[JNixonParticipant]

42: Davis Bertans, 6’10 211, SG/SF, Union Olimpija (Latvia), 18 years old

A prospect who I haven’t seen play very much but who clearly has a lot of intrigue and potential is 18 year old Davis Bertans. One of the youngest players in the draft, if not THE youngest, as he turns 19 in November. Physically, Bertans has a very skinny 6’10 body that jumps out to you as a perimeter player. He’s got outstanding height for a wing, and a pedestrian 6’10 wingspan relative to his size. Pretty weak right now, and will need time in the weight room before he’s ready to see an NBA floor. Athletically Bertans is certainly smooth and fluid, and he shows decent speed, leaping ability and quickness when he’s in the open floor, but the ball slows him down in the half court and his lateral quickness is mediocre at best.

On offense, Bertans value and by far his main weapon as a player is his outstanding shooting ability. Big-time touch, a quick release, and the size and release point to get off his shot easily. Great footwork, and it makes him extremely effective off screens. It’s a thing of beauty watching him work and move off the ball to free himself for his shot. Has the ability that all good shooters have to set his feet and square his shoulders to the rim no matter how much he’s been moving. Confident, and will let it fly for better or worse. Much better coming off screens, in transition off the ball, and spotting up than he is with his off the dribble shooting. Sometimes settles for highly contested jumpers and can be a non-factor if crowded by an athletic defender. A capable ball-handler, but a lack of strength and physicality makes him a limited threat as a slasher, as does his mediocre at best explosiveness. Nice passing skills and floor vision that comes with his height on the wing. Looks good in transition, and can run and finish very well off a running start. Not likely to win a physical battle and right now seems far too weak and raw to play much at all early, despite having big time shooting skills.

Bertans actually tries more than I thought he would on D, but he’s likely too weak to be a factor anytime soon. Simply has “boy” strength in a man’s league. Lateral quickness isn’t very good. Not likely to get steals or blocks, despite his size. Looks like he will be able to get posted up mercilessly. High center of gravity.

Overall from the little I’ve seen from Bertans, he is more athletic than I thought and more high energy than I would’ve assumed. He’s a great and confident shooter who isn’t scared to let it fly at all. His lack of strength significantly limits his overall game though, especially on D, as a slasher and on the glass. He has intrigue as an Austin Daye-type prospect, but he won’t ever seen an NBA floor until he adds significant strength.

 

41: Scotty Hopson, 6’7 202, SG, Tennessee, Jr.

A tall-haired guy who said he wants to the “the best player to ever play the game” in a draft interview (he thinks pretty highly of himself based on all the stuff he’s said in interviews, I might add), Scotty Hopson is comes off a Jr. season where he took some steps forward in his development but still never consistently broke out after being a top 10 recruit in HS. Hopson has great physical tools for a SG, a wiry 6’7 205 frame that should be able to get about 5-10 lbs bigger easily. Athletically Hopson is very good as well. He possesses great speed and quickness, especially in the open floor, strong leaping ability and nice body control.

On offense, Hopson has some very undeniable tools but he was never known for his consistency in his 3 years in Knoxville. Hopson has always had a naturally nice shot with soft touch though. He can spot up shoot well, but he’s also a decent shooter off screens. He wasn’t a good shooter off the dribble in his 1st couple of years in college because he was a poor ball-handler who didn’t get separation a lot, but he worked over the summer and developed a nice step back and he showed solid ability to use basic crossovers and rise into his shots from as far as 22 feet back. Will have to work on expanding his range though, and continue to work on his off the dribble shooting. As a slasher, Hopson is much better than he used to be but he’s still not great. Has a quick 1st step and nice body control down the lane. Still, he’s a little too prone to turnovers when handling the ball in traffic or when faced with a defender with quick hands. Gets his pocket picked more than average for a SG. Good, potentially explosive finisher when he gets to the rim, as his athleticism, length, touch, and body control all set in and make him a factor. Never has been very likely to pass the ball much. Had a very poor A/TO (1.3/2.8) last year. Pretty inconsistent, and shows very underdeveloped IQ, polish, and overall intensity that holds him back from a game-to-game basis.

Hopson is not good on D. He was much worse his 1st 2 years though, but he still is pretty bad. His has the length and lateral quickness of a very good defender, but he’s not very smart and he lacks the energy and effort in a large way. Can be beat off the dribble by speed or creative shot creators, struggles to play and close out with urgency against shooters, and floats and watches off ball. For someone who struggles as much as he does on the ball, you would think he would be a guy who gambles. Hopson doesn’t. He averaged less than a steal a night (which is pretty horrible for someone with his physical and athletic ability) and .2 blocks. He’s basically just out there on D.

It’s clear Hopson is a strong offensive talent, one of the better perimeter scorers in the draft honestly, who still has a good bit of untapped potential if he’s willing to work at it and become smarter. His physical and athletic ability is very good, but he’s got a lot of work to do before he’s a high IQ player or even a serviceable defender. If he rounds out his game, he has the potential to be a Von Wafer-type of athletic shooter/scorer off the pine. It took Wafer time to mature before he was a contributor in the NBA, and it probably will take time for Hopson as well. Alot of GM’s think he’s weird after his interviews.

[Lotto StudParticipant]

Hopson is a high energy guy who loves to attack the baselines. I think a best case scenario for him would be to get drafted to a team who runs the Triangle.

[JNixonParticipant]

Why the triangle?

[Lotto StudParticipant]

Seems to be an excellent fit for his slashing style especially off the baseline which he loves to attack from.

[Tha_PrinceParticipant]

 Good read, have yet to comment on your posts but I look forward to reading these! Keep up the good work man

[Turral2Participant]

Can some onee please tell me what side to watch the game???

And hopson has  all the physicals tools. but he does not show strong handle with the ball. he just does not look confident dribbling…. no confidence.. I see the wafer comparison.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Rumors have spread that at the Combine..That 1 scout told his GM not to get carried away with Hopson’s athleticism or how well he does at the combine…And don’t Waste a 2nd round pick on him….

[scoutguruParticipant]

 Do you have synergy JNix? Just wondering how did you figure out on second thought that Bertans tries hard on D. Just wanna know how you’re able to know so much about some of these prospects. Good work!

[JNixonParticipant]

Nah I don’t, I’ve only seen him play 2 times on my laptop (both times were recent because I wanted to see why nbadraft.net had him in the 1st round) and the 1st game I watched the announcers were talking about how he needed to play better on D and they said he can be a liability. He played with more effort than I thought he would on that end, he’s just too weak and upright to be very good.

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