[omphalosParticipant]

Imagine a wing prospect with amazing athleticism, non-stop motor, great defensive ability, both clutch, leadership, rebounding and passing etc. Now double him, except that one of them is an expert shooter/shot-maker (including getting separation in the mid-range and off the dribble etc.) with a weak driving game, and the other has that VC type ability to just end up at the rim with little to no trouble, but his shot is weak to say the least.

If you were a GM selecting with the first overall pick in the draft, which player would you take and why?

Personally, I’d take the shooter; handles can be improved, he has the athleticism for it, and shooters tend to have more longevity than drivers. Also, while they are both clutch, it’s a lot harder to stop a clutch shooter than a clutch driver in the dying seconds.

[frogmanParticipant]

Depends whos already on your team, aka. if Rondo is your point id take the shooter, if Nash was id probably take the driver.

[omphalosParticipant]

The context would be a team which just started rebuilding and had no young players for the future, so really, it’s just looking at the player’s in isolation; it’s more a question of which skill you value more in a franchise wing if all else is equal.

[goneParticipant]

I thought this thread was pertaining to where I would like to be in a GTA san andreas drive by?

[JoeWolf1]

If the guy who drives doesn’t have a shot then that means he can’t shoot free throws. So, I take the guy who can shoot, being able to put the ball in the basket goes a long way…and in my opinion, a slasher who can’t hit free throws is one of the most frustrating type of player to watch (I’m talking about you Kenny Gregory).

[iguapops420Participant]

 I’ll take the athletic driver.  When i first started really getting into basketball I was a driver only who could attack effortlessly with very little handle but I had an uncanny nack for putting the ball in the hoop near the rim. I have now devloped my handles to a very good level, and have even become a fairly lethal midrange player. Still lack any consitency on my 3 ball, but there was a time when i had a good 40% 3 ball but didn’t do nearly as much creating with the ball in my hands. I have always been really good using angles and i first developed a nice little bankshot that i can get with defenders in my grill spot up or simple pull up ala Pippen /Duncan. 

Basically shooting is the easiest thing in the nba to develop whereas having a NATURAL ability to get to the rim and create or draw fouls is something that is far less easy to just figure out.

[StF616Participant]

 I’ll take the Guy that can drive and get to the rim well and finish.
A jumpshot can be worked on anybody with a good work ethic can greatly improve their jumpshot
And if you look at NBA Players similar ot that description players Like
Michael Jordan,Scottie Pippen,Dwyane Wade,Tracy Mcgrady these players did  not have a very good/reliable 3 point shot they were good mid range shooters and all but they had no range. But all of them developed their jumpshot. 

[MkadozaParticipant]

 If he’s athletic as you say, AND he’s a good passer, give me the slasher all day. He sounds like Lebron or Jordan coming into the league.

[SmooveKRYPTParticipant]

 So basically LeBron or Melo coming into the ’03 draft(minus the great defensive ability)?

[PyronParticipant]

 i’d want the driver. if that’s what he’s good at then i’d get my coach to set up plays to give the player the chance to drive. i like it when players get to the line often. it puts the other team in foul trouble and the player can get easy points and get into rthymn from the line.

this holds true especially in the fourth quarter when its a close game. being in the bonus is huge!

[M-DYMESParticipant]

Give me the shooter.  I hear alot of people say you can always teach someone how to improve their J.  Who says you can’t teach someone how to drive?  I’d only imagine that would be easier. 

Shooter are huge.  When the game is on the line, they are who you want in the game.  Guys who can hit a 3 to tie the game or take the lead, guys who will drain their freethrows during intentional fouls.  With the size of these interior players increasing, driving is only going to become more and more difficult in the future.  Shooters will always be able to run off screen and get good looks. 

 

 

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

 Tough call. I know most NBA teams would pick the slasher. Certainly you would have to factor in that the slasher is probably going to get the other team into foul trouble which can be very helpful. But, a shooter like you describe can fit with any team. Let’s say you pick the Slasher (like Tyreke Evans) and next year you draft the next Dwayne Wade and he is even better with the ball in his hands. All of a sudden your Slasher is standing around watching DW 2 do his thing. The Shooter would be more helpful in that regard. But if you took the Shooter and then got another Shooter next year the two would compliment each other better. 

[iguapops420Participant]

 ^^^ And you wouldn’t be able to get to the line. 

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