When talking about who the elite guards of the next decade are it is easy to say Derrick Rose is at the top of the list, but can we include jerryd bayless to the list as well. 6'3'' and extremely built for his age, he is an intimidating scorer averaging around 25 points a game, he can dish it out to his teammates, and he has been a proven leader for the University of Arizona Wildacts basketball team. He provides strong intangibles and he is only a freshman. Through growth and maturation in the NBA, it wouldnt be unheard of if his name was on the all-star ballot in a few short years.
That's fascinating, when did he average 25 points a game? I'm sure he did in high school, but NBA teams are probably more concerned with college stats. He was under 20.
That's fascinating, when did he average 25 points a game? I'm sure he did in high school, but NBA teams are probably more concerned with college stats. He was under 20.LOL. Great post. I was just going to post the same thing.
Yeah, not sure about the 25ppg either, but agreed Bayless is the no. 2 guard in this draft and will be an impact player in the nba. having seen both him and mayo play in person this year, i'd prefer mayo in a second.
Mayo lost his luster a little bit, but I've gotta agree. I'd take him over Bayless, even though I like the cat. Watching Mayo play 5 times last year, I found that in each game my attention was always drawn to him over any other player, even when he played against all those NBA prospects at Arizona and UCLA. That means, to me, that he controls the tempo of a game. He'll have to learn how to finish better, and make better decisions on his passes, but he's got great handles and creates his own shots nicely. But he is one of those guys who you've gotta watch play to see what all the hoopla is about. Eric Gordon, on the other hand, did not impress me whatsoever in the 3 games I saw him play. He doesn't look like a pro PG to me so much as a scorer off the bench.
Augustin might surprise people. Being small but skilled, he might come on like Jameer Nelson did, who was the best PG in college but scouts shied away because of his size. I love watching Jameer, and never understood why scouts didn't focus more on his speed and skills the way they did for TJ Ford (who, of course, was INCREDIBLY fast in college). Many players have shown that being around 5'11'' isn't a career death sentence so long as you have great speed, passing and dribbling... and hopefully, shooting.
Bayless is going to be a good PG but I don't see him as an elite guard. I don't see him making the same impact as a Rose, Gordon or Mayo. Bayless won't be starter on the team that drafts him. Though talented, I just don't get that same feeling watching him like you do those other three. I'll agree with you that a few all-star ballots could be in his future, just not "few short years" future.
I agree with your assessment of Augustine, he will surprise people. He can shoot, very good dribble and most important, he is a very cerebral player. Jameer Nelson is a very good comparison. But your assessment on Eric Gordon is way off (especially off only 3 games). He led the Big Ten in scoring as a freshmen. His game is without flash, he is solid. He has a great feel for the game and can knock it down from deep. His handle is better than people think. He is on the same level as Rose and Mayo as far as impact & future stardom is concerned. Surely ahead of Bayless.
Watch out on your assesment of Gordon. He turned the ball over whenever he faced stiff defense. Xavier's Lavender schooled him, Michigan State caused a ton of turnovers, Illinois was gunning for him and caused him to throw the ball away a ton, Wisconsin pretty much neutralized all of his scoring by equalling each bucket with a turn over, and Purdue made his ball handeling look very suspect.
The Hoosiers won some of those games, but I think DJ White is the one that kept IU from losing, not Gordon.
