[valentine]

When asked about players that are under the radar, two NBA scouts told me this week that they are high on Gordon Hayward (Sophomore Forward – Butler).  I’m going to check him out this afternoon against Cleveland State and you can follow my comments on Twitter: NBADRAFTNETJJ

More importantly, what do you guys think of Hayward and what is his draft potential?

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Somebody posted an article from sports illustrated about a month ago where it gave opinions from several nba scouts who said Hayward was possibly a top 10 pick.  That completely shocked me.

I like his game but he he hasn’t progressed since last season as much as I expected. A lot of players make a big jump from their Freshman to Sophomore year. I haven’t seen that from Hayward.  Plus is his upside really that high?…I don’t think so.  To me he would be a mid to late 1st round pick in the 15 to 30 range if he entered the 2010 draft.

[JNixonParticipant]

I wouldn’t dare take him in the top 10…that’s pretty laughable IMO. He’s too weak/soft and he’s not a stand-out at anything. I’m sure you’ve watched Kyle Singler at Duke, and he plays the same type of game except he’s less willing to mix it up down low than him. I would take him in the late 1st or early 2nd round, as I’m not high on guys that are soft/weak and are poor defenders

[RUDEBOY]

Hayward is 1 of those players that become better in the pros…But what’s his pro position? If its small forward there are 3 guys i can name that are better than him..If its shooting guard…I can name 3 guys better than him..There are too many guys rated ahead of him,for him to go in the top 10 ..He should go in the 13 to 25 range..But someone is getting themselves a player, an updated version of Mike Miller

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I live right down the street from Butler and have been to a lot of their games… He’s good. I don’t think he’s a top ten pick this season or the next, but he’s worth a mid to late first round pick. He’s a good ball handler, but not a great one when it comes to creating his own shot off the dribble. IF he improves his ball handling, MAYBE he could be a late lotto pick next season. I see a lot of Mike Dunleavy Jr. in his game and I’ve been saying that since his days at Brownsburg High School in Indiana.

He doesn’t “stand out” at anything, but he does almost everything well. He’s very fundamentally sound and has a great understanding of the game at both ends. He’s 6′ 8″ with great length and still growing. He’s not that weak. He’s about 200-210 lbs now and will be able to add more weight on his frame. I mean, he’s only 19. I wouldn’t say he’s soft either, considering he shows that aggressiveness when rebounding. He’s an underrated offensive rebounder.

He’s a NBA shooter, which will be his greatest skill. He has near flawless mechanics and won’t have a problem getting his shot off in the NBA. He’s comfortable putting the ball on the floor and has a very good mid-range game. He also has good court vision and damn near always makes the right pass. He doesn’t have tunnel vision. He’s an underrated athlete. He uses what he has very well and is good at picking and choosing his spots. He’s pretty damn efficient, a lot more than Singler… Much better than Singler in my opinion.

He’s not a bad defender… He just doesn’t have the lateral quickness to be a great defender. The fundamentals and effort are there though. I think he could be at least a solid defender with time.

[Josh_Cochran]

Good summary, Tezo.  I was definitely impressed with Hayward today.  He has excellent size and he’s a much better ball handler than I expected.  However, he doesn’t look for his own shot very much off of the dribble.  The kid has a pure stroke, which will get him to the next level on its own.  I’ve heard from a couple of scouts and a Butler assistant that he’s too nice and not assertive enough.  I also heard that he’s not really a gym rat and basketball may not be the most important thing to him.

That being said, he’s a smart kid and he obviously has a high basketball IQ (see Tezo’s comments about his passing ability).  I think he’s probably a late lottery to mid 20s pick.  It doesn’t sound like he has any intention of entering the draft this year.  If he ever decides that he wants to dominate at the college level, his stock could rise toward a top 10 pick, but he hasn’t shown that desire to this point.

I should mention that I definitely like him better than Singler, whom I watched quite a bit at the LBJ Camp last summer.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I was going to say that in my last post… That he’s not aggressive enough offensively. I don’t think he thinks he’s as good as he is. That’ll change once he starts reading mocks and hearing the buzz from the scouts though lol.

Honestly… He was a sleeper in Indiana. I noticed him during AAU and thought right away that he was one of the better high school players in the state. I don’t think he or anybody else for the matter thought he had pro potential at the time. I’ve said it before, but I don’t think he comes out until next year. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he stayed all four years.

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