s been a bumpy one, I’m glad I stuck with it.”

It may seem unlikely that anyone, let alone a college student, having endured all of the pain and criticism that Giddens has could possibly be this positive, but you can’t deny the sincerity in his voice. This is clearly an individual who has taken to heart the lessons he has learned during the course of his adolescence and early adulthood years.

“I’m really blessed that it all happened in a funny sort of way; I don’t know if people will understand, but I feel like it was good for me.”

“I want to make guys around me better and win games. I won’t necessarily go out and score a lot of points all the time, but I’ll do all the little things that are important. If I can get an open shot on the outside for a shooter or drive and give my teammate and easy lay up, I’m going to do that. I have a big desire to win, and if I don’t win, I’m going down swinging.”

[angelbelow]

I just realized he basically got kicked off of Kansas by Bill Self. With RC and Self best friends, I'm going to have to assume this kid has no chance to become a Spur.

fair enough.

[GSH]

one of his big problems at KU was that if ANY kind of a defense was played on him, he was perfectly content to jack up 25 footers and never attack the rim.

i'd be curious if it was the lesser defense in the MWC or an overall change in mentality that led to driving more often.

(From the same article)
The biggest difference we notice in Giddens’ game is the fact that he’s no longer playing as selfishly as he once did. He seems to have no problem giving up the rock these days, and has been doing a very nice job creating scoring opportunities for his not-so talented teammates, who don’t always convert at a very high rate...

Never known as an exceptional ball-handler, Giddens has certainly made strides in his ability to create his own shot from the perimeter. As a sophomore, he averaged 8.8 3-pointers per-40 minutes pace adjusted, while posting a paltry 1.2 free throw attempts. This year he’s down to 2.9 3-point attempts, but his free throw attempts are up to 5.6.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Draft Report: JR Giddens Of New Mexico
Authored by Christopher Reina - 20th June, 2008 - 11:17 am
Kevin Broom. 15th May, 2008.

JR Giddens is one of the best athletes in this draft and uses that athleticism not just on dunks, but to make very pure basketball moves.

He has great confidence with the dribble, and I believe he will be able to create his own shot in the NBA.

He has a great crossover dribble to get himself into the paint. He creates space for himself by being able to stop as quickly as he can start.

Giddens is also very good at using pre-dribble jab steps to get himself an extra edge into the lane. His jab step is not a token show move, and if the defender doesn’t budge, he’ll simply take what is given and beat him off the dribble.

He has immaculate body control in the air, finishing mid-range jumpers off the glass.

When he does get into the paint, he is very conscious of the kick out and sets up his teammates with wide-open 3’s. Giddens has great court vision and will spot and deliver the ball to his teammates from across the floor, or he’ll thread the needle on a drive and dish.

His post entry passes are superb as well as his passes out of the pick and roll.

If you could tilt the scale on assists to the passer or shooter based off who creates it, the vast majority of his assists are full tilt his way.

He makes great decisions in the air, and his assist/turniover ratio went from .87 as a junior to 1.41 as a senior.

He is one of the best non-point guard distributors in this draft, right up there with Kevin Love in terms of both impact and talent.

The mechanics of his own shot are flawed but passable. He has a high release and a good follow though; he also has an extremely wide stance, with his feet wider than his shoulders, but he gets good lift. There is a little hitch in his shot when he brings it to the top, but that can be ironed out.

He also seems to shoot better off the dribble because he doesn’t get the cleanest catch when he spots up, and I honestly can’t figure out why that is.

But Giddens does move well without the ball, almost always moving and comes off screens hard.

Giddens might be the very best finisher in this entire draft. He is absurdly powerful in the air and will attack defenders and dunk on them with ease.

He is athletic enough to be a true stopper defensively. Giddens does a great job of staying in a defensive stance during the entire possession.

He uses his long arms to make life extremely difficult for his man whether it’s in the triple threat position or when he puts it on the floor. He defends against the pass extremely well, both on-ball and getting his arms into the passing lanes in help defense.

He also led the entire Mountain West Conference in rebounding with 8.3 per game. He elevates extremely well and has incredible reach with his arms. Giddens has a tremendous motor and innate desire to get after the ball.

He has a great work ethic, getting onto the floor for loose balls and always giving maximum effort.

Giddens is not the knock ‘em dead spot-up shooter you’d ideally like from a wing, but he is plenty athletic enough as a slasher and defender to make an immediate impact while his shot comes along.

http://realgm.com/src_fromtherafters/202/20080620/draft_report_jr_giddens_of_new_mexico/

[AFBlue]

Reminds me of Kelenna Azubuike....and would be a much cheaper version of him too.

At #45 he could be good for the Spurs if they don't answer the swingman question in the first round.

[The Truth #6]

Yeah, if Kansas kicked him out that can't help his chances with RC. However, I wonder if the Kansas connection is as much of a big deal with Pop. With Pop not on vacation, he might be making more of the decisions this off-season.

[underdawg]

Any way to get this kid, CDR and Kyle Weaver in this draft? What grade would you give our FO if we ended up with those picks?

[Ocotillo]

I do hope we get this guy in the second round whether it is at 45 or part of some trade whereby we get someone else's pick.

:flag:

[gcthunder]

Along with this, his game isn't there.

Ya this shows how educated you are. looks like he was the 30th pick of the first round first BITCH!