[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 I think his stock will rise after workouts

[DolanCareParticipant]

Shouldn’t Meyers Leonard be making more of a buzz? He’s athletic and a legit 7 footer. Obviously he doesn’t have the physical tools of an Andre Drummond, but his combination of athleticism and size is still rare.

There would be risk in drafting him since he’s no where near NBA ready, but centers with his tools don’t come around very often. Would you draft PJIII or Sullinger over Leonard?

I don’t have a very good read on this guy at all, and could definitely see him being another bust with the million other ‘big & useless’ prospects. But I’m skeptical that he would slip past 12. Thoughts???

 

[Bad DogParticipant]

If I were a gm with a lotto pick I’d have to pass on him. Drafting 7 footers who are not NBA ready is a risky business. The bust factor is too high to take him lotto, especially is this draft. I’d be more comfortable taking him around 20, perhaps as early as 17 if I were desperate for size. He’ll probably end up going earlier than that, but I wouldn’t want to be the gm to take that risk

[JoeWolf1]

He probably doesn’t have the vertical or strength as Drummond, but he’s bigger and from what it looks like on the court, I’d bet he’s faster and a more fluid, coordinated athlete.

I too think his stock will rise after workouts.  

[Future_Scout’s mock]

 

 

[kobyzParticipant]

has good chance of being a bust, it’s true that he has special athletic ability, size and promise skills but he remind me so much Ian Mahinmi, as someone who can give at times very hige level plays and show flashes of unique talent, but very unsteady, handle himself with softness and with low IQ and his overall impact on the game is very poor.

[MalcolmxParticipant]

 Faster than Drummond?I disagree. Drummond is the most athletic big in the draft. Speed,strength,hops. and what ever else goes in the athletic department.His Combine results will be shocking.He may test better than Dwight howard did when he was coming out.While Drummond will be a year older than when Dwight came out as well. I say drummond benches at least 15 times,Vertical will be 36 or better(he has gotten his head at rim level before which would be 37 inches at 6’11)and 3/4 sprint 3.20 or lower. Anyway if the hornets have a chance to get him than they should take him.I think he will at least be as good as Deandre Jordan in some time.

[mosdefParticipant]

He probably will be picked around 10ish. Thing is, I liked Brook Lopez alot better coming out of college. He could be Chris Mihm or Gortat, IMO

[Future_Scout’s mock]

 fun fact; leonard and pj3’s rebounding is on par with 10 per 40 mins, soft.

he’s still improving his post game (has a better right handed hook better than anthony davis and drummond), also has a feel for post passing. he’s a good alley oop threat, and a potential pick and roll. decent rim protector. good mobility 

this guy can go top 10, no doubt.

 

 

[ilike.panochasParticipant]

Reminds of Joel Pryzbilla when he was coming out of Minnesota. Pryzbilla was also considered boom or bust prospect much like Leornard.

[ChewyParticipant]

He played in the Big Ten as the only true big man on the team. All Illinois had was guards and undersized pf’s. I agree he is not a quick or strong as Drummond, but Meyers is much more willing to bang down low than he is. He is a true center in a time when everyone wants to be a face up 4.

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

 if he loves bball 

he will become a good player and a starting center……. 

[Future_Scout’s mock]

because you’re not hard when you’re getting 8rpg as an athletic 7 footer in college

[Hi its BenParticipant]

"because you’re not hard" …..?????

[Future_Scout’s mock]

 F_S: "leonard and pj3’s rebounding is on par with 10 per 40 mins, soft."

chewy: "How is he soft?"

F_S: "because you’re not hard when you’re getting 8rpg as an athletic 7 footer in college"

….

?????

 

[PrecociousNeophyteParticipant]

bust

[ChewyParticipant]

Meyers is aggressive down low and likes to be physical. 8 rbs in the Big Ten sounds pretty good to me. He definitley is a project but he is strong, athletic and has no history of injury (can’t believe I just said that about a 7 footer). He has an average set of offensive moves but is nothing special offensivly.  He played well against Sullinger, Cody Zeller and Nicholson this year.

I question his mental toughness, he gets frustrated alot and it affects his focus. But I definently do not question his physically toughness and willingness to battle down low.

[Future_Scout’s mock]

 3 rebounds vs cody zeller and 9pts & 8rebs vs nicholson

 

[Future_Scout’s mock]

 "I question his mental toughness, he gets frustrated alot and it affects his focus"………… soft.

he averaged 5 rpg in 2 games against ohio in 38 minutes… i didn’t see a lot of illini this year but he’s not a good rebounder, is not like he was always boxing some1 out like sully or t-rob

 

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

He could be a top 10 pick, but he could also go top 20 and miss the lottery. The reason why is because of 2 things. 1, there aren’t that many 7 footers in any draft but when drafts have them, they aren’t that successfull. Take a look at past NBA drafts, I guarantee you will find more 7 foot busts than 7 footers who actually turned out ok or stars. So that’s not a good track record.

One thing I’ve noticed about busts is their attitude. Those who want it bad enough usually don’t end up as busts. Those who want it bad enough don’t disappear in games, even their shot is off they find someway to be active and contribute. (Most of the time on defense) Those who don’t, pretty much suck. They don’t find a way to contribute when their shot is off, they either keep shooting and missing or they give up and quit playing (defense too). There very rarely is an inbetween.

I’ve heard that Leonard can dissapear at times, that doesn’t bode well. If he disappears at times than it shows he must not want it bad enough which means he could be a bust and so a GM has fear for drafting him and might take a more sure player instead.

Is there a different player who is more sure (other than Drummond)? The answer is yes, Tyler Zeller. He’s a senior while Leonard is a sophomore. So he has more experience than Leonard, but he also plays harder. He does not dissapear ever. He finds a way to be active in every game. He’s a good rebounder and he’s a 7 footer. He may not have as much potential as Leonard or Drummond does because of his age, but some GM’s will go with experience over potential because they want the sure thing and don’t want to be hated when they pick a bust. They know that Leonard has more chance of being a bust than Zeller, so they go with the more experienced guy out of fear. The thing is Leonard does not have that much more potential than Zeller does. The distance between the two is very small, so small that experience may win out in the end even though Leonard may have more potential than Zeller by just a hair.

[sheltwon3Participant]

BJ Mullens has put up decent minutes for the Bobcats and I can’t see Meyer being worst than him.

[jazzfan1Participant]

Sorry, but I think you missed the boat on this guy. I really, really like him. He’s my huge sleeper in this draft.

He’s at least a year, probably two years from really contributing, so whoever picks him has to be patient. I think he’s very underated as an athlete, and only needs a little bulk and strength to be a fantastic athlete at the NBA level. He’s very quick, an explosive jumper, has great timing and shot blocking ability. What most people don’t know about him is that he has a very nice jumper with 3 point range, and can handle the rock very well for a guy his size.

Why didn’t he produce more at the collegiate level? If you ever watched him and Illinois play, it floored me that Weber set him up at high post and used him for passing purposes in most sets. Unbelieveable. When they finally got him the ball down low, he scored with great frequency, but it was a struggle getting him there. You have an aircraft carrier, you don’t use them as a minesweeper. The same on the defensive end, it didn’t look like he was used properly.

Word is he floats and loses concentration? Yeah, maybe its’ because he’s sitting out on the perimeter wondering why the hell he’s out there. Get him in the low blocks, feed him the ball over and over, funnel the defense into him where he can block a shot or two.

Drummond? I like his chances to bust more than Leonard, but I think both of them will be just fine. Drummond needs the right situation, needs to be brought on slowly as well. Leonard WILL be a bust if he’s thrown to the wolves right away, he’s a little fragile and needs reinforcement to up his confidence. It’s no wonder with his family situation, he’s wondering when the other hammer will fall. Some kids can handle the stress and are tough as nails, Leonard seems like he’s a little sensitive and not as mature as most kids his age. Great kid, just had a tough time in life.

Give him a positive, reinforcing situation, bring him on slowly, I think the sky is the limit for the kid.

[sheltwon3Participant]

Drummond can defend and is mobile.  He may never be the player we hyped him to be but he should not be a bust.

[dede21]

 Mullens is a much better shooter though, but I think Leonard can be good kind of like Chris Mihm when he was healthy he was solid

[JoeWolf1]

@NBA Balla

 I’m not just buying that Drummond is the best athlete in every category.  He’s certainly not more coordinated than Leonard, which often effects foot speed.  7 footers usually don’t put up 3/4 court times that are sub 3.2 seconds.  He’s probably fast for a 270 lb guy, but no way he’s faster than a majority of the point guards.

I’d bet he’s stronger and has a higher vertical, but i’ve never been impressed with his foot speed or lateral quickness.

 

[Author]

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