Hey guys, with all of this newly found free time, I have been able to catch up with my buddy the former pro scout more. He had some interesting insight on some of the things going on now and shared some of his prospective. Again, this is just his point of view.
Question: How do you see the impact of COVID 19 on the NBA Draft, college recruiting, and players entering the draft?
Response:
“First, and foremost, the NBA is a huge, huge business and it will always be working. Money, loves to make money. So as I see it, the NBA Draft will go as scheduled with some safety guidelines will be put in place. The NBA Draft alone generates a lot of money, media attention, and fan supports that people are willing to drop cash on. I think that with all of the stay-at-home restrictions and people in general being bored at home, the NBA is probably working on something special or if not special then different to give fans something to look forward to. This would energize the fan base. That’s just my two cents. So we shall wait and see what happens.
“College coaches and their staffs are being very creative and utilizing more of a today's generation and technology approach to recruit players. I think this is a good thing and when all is back to usual again, I would expect some of these new things to be applied into regular recruiting. I do think it is hard on the high school kids and their families by not seeing a campus and sports facilities in person. With that said, I think the players that do commit will do so out of the love of the program, the connection with the coaching staff and the pitch given to the players by the staff. I will always remember the connection I had with the college coaches that recruited me and to this day, I kept relationships with them although I didn’t decide to go to their program.”
“This is the trickiest thing of all. Getting the best feedback from the evaluations sent in by college coaches and performances in games played are essential. You are going to see players that might not have entered the draft in the past do so because they had a good year and their “draft stock” is high. Might also see those one and done type players elect to enter the draft, not based on their college performances, but based off their high school evaluations and such. With that said, some players that were thought or expected to enter the draft might stay in college another year. There are so many things to factor in at this point, that it will be interesting to see who enters the draft and who stays in college. “
Question: What are you hearing and thoughts on the Duke guys possibly coming out early for the draft?
Response: “Let me first start by saying, I will not share who’s doing what out of the respect for the players. I strongly feel that they deserve their moment and it is their stories to share. I will offer up my assessments and draft range.
Vernon Carey: “I see his name all over the draft boards anywhere from mid-1st round to late 1st round. After speaking with some colleagues about him, the general view is that NBA teams like him, but are not wowed by him, thus his stock varies. He has some Wendell Carter in his game to use a Duke reference, but Carter was a much more determined defender and rebounder. I know Carey put up decent rebounding stats, but those 2 things are in question. Additionally, in the NBA, can he guard the 5 or be efficient enough offensively playing the 5? Is his ball handling and shooting good enough to play the 4? Those are huge questions. Don’t get me wrong. He personally proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations for him this year at Duke. He should be a 1st rounder, but depending on who else declares and what teams are looking for, I would not be surprised to see him early 2nd either. Again, I would expect him to go in the 1st round.
Matthew Hurt: “Hurt also proved me wrong too this year at Duke. I expected him to have a bigger impact than Carey because he can shoot the ball so well, he can handle the ball some and can score around the rim. I loved his overall game when he was in high school. This year in college exposed some things in his game and I know the NBA guys are looking at that. I am not going to in to much about his needed physical development because most players take a few years to get their bodies ready. But Hurt has all of the tools to be a solid defender a good rebounder, especially on the offensive end and a very good passer. What I saw was him not utilizing those aspects of his game and solely relying on his shoot. In my opinion he sold himself short this year, and the Matthew Hurt people saw this year is not the total package of the player he is. I could easily see an NBA team taking him and focusing on strength and agility. His overall skills are there. It is his confidence after what I would assess as a subpar year for him. If he comes out, I could see him getting drafted.”
Cassius Stanley; “Easily one of the most athletically gifted players on the NBA radar that could potentially come out. That alone caught the eyes of scouts for NBA teams. He also showed that he could knock down shots including 3s at a decent percentage. On the flip side, his ball handling and playmaking for a 2 guard is in question. He is a player that could develop on an NBA roster and another guy if he comes out will be drafted.”
Wendell Moore: “What NBA guys see in him is his versatility as a player who projects as a 2/3 positional type guy. He’s talented, but all of those skills could use some cleaning up for him to be at his best. He is a player that I feel will be much better this coming year where ever he plays. I am not convinced he would get drafted, but then again, I wouldn’t be shocked if a team took him in the 2nd round.”
Question: How do you see the impact of COVID 19 on the NBA Draft, college recruiting, and players entering the draft?
Response:
“First, and foremost, the NBA is a huge, huge business and it will always be working. Money, loves to make money. So as I see it, the NBA Draft will go as scheduled with some safety guidelines will be put in place. The NBA Draft alone generates a lot of money, media attention, and fan supports that people are willing to drop cash on. I think that with all of the stay-at-home restrictions and people in general being bored at home, the NBA is probably working on something special or if not special then different to give fans something to look forward to. This would energize the fan base. That’s just my two cents. So we shall wait and see what happens.
“College coaches and their staffs are being very creative and utilizing more of a today's generation and technology approach to recruit players. I think this is a good thing and when all is back to usual again, I would expect some of these new things to be applied into regular recruiting. I do think it is hard on the high school kids and their families by not seeing a campus and sports facilities in person. With that said, I think the players that do commit will do so out of the love of the program, the connection with the coaching staff and the pitch given to the players by the staff. I will always remember the connection I had with the college coaches that recruited me and to this day, I kept relationships with them although I didn’t decide to go to their program.”
“This is the trickiest thing of all. Getting the best feedback from the evaluations sent in by college coaches and performances in games played are essential. You are going to see players that might not have entered the draft in the past do so because they had a good year and their “draft stock” is high. Might also see those one and done type players elect to enter the draft, not based on their college performances, but based off their high school evaluations and such. With that said, some players that were thought or expected to enter the draft might stay in college another year. There are so many things to factor in at this point, that it will be interesting to see who enters the draft and who stays in college. “
Question: What are you hearing and thoughts on the Duke guys possibly coming out early for the draft?
Response: “Let me first start by saying, I will not share who’s doing what out of the respect for the players. I strongly feel that they deserve their moment and it is their stories to share. I will offer up my assessments and draft range.
Vernon Carey: “I see his name all over the draft boards anywhere from mid-1st round to late 1st round. After speaking with some colleagues about him, the general view is that NBA teams like him, but are not wowed by him, thus his stock varies. He has some Wendell Carter in his game to use a Duke reference, but Carter was a much more determined defender and rebounder. I know Carey put up decent rebounding stats, but those 2 things are in question. Additionally, in the NBA, can he guard the 5 or be efficient enough offensively playing the 5? Is his ball handling and shooting good enough to play the 4? Those are huge questions. Don’t get me wrong. He personally proved me wrong and exceeded my expectations for him this year at Duke. He should be a 1st rounder, but depending on who else declares and what teams are looking for, I would not be surprised to see him early 2nd either. Again, I would expect him to go in the 1st round.
Matthew Hurt: “Hurt also proved me wrong too this year at Duke. I expected him to have a bigger impact than Carey because he can shoot the ball so well, he can handle the ball some and can score around the rim. I loved his overall game when he was in high school. This year in college exposed some things in his game and I know the NBA guys are looking at that. I am not going to in to much about his needed physical development because most players take a few years to get their bodies ready. But Hurt has all of the tools to be a solid defender a good rebounder, especially on the offensive end and a very good passer. What I saw was him not utilizing those aspects of his game and solely relying on his shoot. In my opinion he sold himself short this year, and the Matthew Hurt people saw this year is not the total package of the player he is. I could easily see an NBA team taking him and focusing on strength and agility. His overall skills are there. It is his confidence after what I would assess as a subpar year for him. If he comes out, I could see him getting drafted.”
Cassius Stanley; “Easily one of the most athletically gifted players on the NBA radar that could potentially come out. That alone caught the eyes of scouts for NBA teams. He also showed that he could knock down shots including 3s at a decent percentage. On the flip side, his ball handling and playmaking for a 2 guard is in question. He is a player that could develop on an NBA roster and another guy if he comes out will be drafted.”
Wendell Moore: “What NBA guys see in him is his versatility as a player who projects as a 2/3 positional type guy. He’s talented, but all of those skills could use some cleaning up for him to be at his best. He is a player that I feel will be much better this coming year where ever he plays. I am not convinced he would get drafted, but then again, I wouldn’t be shocked if a team took him in the 2nd round.”
