<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LAS VEGAS -- Julian Wright fought his way through defenders, looking for teammates to dump off passes to in the post. On a couple of possessions, Wright sent passes that sailed off the hands of free-agent hopefuls Jackson Vroman and Chris Hill. At one point, assistant coach Kenny Gattison, who is coaching the Hornets' summer league team, yelled across the court at Wright: "If you keep making those kind of passes, you're going to lead the summer league in turnovers." But in Monday's 85-83 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center, Wright showed he can shake off a slow start and be productive. Wright, the Hornets' first-round draft pick last month, missed six of his first eight shots but finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes. Wright turned it on in the second half, hitting four of eight shots, which included a 3-pointer off the backboard that tied the score at 79 at the end of regulation. Similar to Saturday when Wright scored 10 points and played solid defense, Hornets Coach Byron Scott sat in the stands and looked pleased. "He's just like what we've been saying, he does a little bit of everything pretty well," Scott said. "Obviously, you can see he's not afraid to take big shots either, which is a plus. He's one of those kids that you like to watch play." But when training camp begins in October, Wright will have to learn that when the baseline is open, it's better to take the shot than pass as much as he did in the first quarter against the Timberwolves. Although he wasn't known as a scorer at Kansas last season, it's obvious against summer league competition that he has offensive skills, which includes an effective mid-range shot. But it appears Wright likes to get his teammates involved before he starts asserting himself. "I wasn't really trying to look for my shot at first, but Coach said take them and don't worry about the misses," Wright said. "It's summer league, and I've got to get use to the way that spurts come. At the start of the game, we were just trying to chip away and not force the issue." </div> Source: NOLA
I don't like what the Hornets are doing with Wright. They need a two-guard much more than a three with Desmond Mason leaving in free agency, and both Wright and Peja are much better suited as forwards. Wright, in particular, should probably be playing in the post. He was a power forward in both high school and his first two seasons at Kansas, and his skillset is really geared towards play around the basket. He's an athletic freak, but he doesn't have any tangible skills that an NBA wing should have. In college, Wright averaged twelve points and eight boards. What kind of point-to-rebound ratio is that for a guard? He was meant to play downlow, and this game was a good example of that. In overtime action, he only put up thirteen points and one assist, yet he still managed to pull down eleven boards. He's just not meant to be playing on the perimeter.
I can see Wright developing into a very good wing player, so long as he is able to play good D on opposing 2 or 3's in the NBA. I think if he developes a mid/post game he could be like a Jamal Mashburn before his surgery. He just needs time and he'll be a great player.
