Draft Prospect: Trevor Booker

[Bruno]

Height: 6-7
Weight: 245 lbs
Birthday: 11/25/1987
College: Clemson

DraftExpress
nbadraft

[Bruno]

http://www.independentmail.com/news/...d-bad-reading/

All signs point to former Clemson forward Trevor Booker going early to midway through the second round of next Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Booker, a 6-7 tweener in the mold of Paul Millsaps, has reportedly fared well in draft workouts. Within the last 10 days, he has visited Charlotte, Detroit, San Antonio and Washington and is scheduled to work out Saturday with Atlanta.

[Truckules]

I think he could play a little SF as well as PF. Everyone always talks about how he's an undersized power forward like Millsap etc., but he's more perimeter oriented than them. He's a good passer, has a few nice post moves, is a decent shooter, can drive the hoop a little, and plays good defense. When he started at Clemson, he was just an athletic body with a post move or two, but he has worked hard and really developed an all-around game. If he's still there at 49 or the Spurs move up in the second, I would love to see him on the team.

[The Truth #6]

The videos are usually predictable - bad music, and every dunk the player ever did while in college. But a few things I liked - fairly athletic, looked like he had a decent wingspan, a nose for the ball on defense, and most importantly, on the one play that wasn't a dunk or a block, he shot a 3 with pretty good form. The fact that we only see one outside shot leaves me wondering if this was a choice by the editor or that he just can't shoot.

I'm curious what others know of his shooting and other distinct basketball skills.

For a late 2nd rounder, he looks like a decent option.

[AFBlue]

I think he could play a little SF as well as PF. Everyone always talks about how he's an undersized power forward like Millsap etc., but he's more perimeter oriented than them. He's a good passer, has a few nice post moves, is a decent shooter, can drive the hoop a little, and plays good defense. When he started at Clemson, he was just an athletic body with a post move or two, but he has worked hard and really developed an all-around game. If he's still there at 49 or the Spurs move up in the second, I would love to see him on the team.

I'm surprised, given his decent perimeter skills and athleticism, that he's not being projected as a combo forward. If he's just a PF, then I think he's not right for this team...Spurs already have a really solid undersized option for the position (see avatar to your left).

[Truckules]

I'm curious what others know of his shooting and other distinct basketball skills.

I'm a huge Clemson fan and watched just about every game he played. He won't be a threat from NBA 3 point range, but he can hit open 16-18 footers with some regularity. His shot is probably the weakest part of his game. He has surprising BBIQ. It's not great, but I'd probably call it above average. This year he got double and triple teamed as soon as he caught the ball in the post, which is why his assist numbers went up. He's good at passing out of double teams although he has trouble when it is a guard coming from the perimeter rather than another forward from the weakside.

His post game is pretty good and a lot of it is due to his footwork. He has great footwork in the post and incredible upper body strength which allows him to be effective in the post even though his post moves are still raw. He struggles when posting up players with a significant size advantage though. This past offseason he really worked on ball-handling and it showed this year. If he gets the ball behind the arc, he'll pump fake, and if the defenders falls for it, he'll drive to the rim and finish. He's really good at the pick and roll because he has good quickness and is good at finishing at the rim. The biggest advantage on offense for him is that he's impossible to match up with athletically. He's a lot faster than PFs but a lot stronger than SFs.

Trevor was at the top of the full court press at Clemson which didn't really allow him to show his half-court defensive skills. He did get a lot of chase down blocks when the press got beat, though. He can run the court as good as anybody. When he does get settled into half-court defense, he sometimes tends to look for the big block instead of just playing smart defense, although he has the tools to be a good defender. He has quick hands and long arms which allowed him to get steals by getting into passing lanes. His biggest advantage on defense is his physicality. He doesn't shy away from a challenge, and he loves contact.

Overall, I don't think Trevor will be a star in the league even though I want him to be one. He is good in a lot of different areas, but he is not great at anything. He has no go-to move, no unstoppable move. Having said that, I think he can be a very good player for the right team. Every team needs the kind of physical presence that he brings on both offense and defense.

[tdunk21]

undersized PF...right?

[The Truth #6]

Truckules,

Thanks for the in-depth insight.