This is part four of a series leading up to the NBA Draft in which I identify players that may be worth Joe Lacob's ability and willingness to buy a draft pick. I do so by choosing players that are mocked to
go at the 20th selection or later by DraftExpress, nbadraft.net, and Chad Ford. The players mentioned so far have been Tony Mitchell, Nate Wolters, and Isaiah Canaan. Today's candidate is...
Myck Kabongo, PG Texas 6'2" 180 lbs.
That's right folks, we're talking Myck Kabongo. Out of High School, Kabongo was projected to spend one year at Texas and then head off to the NBA as a sure fire top five pick. Well,
that didn't exactly work out now did it? Maybe I'm crazy because I think Kabongo should undoubtedly be a first round pick and has plenty of upside as a rotational point guard. One of the stigmas following Kabongo is the fact that he got suspended by the joke that is the NCAA for taking money which he shouldn't have. I don't think this will effect his draft stock because that's a college problem and his college life is in the past. What will negatively hurt his stock despite good quickness and passing skills is a lack of scoring ability, the likes of which have not really been seen on an NBA point guard.
How he'd help: Kabongo can bring something to the Warriors that they don't really have: a pass first point guard. Steph Curry is a star who does get plenty of assists, but he is not a pass first, pass second guard. Now, Kabongo may be all passing because he can't score. Whatever the case may be, he can get others involved. The Warriors have a lot of spot up shooters and having a back-up point guard that only looks to feed them would not be so bad.
Potential problems: Do you think I'm kidding? Because I'm not. He seriously can't shoot. During the NBA combine I thought I was watching Andris Biedrins shoot threes. He some how managed to score 14 ppg at Texas but they were mostly by shaking one defender and getting an open lay-up. It's also a growing suspicion that he will struggle to get to the bucket and finish in the NBA. He is also not that strong and does not use his quickness on defense very well. Plenty of negatives on Kabongo, not enough to not make the league, but plenty.
Where he'd fit in: Kabongo would be put in the mix at the back-up point guard spot. Bringing in Kabongo would probably call for a veteran who could be the primary back-up. The hope would be that over time Kabongo could take over as a pass first primary back-up type of guard.
Conclusion: Kabongo has plenty of reasons working against him that say he won't be a very good NBA player. He also has a glimmer of hope that shows him as a valuable back-up. He likes to pass and set up other teammates to score. He also crashes the boards. He is a project as a second rounder, but there are still reasons to believe he can be the 15th man on a team and develop in the D-league. I wouldn't bet on him being a big factor one day, but he could be something.
that didn't exactly work out now did it? Maybe I'm crazy because I think Kabongo should undoubtedly be a first round pick and has plenty of upside as a rotational point guard. One of the stigmas following Kabongo is the fact that he got suspended by the joke that is the NCAA for taking money which he shouldn't have. I don't think this will effect his draft stock because that's a college problem and his college life is in the past. What will negatively hurt his stock despite good quickness and passing skills is a lack of scoring ability, the likes of which have not really been seen on an NBA point guard.
How he'd help: Kabongo can bring something to the Warriors that they don't really have: a pass first point guard. Steph Curry is a star who does get plenty of assists, but he is not a pass first, pass second guard. Now, Kabongo may be all passing because he can't score. Whatever the case may be, he can get others involved. The Warriors have a lot of spot up shooters and having a back-up point guard that only looks to feed them would not be so bad.
Potential problems: Do you think I'm kidding? Because I'm not. He seriously can't shoot. During the NBA combine I thought I was watching Andris Biedrins shoot threes. He some how managed to score 14 ppg at Texas but they were mostly by shaking one defender and getting an open lay-up. It's also a growing suspicion that he will struggle to get to the bucket and finish in the NBA. He is also not that strong and does not use his quickness on defense very well. Plenty of negatives on Kabongo, not enough to not make the league, but plenty.
Where he'd fit in: Kabongo would be put in the mix at the back-up point guard spot. Bringing in Kabongo would probably call for a veteran who could be the primary back-up. The hope would be that over time Kabongo could take over as a pass first primary back-up type of guard.Conclusion: Kabongo has plenty of reasons working against him that say he won't be a very good NBA player. He also has a glimmer of hope that shows him as a valuable back-up. He likes to pass and set up other teammates to score. He also crashes the boards. He is a project as a second rounder, but there are still reasons to believe he can be the 15th man on a team and develop in the D-league. I wouldn't bet on him being a big factor one day, but he could be something.
No comments:
Post a Comment