FanPost

GSoM Draft Profile: Chris Singleton - FSU

For many GSOM'ers it's been a struggle watch Warriors, especially on the defensive end. There have been numerous post about trading Biedrins, Curry, Lee and/or Monta for the likes of Josh Smith, Gerald Wallace or any other player that guard both the 3 and 4 spots a high level. One college prospect that embodies the dreams of getting a Wallace or a J-Smoove like player is Chris Singleton.

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He's been comped to from player like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith, and even Rudy Gay. The consensus is that despite taking it up on the offensive end this season that his offensive game will still struggle to translate to the NBA. However, the other consensus is that his defensive skills and athleticism will translate quite well to the next level. So what do the draft experts think?

NBADraft.net

NBA Comparison: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

Strengths: A small forward with terrific size and length for the position … He is an explosive leaper and has next level athleticism … A very good player in transition, he runs the floor extremely hard and is able to finish plays above the rim in open lane situations … His upper body is well built, and he has the strength to move defenders on drives to the basket … Has developed into a formidable catch and shoot threat … With his feet set he can shoot the ball with range and fairly consistently knock down jumpers from deep … Shows the ability to make shots from the NBA three point line … His biggest impact is on the defensive end, where his size, length, athleticism and terrific instincts make him a lockdown defender … He possesses all the tools to be able to translate his defense to the NBA level … Can guard multiple positions … His ability to anticipate and jump into passing lanes combined with shotblocking, make him a very rare threat on the defensive side of the ball … He is a blue-collar player and is capable of impacting the game without needing the ball in his hands or getting plays called for him … A solid rebounder, he is especially good on the O glass, where he uses his length and athleticism to get to rebounds …

Weaknesses: Not a natural wing player, he is not very smooth with the ball and does not have the ballhandling skills which would allow him to create his shot with consistency … Not a great scorer, lacks the feel and touch around the basket and depends too much on his physical prowess to get him thorough situations… Has the size and length to score with his back to the basket, but his poor footwork and bodycontrol make it hard for him to get good shots off inside … Still a very streaky shooter, especially on the move or off the dribble … He tends to shoot without squaring his body, his stroke is not the most natural, and his release comes too far off his head … His legs are fairly skinny but he is top heavy, which makes his movements awkward but it also gives him poor balance … Improved on his free throw percentage, but it’s still not where it needs to be …

Note: Singleton fractured his foot on Feb. 12 and had surgery shortly after. It will be interesting to see when he is able to return and if he will be effective enough to keep his stock high enough to remain in the 2011 draft.

Draft Express

NBA Draft Prospect of the Week: Chris Singleton

by: Jonathan Givony - December 27, 2010

By passing up the opportunity to be picked in the first round of last year's draft, an onerous burden was placed on Chris Singleton to become the go-to guy for Florida State and satisfy inevitably high expectations from NBA scouts, the national media, his coaching staff and Seminole fans.

Numbers aside, Singleton's biggest asset as a NBA prospect remains his prototypical physical attributes. Standing somewhere between 6-8 and 6-9, with long arms, a well-built frame, and outstanding athleticism, he looks the part of a modern-day NBA forward — a la Josh Smith, Rudy Gay, and Gerald Wallace.

His skill-level, however, has taken slightly longer to come along, as you can probably guess by the 49.6% he shot from the free throw line last season.

Singleton is still not what you would call a great offensive player, but he has made incremental improvements that have helped him become a more efficient scorer. That's not an easy thing to do playing in an offense that ranked last in the ACC last season (130th in the NCAA) in offensive efficiency, and would be well on its way to repeating that feat if the conference wasn't so down this year.

Singleton's jump shot is a good place to start since it will be crucial to the success he enjoys as an NBA player. He's taking slightly less of them this year but is making the ones he does attempt at a better rate. He has nice shooting mechanics (albeit with an average touch), so it was only a matter of time until this started happening, especially once his shot selection improved. Through 14 games, Singleton has converted 24 of his 62 jump shots (39%), up from 36-of-134 (22%) last year – a major improvement.

Digging deeper, we find that he's simply been a lot more effective spotting up with his feet set this season, converting nearly half of his attempts of this nature (as opposed to 29% last season). Considering his likely role in the NBA, that's a very encouraging development. Can he continue to shoot like that for the rest of the season and in private workouts for NBA teams?

Another positive development revolves around Singleton's post-up game. We've seen a lot more of him on the block this season, and he's enjoying greater success there. With the huge size advantage he enjoys on a nightly basis at the small forward position, and even at the power forward position at times, where he's playing a lot more this year, there's no reason he shouldn't be doing this even more.

On a similar note, Singleton's offensive rebounding production has also improved. Given his tremendous physical tools, scouts have always wanted to see Singleton show better effort and toughness and be more willing to go inside the paint to make his presence felt, and they are finally getting their wish.

As a slasher, Singleton remains below average. He does not have the ball-handling skills needed to create his own shot on a consistent basis. He struggles to change speeds and directions with the ball, which hampers him from taking full advantage of his excellent physical tools. He isn't able to get to the rim and utilize his explosiveness as much as you might hope, often settling for off-the-dribble jumpers instead, which are definitely not his strength.

This is a big reason why he projects as more of an off-the-ball role player than someone expected to carry a heavy offensive load in the NBA. Clearly he would be best suited playing on an up-tempo team that likes to get out in transition, alongside a point guard who can get him the ball in a position to score. In his current situation at Florida State, with its slow and disjointed offense, it's tough to imagine that at times.

With his terrific size, length, lateral quickness and intensity, Singleton puts tremendous pressure on the ball and is an absolute menace in passing lanes. He gets his team tons of extra possessions every game with his ability to collect rebounds, blocks and steals, and is the type of player who would have no problem guarding multiple positions at the NBA level —be it face-up 4's, shot-creating wings, back-to-the-basket forwards, or even switching out onto quicker guards on the perimeter (if that's how his coach elects to defend the pick-and-roll). This type of versatility makes him extremely attractive in today's NBA.

Singleton has done a good job of polishing his all-around game and is making a compelling case for himself as a potential lottery pick. How he finishes the season from an individual and, more importantly, a team perspective will play a large part in how he's ultimately perceived as a draft prospect.

Although he clearly has his flaws, players of Singleton's nature who are capable of locking down multiple positions, rebounding out of their area and scoring in transition (off cuts to the basket and second chance opportunities on the offensive glass) are valuable assets. If Singleton can develop into a reliable spot-up shooter on top of that, he'll have a long and productive NBA career.

DraftExpress.com - http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Draft-Prospect-of-the-Week-Chris-Singleton-3603/#ixzz1HSABXCp1

ESPN Draft Blog

Dec 22 Update: Few players helped their stock more this summer than Singleton. Solid performances at the LeBron James Skills Academy and with the USA Select Team that practiced against Mike Krzyzewski's FIBA World Championship team left a positive impression with most NBA evaluators, especially defensively.

In the two games I saw Singleton in person, it is clear that given his size, athleticism, quickness, anticipation and desire to compete, he can defend three NBA positions right now: shooting guard, small forward and power forward. In fact, he is in the top 60 in the country in blocked shot rate and steal rate and, earlier in the year, he completed the first triple-double in ACC history that included points, rebounds and blocks.

Against Ohio State, Singleton helped hold freshman sensation Jared Sullinger to 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting and the Buckeyes, overall, to 32 percent shooting. His five steals and three blocks were a source of disruption all night.

The downside right now for Singleton is that he is not a skilled offensive player. He can shoot the standstill 3-point shot because he has good form and should improve enough to become a serviceable threat from the perimeter. However, his ball skills are fair and he does not play through contact inside but "babies" the ball to the rim.

For a former McDonald's All-American to embrace being a great defensive player requires a low ego. So it is a positive that Singleton will not need the ball when he gets to the NBA. Given that he is a high character guy, he should embrace his role nicely. The confidence he picked up guarding guys like Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala will help, as well. He is ready to be selected in the Top 15. -- By Fran Franschilla

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Dec 28 Update: We've already written about Singleton extensively this year. There isn't a lot to add to the evaluation. He remains the best and most versatile defender in the country. Singleton was repeatedly called upon to guard the opposing team's best player and showed again that he's equally comfortable covering perimeter and post players. His size, quickness and athleticism should all transfer to the next level. Someone's going to take him high based purely on his ability to impact the game defensively.

As an offensive player, Singleton showed us areas where he's improved, as well as some weaknesses. In the opening game against Hawaii, he was 2-for-12 from the field and couldn't get anything going. However, against Butler, Singleton was on fire. He dropped in 28 points and went 6-for-12 from behind the arc. In Saturday's win over Baylor, he had 17 points and went 2-for-4 from 3.

To put it succinctly, Singleton is still very much a work in progress on the offensive end. But he has drastically improved his jumper this season. He's not a marksman by any stretch of the imagination, but if he keeps putting the work into his game, he can become a passable shooter and perhaps have a James Posey-like pro career. Scouts are largely high on Singleton. Everyone I spoke to had him ranked somewhere between 10 and 20 on their boards. -- Chad Ford

Brian's Big Board

3/25/2011

Singleton looks the part of an NBA wing. He's got good athleticism, tremendous length, and a willingness to defend. Where he still is limited is on the offensive end. Singleton doesn't have the skill-set to be consistently relied upon to handle the ball, hit the open 3, and create by slashing to the hoop. But, he is a tenacious defender and rebounder, which will ultimately be his calling card in the NBA. While Singleton remains limited offensively, he has improved. He's become a better perimeter shooter and he's become more comfortable handling the ball. But, his weaknesses remain on the offensive end and he's below average for the next level on that end of the floor. He also struggle to put the ball on the floor and create for himself and his teammates, which will certainly hurt him at the next level.

Defensively, he becomes a very intriguing prospect as he can guard 2-4, and he really takes pride in his ability to defend. He's the type of player that will get steals, block shots, and provide help on the boards, which are all positives when coming off the bench in the NBA. Singleton has become the leader on one of the best defensive teams, and programs for that matter, at the college level. Athletically, Singleton brings a nice combination of quickness, athleticism, and length, which allow him to be a very tough defender. He also has good strength and a solid frame, which should continue to fill out as he matures. Physically, there's a lot to like about Singleton and his potential.

Overall, Singleton remains a 1st round prospect due to his physical gifts and his willingness to work on the defensive end. I am not sure he'll ever be good enough to start in the NBA, but he certainly could provide defense, energy, and versatility off the bench. Look for Singleton to go anywhere outside of the lottery to the beginning of the second round.

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Player Comp

Dominic McGuire | Small Forward | Fresno State

Singleton reminds me of a blend between Devin Ebanks and Dominic McGuire. But, I think he fits more with McGuire's toughness and defense-first mentality. McGuire was a 2nd round pick, who has bounced around, but has managed to stay in the NBA with his hustle and toughness. I think Singleton is more athletic than McGuire, but both guys are limited offensively, and both guys bring energy to the floor every time they step on it. I think Singleton has more potential due to his athleticism, but I think both players are similar in what they bring to a team.

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Mental

I love Singleton's energy. The guy competes for all 40 minutes and really takes pride on his play on the defensive end. He doesn't need to get looks on the offensive end to be effective, which should speak to his willingness to play a role at the next level. Singleton also has shown leadership both when he's on the court and when he was hurt this past season, by encouraging his teammates. Overall, Singleton seems like he has the mental toughness to be effective at the next level.

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This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!