[JNixonParticipant]

 26: Arnett Moultrie, 6’11 230, PF, Mississippi State, rJr.

A prospect who has been on the scouting radar for about 3 years now, since his days at UTEP under Tim Floyd, we have Arnett Moultrie checking in. Improved his approach to the game in his only season eligible at MSU, and clearly benefitted from practicing against SEC-level athletes in his season sitting out for transferring. Was 1^st Team All-SEC last season, and Honorable mention All-CUSA as a Soph., and was on the U19 team for the FIBA World Championship in 2009. Physically, Moultrie has the look of the prototype sleek face-up PF that has been en vogue in the NBA for a while now. He stands a legit 6’11, with a long build and a frame that has been put together nicely since he transferred. He could add about 10 lbs easily if an NBA team adds weight to him, which will likely happen. Athletically, Moultrie is also prototypical for an NBA PF. He runs real well for his size, and shows really good leaping ability and explosiveness. Solid quickness and fluidity as well. Long strider.

Offensively, Moultrie has good upside and should be nice. Around the rim is where he’s best too. Has the explosiveness to be a big threat on alley-oop passes, and was in college. Good at finding opening in the defense to covert high percentage looks. Has the explosiveness and length to dunk or finish strong in traffic. Outstanding offensive rebounder, and has a real quick 2^nd jump. As a post player, Moultrie is still a little raw, but he does have promise. Likes to use finesse moves around the rim, and has a soft touch. Quick feet and agility sometimes make up for his pretty raw footwork. Favorite move is his right-hand jump hook, but is a little sporadic with it, especially against strong contests from bigs his size. Also will utilize a quick spin move when on the baseline at times. Sometimes doesn’t play as strong as he should when faced with similar sized or strong big men. Doesn’t have much of an arsenal of moves, and sometimes is a bit unnatural in his footwork, clearly adjusting to playing with his back to the rim still (was more of a stretch 4 at UTEP). Should look to polish his post game a bit more. Facing up, Moultrie has good and bad. He is an effective shooter, with consistent range out to 18 ft. Likes to fade away at times, and doesn’t show consistent mechanics when shooting, leading to sometimes inconsistent results. Has range out to 22 ft., and was a minor factor stretching and hitting college 3’s, but his team probably will want him to stay within around 18 ft. for better results. Although he has the athleticism and quickness to take guys off the bounce, he has below average handle and doesn’t yet have the ability to slash consistently because he doesn’t protect the ball well. Has good potential as a pick and roll player, and can finish pretty well with both hands. Nice ability to get to the foul line for a player who is pretty raw, and took a big step forward to becoming nice FT shooter for a PF last season (78% on 5 attempts a night). As was his problem at UTEP, Moultrie still disappears from games often, especially against teams with athletic or strong big men. Usually runs the floor well, but can be caught not playing hard and being lax, especially after him or his teams gives up a basket. To his credit, he has been MUCH better with his motor than he used to be though. Doesn’t seem to be very tough. Could be most effective playing on a team that pushes tempo though, as he has all the tools to exceed in that instances, especially since it can cover up his raw overall game a bit. Passing skills are just OK, and he really doesn’t even pass all that much.   

Defensively, Moultrie really needs improvement. He has benefitted some from adding strength, as he defends 1-on-1 a bit better, but his lacking toughness really shows up defensively the most. He isn’t a rim protector right now, and has little understanding of weakside rotations and too often lets slashers get easier looks than he should. Still can be posted up by squatty, strong players. Nowhere near the shot-blocker he should be considering the excellent tools he has overall, which is concerning to say the least. Rarely does the “little” things like taking charges and going after loose balls with urgency. OK pick and roll defender, and hedges pretty well. Can switch onto guards with his athletic tools, but might now quite be ready to do that consistently in the NBA.  Solid, solid defensive rebounder though.

Moultrie has nice upside. His improvement has been real nice and he should continue to round out his game more. Playing in the post more at MSU seemed to help him a good bit, and he could be a matchup problem in the future given his potential as a shooter and pick and roll player. He isn’t a very good defender right now, his motor is still a bit inconsistent, and his overall skills need polish, but he clearly has starter potential as a PF and he could be a late lottery pick potential. His draft range is probably around 14-30.

 

25: Evan Fournier, 6’7 205, SG/SF, Poitiers (France), 19 years old

Foreign prospect with good upside and potential, we have Evan Fournier. He’s a young prospect who’s coming off a solid season in the French league, where he put up 14 ppg. As with all of the overseas prospects, I haven’t watched him play very much, but I did watch some of his games recently. His been on the rise with scouts since 2009 as a 16 year old, but he really took off last year in the Hoop Summit. Physically, Fournier is pretty good. He has nice size for a swingman at 6’7 205. He needs a little more strength, and to fill out his lower body to maximize his athleticism more, as he appears to have thin legs and a somewhat wiry build. Also has a 6’7 wingspan, which is below average at his height. Athletically, Fournier is really smooth, but he does have underrated quickness. Excellent body control. Leaping ability is adequate, but not spectacular. Not very explosive.

Offensively, Fournier is best as a crafty slasher and shot creator off the dribble. Real good ball-handling skills. Has a nice arsenal of moves off the bounce, and also has a quick 1^st step to get to the paint pretty effectively. Real good footwork, and can set up defenders well with his jabs and shoulder fakes. Is a threat to slash in either direction, and shows good ability to change directions and protect the ball. Plays with a low center of gravity for his size, and can absorb contact on his way to the rim. Rarely ever is not moving offensively. He finishes reasonably well around the rim, even though he doesn’t have the length or explosiveness to play above the rim a lot. Does a really nice job of using his body to shield the ball from shot blockers and draws fouls well because of it. His most visibly strong ability on offense is the patience he operates at. He rarely rushes when looking to create, and he understands when to look to finish or dish the ball off depending on the weakside help. Nice awareness for a player his age. May see some of his shots bothered by the longer and more athletic defenders in the NBA, but he has nice ability and potential as a slasher. As a shooter, Fournier needs improvement. He has enough touch to be effective, and when he gets his feet under him he is solid, but he doesn’t consistently get his feet under him. He can make shots off screens when he’s under control and he also can make 3’s when his feet are set, but he tries to shoot too many shots off the dribble and falls victim to not having the proper fundamentals to do so. Could develop into an nice shooter, but just needs to work on footwork before he does. Mid-range game could develop into a solid weapon with work. I think the lower body strength I talked about before hurts his the most as a shooter, as he doesn’t have the ability to stop on the dime and elevate the way he should. Fournier is also an unselfish passer, and sees the floor well. Generally a heady decision maker. Might be able to play some minutes at the PG spots eventually. Highly competitive, and often wears his emotions on his sleeve. Not afraid of taking the big shot. Decent foul shooter, and generally doesn’t make mistakes in the clutch.

On defense, Fournier will probably not stand out at all and could struggle. He isn’t that quick laterally and doesn’t have the length or reflexes to get many steals. Probably will struggle dealing with athletic and quick slashers in the NBA, even though his size will help him some in terms of stagnating some initial moves at times before they can speed past him. Wont be able to show some of the habits he has in terms of not getting low in his stance in the NBA or he will pay. A bit foul prone for a wing.

Overall, Fournier has good potential as a slasher in the NBA with his handle and nice 1^st step. He has the size to play 3 positions and is a weapon as a passer as well. He plays at his own pace and seems like a potentially good triple threat option. He will probably struggle on D, especially starting out, and his jumper needs work (lower body strength), but he’s a fairly versatile option who could be tough to defend in time.

[Wahoo757Participant]

I agree with your ranking of Moultrie, some have said lotto but I think 20s is the appropriate time to select him. Never been the biggest fan of his game or his attitude (said his team won’t make the tournament when they MSU was in a slump). I see a future face up PF role player for Moultrie, I’m not sure if he’ll develop into a starting caliber PF.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

26th is the lowest i’ve seen Moultrie ranked anywhere on the net,even on some blogs..But i do agree with you about his raw offensive skills….I think he might be better in the pros then he showed in college…I saw him play in high school and there he displayed great point forward skills and the ability to make plays for others..But once he got to UTEP ,he seemed confused about what exactly was his role … And while he was at Miss. State he came into his own and showed that he has the potential to be a solid pro..He didnt seem to give a 100% effort every night…But he’s very athletic and knows how to rebound…

[WizardofOzParticipant]

Not a big Moultrie fan either. He just has that Mo Speights vibe to me.

[kobyzParticipant]

didn’t see him play much but i heard Evan Fournier drew some James Harden’s comparisons, could be a sleeper in this draft!
Arnett Moultrie doesn’t have the will nor the motor and nor the focus so don’t count on him to be successful NBA player cause all of that will hinder the skills or the talent he does have.

[Wahoo757Participant]

Where did you hear that Evan Fournier James Harden comparison? Hardly makes any sense at all to me.

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