NBA Draft Preview: Looking at shooting guards
With Joe Johnson soaking up 36 minutes a night, MarShon Brooks entering a make or break third season and the potential arrival of Bojan Bogdanovich from Europe, just how much room do the Nets have for another young shooting guard? Depends on how Jason Kidd views positionality. Both Johnson and Gerald Wallace have enough size for the Nets to move them over to small forward and power forward, respectively. Three of the Nets’ five most commonly used lineups featured Johnson as Brooklyn’s third biggest player (if not technically a small forward), and Wallace spent a lesser but still considerable amount of time as a small ball four.
The Nets will also need to find shooters to replace the presumably departing Keith Bogans, C.J. Watson and Jerry Stackhouse, so it’s possible that need could encourage quantity at shooting guard. Here’s a few of them we like.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia (Sophomore) – 6’6, 204
Positives:
- Solid size and athleticism for the position
- Good (not great) shooter and a good scorer
- Active defensively (2 steals per game as a sophomore) and on the boards (over 7 per game)
Negatives:
- Not elite in any area
- Will struggle to create his own offense at the NBA level
How he fits:
Caldwell-Pope is one of those prospects who can both help immediately and develop into a starter down the road. For now, Caldwell-Pope can step right into the Bogans’ role off the bench as something of a “3 and D” wing, stretching the floor on offense and being disruptive on defense. Strong in the catch and shoot game, it’s not difficult envisioning Caldwell-Pope as the recipient of many of Deron’s drive-and-kick passes. With his size, he could also fit into a three-guard lineup as the de facto small forward.
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State (Junior) – 6’5, 195
Positives:
- Long and hyper-athletic
- Competitive, plays with a lot of energy
- Great rebounder and will make plays on defense
- Gets to and finishes at the rim
Negatives:
- Lacks guard skills (poor shooter and decision maker)
- Played as a forward in college, will have to adjust at the NBA level
How he fits:
While Franklin has a long way to go from a skill standpoint, he carries attributes that translate immediately at the NBA level: athleticism, energy and rebounding. He could provide the Nets with an athletic, open-court dimension they’re sorely lacking outside of Gerald Wallace. Simply, this is the guy you want if you ever bemoaned the Nets’ lack of hustle, grit and determination. The big question is how do the Nets – already a mediocre shooting team – space the floor with a shooting guard who can’t shoot?
Reggie Bullock, North Carolina (Junior) – 6’7, 200
Positives:
- Great size for the position
- Excellent shooter with plenty of range
- Will defend
Negatives:
- What took him so long to make an impact in college? Is he dedicated?
- Lacks great physical gifts
How he fits:
Bullock has the potential to fill the role MarShon Brooks has been aiming for: explosive scorer off the bench. The two are actually diverse enough to share the court, with Brooks getting most of his offense inside and Bullock doing his damage from the perimeter. At 6’7, he can slide over to small forward. But If Bogdanovich comes over, is there a redundancy issue?
Ricky Ledo, Providence (Freshman) - 6’6, 197
Positives:
- Naturally gifted scorer. Can shoot and get to the rim.
- Can create for himself and for others
- Good basketball IQ
Negatives:
- Academically ineligible to play in college / off the court concerns
- How will he adapt to NBA competition having last played against high schoolers?
How he fits:
Ledo’s hard to peg, predominantly because we never got to see him play in college. Still, he’s a scorer who prefers to make plays with the ball in his hands, something the Nets didn’t get from their bench this year. He’s probably not going to be a catch-and-shoot threat to play off of Deron, Joe and Brook, but if he develops, he’s the type of player who can take some of the burden off of the team’s aging stars.
Allen Crabbe, California (Junior) - 6’6, 197
Positives:
- Good shooter
- Knows how to score
- Has the length needed to be effective on defense
Negatives:
- Average athlete
- Not a great finisher
- Doesn’t create his own offense
How he fits:
Crabbe is another effective catch-and-shoot wing in the vein of Caldwell-Pope and Bullock, although with less upside. He can stretch the floor and hurt teams when they pay too much attention to the Nets’ stars. Crabbe needs help from his teammates to score, however, and the lack of a great playmaker in the second unit might hurt his effectiveness.
Previously: Point Guards
