NBA Draft Prospects: Paul George, Fresno State

Click here to find all of our 2010 NBA Draft prospect breakdowns.

Stats: 16.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.2 spg, 3.2 t/o's, 35.3% 3PT

Size:

• Listed: 6'9", 215 lb, 20 yrs old
• Combine: 6'8 3/4" (with shoes), 214 lb, 6'11 1/4" (wingspan)
  

About Him: There may not be a "hotter" prospect right now than Paul George. Its not hard to see why. The kid has a fantastic set of tools and unlimited upside. Almost 6'9" in shoes, George is a pure wing and a fantastic athlete. His game is based around his jump shot, which his height and athleticism allows him to get off at will. As a freshman, he shot almost 45% from three, and while that number dropped to 36% last season, that drop can be attributed to George forcing quite a few shots playing in an undisciplined system.

George's size, athleticism, and the fact that he has the skills of a perimeter player -- jump shot, handle, etc. -- makes him intriguing on film. In workouts, those tools make GM's salivate. Its not often that you see players with that size flashing handle, knocking down mid-range and three point jumpers effortlessly. Once considered a potential first round pick, George has worked his way into the back end of the lottery and could very well be the second wing taken in the draft after Wesley Johnson.

The problem is that George really hasn't proven himself in games. Fresno State was not a good basketball team last season -- sub-.500 in the WAC -- and George played like it. His numbers were impressive -- 17 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals -- but the way he got those numbers did not scream superstar. He forced a lot of shots, especially from the perimeter, and he committed quite a few turnovers. To be fair, George faced defenses keyed at stopping him, but that doesn't change the fact that he needs to continue to develop his ability to get by his defender, change direction with the dribble when he is forced, and handling the ball in transition. That's why the scouting report on George was to force him to put the ball on the floor.

Defensively, George has all the tools to become a pesky defender. His length on the perimeter will cause smaller players problems. He has quick hands and excellent anticipation, which is why he was able to average over 2 spg. He's quick and he's explosive. But he simply didn't put in the effort on the defensive end. He was lazy, he didn't get through screens, he slacked off jump shooters.

Perhaps the biggest knock on George is his work ethic and intensity. Does he truly love the game? Is he willing to put in the work to fulfill his potential? Is he going to play hard against NBA competition? With his tools and skill set, hard work is the only thing between him and stardom.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: The comparison to a T-Mac, in his prime, is easy. 6'8", athletic, perimeter oriented, good shooter. Defensively, he can be a Trevor Ariza/Trenton Hassell kind of talent. T-Mac on one end, Trevor Ariza on the other. That's a pretty damn good basketball player. Rudy Gay with a jump shot or a more athletic Danny Granger are also good comparisons.
  
• Worst Case Scenario: The likelihood of George reaching that potential is probably the same as him being out of the league in five years. Is he the next Dermarr Johnson? I think a career path similar to Dorell Wright may be the most likely.
  

Outlook: George was a late bloomer. He didn't get serious about playing organized basketball until his sophomore year in high school, and it wasn't until the Pump Brothers discovered him and teamed him with Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee in AAU ball that he realized hit potential as a player. Still, George was not a huge recruit coming out of high school, electing to go to Fresno State because of the chance to be a feature player right away. The problem is that the Fresno coaches then allowed him to do basically whatever he wanted, as there was not much else on that roster than George.

Long story short, George has not received a ton of coaching. Given the right system and the right coaching staff, its easy to see George fulfilling his potential. From what I've read, he's shown quite the work ethic since the season ended, and his development from a no name recruit to a lottery pick is striking. I don't think he will end up being the second coming of T-Mac, but I think that one day he can end up being a starter and 15-18 ppg scorer.

Highlights:







Continue reading...

Paul George declares for the draft ... via twitter

Last week, we had out first players declare for the NBA Draft.

Sources told Jeff Goodman that Iowa State's Craig Brackins would be announcing his intentions to enter the draft sometime in the coming days. He's not the only one on the Cyclones heading to the league. Marquis Gilstrap had an appeal for a sixth season of eligibility denied by the NCAA, meaning that his next step is logically to try and get drafted.

That is normally how things go when you declare for the draft, right?

For the most part, we can specualte who is and who isn't going to declare. Then at some point, the all-knowing "sources" start leaking info that so-and-so is going to declare for the draft. Eventually, a press conference is held, announcements are made, and we move on and start discussing who has signed with an agent, who will withdraw, mock draft orders, etc.

Well, this is a new day and age, and with the internet and social media websites providing previously unseen amounts of access to those in the spot light, sometimes news breaks in a different matter.

Call it the @OGOchoCinco effect.

You may not know the name Paul George, but you can rest assured that NBA Draftniks do. George became a mini-internet celebrity -- at least in my small corner of the intrawebs -- with this dunk early last season.

George is making internet waves again today, as he essentially declared for the NBA Draft last night, not an hour after his Fresno State Bulldogs lost their last game in the WAC tournament.

It was all but a given he was gone as it is, but it is still surprising to see a college player state his intentions so soon after a season-ending loss and, well via twitter.

I guess that's the world we live in these days.

Continue reading...

2009-2010 College Basketball Season Preview: Best Dunkers

There aren't too many things that will fire up a crowd more than an electrifying dunk. The momentum of a game can change on just one outlet pass that turns into a thunderous slam. There won't be a shortage of rim-rockers this year, and there are plenty of guys out there with the hops capable of putting on a show for the fans.

With the season tip-off being literally hours away, what better way to get back into the spirit of the game than by going over the biggest high-flyers of the upcoming season.

As we have certified ourselves as the preeminent dunk experts on the intrawebs, here is out list of the top 10 dunkers this season. Don't be surprised if these guys make quite a few Sportscenter top 10's.

Chris "Top Flight" Wright - 6'8" forward, Dayton

I can make this short, because, well, his nickname is "Top Flight". Wright is by far the most talked-about dunker entering this season, and with the high expectations that have been set for Dayton, we could be seeing a lot of the this high-flyer on weekly top tens throughout the year. There are more than a handful of dunks you could pick as being Wright's most memorable. When he dunked over Marquette's Maurice Acker, I was pretty sure he left the atmosphere (seriously, look at where he catches the ball, then think about the fact that he doesn't use a dribble to get to the rim). Not only is Wright one of the best dunkers in the country, he is also one of the most athletic players out there. With Blake Griffin and Gerald Henderson, arguably two of the best dunkers last year, leaving for the NBA, "Top Flight" has become the premiere rim-rocker at the college level.









Trevor Booker - 6'7" forward, Clemson

He's your prototypical power-dunker. The true definition of a rim-rocker. The bulk of his highlight reel dunks come on tip-ins and follow-up slams. Clemson is a widely known as a "push-the-pace" team, and Booker has become an expert at trailing the break and following up on the glass. He's also a beast on the offensive rebounds. His physical strength can get him over, around, or through any defender in his way.









Paul George - 6'8" forward, Fresno State

A lot of people across the country didn't get to see a single Fresno State game on the television last season. They missed out on one of the most entertaining players in the entire country. But George's popularity has soared because of his highlight reel videos across the internet and youtube. He made his case for last season's "Dunk of the Year" with a monstrous one-handed slam from just inside the foul line against St. Marys. Did I mention that he did this in only his second game in his college career? Entering his sophomore season, George will undoubtedly capture the spotlight in the Mountain West Conference. He's long and lanky and is still some-what raw, but he has smooth transitions and can get up off the ground in a hurry.









Stanley "Stix" Robinson - 6'9" forward, UConn

The man known as "Stix" has been soaring across the sky in Storrs for the past two seasons. He had to leave the team to tend to personal issues a year ago, but came back to the team for the second part of last season. Since then, he has been the Huskies resident skywalker. His dunking ability is a combination of great athleticism and entertaining excitement. With the Husky's style of play lending to outside jumpers, "Stix" has a great presence of mind to get to the basket after the shot. However, having said all that, we must remember that he does have a tendency to be on the wrong end of posterizations. See Summers-comma-Durrell or Anderson-comma-Joe for more details.

(first highlight here)









Durrell Summers - 6'4" guard, Michigan State

Mr. Summers makes the list for his ability to be in the right place at the right time along with feeling at home soaring above the rim. A long and athletic wing with a wiry frame, Durrell was MSU’s most dynamic big-play threat last season. His knack for making a big shot, or finishing off a nice transition has made him a star among the East Lansing faithful. He is an integral part of the Spartans transitional play and press-break, usually starring as finishing touch. Spartan fans were acustomed to nightly viewings of Durrell Summers finishing off a Michigan State possesion with a fierce slam. Summers is forever linked to Robinson because of the monumental posterization that Summers laid down during the Final Four.









The best of the rest

Willie Warren - 6'4" guard, Oklahoma





Gerard Anderson - 6'6" forward, Cal State-Fullerton



Will Coleman - 6'9" forward, Memphis





John Wall - 6'4" guard, Kentucky





Carlon Brown - 6'3" guard, Utah





Who did we miss?
Continue reading...