Draft Prospect: Luke Babbitt

[MaNu4Tres]

I'm really intrigued by Babbitt. He has the length and perhaps the best shooting ability out of anyone in the draft. Those two aspects are attributes the Spurs desperately need from there back up SF spot.

I understand some scouts have him as a 3/4 tweener but his 10.98 lane agility drill is very impressive and gives me hope his lateral quickness and agility can make him a capable perimeter defender. By comparison George Hill was timed at 12.20 seconds in this same drill.

[mountainballer]

I'm really intrigued by Babbitt. He has the length and perhaps the best shooting ability out of anyone in the draft. Those two aspects are attributes the Spurs desperately need from there back up SF spot.

I understand some scouts have him as a 3/4 tweener but his 10.98 lane agility drill is very impressive and gives me hope his lateral quickness and agility can make him a capable perimeter defender. By comparison George Hill was timed at 12.20 seconds in this same drill.

some posts ago I tried to make a point that exactly this tweener status makes him so intriguing for the Spurs in the current situation. looking at the 2010-11 roster (including Splitter), they have some open minutes at backup SF (12-15) and some more in the Bonner (10-15) role. (assuming Bonner is gone). from all somehow realistic prospects Babbitt might be the one who could get the most minutes right away. considering the cap and tax situation, this might become another plus point for him.

[MaNu4Tres]

in his case the measurements should help big time. good numbers and unlike most white guys also a much better wingspan than height. also pretty big hands.
teams that wondered if he could also play PF in the NBA now know. he has nice tools to develop into a hybrid player like Battier or Gomes.
if the Spurs have him on their list (which I do believe), he should also have moved up. if they don't re sign Bonner (thinking about tax implications they won't) they could find minutes for him in the Bonner role and as back up for RJ. this option might look pretty attractive for them. can't tell about his upside on defense. speed will always be an issue, but he looks as if he can easily add 10-20lbs and get significantly stronger. he doesn't seem to be soft or shy away from contact, so he could become a decent defender for other combo forwards down the road.
many of the more frequently discussed options will be gone at 20. Babbitt might be our guy that moment.

You sure did. Nice post

And I agree with everything you said.

Concerning his speed and athletic drills, they were very impressive and that alone indicates he certainly has the athletic tools to be a capable perimeter defender.

You can say I'm on the Paul George and Luke Babbitt bandwagon right now.

He kind of reminds me of a more athletic version of Chris Mullin, or a more athletic Toni Kukoc . That's the ceiling comparison of course, at the same time he could very well be compared to Luke Jackson.

Regardless he's one of the prospects I'd like to take a gamble on at #20 (if he's available)

Here's an interview. Kid's got a good head on his shoulders

[mountainballer]

He kind of reminds me of a more athletic version of Chris Mullin, or a more athletic Toni Kukoc . That's the ceiling comparison of course, at the same time he could very well be compared to Luke Jackson.

I would use another Luke as a comparison, namely Luke Walton. (in any case Babbitt should be significantly better as an athlete as Walton, so Luke Walton should definitely be the worst case).
a more athletic Tony Kukoc as best case would be a superstar. that's probably a bit to optimistic. what about Gallinari?

[Dro210]

This guys numbers are outstanding... I don't know for sure who I want yet, but Babbitt is gaining a lot of momentum on my board tho. I think it's gonna come down to Babbitt, George, and Henry... depending on who's available of course.

Check out the shooting #s from the combine:
http://www.nbadraft.net/nba-draft-co...-drill-results


Also from those numbers... I'm a Texas guy and I love D. James, and I like Stanley Robinson as a player too, but it's obvious those aren't our guys. Not at 20..... Unless it was just a fluke, James Anderson hurt his status too. imo, his biggest question was going to be whether or not he had NBA range, and he didn't help his case at all..... and damn, I love Jordan Crawford's potential. Too many guys ahead of him to take him at 20, and no way he falls to 49, but I'd love to get him.

[TD 21]

If Babbitt is still available at twenty or a guy like Anderson falls to the Spurs, I could not only see them drafting either (while I think they'd take George first, I doubt he'll still be on the board), but foregoing signing a veteran wing altogether. Because in the case of either they're both expected to be able to contribute immediately, particularly as shooters.

Also, that wouldn't block Hairston/Gee and to a lesser extent, Temple (because I expect his minutes to primarily come at PG), as much. As far as having another option to play the stopper role, though, that would leave the Spurs perilously thin in that department.

I don't know about Babbitt being able to play the tweener role, though. I'm not saying he for sure can't, I'm just skeptical that he can. All in all, similar to George, he seems like Spurs material.

[objective]

He has a similar backstory to George Hill. Babbitt from what I understood was recruited to play at Ohio State and could have been with Evan Turner and competing for deep runs in the tourney but decided to stay local with Nevada.

[DBMethos]

I'm warming up to Babbitt...which means we won't get him.

[yavozerb]

This kid keeps moving up and mybe even find himself in the top 10..Pretty unbelievable shooting from a someone his size.

Nba 3 pt shot= 19-25
15-18 ft jumpers = 16-24
college 3 pt shot= 21-25

Timed shooting the move (15-18 ft jumpers)
rt elbow baseline 9-13
elbow to elbow- 11-13
lft elbow to baseline 11-15

Overal shooting= 75%


Here is the link for complete details: http://www.nbadraft.net/nba-draft-co...-drill-results

[Mr Bones]

Seems like Babbitt was an unwitting victim of the "white men can't jump" and "white shooters aren't athletic" cliches until the objectivity of the measurements portion of the draft came into play.... his vertical leap and lane agility numbers are among the best in the class. His lane agility time was the best among all forwards in the draft and only beaten by a couple of smaller guards, including John Wall. At this point, any scouting report that claims Babbitt has "average athleticism" is just factually incorrect.

[angelbelow]

damn the more i read about him the more i hope hes available when we draft.. but hes doing wonderful in the workouts.

[Darkwaters]

I have been thinking for a while that he could be a sneaky under the radar Spurs-style pick. But with the way things are turning out we might never get the opportunity.

[SenorSpur]

From reading the previous posts, I'm was beginning to warm up to the possibility of this kid. Then I read the scouting report from NBA Draft Express:

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/luke-babbitt

Weaknesses: He lacks lateral quickness, and will be an eye-opening target for any quick and athletic forward who is matched up with him ... Not the greatest or quickest athlete, which could be another obstacle for him, as he won't be able to create as much space for himself in the NBA the way he did in college ... Able to aggressively finish in college at the rim, but will have difficulty when challenging 7 footers at the next level.

Overall: Babbitt has a fun game to watch, as he can score in a number of ways ... Defensively he will be a liability when manning up on the wing, but can fill a nice scoring role off the bench for a good team as he is likely to be drafted in the mid to late first round ... If he was stronger, more athletic and more explosive, he would be a lot higher on GMs draft boards

The question I have is are these all legitmate concerns with Babbitt?

[Darkwaters]

Babbitt is intriguing b/c he can kill two birds with one stone. He can likely play the 3 and also replace Bonner as the stretch 4. He brings shooting and offense. Yes, hes a defensive liability at this point, but so was Mason and Bonner. And both of them started.

[SenorSpur]

Babbitt is intriguing b/c he can kill two birds with one stone. He can likely play the 3 and also replace Bonner as the stretch 4. He brings shooting and offense. Yes, hes a defensive liability at this point, but so was Mason and Bonner. And both of them started.

Excellent points.

If "killing one of those birds" means finally bidding adios to Bonner, and his recurring playoff failings, then Babbitt is looking better by the minute.

While I still hope George is available @ #20, Babbitt would be a nice consolation prize for the Spurs.

[lurker23]

He kind of reminds me of a more athletic version of Chris Mullin, or a more athletic Toni Kukoc . That's the ceiling comparison of course, at the same time he could very well be compared to Luke Jackson.

That's kind of a scary comparison...from what I've seen of Luke Jackson recently, when his jumper isn't falling, he's next to useless.

[DesignatedT]

Babbit may surprise people with his athleticism. The guy can score the ball in every way. not just a shooter. If his jumper isn't falling or whatever the guy can still put the ball on the floor and make an impact in other ways (unlike bonner).

question mark is still defense though.

[Chieflion]

From reading the previous posts, I'm was beginning to warm up to the possibility of this kid. Then I read the scouting report from NBA Draft Express:

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/luke-babbitt

Weaknesses: He lacks lateral quickness, and will be an eye-opening target for any quick and athletic forward who is matched up with him ... Not the greatest or quickest athlete, which could be another obstacle for him, as he won't be able to create as much space for himself in the NBA the way he did in college ... Able to aggressively finish in college at the rim, but will have difficulty when challenging 7 footers at the next level.

Overall: Babbitt has a fun game to watch, as he can score in a number of ways ... Defensively he will be a liability when manning up on the wing, but can fill a nice scoring role off the bench for a good team as he is likely to be drafted in the mid to late first round ... If he was stronger, more athletic and more explosive, he would be a lot higher on GMs draft boards

The question I have is are these all legitmate concerns with Babbitt?

The lateral quickness thing is proven wrong. You can look up his measurements on draftexpress. Babbitt is by no means unathletic, the misconception is way overblown. Babbitt plays like a SF version of Manu Ginobili (not saying he is that good, but there is a stylistic resemblance). He makes mind-blowing plays and has a high basketball IQ. He is also left-handed which gives him somewhat of an advantage on offense.

[mountainballer]

I think he can be put in the same league athletically like Omri Cassp (who was always labeled as "good athlete"). and he should be a slightly better overall player and significantly better shooter than Casspi.
considering how well Casspi did in hie rookie season the outlook for Babbitt is pretty bright.
and considering that Casspi has been on the Spurs radar for many years and assuming he would have been high on their list in the 2009 draft, Babbitt fits the profile of a Spurs pick almost perfectly.

[Darkwaters]

I think he can be put in the same league athletically like Omri Cassp (who was always labeled as "good athlete"). and he should be a slightly better overall player and significantly better shooter than Casspi.
considering how well Casspi did in hie rookie season the outlook for Babbitt is pretty bright.
and considering that Casspi has been on the Spurs radar for many years and assuming he would have been high on their list in the 2009 draft, Babbitt fits the profile of a Spurs pick almost perfectly.

I'm starting to feel more and more that way myself. Babbitt is probably not the sexy pick, but he'd probably be a smart one. I could definitely see the Spurs targeting this kid.

[jesterbobman]

I'm also fairly high on Babbitt (now). I don't get to watch much, so I rely mainly on scouting reports, and I focused don the obvious strengths(shooting) and weaknesses(athleticism), and pictured him from there. Obviously from the testing, he's far more athletic than he got credit for. He's probably not the highest potential guy we could target, but he could probably be someone like Mike Miller(I know, White guy, but a 6'8" Wingman who can shoot really well and rebound, and being underrated as an athlete). That fills a rotation spot.

[SenorSpur]

I'm also fairly high on Babbitt (now). I don't get to watch much, so I rely mainly on scouting reports, and I focused don the obvious strengths(shooting) and weaknesses(athleticism), and pictured him from there. Obviously from the testing, he's far more athletic than he got credit for. He's probably not the highest potential guy we could target, but he could probably be someone like Mike Miller(I know, White guy, but a 6'8" Wingman who can shoot really well and rebound, and being underrated as an athlete). That fills a rotation spot.

That's it. Mike Miller was the type of comparison I was thinking of. If that is a true comparison, that's pretty good.

Again, I have to believe Paul George would be the first choice, After that, Babbitt looks as though he'd be a good fit. Good shooter, good motor and high BBIQ are definite assets that could fit the typical Spurs player profile.

[benefactor]

Babbitt has flown up DX's mock and now sits at 12. Unless the Spurs trade up he is almost certainly out of reach.

[Bruno]

Chad Ford also put him at #12 few days ago and said that Memphis was high on him.

[Stump]

DraftExpress now has him at #12 as well