ESPN INsider. Is Burke still the drafts best PG?

[armory]

MCW has a lot to improve upon. But he's got rare size for a PG and very good vision as a passer.

Exactly why I expect him to be a top 10 pick. Too rare a combination of height, vision, and fundamentals to pass up if your team needs a PG.

 

[sheaj]

Not trying to go back and forth but I cannot believe that his (or anyone's) finishing at the rim will not go down from college to the NBA. The players are all much bigger, much stronger, much more athletic, and just simply better defenders. If he stays at 62%, it means he either got much stronger, much better, or had a crap load of breakaways....imo, of course.

oh no worries. I think we all know it isn't personal... just opinion. and maybe in a sense I agree with you... if MCW doesnt get stronger (not necessarily bigger), better and smarter his % will decrease and he will fail in the NBA. I just feel like expecting any one of those things to not happen is selling the kid short.

All players are expected to improve dramatically after the first couple years of experience. and this is a kid with very limited experience. If he strengthens that core and becomes a student of the game, I just dont see a way he isn't at least hovering that mid 60's %.

If he develops any semblance of a consistent outside shot, who knows how good he can be. He has the vision, size, athleticism and the moxie to be great.

 

[Melancer46]

62% AT THE RIM is fantastic? I would not have thought so. Who knew? To me that says he misses almost half his layups.

Edit: I suppose it depends on the definition of "at the rim". I see it as inside of 6' but maybe they mean inside the paint?

I would think it would have to go down in the NBA but here is more relevant data from a recent study:

http://www.hoopdata.com/shotstats.aspx?team=%&type=pg&posi=PG&yr=2013&gp2=0&mins=0

62% at the rim is average in the NBA I think. I know Brandon Jennings shot around 52% at the rim this year and I believe he was the worst of any qualified PG. Steve Nash generally shoots around 70% at the rim.

The reason MCW's at the rim % seems so much higher than we'd expect is because all of those floaters and runners that he attempted don't count. Those fall into the 3-9 foot category I believe.

Edit: Just confirmed it. League average in the NBA for PGs at the rim is about 61-62%.

 

[texascpa]

62% AT THE RIM is fantastic? I would not have thought so. Who knew? To me that says he misses almost half his layups.

62% is closer to missing a third than missing half. What a couple percentage points do to the psyche.

 

[Knicks411]

All this talk about % at the rim made me look up some more NBA numbers. Lebron was second in the NBA in attempts at the rim, and shot 78% on those opportunities. Just amazing.

Something else; if you look at guys who took 100 shots at the rim or more; the top 3 in % of those attempts assisted were Spurs. That's some ball movement.

For all players who played 20 minutes per game or more, and played 40 or more games, all but one took at least 10 shots at the rim. Steve Novak; 2-3. He was also 2-3 from 3-9 feet, and 0-1 for 10-15 feet.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Isn't Burke better than DJ Augustin?
All-Star, probably not. But, he can be a good player in the NBA for a while. Not sure how the 'lack of athleticism' is being determined. I wouldn't put the tag "athletic" on guys like Raymond Felton or Derek Fisher, or Deron Williams either. Lots of guys have been extraordinarily successful without appearing to be athletic. Bird and Duncan immediately come to mind... Probably because of that other thread.

I'm not saying I'm a Burke fan. I've probably only seen him play one entire game. Ours... Just sayin'.

 

[Melancer46]

Isn't Burke better than DJ Augustin?
All-Star, probably not. But, he can be a good player in the NBA for a while. Not sure how the 'lack of athleticism' is being determined. I wouldn't put the tag "athletic" on guys like Raymond Felton or Derek Fisher, or Deron Williams either. Lots of guys have been extraordinarily successful without appearing to be athletic. Bird and Duncan immediately come to mind... Probably because of that other thread.

I'm not saying I'm a Burke fan. I've probably only seen him play one entire game. Ours... Just sayin'.

Those three PGs you just mentioned are also far stronger than Burke, and Williams is lightyears quicker and just deadly with his ball-handling. He's one of the best in the league at beating his man off the dribble. Burke struggles with that.

I think Burke will end up somewhere between a DJ Augustine and Jameer Nelson type impact.

 

[realorange]

All this talk about % at the rim made me look up some more NBA numbers. Lebron was second in the NBA in attempts at the rim, and shot 78% on those opportunities. Just amazing.

Something else; if you look at guys who took 100 shots at the rim or more; the top 3 in % of those attempts assisted were Spurs. That's some ball movement.

For all players who played 20 minutes per game or more, and played 40 or more games, all but one took at least 10 shots at the rim. Steve Novak; 2-3. He was also 2-3 from 3-9 feet, and 0-1 for 10-15 feet.

This is why the "old guys" are still winning big games. They are smart players and Pop keeps them that way.