In the 2nd round it looks like Mully grabbed 2 projected 1st rounders, and with the 1st invite to camp, it looks as if we may have a steal in a National champion with a skillset that can drastically improve with the right work ethic. I can't say that I know anything about Monta Ellis, other than what I saw on the McDonald's all-American highlights, but everyone seems to think he has what it takes to stick in the league. My first impression is that he has the perfect guards around him to teach him how to succeed. Fish and Davis are relentless players, and JRich and Pietrus bring it every night as well. The last time I watched Chris Taft he was getting punked by my UOP Tigers in the tourney. UOP did have a pretty solid front line, but it showed that Taft had a hard time passing out of the post, or even playing in the post. I think I read that he and Mully went to the same High School. If Mully can motivate and Mentor the kid a bit, there's no saying how much he can improve. Either way, at #42 we got a guy who should be getting minutes by this time next year, if everything works out. Jawad Williams can play D, played for a winner, and has a good work ethic which may actually give him an edge over Taft in making the active 12 man roster. And though he's a winner, his game is pretty raw. I think he'll be a guy that floats around the league for a long time as a filler. Who knows, he may not even make the team, but I have a feeling that he will. Monte will enjoy having players that have played at a big-time program that know where to be on the court, and how to run sets.
Ellis needs a year in the Devo league to get some PG skills,thats for sure,seemed to be a scorer but lacks the body for 2 G in the pros. Taft's game hasn't added anything since HS-that kind of progress doesn't say much about upside,and as-is,he's probably a marginal backup. Getting a big draft day wakeup call might change him,might not. I hope,at least,he has enough production to have a little trade value Ellis will need time. Eventually he will be a streak shooter able to have some big games-but not always on. His Point/playmaker skills? Defense? those are unknowns as he needs work to just be adequate,to get some minutes and let his scoring be a plus. So far not much word on camp invites,summer guys except Jawad-and there should be a space for one walk on to make the team, A PG would be nice.
After watching 3 summer league games, Ellis kind of reminds me of a cross between a lot of players like Tony Parker, Devin Harris and Nick Van Excel. The guy's very quick, very lean, can shoot off the dribble, shoot off the catch, dribble penetrate, and finish. He's got a very nice running midrange floater. He's played at the 2 spot more, but looked like a very good distributor the 5th and last game at point. He's got to work on his passing game, decision making and using his left hand more. He looks further along in summer league play than Dajuan Wagner (a guy he's often compared to because of scoring ability in high school) in terms of running the point and giving up the rock. I'm keeping in mind that this guy hasn't played any real organized half court type of game like in college or has played with these other warrior summer leaguers, btw. Article on Montay http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41953
For Taft it's too hard to say because he got injured in that Washington game, but he does seem like one of these high risk, high potential type of players for mostly center at this point (he doesn't really strike me as the type who can shoot from midrange comfortably or attack the basket yet). Like Diogu, he's shown more post moves than anybody on our team had last year with the drop step move and the hook shot. He doesn't have a wide variety of scoring solutions to go with inside, but he is very athletic and strong (a hard to find physical combination) and can be an asset running in the open court a la the Suns with Amare Stoudamire. Unfortunately, the downside is that Taft disappears or loses focus sometimes like Dampier. Fortunately, he is supposed to have better hands than Damp. Taft has large, soft hands for his size much like Nene and Ike Diogu, but bobbled some passes like he wasn't ready for them. He looked much better on some other plays where catching the ball was something he could do easily. He looked solid shooting from the line. He looks fantastic going for the dunk like something Nene or Chris Wilcox would do the minute they're within dunking range. He looks like a decent shotblocker. I guess he's really the opposite of Diogu. Gifted athletically (with Digou strength) at only age 19 or 20 and blessed with one or two inches more of height, but flawed in other ways like his motor, comprehension to establish deep position in the paint before demanding the ball, and lack of any kind of shooting range or ability to put the ball on the floor some. He's pretty raw by nba standards, but guys like Baron can make this guy look like a stud in the open court, I bet. He could be like Dampier in the sense that he needs to score in order to be motivated to do other things.
Taft's first few games in the NBA demonstrated a few things that matched his scouting reports. He's got good hands, excellent coordination, great leaping skills, he's got an nba ready body to hold his position in the paint, he's got a nice drop step and baby hook, and he's a very calm, patient, smart defender. He's a good shotblocker who blocks things cleanly, never panics and he makes good passes from the outlet. When he wants the rebound, he goes after it. He's been a great offensive rebounder in limited minutes. He's had a hurt shooting hand which has a cast on it, so he's been prone to missing some close range buckets Foyle could probably make. He could be a very efficient scorer in his limited amount of touches since the team will rely on him in a Dampier type role (to score on putbacks, to get easy points inside moving off the ball). It appears he can't score with either hand like Ike or Dunleavy can. Taft can definitely run the floor and dunk like a superstar. He's been a part of some big fastbreaks where he outran the other team's center or power forward and just dunked it effortlessly with power.
Well said, I thought he'd be too lazy to make it in the league, turns out he's just deliberate. With his frame, that's not necesarrily a bad thing, he's so wide that that feathery turn around and power in the post works to his advantage. Who knows what his upside is, I'm thinking worst case scenario he'll be a guy that plays considerable minutes in the league for 7-8 years. It's hard to judge upside for someone like him... if he subscribes to the mailmain's work ethic and has the mantality that he needs to run the floor, he could be a REALLY good player in this league because he already has the soft hands and touch.
Aaron Miles has looked pretty solid as a halfcourt playmaker in limited minutes for the Warriors. He's a pass first point guard and when he's out there, the offensive flow tends to run more smoothly. He has shown signs of overdribble, but maybe this could be the result of a play suddenly breaking down and the team not getting open. He pushes the ball pretty well, is patient, and makes good decisions. He doesn't score very much or look for scoring opportunities. Has great potential to make a team better (Big 12 all-time leader in assists and has above average quickness). Racks up quite a number of assists in such limited minutes. He's described by scouting reports as a floor leader on and off the court, that will deliver the ball to where his teammates like it. He's got nice floor awareness, decision making, ballhandling, and pretty good quickness. He's also an aggressive defender with very fast lateral quickness and quick hands for stealing the ball. He can play both in the open court or in halfcourt styles. Very coachable, very humble, good work ethic, a gym rat. Doesn't have much shot range, doesn't take that many shots, won't be the type to shoot the ball in the clutch, and is a bit small for his position.
I would really like to see Monta Ellis given a chance to shine. Maybe he could be a good spark off the bench, as Pietrus is now gone. Thinking about this though, I would just like to see a Warriors game...hehe...I will in 8 weeks, oy, can't wait! But Monta already has 2 assists in only 5 minutes of play in 1 game. That's not so bad. It seems like he can come in and start contributing quickly.
Monta Ellis is a fan favorite and he's much needed because our team is a perimeter based team that lacks quickness. We've got no inside presence, except for when perimeter guys take the ball all the way to the basket like quick guys should (Ellis/Pietrus) or when they run the break. Fans also like hearing about how humble Ellis is and that he's trying to grasp the Warriors offensive sets. His nba readiness level, major upside, and improvement in practice was probably why the Warriors didn't want to extend Aaron Miles. Also, Mullin probably knows that if this whole Baron Davis/Dfish thing blows up, he's going to find players that are talented and coachable as possible replacements further down the line. Obviously, Mullin and company knew something more about Ellis than the rest of us did. I think we all wanted Taft on the 1rst 2nd round choice.
I like Montay's toughness. He and Ike are showing that they deserve more minutes. Montay's ceiling is extremely high. There's no telling how good this kid can really be. Ike has struggled finding his role on this team, but he never plays outside his limitations. Hopefully Taft's career's not injuiry ridden. We'll see where they end up when the season wraps up. I see Montay being a starter at the 2 in the Sophomore game next season.
