Meyers Leonard has potential
Everyone knew he was raw going in, but his potential is huge, he's a very mobile 7-footer, his body control is amazing, and while he's not a great defender yet, he has excellent length and is a decent shot-blocker in terms of timing, he's just often out of position. Hopefully with consistent minutes after Hickson leaves (a distinct possibility) he'll be able to become a more productive player.
Just as an aside, I was thinking of where Hickson would flourish, and am I the only one thinking Charlotte might be the ideal destination for him? A team desperately needing scoring in the paint, he would mesh well with either Mullens or Biyombo (Mullens would space the floor for him, Biyombo would help him out defensively).
He does. He's a good athlete with spring and runs the floor well. He also has some skill as well with soft touch around the paint on his baby hooks and a mid-range jumper. Decent passer as well, with some understanding of post play. His problem right now is lower body strength and lateral quickness, which kills him defensively. He's mobile in terms of running in straight lines, but laterally he is poor. The effort is there but the awareness and reflexes are not. The lack of lower body strength hurts him when trying to establish position as well.
He's just scratching the surface though. Leonard was drafted as a project so Blazers fans need to be patient.
He looked like a new man when I saw him at the combine. He had noticably bulked up and it was all lean. I think he does have a great deal of potential as well. I think he'll be a starter in the league in a couple of years, as soon as the end of next depending on what Portland does with J.J.
He was built like that during the college season. From the moment he stepped onto campus up until he left for the pre-draft festivities, Meyers had put on roughly 25 lbs of muscle. He still has a ways to go in terms of improving his lower body strength and mass, but Meyers puts in the work in the weight room. I think he should supplant that with some flexibility training though since he's a bit stiff.
You're right, He made tremendous strides from the end of his freshman year to the beginning of his sophomore year, but I think he put on another 5-10 lbs before the combine, it was very noticable in his shoulders, espcially since he was hanging out and chatting with a huge dude like Drummond in between workouts.
As a Blazers fan, I was deeply skeptical of the Leonard pick when it happened. Anytime an athletic 7 footer can't average a double double in college, my suspicions are raised. However, having watched Meyers a few times this season, I have to say that his potential as a Marcin Gortat/Robin Lopez style center is a huge positive for the future of the franchise.
I admit I wasn't a fan of the pick during the draft but the last three games I've seem from him is nice to see. He has a good jump shot and pretty good free throw shooter. Athletic as well. He is still pretty raw, with lack of post moves and not a great defender. Needs to rebound better as well but I like what I see from him so far.
Last three games:
13, 12, 15 points
5, 8, 6 rebounds
16, 21, 21 minutes