Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls. I have no doubt that if both stay, they will improve their draft stock next season. Both made big strides from last season to this season, but both have room for significant improvement.
* Bobby Portis ... when postseason play promised more physical play, we saw how difficult it was for him play through and finish against contact. If he struggles with it on this level, it will be a huge mountain to climb on the next, because his lack of athleticism coupled with his finesse style of play will lead to a lot of 2-rebound efforts like we saw against KY, and his FG% will be somewhere between the sub-30% we saw in the postseason and the 54% we saw in the regular season.
If he comes back, were he to improve on establishing true low-block position, maintaining it, and work on some up-and-under moves, pivot-drop-steps, and learn to go left or right with either hand, he'll make himself a top 5 pick. He needs to work on putting the ball on the floor and getting by his man -- he's been good at this, but he needs to get even better. Aldridge, KG, Dirk, and now Kiminsky have shown that a big with limited power and bulk, who prefer to face and play finesse, can thrive by developing an arsenal of moves and handling skills relative to their size. BP needs to work on it and add more to his.
He needs to really work against big bodies leaning on him over the summer, and figuring out how to deal with it -- push back -- and finish. Athleticism and skill made KG great even though he was not a very good low-post player (he did not excel against contact). BP has skill, but does not have the athleticism, so he's going to have to improve in the dirty-work aspects of the game. Aldridge has done this over the years,and it's made him a much better player.
My guess if is he leaves, he's going to be drafted in the 18-25 range. Maybe higher, but I doubt it. If he leaves, he's the kind of player who will work his ass off, improve his weaknesses, and become a solid pro. I don't doubt that one bit. But, if he returns, he can help the Hogs and himself improve his draft stock and initial payday, and I think long-term that could be the better play for him.
* Michael Qualls ... this guy became a fierce competitor after his first two seasons were filled with flashes of raw talent laced with immaturity and a lack of consistent focus. Qualls has really improved his ability to get to the lane/bucket and finish -- at this level -- but his handles, balance, and overall court awareness are still below average, and at 6-5, he's not going to be able to just put his head down and will his way to the basket at the next level like he did this season. Great 2-legged jumper teaming with athleticism, but has not figured out how to get max lift while squaring his shoulders when he drives to the hole. His mid-range jumper should be more of a weapon than it was this year, but he flashed it in the postseason, and quite frankly, when he put together the 3-ball, his drives, then added that mid-range game, he was dominant against some very good teams with NBA talent.
Plus, there are still some maturity and focus areas he needs to improve. He absolutely needs to stay locked in when the ball action is not right in front of him. Again, part of that is court awareness, part is him letting up mentally. He is a poor help defender and often gets caught ball-watching flat-footed, neither being proactive or reactive. On offense, he is not consistently aggressive unless he has the ball. He needs to take the next step of being accountable and hustle back after making a great play, rather than flexing and show-boating.
If he were to leave, MQ will make a living playing basketball somewhere. The real question is, how much money could he make if he came back, improved in the areas needed to take his game up another notch or two? I believe he has real first-round value if he works on the areas described.
* SUMMARY: This will sound like a selfish want as a fan, but I truly believe both stand to gain more financially by coming back. That's not always the case. Okafor and K-A Towns are examples of guys who can't significantly improve their dollar-gain by returning to school. For BP, I think the NBA path is more certain for him whether he stays or goes, but he'll make more money on that initial contract if he stays. MQ stands to gain a lot more by staying another year.
This post was edited on 3/22 10:31 AM by Sir Dennis Eeatin-Hog
* Bobby Portis ... when postseason play promised more physical play, we saw how difficult it was for him play through and finish against contact. If he struggles with it on this level, it will be a huge mountain to climb on the next, because his lack of athleticism coupled with his finesse style of play will lead to a lot of 2-rebound efforts like we saw against KY, and his FG% will be somewhere between the sub-30% we saw in the postseason and the 54% we saw in the regular season.
If he comes back, were he to improve on establishing true low-block position, maintaining it, and work on some up-and-under moves, pivot-drop-steps, and learn to go left or right with either hand, he'll make himself a top 5 pick. He needs to work on putting the ball on the floor and getting by his man -- he's been good at this, but he needs to get even better. Aldridge, KG, Dirk, and now Kiminsky have shown that a big with limited power and bulk, who prefer to face and play finesse, can thrive by developing an arsenal of moves and handling skills relative to their size. BP needs to work on it and add more to his.
He needs to really work against big bodies leaning on him over the summer, and figuring out how to deal with it -- push back -- and finish. Athleticism and skill made KG great even though he was not a very good low-post player (he did not excel against contact). BP has skill, but does not have the athleticism, so he's going to have to improve in the dirty-work aspects of the game. Aldridge has done this over the years,and it's made him a much better player.
My guess if is he leaves, he's going to be drafted in the 18-25 range. Maybe higher, but I doubt it. If he leaves, he's the kind of player who will work his ass off, improve his weaknesses, and become a solid pro. I don't doubt that one bit. But, if he returns, he can help the Hogs and himself improve his draft stock and initial payday, and I think long-term that could be the better play for him.
* Michael Qualls ... this guy became a fierce competitor after his first two seasons were filled with flashes of raw talent laced with immaturity and a lack of consistent focus. Qualls has really improved his ability to get to the lane/bucket and finish -- at this level -- but his handles, balance, and overall court awareness are still below average, and at 6-5, he's not going to be able to just put his head down and will his way to the basket at the next level like he did this season. Great 2-legged jumper teaming with athleticism, but has not figured out how to get max lift while squaring his shoulders when he drives to the hole. His mid-range jumper should be more of a weapon than it was this year, but he flashed it in the postseason, and quite frankly, when he put together the 3-ball, his drives, then added that mid-range game, he was dominant against some very good teams with NBA talent.
Plus, there are still some maturity and focus areas he needs to improve. He absolutely needs to stay locked in when the ball action is not right in front of him. Again, part of that is court awareness, part is him letting up mentally. He is a poor help defender and often gets caught ball-watching flat-footed, neither being proactive or reactive. On offense, he is not consistently aggressive unless he has the ball. He needs to take the next step of being accountable and hustle back after making a great play, rather than flexing and show-boating.
If he were to leave, MQ will make a living playing basketball somewhere. The real question is, how much money could he make if he came back, improved in the areas needed to take his game up another notch or two? I believe he has real first-round value if he works on the areas described.
* SUMMARY: This will sound like a selfish want as a fan, but I truly believe both stand to gain more financially by coming back. That's not always the case. Okafor and K-A Towns are examples of guys who can't significantly improve their dollar-gain by returning to school. For BP, I think the NBA path is more certain for him whether he stays or goes, but he'll make more money on that initial contract if he stays. MQ stands to gain a lot more by staying another year.
This post was edited on 3/22 10:31 AM by Sir Dennis Eeatin-Hog
