2008 NBA Draft
 |
|
 |
Strengths: Physically, Dorsey is blessed with a strong NBA ready upper body and explosive athleticism … This upper body strength allows him to absorb a good amount of contact and finish … Excellent runner of the court able to take part in fast break situations … Plays bigger than 6-9, as there is no wasted height due to his short neck … Provides a physical presence capable of setting charges or playing the role of enforcer by aggressively defending the paint … A tremendous finisher around the basket where he usually explodes into a dunk … Dorsey is an NBA level rebounder who does a great job boxing players out and getting in the right position to be around the ball … Plays with a blue collar mindset of doing the dirty work to get the victory … Moves exceptionally well laterally which aids him as a help defender … Provides a decent level of shot blocking presence … Has the mean streak that teams love in someone his size … Due to his sheer strength, Dorsey is usually able to establish post position with ease on the collegiate level … Defensively, he does a good job of getting into his opponents heads by overpowering them physically … Intense competitor who wants to win no matter the cost … Understands what his limitations are and doesn’t try and exceed them … Has greatly improved his post footwork from last year …
Weaknesses: Basketball IQ is questionable in that he makes a great deal of mistakes during the course of a game … Needs to learn how to regulate his aggression, he’s often quick to rough up opponents and consequently picks up fouls … Some of this has to do with the fact that Dorsey possesses a short temper - any contact made by the opposing team will be met with payback scenarios that don’t usually go his way … Back to the basket skills are nonexistent - if he can’t overpower his defender he becomes very vulnerable to turnovers … Despite four years of playing and developing, he remains an extremely poor free throw shooter … Some of this points to the fact that he lacks any touch from beyond the paint … At 24 years old and the vast amount of skills still needed to develop, it is unlikely he will be able to improve in key areas … This severely limits his potential as he is reaching the ceiling of his growth as a player … Timing is average when blocking shots, he tends to bite on pump fakes … Even though he possesses a power forward’s height, he lacks offensive refinement and appears better suited for the center position … Problem is, Dorsey is clearly undersized for center at the pro level … Has struggled to defend NBA sized centers in college because of his average wingspan and inability to disrupt them physically …
Matthew Maurer - 2/6/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|
SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
||||||||
|
2004-05 Memphis |
37 |
54.6 |
- |
42.9 |
0.6 |
1.2 |
6.0 |
0.5 |
4.6 |
||||||||
|
2005-06 Memphis |
37 |
63.1 |
- |
39.3 |
1.2 |
1.8 |
7.5 |
0.8 |
6.9 |
||||||||
|
2006-07 Memphis |
37 |
61.4 |
00.0 |
46.7 |
1.4 |
2.2 |
9.4 |
0.4 |
8.5 |
||||||||
|
2007-08 Memphis |
38 |
64.7 |
00.0 |
37.8 |
1.1 |
1.9 |
9.5 |
0.5 |
6.9 |
||||||||
|
DIV I Totals |
149 |
61.0 |
00.0 |
41.6 |
1.1 |
1.8 |
8.1 |
0.5 |
6.7 |
||||||||
- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
 |
|
 |
Strengths: At his best Walker is an excellent athlete capable of jumping with the best of them … Has shown the ability to develop into a quality perimeter shooter … Highly underrated basketball IQ that has led him to remain highly effective despite last season's ACL injury … Good finisher around the basket where his body control and ability to hover in the air allow him to maneuver successfully in traffic … Has no problem posting-up smaller defenders where he uses his upper body strength to create contact and finish … This enables him to get to the free throw line at a solid rate … Quality passer with above average court vision to see the floor … Locker room guy who seems to not only have the respect of teammates, but one whom they clearly enjoy playing with … Highly efficient on fast break or in transition where he is capable of converting difficult finishes … Has a solid 1st step that he will often use to take a quick dribble for the baseline drive … Has three point range on his jumper … Defensively, he displays good effort and does a good job using his body strength to disrupt players … Reportedly lost 25 pounds after the season, which could help him regain some of his athleticism … Has a mean streak to keep dominating no matter what the opposition is … Work ethic is not only very good, but widely unreported … Upside remains relatively high as there is still considerable time before he reaches the ceiling of his potential … Excellent rebounder for his position ...
Weaknesses: Long term health and durability should be major concerns for anyone looking to invest a first round pick … Suffered ACL injury to right knee as an 8th grader, and a left ACL injury as a freshman last season … Not the greatest creator off the dribble due to his average ball handling … Hasn’t played with the explosiveness he displayed in high school, which is clearly a result of the various knee injuries, but to his credit he seems to be slowly gaining some of it back … Perimeter shooting remains inconsistent, which is contributed to rushing himself and choppy follow through … Seems to do better shooting the ball when his feet are set than shooting off the dribble … Perimeter defense has improved but still shows the need for an upgrade in lateral quickness … Can be too aggressive, allowing his emotions get the best of him on defense, which causes him to become foul prone … A tweener to a degree in that he is stuck between the small forward and shooting guard positions … His lack of ability to create scoring for himself from the perimeter often leads him to post-up - this will not work in the NBA … Can be prone to making irrational court decisions and forcing plays when he would be better off passing the ball … Needs to become better in isolation moves where one or two dribble moves, jab steps, and head fakes are the currency for most offensive players to gain space or full separation from their defender …
Matthew Maurer - 6/24/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|
SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
||||||||
|
2006-07 Kansas St. |
7 |
40.0 |
00.0 |
66.7 |
0.6 |
0.1 |
3.9 |
0.7 |
9.7 |
||||||||
|
2007-08 Kansas St. |
31 |
46.5 |
30.7 |
73.7 |
0.9 |
0.5 |
6.3 |
1.9 |
16.1 |
||||||||
|
DIV I Totals |
38 |
45.3 |
25.0 |
72.4 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
5.9 |
1.7 |
14.9 |
||||||||
- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
 |
|
 |
Strengths: Possesses legit three point range with excellent shooting mechanics … Has become much better at pacing himself and trying to be more patient offensively, which dogged him earlier this season … Has a great feel for the game that can’t be taught … Improving at getting his teammates involved with unselfish play as of late … Perimeter defense is surprisingly very effective for a freshman … While not a dominating athlete, he shows quick hands and anticipation skills to play passing lanes … Is an extremely effective shooter coming off screens or shooting in transition … Initial first step allows him to get great separation from his defender … Once in the lane his body control and assortment of floaters enables him to complete difficult finishes … Good ball handling allows him the ability to play some point guard … Has a good understanding of how to move without the ball in his hands … Natural scorer whose creativity in the open court is exceptional … Extremely confident player who feels that he can score on anyone … Court vision is very good for a combo guard where he is a quality passer … Possesses a highly competitive nature to win no matter the cost … When Mayo puts his mind to attacking the basket his body strength enables him to absorb contact and finish … Mature player who has been able to withstand the hype that has followed him since 8th grade without letting it get to his head...
Weakness: Perimeter shooting can go through periods of inconsistency … Tends to gamble too much on defense trying to get the steal … Although his maturity level is great there are times when Mayo is prone to shooting questionable shots … Seems to struggle offensively when playing in a half court set - he clearly excels in an up-tempo offense … Should be viewed as a combo guard who has yet to master the point guard position - his height and slightly above average athleticism aren’t on the premium level for a shooting guard … Doesn’t always play aggressively and attack the basket by driving - often settles for jumpers, which is the reason he doesn’t get to the free throw line as much as someone with his talent should … Shoots better off the move opposed to when his feet are set or on step-ins … In the past few years, Mayo hasn’t developed by leaps and bounds compared to his peers Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley … This could be due to the fact that he is beginning to peak or that he’s a year older than most freshman … Is prone to making poor decisions when the ball is in his hands, which is why he is so turnover prone … Some of these turnovers are a result of trying too much for the spectacular play …
Matthew Maurer - 1/27/08| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|
SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
||||||||
|
2007-08 Southern California |
33 |
44.2 |
40.9 |
80.3 |
1.5 |
0.4 |
4.5 |
3.3 |
20.7 |
||||||||
|
DIV I Totals |
33 |
44.2 |
40.9 |
80.3 |
1.5 |
0.4 |
4.5 |
3.3 |
20.7 |
||||||||
- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
 |
|
 |
Brother: Robin Lopez
Strengths: Biggest improvement this season has been his ability to pass out of double teams … This improved court vision has enabled him to pass faster to open teammates … Although not a speedster, he runs the floor decently well … While his hands aren’t the softest, Lopez does a good job of catching most balls … Fundamentally, he understands how to keep his body wide to give guards a bigger target to pass into … Shows the ability to shoot 15 feet from mid-range … While not a dominant shot blocker, Lopez understands how to use his body reach to disrupt opposing post players … Touch around the basket is solid where he can convert difficult shots in traffic, such as a jump hook or turnaround … Post footwork is greatly improved from last season - this one of the reason he’s been able to utilize the baseline better on spin moves … Solid free throw shooter for his position … This has really come into play for Lopez this year as he's been much more aggressive around the basket, which enables him to draw contact for free throw opportunities … Rebounds well in his area thanks to his height, but it must be noted that Lopez has made a real effort to improve as an offensive rebounder, which has led to easy put-backs or lay-ins …
Weakness: Lopez is overrated as a shot blocker and will not be much of a force in the NBA due to his lack of explosiveness … Doesn’t always finish after contact occurs, as his undeveloped body strength prevents him from absorbing the hit … Needs to fight more for position in the post – he’ll often get pushed out, but improvement in body strength should help this … Often finds himself in foul trouble due to his over aggressiveness and frustration … Lacks the lateral quickness and explosiveness to be a great out of position rebounder … Agility is questionable, as his movements are mechanical and stiff at times … Needs to stick to his strengths in games - his shot selection is sometimes questionable … Other than a reliable hook shot and turnaround jumper, Lopez’s back to the basket moves lack variety and haven’t improved much from last year … He can be a bit of a hothead, letting his emotions get the best of him in the heat of the moment … Isn’t a big fan of physical contact, but is showing more effort this year ...
Matthew Maurer - 1/7/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|
SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
||||||||
|
2006-07 Stanford |
26 |
49.6 |
20.0 |
69.2 |
0.4 |
1.7 |
6.0 |
0.8 |
12.6 |
||||||||
|
2007-08 Stanford |
27 |
46.8 |
00.0 |
78.9 |
0.6 |
2.1 |
8.2 |
1.4 |
19.3 |
||||||||
|
DIV I Totals |
53 |
48.2 |
0.98 |
74.1 |
0.5 |
1.9 |
7.1 |
1.1 |
16.0 |
||||||||
- Details
- Written by The Draft Review
 |
|
 |
Strengths: Incredible athlete who can finish with flair in transition … Creates off the dribble extremely well … Shooting mechanics allow him to shoot over taller defenders with his high elevation … Possesses legit three point range that he can make with regularity … Has really learned how to incorporate driving to the basket with his perimeter shot in balance, whereas in the beginning of the season he was single minded settling for the shot … Quality ball handler who owns a quick first step and nice change of speed dribble to get full separation from his defender … Once in the lane his strong upper body and body control allows him to absorb contact and finish … This aggressiveness gives him the ability to get to the free throw line frequently during the course of a game … Makes difficult shots look easy with his ability to pull-up off the dribble or take the step back perimeter shot … Defensively his athleticism gives him great lateral quickness to cover explosive guards … Owns a high basketball IQ and shows a feel for the game that can’t be taught … Understands how to use screens for catch and shoot opportunities … Possesses court savvy to lure aggressive defenders by using fakes and exaggerated movements to sell contact … Quality free throw shooter … Explosive scorer who can put up points in a hurry … Willing passer who has no problem passing the ball to open teammates … Big time competitor with a great work ethic who wants to win every time he steps out on the court … Though he may take time to develop his potential is great …
Weaknesses: Defensively, his arms are not very long, which prevents him from disrupting passing lanes and impacts him from being a quality rebounder … Body language and facial expressions tell a little about his maturity level - clearly has confidence, which is good, but borders closely on cockiness … Needs to fight through screens better when defending … Not a pure distributor - he clearly has a shooting guard’s mentality in a point guard’s body … Tends to over penetrate at times when driving to the basket … To compound issues, once the defense collapses on him he usually resorts to forced passes … Gets frustrated at times when he is defended physically, but to his credit Bayless isn’t soft … Point guard qualities aren’t very cultivated - he'll need some time to learn how to run an offense and most importantly make teammates better … Court vision is evolving but still remains a work in progress … With time, Bayless should become a quality combo guard, but as of right now he clearly excels at the shooting guard position … While greatly improved since the beginning of the season, Bayless is still prone to throwing up the questionable shot …
Matthew Maurer - 3/11/08
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|
SEASONS |
GP |
FG% |
3PT% |
FT% |
SPG |
BPG |
RPG |
APG |
PPG |
||||||||
|
2007-08 Arizona |
30 |
45.8 |
41.0 |
83.9 |
1.0 |
0.1 |
2.7 |
4.0 |
19.7 |
||||||||
|
DIV I Totals |
30 |
45.8 |
41.0 |
83.9 |
1.0 |
0.1 |
2.7 |
4.0 |
19.7 |
||||||||
- Details
- Written by The Draft Review