OMG this is one of the longest prospects I've ever seen, he looks like he can touch the rim, when he raises his hands up. He's also very skilled, has good ball handling abilities, and can shoot the rock. He's a great FT shooter, he klled a guy with a Kevin McHale like post move today, so he has some nifty post move, but what he really needs is to get stronger, and he pretty raw. I seriously think this guy can be a top 10 pick this season, but he should stay another year, and have a very good chance of being the best prospect in '09. He's a special prospect. http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/austindaye.html <div><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4F9ApvjbYPU&"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4F9ApvjbYPU&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" /></embed></object></div>
This guy is one of my favorite players in the country. I'm thinking he'll start next year and be a star, he'll probably be a lotto pick in next years draft but I doubt he'll be the top prospect. Obviously the thing that sticks out is that hes 6'10 and got a scoring game like dirk Nowitzki; velvet jumpshot out to 3 pt range, can dribble, penetrate, pull up, fadeaway, etc. His skill is amazing for a 6'10 freshman. After that theres a lot of question marks though. He averages 4.5 rpg in 19 mpg, its not a bad rate but its also not really anything special. We'll have to wait until he gets starter minutes to really judge his rebounding. Defensively he blocks some shots on the small WAC guards but I don't think hes that big of a shot blocking presence. At only 190 lbs hes not going to be shutting down any bigs with half decent bulk anytime soon (hes probably up to 200-205 now though). While his vertical leap is good his mobility is pretty underwhelming. It takes him a while to get from 0-full speed and his full speed isn't wowing anyone. For that reason he'll probably have to be a PF in the mold of a Nowitzki in the league, but then that means hes also got to add another 20-30 pounds of muscle. Offensively I think hes probably the closest thing to Nowitzki that has come out yet. Hes legitimately got that Dirk jumpshot, handle, etc. But you can't just do one thing well in the NBA. Even if you got the offensive mind/skillset of Tim Duncan (I'm talking to you Ike Diogu) you won't make it without also playing good defense, rebounding, playing smart, etc.
Go Austin! I'm from the same city he played high school ball in so I was lucky enough to watch him play alot.
