Caris LeVert Draft Stock

Michigan Basketball
81
Levert down to #29 on Basketball Insiders. Starting to think there is a realistic chance he comes back, the kid just doesn't have an NBA skillset that warrants a first round pick in my opinion.

Full 2015 NBA Mock Draft: 4/5/15 - Basketball Insiders | NBA Rumors And Basketball News

His stock dropping has next to nothing to do with his skill set and everything to do with his injury. He wasn’t great early on in the season, but I think JB could have turned it around just like he did with our Macguyver squad by the end of the season. IMO, he’s still solidly in the first round if he wasn’t injured. He’s sliding down because he can do nothing to improve his stock while injured.

Obviously the injury plays a role, but Caris just isn’t very good at much besides catch and shoot if we’re being honest.

I see a kid that has improved multiple aspects of his game every year he’s been at Michigan and still has plenty of potential left in the tank.

There is no doubt he has improved…but so has Spike. Improvement doesn’t mean you are fit for the NBA, or worthy of a first round pick. If Caris could finish, I think it would be a much different story…but he can’t. Just not in his nature to go up strong for a dunk.

If you want him to be a top 2-3 scoring option, than yeah, that would be a big issue. But I don’t think that’s what he is going to be. He doest have to have a complete game to contribute in the NBA. Not sure what Spike has to do with Caris, completely different floors/ceilings, size and game.

Your initial point was improvement…which is essentially irrelevant to NBA fit type debates, hence I included the fact that Spike has improved as well. With regard to Caris, it’s not that he doesn’t have a complete game, he is honestly a kid that is one dimensional for NBA purposes. Will be a below average defender, can’t shoot off the bounce, not a great passer by any means, doesn’t finish well. I also question whether Caris has 22-23 foot range on his jumpshot as opposed to 20-21…if he can’t hit 3s consistentlly in the league, I don’t know what purpose he serves in the league to be honest.

Yes, it was on improvement but I assumed it was a given that Caris has more coveted skills considering he is on NBA GM’s radar and Spike is not.

82

Latest mock draft from Bleacher Report does not include Caris in the first round.

83

Matt I think Levert is a pretty good isolation player. At 6’7 he has good quickness and handle to be effective in that regard. He’s also a solid rebounder at the 2 spot. While defense wasn’t great at UM, I think he has the quickness and length to guard people in the NBA. No question fixing that mid range game would do him wonders, but I think there’s plenty there that warrants this NBA attention and scouts seem to agree

84

Levert down to #25 on Draft Express. Still not projected to be drafted in 15 by DraftNet. I think things are certainly looking better for us by the day

http://www.nbadraft.net/2015mock_draft

85
Matt I think Levert is a pretty good isolation player. At 6'7 he has good quickness and handle to be effective in that regard. He's also a solid rebounder at the 2 spot. While defense wasn't great at UM, I think he has the quickness and length to guard people in the NBA. No question fixing that mid range game would do him wonders, but I think there's plenty there that warrants this NBA attention and scouts seem to agree

I see Matt’s point with Caris as it relates to his isolation game. He has nice handles and a good change of direction, but he’s not super quick so defenders can recover and he’s not great (good, not great) at pulling up off of that dribble or finishing strong through contact if he goes all the way to the rim.

86
Matt I think Levert is a pretty good isolation player. At 6'7 he has good quickness and handle to be effective in that regard. He's also a solid rebounder at the 2 spot. While defense wasn't great at UM, I think he has the quickness and length to guard people in the NBA. No question fixing that mid range game would do him wonders, but I think there's plenty there that warrants this NBA attention and scouts seem to agree

Caris doesn’t have good lateral agility, certainly not at the NBA level…very average in that regard. His handle is good, but the issue is that it doesn’t aid him on a functional basis because he isn’t able to finish at a good clip when he does get separation, and he can’t knock down a mid range jumper off the bounce. With regard to defense, I don’t think many think he is going to be a good defender in the league, just doesn’t have the lateral agility or strength to be a good isolation defender, and his lapses in focus on screens are well documented.

87

It’s hipster of you to disagree just for the sake of disagreeing. And seriously? Find me a more similar scouting report to Caris LeVert than Jeremy Lamb. I’ll wait.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz3WbK901jQ
http://www.draftexpress.com

"From a physical standpoint, Lamb has nice size for an NBA shooting prospect at 6-5, which he combines with a freakishly long wingspan, smooth athleticism and solid explosiveness. His thin, lanky frame still needs added strength, but he already appears to have made some strides in that area since last year, and he should continue to fill out more in time, as he’s still only 19 years old.

After playing off the ball last season next to Walker and using over half of his possessions spotting up or in transition, Lamb took on a new role this season as the team’s primary scorer and spent much more time with the ball in his hands.

However, with backcourt mates Ryan Boatright and Shabazz Napier also looking to take their turns creating off the dribble and taking plenty of ill-advised shots, Connecticut’s offense looked very ugly at times, with Lamb often alternating between disappearing for stretches and taking bad shots trying to assert himself in the offense."

Despite these struggles, Lamb still showed why he’s considered one of the most talented wing players in all of college basketball, showing more versatility as a scorer than he did as a freshman. He used over a quarter of his possessions this season in isolation sets or as the pick-and-roll ball-handler, and while he had mixed results, he also displayed his potential as a shot-creator.

He has a smooth first step and very good ball-handling skills, fluidly using change of speed and direction dribbles to keep his defender on his heels. At this stage, though, Lamb prefers to utilize his step-back jumper or use his dribble to create space for mid-range jump shots, often bailing out his defender, rather than attacking the rim. This is evidenced by how infrequently he gets to the free throw line, where he ranks 5th in attempts per-40 amongst the 21 shooting guards in our top 100 prospect rankings, as well as in the fact that 73% of his shots in the half-court come on jumpers."

That’s far more than two things similar to Caris.

-Similar height
-Both have freakishly long wingspans
-Both need to add bulk to their frame
-Both found themselves taking bad shots trying to run the offense
-Both are extremely versatile scorers who were used in isolation and PnR situations.
-Both showed potential as shot creators.
-Both have quick feet / a good first step.
-Both have very good ball handling.
-Both are good at operating at different speeds with the ball.
-Both shy away from going to the rim.
-Both excelled playing off the ball and spotting up and in transition their first key years, and then because the team’s primary scorer / ball handler the following year.

I mean, you’ll never find EXACT comparisons, but Jeremy Lamb and Caris LeVert are extremely similar prospects. Lamb is better at mid-range jumpers than lever, but LeVert is a significantly better passer. Other than that, there isn’t much difference (prospect wise).

88
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jeremy-Lamb-6380/

It almost reads like you’re reading a LeVert scouting report.

Might be a very hipster thing of me to say, but no it doesn’t. It says that they’re both skinny, but it notes Lamb’s explosiveness and excellent midrange game. Two things that are not indicative of Caris, at least by his report on the same sight. Additionally, I never said Caris wasn’t a good passer, I just rebutted the point that because he lead the team in everything that he had to be great at everything.

Also hipster? Really? I’m old enough to have hipster kids.

89
I was under the impression that you were calling LeVert "just" a catch and shoot player college player. My apologies.

Honestly, I think I did. I would have been better served to say that he’s only above average (at the NBA level) in catch and shoot situations in my opinion.

90

Last year Levert was one of the best isolation players in the country. This year he struggled a bit but I think a lot of that was him forcing things because the team around him was bad

91
Last year Levert was one of the best isolation players in the country. This year he struggled a bit but I think a lot of that was him forcing things because the team around him was bad

Last year he thrived in isolation situations becasue he wasn’t drawing the best defender from the opposition and teams didn’t gameplan around him. This year teams adjusted and Levert struggled.

92

I usually don’t post on the forums, but am a frequent poster on the main site comments. I am a recent grad (2012) and my brother is a current UM student. One of his good friends has the same academic advisor as Caris. I am not sure how it came up, but the advisor said she would be “very surprised” if Caris wasn’t a student next year. Take that for what it is worth.

93

Could you imagine a future Lineup consisting of Kyle Slo Mo Anderson, Caris LeVert, Kawhi Leonard in the San Antonio Backcourt? Hell they can send the Pistons Kyle Anderson, LeVert and a future First round pick for Greg Monroe. I doubt if Monroe wants to stays in Detroit, I say try to sign and trade him.

It’s hipster of you to disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.

No, I disagreed because I disagreed. Not for the sake of disagreeing. Oh heaven forbid I enter into a conversation that was yet another pissing match between MattD and someone who doesn’t like what he has to say, then have the audacity to disagree with the anti-Matt side…

As for the Lamb and Levert comparison, you asked for MattD to point out the significant differences between the two. I know I’m not MattD, but I responded to your inquiry with 2 significant differences. Athletic explosion and a mid-range shot. Now to your other points, they ARE very similar. I think Levert has a much better handle than Lamb though.

Your initial post implied that the only similarity you saw between the two was that they are both skinny. Now, you are saying they ARE very similar. Please make up your mind.

If you agree that they ARE very similar, then you can understand why I think a healthy LeVert is still a 1st round lock. Lamb, a very similar player, was a lottery pick in a loaded draft.

Let me break this down for you… when I say based on your points (aka your response and my consideration of your response) I agree with you. That means I paid attention to what you said, considered it, and decided to change my stance. I thought the point of a discussion was to influence opinion not doggedly maintain your stance without ever entertaining an alternative point of view. Not every counterpoint is total disagreement. Sometimes it’s just a different point of view.

As far as Caris being a first rounder, I tend to agree with you and have from the beginning. I’m not sure he’s a lock, but I believe he has a pretty good shot. In fact I think he’s the kind of player a better team that is drafting later would grab in a heartbeat.

94
Last year Levert was one of the best isolation players in the country. This year he struggled a bit but I think a lot of that was him forcing things because the team around him was bad

Last year he thrived in isolation situations becasue he wasn’t drawing the best defender from the opposition and teams didn’t gameplan around him. This year teams adjusted and Levert struggled.

I don’t think it’s out of the question to think he would have improved over the course of the season. Stauskas had a poor stretch and then recovered magnificently. And he didn’t have lateral quickness either.

95
Last year Levert was one of the best isolation players in the country. This year he struggled a bit but I think a lot of that was him forcing things because the team around him was bad

Last year he thrived in isolation situations becasue he wasn’t drawing the best defender from the opposition and teams didn’t gameplan around him. This year teams adjusted and Levert struggled.

I don’t think it’s out of the question to think he would have improved over the course of the season. Stauskas had a poor stretch and then recovered magnificently. And he didn’t have lateral quickness either.

Totally agree that he would have most likely improved, but to what extent is the question. It was fairly obvious Nik could shoot off the bounce early on…Caris never improved in that regard in the time he was on the court. The same can be said for his passing out of PnR. All that to say, for the most part, what you see is what you get with Caris.

96

Ford says Levert should return:

“He should return,” Ford wrote in a draft chat. “His draft stock was trending down before he was injured. Not sure he’d be a first rounder if he declared. He’d need excellent workouts.”

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2015/04/08/michigan-basketball-caris-levert/25472511/

97
Last year Levert was one of the best isolation players in the country. This year he struggled a bit but I think a lot of that was him forcing things because the team around him was bad

Last year he thrived in isolation situations becasue he wasn’t drawing the best defender from the opposition and teams didn’t gameplan around him. This year teams adjusted and Levert struggled.

I don’t think it’s out of the question to think he would have improved over the course of the season. Stauskas had a poor stretch and then recovered magnificently. And he didn’t have lateral quickness either.

Totally agree that he would have most likely improved, but to what extent is the question. It was fairly obvious Nik could shoot off the bounce early on…Caris never improved in that regard in the time he was on the court. The same can be said for his passing out of PnR. All that to say, for the most part, what you see is what you get with Caris.

I thought he was pretty solid in PnR his sophomore year. Not so much this year, but he also had Doyle and Donnal setting screens, not a RS senior JMo. I think his passing is exponentially better than it was when he got here. And I think it could get even better. I really didn’t take much from Caris this year. Team started out as a mess. I really would have liked to see what he could do at the end of the season when players had started to step up. I hope he comes back because I think he could have a very good season. I also think he now knows what he needs to add/change in his game. I will be interested to see if that midrange game improves and if he can add a floater to assist in his fg% around the rim since he doesn’t have the strength to finish directly at it.

98

I am fairly confident that, barring injury, LeVert will play himself back into a top 20 pick. Even when he was playing “bad”, his draft stock was pretty steady. It wasn’t until the injury than his stock started falling a lot. If I’m being honest (seems to be the cool thing to say).

99

Not sure what you mean when you say that Donnal has proven he can score from beyond the arc. He only made 7 3-pointers all last season, in 29 games. That ain’t much scoring from beyond the arc. Not sure how you can blame Beilein for that, either. He runs the offense he runs, and he can’t tailor it to each individual player. Donnal had a whole redshirt year to figure out how to integrate himself into the offense he knew they’d be running, and he still couldn’t make much of a contribution once he saw the floor.

100

I think Caris is a definitely a first rounder either this year or next year.