[JNixonParticipant]

 20: Marquis Teague, 6’2 180, PG, Kentucky, Fr.

A very highly touted recruit out of Naptown, we have Marquis Teague…Was the floor general for UK, had no true backup PG behind him, and still got Coach Calipari his 1^st nat’l title as a Fr, which is a huge accomplishment…Part of a real talented UK team that could have 5 1^st round draft choices…Grew up over his only season in college and the game slowed down for him with every game he played…Wasn’t the hothead many said he was coming out of HS, that’s good news…All-Freshman Team, and participated in the U17 games prior to playing for Kentucky…Younger brother of Hawks starting PG Jeff Teague, if you couldn’t tell by how identical they look, lol…Physically, Teague looks like an NBA PG already…Stands 6’2, with a well-built 180 lb body, with nice muscular tone and the frame to put on 5-10 lbs of muscle without the loss of flexibility and athleticism…Has the same very good 6’7 wingspan his older brother has…Athletically, Teague is also very good too…He is pretty fast, quick and shows very good explosiveness and leaping ability…Had a 40” vert at the combine, which is obviously outstanding…Has everything you look for physically in today’s NBA from the PG spot

On offense, Teague is a bit raw but does have promising tools and good upside…He is a fairly dynamic player off the dribble, and shows a nice 1^st step and burst with the ball…Can get to the rim well…Doesn’t quite have the handle and speed his older brother has, but he is certainly pretty good in his own right…Has enough athleticism and strength to be a solid finisher around the rim, although he had a low 2point FG % due to his decision-making with his shot selection inside the arc…Needs to pick his spots better, but did a much better job of that as the season wore on…Promising transition player, and shows good ability to find high percentage looks for himself or others…Can get himself or teammates easy looks or a trip to the foul line…Right now, Teague is most comfortable when he can push tempo and play a fast pace, he shows some painfully raw IQ and comfort level in the half-court a bit too often…Is turnover prone when he has to run an offense and be a traditional PG in a slower, more organized pace…Gets a lot of charges drawn against himself by trying to just “out-quick” his man, and doesn’t read weakside defense very well right now…Will run into brick walls, and force action when looking to finish around the rim or pass the ball on the move quite often…His speed and quickness can be used against him, and he struggles dictating the pace with consistency…Often was made to play off ball, or subbed out so that SG Doron Lamb could play PG at times, because of bonehead plays…Operates well in the pick and roll, especially when he looks to pass or go to the rim, but not when he looks to take pull-up jumpers…Matter of fact, as a jump shooter, Teague has potential but he needs improvement…He has a more natural shot than his brother, and is actually a solid shooter with his feet set and with space…Also can make shoots around 20 ft. off screens, which hints at his potential…He shoots with the ball in front of his face, and it hurts his effectiveness against contests and his range isn’t great at all though…Likes to shoot pull-up shots, but isn’t very effective at it…Should work on his off the dribble shooting, as he tries to make plays from mid-range but just didn’t hit those shots enough…Also should look to improve his floater, which usually looks like it may drop, but rarely did last season…Needs to put in time at the gym to work on his mechanics and range as a shooter…Not a standout with his PG skills, but has the potential to be both a solid scoring and distributing PG, as he isn’t really selfish and looks to pass and score about the same amount…Foul-line shooting is mediocre (71%) and he didn’t get to the line  as much as a slasher of his caliber should have…Has a lot of room to improve his game, but has some real nice qualities

Defensively, Teague has all the tools to be effective defending the PG spot…He isn’t a standout defender, but he does piece together strong possessions at times…Understands how to use his quickness, strength and length to pressure the ball when dialed in…Not bad denying dribble penetration…Can fall asleep on D, showing some of the same characteristics his brother did as a younger player…Occasionally is lazy closing out on jump shooters…

Teague’s upside is real high and he could develop into a nice PG for a team…He needs to get better with his IQ and adjust to the speed of games, and isn’t ready to long extended time as a floor leader yet, but the talent and potential is there…A team who has a veteran PG whose career is winding down would be best for Teague

 

19: Dion Waiters, 6’4 221, SG, Syracuse, Soph.

The best 6^th man in the country this past season had to be Dion Waiters out of Syracuse…There was talk that he would transfer before the season, but he bought into his role and did an outstanding job of being possibly the most valuable player on the Cuse’s team last season…3^rd Team All-Big East as a Soph…Real high level pace-adjusted scoring numbers in both his Fr. and Soph. seasons…Physically, Waiters is a grown man…He is a legit 6’4, and has a 221 lb frame and is built like a train…Very strong…Also has a solid 6’7 wingspan for good measure…Should look to play right around 215 to maximize his athleticism, has the kind of frame that could bloat if he isn’t careful with his conditioning…He looks the part of an NBA SG…Athletically, Waiters is average, yet underrated slightly…He’s not especially quick, fast or explosive as a leaper, being just OK or decent at all of those aspects

On offense, Waiters just has a knack for scoring the ball first and foremost…Able to score in bunches and has possessions where he makes a few tough shots in a row…He uses his strong body extremely well, and is a factor creating his own shots just by bullying his way to where he wants to go…Has very nice ball-handling ability, and is able to get to his spots well because of his physicality and handle…Physical and pretty gritty player…Shows exceptional footwork, which allows him to be a tougher cover, especially when he only has one man to beat…Absorbs contact extremely well on the way to the rim, seemingly has defenders bouncing off of him when he’s slashing…Very crafty finisher who is smart about using the glass/rim/net to shield shot-blockers, which is a very important skill for players who has limited athletic ability…Can use both hands around the rim…Has some ability to finish above the rim when he has enough daylight and a running start…Shows intriguing scoring potential out of the pick and roll, where his handle is most easily shown as well as his underrated passing skills…Waiters seems to be a somewhat willing passer, but usually looks for his own shots…Flashes the ability to hit the 22 ft. jumper off the bounce if his screens get dived…As a jump shooter, Waiters has potential but needs improvement…He has the ability to hit tough shots and shots from NBA range though…Has a different shooting mechanic, a lot of wasted movement in his lower body and a sometimes violent kick in his right leg, which often leads to scattered results, particularly when contested heavily…Always seems to be leaning forward and often lands to the left or right of where he elevated after he shoots…Needs to eliminate the extra parts of his shot mechanics, and he will become a more consistent shooter…Shows signs of a nice mid-range game, but has many of the same mechanic issues, as well as shaky shot selection in the between…Probably will struggle with his shooting efficiency some as a rookie as he irons out the kinks…Has some ability to play PG for in spot minutes…In transition, Waiters was outstanding this past season…He used turnovers to absolutely torch teams and really was at his best in these instances…EXTREMELY tough to stop because of his powerful frame, great footwork, and the fact that he is running full-speed towards the rim looking to score…Able to show off his underrated athleticism in these instances too, being very shifty and weaving around the D impressively, showing an real strong spin move when there is only 1 or 2 guys back or simply going up for a strong finish above the rim…Just an OK FT shooter, and didn’t get there as much as you might expect for a guy who plays as physical as he did…Really could be a tough weapon on this end, has some of the absolute best pure talent as a scorer as you’ll find in this draft

Defensively, Waiters played in the Cuse 2-3 zone and that makes it hard to project how he’ll fair in the NBA on this end…He has enough of a wingspan and strength to be a passable on-ball defender, but his lateral quickness doesn’t appear to be anything to write home about…One thing he does have is a knack for the ball, given that he averaged just under 2 spg in 24 mpg…He shows very good and active hands, and takes advantage of sloppy ball-handling…Good timing jumping in the passing lanes…Contests everything and is pretty active on this end…He will struggle against quickness more than likely though

There is talk that Waiters has a promise in the top 20 picks (Suns, Raptors, and Rockets are believed to be in the rumor), and Waiters is a big talent on offense…He plays with that gritty, somewhat unorthodox style that many players from out of Philly play with, and he just has a natural knack for scoring and getting his points in a a lot of ways…He’s not the greatest athlete, but he’s definitely passable, and that 2-3 zone will make it interesting to see how he fairs on that end…Still, Waiters is one of the best offensive talents in the draft and should be able to put points on the scoreboard very soon for an NBA team 

[JNixonParticipant]

 Dion Waters=Bonzi Wells. They play nearly the exact same way, hopefully Waiters watches his weight

[cycloParticipant]

Dion Waiters has some PG skills.  Bonzi Wells had none.

Waiters ia a SG with PG skills.  Wells was a SG with SF skills.

The best comparison to Bonzi Wells is sleeper Orlando Johnson.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

Lillard is definitely a better prospect than Teague.

[JNixonParticipant]

 He could be, but its 2 spots though, interchange it in your head or something. Not a big deal when they are that close in the rankings, lol

[Lotto StudParticipant]

 I truly believe Teague goes Top 20 with this years class, all it takes is one team to fall in love with him. He already draws comparisons to his brother who NBA scouts are growing to fall in love with.

[Author]

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