This guy is great! I've loved him from the moment I set eyes on him. Like I always said, he may be my favorite player this season.
The kid shows some unique skills. Get him some good coaching and put him around higher level guys and see what he can figure out. He just had a very efficient game offensively and came within a rebound of a double-double. Too many turnovers but that will get better with experience and his assists will go up with player around him that can shoot.
He looked much better the last game, but prior, all he'd do is force ridulous shots or drive and lose the ball.
What I have been able to see is a kid with physical tools and instincts that make his potential extremely high. He just played NBA summer league and did pretty good in that last game. He did so without the benefit of growing up with AAU, or the European junior program or other competitive Junior programs... just a couple years of High School and a season of Community College. Will working with NBA coaches make him an elite player? I really have no idea, but he seems to have some Elite level potential from what I have seen.
He's got the potential to be a two way player. One of those rare point forwards that can initiate an offense, then go guard wings defensively. That's his ceiling. Of course I know the chances of him reaching it aren't high but it's easily worth 600k to find out. In my view his rookie season will be 2016.
Stotts said he'll have the coaching staff work extensively with him before training camp and we'll see a lot of growth by then. This kid could become really special from the small sample size so far.
Yeah I agree. You can see his mistakes are all just a product of thinking too fast. The dribbles off the leg, the bad shots, leaving his feet without having a backup plan, etc. Those are all things that will improve once the game slows down for him. I have confidence it will, because he looks like a much more natural basketball player than Meyers Leonard ever did, and the game slowed down for him as well.
It will be interesting to see the difference between Game 1 of SL and what he looks like come training camp. He has some skills, the game just need to slow down for him. We he did get more than a few minutes, he certainly took advantage. TO's is a work in progress but better players around him will help his Assists go up as well.
@franfraschilla: Thought Westchester CC's Luis Montero might sneak into NBA Draft. Had 17 & 9 for Blazers last night. Could make DR's FIBA Americas roster.
The last game of the Summer League season is always when we play the guys who didn't play in the other games. Check out Craig Brackins. He shot 5 for 9. Sign him up! http://www.nba.com/games/20140718/PORUTA/gameinfo.html He's made 5th-highest on one list, and 4th-highest on two other lists! I think we should always grab the stars of the last game of Summer league. http://www.nba.com/summerleague/2014/teams/blazers/
What do you mean, Montero might not become an elite NBA player like Aldridge or LeBron. Look at the bright side. As you say, he has acomplished all this after having no experience in AAU, Europe, or other competitive Junior programs. But he's experienced. As you say, he had 2 whole years in high school and a whole year in junior college. He did nothing in Summer League until the last game, but that's when the stars come out...after everyone else has gone home. Come on, think positive! With that body to die for, 6-7 and weighs 180, he'll clean up in the NBA!
The fact he got a contract with guarantees before the last game just negates your whole attempt at humor/argument.
In the summer league no ones looking at stats. Everyone just looks for transferable skills. That's why guys like seth curry and josh selby never amount to anything while the Batums go on and start in the nba.
