The only good thing about being so bad this season is that the Charlotte Bobcats are virtually guaranteed to get a pretty solid player in the coming NBA draft. That can’t always be said, but the talent pool looks pretty darn good so whether they get the first, second, or third pick (or lower) via the lottery they are going to get someone who can contribute immediately.
That is, unless His Airness does something crazy, but in Jordan we trust right?
As the whole world knows, Mr. Unibrow (aka Anthony Davis) is going to be the No 1 pick in the draft. Should that pick not belong to the Bobcats, who else should they choose?
They can’t go wrong if they opt to go with the sophomore forward from Ohio State Jared Sullinger.
His stats are solid. As a freshman– the year most people expected him to enter the draft—he averaged a double-double with 10.2 boards and 17.2 points a game. That number dipped a tad last season (9.2 boards but 17.5 points a game), but he went up in many other areas.
He went from averaging a block every other game to 1.1 a game. His free throw percentage improved from .704 to .768. As a big man he will not be expected to drain a lot of 3s, but he got better at that too hitting 40 percent (16-40) last season compared to 25 percent as a freshman (3-12). His field goal percentage took a dip (.519 to .541), but with his smaller size he was likely taking more jump shots than he did as a freshman.
Just on stats alone this kid looks pretty darn good, but that’s not what really sells me on him. He could have easily been a top three pick in the draft last season. Having grown up 140 miles outside of Cleveland it probably would have been nice to get picked by the Cavaliers. Had he come out in the 2011 draft he likely would have.
Instead he opted to stay in college so that he could get in better shape and improve his game before he went pro. Whether he was also considering the potential ramifications of a missed season due to a prolonged lockout we will never know.
The fact is he sounded like a very responsible young man when he made his decision to return to college. What makes it even better is that he did what he said he was going to do. He is a much better basketball player now than he was then. The 6-foot 9-inch power forward also trimmed down from the 290s to 265.
Jared Sullinger can play ball, he adds size to a roster without much size, and he has proven that he is willing to put in the work to improve his game (can you say that about all pros? I’m talking to you Boris Diaw.).
If Charlotte does not get the Unibrow the team will be quite happy with this guy.
Man, Sullinger gives me a bad case of Sean May flashbacks.
Let’s just hope that if Charlotte ends up with him that lightning doesn’t strike twice. I hear Greg Oden is available…
NO! “@bobcatsbuzztap: Bobcats Planet >> Is Jared Sullinger The Best Backup Plan for the Bobcats http://t.co/Pyog3vEe”
No ifs, ands, or buts about it huh?
not so fast travis, that picture was actually taken on a 9 foot rim.
Now that’s just too funny. Sounds like I’m the only one impressed with this kid.
I’m sorry to be repetitive, but I’m with Ziggy. Sullinger reminds me of Sean May and J.R. Reid, who were great players for college but not for the pros. I picture NBA bigs flying past and over the ground bound Sulliger on a regular basis. If he measures with good length and gets down to 250 by the pre draft camp, I might reconsider my stance. Then I’d take him as one of two picks if we trade down. But I would be too scared to get him as our sole pick. Too much risk.
In all fairness (and a little devil’s advocate), not every big man is an injury waiting to happen like Sean May was. As for the Reid reference, he’s not the only high draft pick that didn’t come close to living up to the hype.
VP,
To be absolutely 100% honest, Kevin Love gave me the same vibe coming out of college… but he proved me slightly wrong.
Travis, would you have picked a guaranteed healthy Sean May in the top 4? Not me. He was length-challenged with only an 8’9″ standing reach. He was only going to be so good. J.R. Reid was a litte underheighted for his era of big men. We don’t have his length numbers. Sullinger plays the game so far below the rim (similar to Reid and May), that he is too much of a risk for a top 4 pick. Kevin Love was a much better rebounder in college with a much better face up game. Sullinger is developing a 20-foot shot, and he’d better, because he is probably going to get his post moves swatted left and right in the pros.
Love’s per-minute college rebounding numbers were extremely high, and he made a lot of 3′s off the pick and pop as a mere freshman. He was very comfortable in the face up game. He was showing what he could do in the pros. I think he is more mobile than Sullinger. Sullinger has that “college all-star” feel as a guy who is just the right size for what he does on the college level, but with too much physical limitation for the pros. We have drafted too many college all-stars in the past and need to learn from our mistakes.
In fairness to you, Travis: IF Sullinger can pull off his lowpost prowess in the pros, and knock down some of those 20 footers, he is EXACTLY what we need. I just think that is a big “if”.