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(Atlantic 10): NBA Draft Preview (Part 2)
By Guest | June 26, 2008
By: Regular Guest Contributor, Ian Nolan
Tonight is draft night. Waiting for their names to be called along with hundreds of other players will be a few graduates from the Atlantic 10 Conference. Below is Part 2 of CCT’s A-10 NBA Draft Preview, examining the remaining three of six players from the conference with draft hopes.
Brian Roberts, Guard- University of Dayton
Perhaps no player in the Atlantic 10 this past season was relied upon more by his team than point guard Brian Roberts. The 6′2″ guard with a sweet stroke was asked to do just about everything by head coach Brian Gregory (particularly as a result of injuries to Chris Wright and Charles Little)… and he did not disappoint.
Roberts was named to the A-10 first team as a senior (2nd team the two previous seasons), averaged 18.4 points, shot a ridiculous 45% from three-point range (3rd in the A-10), and dished out 117 assists. Roberts holds many UD records, and is a tremendously efficient player (Career 45% from the floor, 44% from three-point range). Roberts is a very mature and composed, but is a bit undersized and not a true NBA athlete. While is offensive game is well polished, his defense is adequately suited, at best, for the NBA level.
Roberts best chance at making an NBA roster is his ability to score the basketball from the perimeter. His three-point shooting totals placed him among the best in the nation last season and his jump shot is a thing of beauty. Off the dribble, Roberts is not an explosive player, but does play within himself, proven by his solid A/TO ratio throughout his career. At the next level, Roberts would be asked to simply distribute the ball and stretch defenses by knocking down threes.
Roberts is an adequate facilitator of the offense and his current point guard skills are decent, but he is not a true, first-rate NBA point. His size, or lack thereof, will force him to play only the point position; playing the off-guard is likely out of the question for Roberts in the NBA.
Overall, Roberts is a very good player with a tremendous jump shot, good instincts, a decent handle and below-average NBA athleticism. He’ll need to fall into the perfect system in order to be drafted and, although he performed well in pre-draft camps/ workouts, he probably falls just outside of the top 60 players in the draft.
Prediction: Not Drafted
Pat Calathes, Guard/Forward- St. Joseph’s University
Of these six A-10 players who have a chance to hear their name called Thursday night, Calathes is the most interesting. When Phil Martelli recruited and signed the ‘guard’ from Florida, Calathes was a shade under 6′ feet tall. Well… four years later he is listed at 6′10″ and owns experience playing positions one through four on the floor. As his height increased, so too did his stock as a future professional.
Calathes intrigues NBA scouts because of this combination of height and versatility, which many envision can create major mismatches for opposing teams. He is a more than capable ball handler and has good vision at the point-forward position, demonstrated clearly during the Atlantic Ten Tournament when he consistently delivered difficult entry passes over unsuspecting defenders time after time. Pat improved his scoring average at SJU from 1.9 ppg. as a freshman to 17.5 ppg. last season; and is solid on the boards, having averaged 7.5 a contest. Scouts like his outside shooting ability and believe he’s not simply a catch-and-shoot guy. The lanky swingman does a good job finishing around the rim and is calm under pressure.
As much as his height propels him upward in the minds of many, his lack of bulk and muscle may be too much for him to overcome. Pat is only 210 pounds. His frame would certainly limit him to being a perimeter player only in the NBA; he simply does not have the size to bang down low over an eighty-two game season, offensively or defensively.
When all is said and done, however, Calathes is one of the more intriguing players in the draft because players of his size and skill set don’t come around often. As a result, one NBA team will take a flier on him and hope for the best.
Prediction: Drafted
Josh Duncan, Forward- Xavier Unversity
Much like the fellow members of his senior class at Xavier, Josh Duncan graduated as one of the more accomplished players in school history. While Duncan was never truly a starter in any season in which he played, he still managed to score over 1,200 points and distinguish himself as a tough, hard-nosed player who was often the unsung, and at times under appreciated, hero of the Musketeers. For someone who did not once start more than twenty games in a season, Duncan has a chance at being drafted tonight, an impressive feat.
Josh Duncan’s game can be described as multi-dimensional. Offensively, Duncan has decent size at the power forward position (6′9, 238), great hands, a soft touch around the rim, and a quality perimeter jump shot. He can play some with his back to the basket and also by picking and popping and hitting the fifteen to nineteen foot jump shot. Duncan uses his wide frame to set good screens and has a good basketball I.Q. For a forward, Josh gets up and down the floor well and can finish at the rim with either hand. He also is not afraid to take and make big shots, as he did so many times last season.
That being said, there is not an aspect of his game that clearly separates him from the pack at his position. His ball handling skills are above average for a forward and scouts should like his maturity and good work ethic. But for someone 6′9″ playing in the Atlantic 10, Duncan never averaged more than 5 rebounds in a season. Because Duncan is not very explosive or overly athletic, he also may have problems guarding longer and quicker players at the next level.
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford has Duncan being drafted at the 49th pick in his latest mock draft. His mock draft also tabs Pat Calathes, but omits Daniels and Forbes. Chad certainly has his industry sources, but Duncan likely does not have the quickness to play away from the hoop in the NBA - particularly defensively - yet demonstrated a style of play in college that suggested a preference for the perimeter game. As a result, the ideal fit must present itself in order for Duncan to hear his name announced.
Prediction: Not Drafted
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