The season is thankfully winding down now and the Bobcats have done at least one thing. Much like the Indianapolis Colts, they will have a great chance at picking up a player that should be able to make an immediate impact on the team next year thanks to the team sucking so bad this year.
Of course the man we want and hope to get is the Uni-brow himself, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. However, with the lottery system—as we all know—just because you have the best chance at the No 1 pick does not mean we’ll get it. Whoever does get it will take Davis so in case we are No 2,3,or 4 or whatever who should we take?
What about Florida’s Bradley Beal?
He’s another one of the many ‘one and done’ players that are becoming commonplace in college basketball. The youngster stands 6-foot 3-inches (according to his profile on ESPN), weighs in at 207, and will turn 19 on the day of the draft (talk about an awesome present).
Beal was the lynch pin in Florida’s 26-11 season playing more minutes than anyone else and averaging a respectable 14.6 a game to go with 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He’s listed as a guard, but I’ve read that he played small forward and power forward a lot for the Gators.
The word on this guy is that he is a can’t-miss prospect for whatever NBA team is lucky enough to pick him up. Some analysts and NBA executives have projected him to go as high as No 2, but definitely in the top 10 if not five.
Now I’ve watched the kid play (in the tournament) and he was something else; part of me wonders if he stood out more because the rest of his team leaned on him so much or if he was just that good. Without him I don’t think the Gators will make it nearly as far next season.
Everything I’ve been able to find on this guy says basically the same thing. He’s a solid shooter, he can pass really well, he’s a good rebounder, and has a good awareness about him on the court. Nothing I could find had anything bad to say about him.
Does that mean we should take him? It’s worth thinking about.
The team could use a true shooting guard; neither Gerald Henderson nor Reggie Williams qualify (both are listed as guard/forward). Beal could give the team a true SG and a scoring threat that the team has not had in some time. After the horrid scoring performance the Bobcats displayed this season it would be a nice change of pace.
I have to say that this kid was the MVP of the FIBA under-17 World Championship in 2010. Doesn’t hurt that he has been able to play well enough on such a big stage to earn that title.
Should Davis not be available when it becomes Charlotte’s turn to pick Beal could be a pretty good addition.
If we cannot luck our way into Davis then Beal would be the best pick. He could step in on day one and put up better offensive numbers and stretch the floor better than Hendo.
Whoever lists Gerald Henderson as a “guard/forward” is simply wrong. Hendo is a 2G whose shooting range is a work in progress. Take Beal, but don’t expect him on the floor much with Hendo. Expect another position logjam controversey. I would also like to know what Beal’s measurements are. Anybody know when the pre-draft camp is??
Beal is my 2nd back up after Davis, I just don’t see as much potential as everyone else does, nowhere near the talent that Eric Gordon (NBA comparinson on many draft sites) possesed