Summer Scout: Dominic McGuire

I still have a man-crush on Dominic McGuire. Curiously, he's listed at 6'9" and last year's program had him listed at 6'8". I still think he's more 6'7-and-a-half with a long wingspan. So I wouldn't say he's a 4 so much as a 3, although he can cover 4s. Plus, on offense he plays more like a 3.

That being said, he's one of the few small forwards who will crash boards and post up. I hope the fact that so many Summer League players don't like to offensive rebound and instead like to hang and watch from the three-point line, expecting a last-second dish out to them, is not a future trend of the NBA, but McGuire certainly bucks that trend.

However, his forte is defense. He moves his butt to get around screens. One time, he switched when he shouldn't have, but at least he tried. Most Summer League players don't do a good job of anticipating a switch. They switch when it's too late.

Also as it pertains to off-ball defense, he does a great job of blocking off the ballhandler when his man sets a high screen. He'll come out of nowhere to help players, closes out well, and even moved his feet to get around a post-up by first-round draft pick big man J.J. Hickson of the Cavaliers, denying the entry pass. He's enthusiastic about playing defense and is the most vocal player on defense.

On offense, he's improved since last year and can actually hit a stop-and-pop, although the rotation of the ball rarely yields a swish; if the ball goes in, it's hitting the back iron.

If I'm the San Antonio Spurs, I've got my eye on this kid as an eventual replacement of Bruce Bowen. If I'm an old-school team like the Spurs, where you know it's easier to teach good offense than it is to teach good defense (although most teams don't really put a lot of stock in defense these days), I want McGuire on my team.

Suffice it to say that McGuire will probably never be a Warrior!