Larry Sanders
I'm a Bucks fan, so I've been able to see Larry Sanders play quite a bit over the last two seasons. When he first came into the league last year he was a big question mark in my opinion. I saw him mostly as an athlete who will block a few shots every now and then. He had a pretty raw offensive game and got into foul trouble a lot.
However, what a lot of people don't know is that he didn't start playing organized basketball till his junior year of high school.
In my opinion, Sanders has improved a lot since his rookie season. It looks like he has a better feel for the game and is a little more under control this year. His offensive game is still pretty raw, but he is taking a lot better shots then he did last year. Defensively, he is a shot blocking machine. Larry is averaging 1.4 blocks in only 11.7 min. Sanders didn't get too many minutes early on this year, but since the Monta Ellis trade he has been getting some playing time and has been producing pretty well off the bench. The new fast-paced offense the Bucks have might help Larry a lot, given his crazy athleticism.
If Sanders gets consistent playing I think he will continue to develop into a fine player. Just look at the statline from last nights game you listed above. You'd like the rebounds to be higher, but every other category is pretty good.
I think Sanders definitely has the potential to be a starter in the NBA, but in order for that to happen he needs to add more weight and muscle so he can be more effective in the post and on the boards.
Ceiling wise, I see him scoring at most 10 ppg, around 7-9 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2-2.5 blocks.
I really like Sanders , he and Udoh are the reason that the Ellis trade was a good move for the Bucks. With Udoh and Sanders, you have really efficient guys that dont need many if any plays ran for them. Both tough and solid defensively and on the boards. I think with time he might be a 6'11 Haslem.
it reminds me the kind of stats bo outlaw was posting with the magic...
I would keep him as the key contributor from the bench you need when your team lacks defensive toughness. He would be great in a team like NY who needs some blue collar kind of guy making things easier for melo and stoud'.
He is not a good defensive player. People have to stop correlating a blocked shot with overall defensive success. He is long, athletic, and can fly around and reach the occasional shot, but his natural instinct is not to cut off penetration to force the ball out. Rotating to beat the driver to the spot and then being long enough to get your hands on the ball should the opposition not react properly is different from trying for the block, exposing oneself to both fouling and being a man down when he jumps himself out of the play. When Milwaukee trotted out those Monta Ellis Please Take Every Shot Lineups with Sanders, Udoh, Mbah a Moute, Ellis, and either Beno, Jennings, or Dunleavy it was not like they weren't still exposed as soon as teams brought in their first unit bigs.
His bpg isn't why he is a good defender, I like the way he recovers after being burned. I like how he is very active in the paint and jumps STRAIGHT up with his arms STRAIGHT up, showing at least a little bit of focus on defense rather than just jumping for potential blocks. I feel with good coaching, added discipline, and playing time he can develop into a very solid defensive power forward that can start for many teams.
He is a great talent with tons of potential offensively and an already established active drfender. Needs to understand his role offensively and play within his limitations. He also needs to bulk ip and stop making bonehead plays. Seems to have character issues and I wouldnt be aurprised if Sanders got traded and the bucks keep Udoh fpr that role.
He's a guy I've always liked, and I think he will eventually have success in the NBA. He's just came out pretty raw and is playing on a team right now with a lot of young forwards and he's still pretty slight to play a ton of minutes at the center.
Last night he went for 12 points 4 rebounds 3 assists 4 steals and 5 blocks in 32 min.
His last 10 games he's gotten 6.9 ppg 4.7 rpg 1.7 spg and 2.9 bpg in only 18.7 mpg
What do you think his ceiling is and do you think he'll ever develop into a starting caliber player?