I think Matthews will surprise when he gets to the NBA where he can spend all his time work on his game. I see lots of players similar to him who were suspect colleges shooter who have gone on to look nothing like what they were showing in college such as victor Oladipo who built several house with the bricks he shot during college, Rudy Gay and many others. The one constant from all of them was great athleticism.
I hope Charles gets drafted and makes a great career for himself, and I bet he will. But Iām struggling to think of many 6ā6ā, 190 lb. wings that shot less than 33% from three and less than 60% from the line for their careers in college and went on to succeed in the NBA. The players you mention may be the path for Charles to follow, but both of them had significant stretches in college with more consistency offensively.
Oladipo shot 44% from three as a junior and 75% from the free throw line. Gay shot 47% from three as a freshman (only 31% as a sophomore) and 72% over his career from the line.
Trevor Ariza is probably the best example to strive for. He shot 23% from 3 and 50% FTs at UCLA and now heās a good 3 and D player.
Kyle Kuzma shot 30% from 3 and 63% from FT in his 3 year career.
Another one is Kawhi Leonard, who also shot terrible from 3 during his two years in college. BUT, he had a good 74% FT percentage.
Good call on Ariza @adamsmit86. He was also 6ā8ā 200 lbs with a 7ā2ā wingspan in college. Charles is 6ā6ā 190, with a 6ā9 wingspan.
Kuzma is anotherā¦6ā9ā with a 7ā0ā wingspan. Kawhi weighed 225 lbs in college and projected as a multi-positional defender.
I guess thatās another big reason for my skepticism. I have a hard time seeing Charles guard bulkier forwards in the league. If he was 3 inches taller and 30 pounds stronger, maybe he can guard 1-4 in the league without a problem and develop into a stretch 4 like Ariza and Kuzma have thrived as. But as is, he has tremendous size for an NBA 2 guard, just none of the offensive skills you want in an NBA 2 guard.
I think it means when Charles gets the ball, they throw another ball out there for him thatās heavy and clanks off the rim! Iām in the camp of believers who believes Charles will finish the season āwaltonlikeā and then weāll hear no more about āheavy balls!ā
Talks about Michiganās NBA draft prospects in this article
In particular this paragraph here caught my eyeā¦just because it shows how dumb NBA front offices can be:
Ignas Brazdeikis ā This is a player NBA teams are familiar with since they have been watching him in FIBA play before this season.
Iggy is already 20 years old, so he is a bit on the older side for a freshman, and the NBA guys wonder how much projection is actually left for him physically.
Obviously, they love his ability to score. Right now, they are a bit skeptical about his three-point shooting. They wonder if it is a mirage, or if it is a real improvement over what he has shown in the past. Brazdeikis is shooting 37 percent from three, which hasnāt really been his norm in the past. If this continues through the end of the year, the evaluation could change some.
Based on all the scouting we got from Dylan preseason, what weāve seen is EXACTLY what we should have expected from Iggy and what he has done his whole career. He was a good catch and shoot shooter but poor off the dribble. The only difference between now and high school is that the range is slightly longer and he is shooting almost exclusively catch and shoot threes.
Indeed. I have to think though, that if he can extend his range and shot ~35% from deep at NBA range, that heāll have a career eventually. Though the age thing as a red flag makes sense.
Iām still skeptical that heāll crack round 1 this year. But, he just sends āIām going to leaveā early vibes. Itās that swag.
Hard to believe Markus Howard is a 19 year old junior.
So has the last few weeks hurt the Michigan guysā stock much at all? Is this all just a wait and see approach until the potential run is made in March?
Iām not sure game-by-game fluctuation plays that big of a role. Jordan Poole is missing every shot now, but if he makes them in March he will have great numbers.
Michiganās three wings have all had bright enough moments on big stages to put themselves on the radar.
If the season ended now, Poole and Iggy would get bad grades, IMO.
But the season doesnāt end now. Nobody thought DJ Wilson would go to the NBA in January or February of 2017, but things changed and he went in the first round. Less a draft issue, but nobody would have expected Duncan Robinson to turn into a crucial defensive player midseason last year, either.
If Michigan crumbles into a disappointing finish, we could wind up replacing only Matthews (who I think goes no matter what). But a strong finish, which is certainly possible, opens things up a bit.
Thatās not exactly true about DJ. Jay Williams was hyping him in the November tournament in New York.
People thought he was a pro in November, but not in February. Which is kind of the point.
Which people though? Fans, media types or NBA scouts? The latter donāt talk. I donāt think it matters too much what the former think. If youāre on the radar, as indicated by Jay Williams comments, an inconsistent February probably doesnāt knock you off.
Thatās the point Iām making about Brazdeikis or Poole struggling at points in Big Ten play. It doesnāt really impact their standing that much. Teams are going to look at their potential (which has been demonstrated) and evaluate them long term.
I feel like DJ had more room for error though performance wise because of his size and measurables. I feel like the consensus here has always been that Poole and Iggy arenāt athletic by college standards and will be undersized at their NBA positions, so a month of 30% shooting for Poole could hurt his standing more than Wilsonsās could have. But maybe Iām totally off base here
If either Poole or Iggy have huge tournyās and we go back to the final four, last nights game and a game like Iggy @ Wisky, wonāt mean much.
I just donāt see what an NBA team would want with either Poole or Iggy at this stage of development.
Lacking athleticism, trouble finishing over length, limited shown ability to create for others, small for positions and a penchant for inconsistencies.
What is the one marketable NBA skill they possess that would entice an NBA GM to say āhe can really help us?ā Do either have that much upside potential going forward?
Defensively, both are subpar in the best scenario.