SI gives the Blazers an A+ for this year's draft

I think MKG will end up a huge bust simply because of where he was drafted. I think he'll be a solid pro, but definitely not a #2 pick.

 

I think Robinson was the obvious pick for Charlotte. MJ has an infatuation with wing players that have obvious limitations. MKG is going to be a solid pro, but unless he just completely changes and improves his game, his ceiling is Shawn Marion/Gerald Wallace, IMO. Very good players, but flawed in terms of being franchise players.

I found it odd that MKG's "with shoes" height was a full 1.75" higher than w/out shoes. That's an anomaly. The standard is between 1" and 1.5", but MKG's wingspan of 7' is nice, as is his standing reach of 8'8.5". MKG's Max Vert of 35" would be a concern to me, though.

By comparison, Nic Batum was 6'7.5" w/shoes, had a standing reach of 8'8.75", and had a wingspan of 7'.75".

 

I don't know why people keep comparing him to Marion or GWall. Both those guys were jump-out-of-the-gym crazy athletes. Marion's freakin nickname was "The Matrix" for pete's sake. MKG isn't that great of an athlete, and even most of his highlights show him playing below the rim. Definitely not a Marion or Wallace.

 

MKG strikes me as a Shane Battier type. I think he'll be a good and useful pro, like Battier, but I'd be concerned with using a top-5 pick on a player who doesn't do any single thing really well. It's possible to be a star with just a "good all around, not amazing at anything" profile, but it's very hard. I'd like a "star prospect" to have at least one tool that projects to being his entry to stardom.

 

That's a good point. I think the comparisons to Marion and Wallace come from the funky shooting style.

Maybe it's time to call MKG a John Wallace type.

 

Let's look at Portland's draft picks in the first round.

Lils has excellent athleticism and is a great shooter (in college, at least). Limitations - is he a PG?

Leonard, the second he signs his contract, will be an elite athlete as a 7' player, and because he played wing before a growth spurt in HS, he also has a very good outside shot for a center. Limitations - he's a complete unknown, but if he puts in the work, outside of injury, he should be a productive NBA player.

What does MKG do great? Hustle? Hustle guys are fantastic, but they're pieces you add later, not building blocks. I might be wrong on MKG, but I just have never really thought much of his game, outside of his 'hustle' and size.

 

Actually I think Minstrel's comparison is spot on. He seems like a Shane Battier guy. The only real difference is that Battier stayed in college and was taken sixth overall instead of second.