(Disclaimer: There is no real "scientific" or "quantifiable" truth to these claims. Merely some observations over the course of a few drafts for the sake of discussion. But feel free to slam this anyway if you don't agree...haha)
Athleticism beyond compare?
Does Julian Wright, doing his best Spiderman impression, have the finesse and skills of say, Spiderman?
Is "athleticism" out of style? Well of course not, because that's what most lottery and first round picks are judged on (with the exception of Dunleavy who's (supposed) methodical play and athletic anti-athleticism was supposed give him hyper-cerebral qualities that could help him navigate his team to the top in a league filled with more talented, more gifted players). But is anyone wary or even tired of the 6'7-6'8 210-225 lbs college player who can "jump out the building?" Or the 6'9-6'10 225-230 lbs point-foward that is the jack of all trades but master of none? They both tend to have an "NBA body." The former has no position, the latter can play almost all five positions. The former was a high scoring player who's physical abilities to will themselves to 25+ pts. a game simultaneously intrigues and worries NBA scouts. The latter's athleticism, combined with a high basketball IQ gives them saavy to do all the "little things." I realized I've probably just named like half the people in the draft and perhaps in previous drafts, but is this type of versatility premised on an athleticism prefiguring one's indeterminate position in the league just NOT HOT???
Are these strong athletic 6'7-6'8 guys like Al Thornton, usually slated to be picked between picks 11-18 just remixes of Toronto's Joey Graham, New Jersey's Antoine Wright, Indy's Danny Granger and even Ed O' Bannon? Will the ultra-versatile 6'9-6'10 point forward in the mold of Julian Wright and Jeff Green who for some reason seem like 3-9 picks end up being like DerMarr Johnson, Tim Thomas, and our beloved (sarcasm) Mike Dunleavy Jr.? It seems that both types of players are actually more similar than they seem, where being able to play any position really means not being able to play any position.
Moreover, the swingman figures out he can't jump over everyone in the NBA and the any-position man figures out he's too slow or really lacks any go-to-moves that can translate into buckets (or even defensive stops).
Granted, there are tons of exceptions (all-stars in the mold of Grant Hill, Vince Carter just to name a few) to this observation. There seems to be something about this "pure athlete" and also the "jack of all trades" that marks them off from say players like Kobe, Garnett, Duncan with more specified skills, roles, and positions. Is there something to be suspicious about when you see a player of this particular shape and skill level? Would you want these types of players on your team?
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