When looking at potential what is best to look at

Dont, Looking at potential can have you wrapped on a player and having you never seeing his weakness because he has amazing potential

Athleticism, it’s what makes all these players with no skill NBA players, because of there upside.

That’s what John Wall is IMO, athletic. He needs to develop that jumper

Totally agree, even though I think he will be good. But it is the biggest factor in potential. Just ask Derozan.

I say height becase nate rob got all those other qualites but he wont be a number one pick but thats imo

yeah in high school espn compared demar derozan to kobe and i dont think he’s going to be that good but u never know but kobe is a far stretch

True.

Toughness, work ethic and injury-history.

Yeah I think athleticism is the most noticed with height a close 2nd

thats the main reason thabeet went no. in the draft. i would say versatility but height is incorporated in that.

Besides those obvious reasons, I look at shooting mechanics/form. That’s what really matters,it is really hard to change the way you shoot its like starting over so if you have decent mechanics you can tweak it a bit and just keep working on it

I think it is this it having above average athleticism for your above average nba height. If nate robinson was like 3 inches taller people would be breaking the bank for him. The attractiveness of John Wall is that he is 6’3″ 6’4″ point guard who can blow by and rise above most players already in the NBA. Learning the game can come with time if the player is willing but those skills i mentioned can not be taught. Thabeet went so high because for his size and athleticism on defense once he learns the game and fill out he will be blocking or altering shots for years because he is tall and long and quick enough on defense to disrupt opponents shots. His potential is looking at it from the defense end because everyone seems to feel he would only be an average scorer.

if your a 6’6 athletic guard with speed you can play in the nba

What if your a 6’8 athletic guard with speed?? Then can you “play” in the league or just “be” in the league, because Gerald Green is in the league but he doesnt play.

Gerald Green failed to live up to early hype and also he got caught up in being in the wrong place at the wrong time but he is still an NBA talent but he has to improve his basketball knowledge and defense.

i was just saying if anybody somebody in the streets was 6”6 and athletic with speed they have a chance to play in the nba

I think many things get combined when talking about potential, but really it comes down to mentality. Potential really is a combination of someone having given attributes, such as height or athleticism and than putting it together by developing a solid skill set. I think the mental game is extremely underrated, and most people who fail to live up to their potential just do not have the mentality to become the players that they should. It requires a great deal of work and I think attitude is such an underrated quality when it comes to players in this league. I am not so much talking about personality or even actions on the court during games, but just attitude towards playing and developing as basketball players. The best players to me are those that work the hardest and are always looking for ways to improve their game, and players with this attitude tend to live up to or surpass their given potential more often than not. When a player does not live up to potential, it is usually due to injuries, and more often than not it is due to them not taking the right attitude towards becoming better basketball players. Never believe the hype and practice with reckless abandon, those are two ways that players seem to live up to potential.

I group height as a seperate category, than I think strength/speed all can be attributed to how athletic the player actually is. Skill set of course is incredibly important, though I would say that if you have the right combination of the two former qualities than you can get by without necessarily having a premier skill set. But true students of the game just work and develop their basketball IQ. They study ways to get better and than put them into play. This also helps with getting the right people around you and getting proper teachers of the game. I truly feel that Kobe Bryant and LeBron James work harder than anyone else in the league, and I am sure that Dwyane Wade, who’s workouts aren’t as publicized, must work his behind off as well. Natural ability such as height and in many cases athleticism (many people are just born with either fast twitch muscles, an ability to jump or a certain body type) can only take you so far, the rest is up to you. Being a basketball player in the NBA is an occupation and it is really a full time and stressful job. You are constantly putting in the work to get better, or you are falling behind other players. Height is something you can not improve, but you can work on many aspects of improving athleticism (speed, stength, stamina, even vertical, but than again many players have limits) but the thing you can most work on is your actually skill set, which just comes from having a mentality of being hungry to be the best you can possibly be.

Perfect analysis. Its easy to tell what player can be a great athlete, but you have to watch them play, their skill set and demenor, their attitude and tempo, their overall feel for the game, and how they operate to tell how good they will be. The difference between Vince Carter and JR Smith is mind. The difference between Darko being great and darko being Darko was mentality. Same with any other bust that stayed healthy. The best players are the ones who practice every situation and how they would respond to it. The mental aspect is so underrated its kind of sad… especially for players with that kind of talent. Thats what made Jordan what he was. He outworked everyone, everytime. Any athlete at the highest level outworked and out thought their opponents. And when you get someone like that who has all the physcial talents in the world, then you get a Lebron James or a Kobe Bryant. Kobe has maximized his ability given his size and athleticism, and perfected his mind so when ever any opening emerges he will take full advantage.

My bad i was talking about what people look at in the draft process. Obviously if you are looking for a good player you want to look at his physical gifts and if he has a leader mentality. You want to look at his work ethic. Some of these things can be learned. Also you want to see if with limited training he was able to put together a few skills. You kind of what to gauge his ability to grow skill wise as a player. Maturity is also an asset because some players get the money and stop getting better.

ive noticed most of the top guards can rise above alot of nba players besides wall. but id have to say athletisim and height because you cant teach either

Athleticism and height are the two most observed attributes, but intangibles are just as important. You could be 6’8 with a 38 inch vertical, but you’re not gonna get alot of playing time if you don’t know what you’re doing.

thats true but look at every player that scouts label with potenial..they usually if not all the time are athletic or tall or both. if not then they are said to have a low or lower ceiling

That’s also true, it’s no coincidence that most of the dominant players in the history of the game had superior athleticism. I guess the thought among most people is that “you can teach shooting and ball-handling, but you can’t teach height and speed”.

Athleticism and height, definately
An example:
Kobe Bryant
LeBron
Carmelo
Wilt Chamberlain
Of Course this does not always work out but
MOST of the time it does