<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">So what was the consensus of the dozen or so NBA scouts who showed up for the Wisconsin-Marquette game Saturday at the Bradley Center? In a nutshell, the scouts felt Wisconsin forward Alando Tucker solidified himself as a high second-round pick and Marquette point guard Dominic James didn't do anything to harm his chances of going in the middle to late first round. Tucker is a senior, and James is a sophomore who is leaning heavily toward entering the draft. Said a veteran scout on Tucker: "I like the fact he can score in so many ways. I could even see him getting into the first round yet wit ha good showing in post-season games and the pre-draft camp.'' Said another veteran scout on James: "I see him as a poor man's Jameer Nelson (of the Orlando Magic). He's small and he doesn't handle the ball or shoot the ball all that well. But good Lord, he's a crazy athlete.''</div> Source
Interesting stuff, thanks for posting it, Shape. I seriously doubt that Tucker will have an immediate impact in the NBA. Like I've said before, he's got top 10 athleticism, defense, leadership and consistency. But he's a 6'6" combo forward. I think what he'll have to do is either rot on someone's bench for awhile or go overseas, but whatever happens, he won't be getting steady minutes in the NBA until he improves his jumper. Tucker's jumper has a hitch, almost a double-pump when he's shooting it deep. It's not pretty, but it works reasonably well. His biggest improvement this season is a new move; he's been hitting a sweet turnaround/fade jumper when he gets it down low and posts. If he's got a smaller defender, he'll rise up and get to the rim, but up until this year, he would often turn it over if he got it down low against a shot blocker. For all Tucker's creativeness, he isn't at his best when he catches in the paint - he's better at catching on the wing and penetrating, allowing him to decide on the fly, mostly based on the defense, what type of shot he's going to try. But with that little fadeaway, he's able to command a double or draw a big into the post, then fade and hit a shot or pass out. I think that shows maturity in his game; he used to make me nervous when he got the ball in the paint, because while his footwork, leaping and ability to use the glass have always been excellent, he hasn't been a refined offensive player until this year. Now that he's developing his scoring game, I think he'll stand a much better chance of making an impact in the NBA.
Tucker is doing a lot today vs Pitt to up his status in the upcoming draft. I too dont think he will have an immediate impact, but I think he will have a solid career with potential to average 6-8 pts coming off the bench
Tucker is doing a lot today vs Pitt to up his status in the upcoming draft. I too don't think he will have an immediate impact in the league, but I do think he can have a solid NBA career averaging 6-10 pts off the bench.
