Official Thread: Brandon Roy

[admin]

Brandon Roy, SG/SF
21 years old 6'6" 215 lbs.
Washington, Senior

Check out the complete profile at: Full Profile (http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=343)

[Casual]

I've watched Brandon climb up the mock draft list for a while now, and I don't understand why he's rated so highly. I go to the University of Washington, and I've seen him play extensively the last three years. The only NBA-ready skill he has is his one-on-one defense. He's supposedly a great athlete (I've heard tales of him imitating Vince Carter in practice) but it never shows during games. His athleticism is nothing to sneeze at, but he doesn't get super high off the floor and he can't beat most defenders off the dribble. He's an inconsistent shooter although he has improved a lot this year.

The only thing I can figure that has him so high on the draft boards is his versatility, being able to play the 1, 2, and 3, and being able to post up as well as drive from the perimeter. Now, don't get me wrong. I love the guy. But I just don't see that much potential on the next level. Maybe he'll do those Vince Carter dunks he does in practice during pre-draft workouts and prove me wrong, though.

[Jonathan]

Casual, did you watch the UCLA game? Almost everything Roy did was off the dribble. I think he has great quickness actually. I didn't see the final boxscore, but I know that he finished with 7 assists in that game, which more than goes to show you how good of a job he did in creating spaces for himself and finding the open man after the defense collapsed on him. I really don't see any weaknesses in his game right now, he just does everything extremely well. Whether it's handling the ball, playing great defense, passing, scoring off the dribble, scoring with his back to the basket, shooting from outside or mid-range...he doesn't seem to have any flaws. I just don't see another 2-guard in the country that puts up such great numbers across the board as well. The guy is ready to come in and play right off the bat.

[JoeT]

I absolutely love Brandon Roy's game. I could care less if he can dunk like Vince Carter or if he's an athletic freak. I don't think anyone realistically expects those things out of him and there's no reason to. He does so many things well, who cares about dunking? Basketball is about winning while playing in a team concept. There's nothing wrong with dunking, but that's definitely not among my priorities when evaluating skills of NBA prospects.

As for Roy's game, he really has no holes. He is the epitome of versatility. I mainly project him as a SG, but he could probably succeed in the NBA at PG or SF as well if a team wanted that to be his main position. Not only does he have the offensive skillset to play all three positions, he has the quickness, strength, and ability to formidably defend all three, too.

The only weakness Roy really had coming into this season was his outside shooting, and he improved that by leaps and bounds. He still could use some extra range, but given the vast progress he made this year, I think you can definitely bet on him doing that. Regardless, his game doesn't hinge on that because of all the other things he does well. For a SG, his ball-handling and passing are excellent. For a SG, he rebounds at a very high rate and makes good use of his strength to do so. He is an excellent slasher, has good creativity in the lane, and can get to the line easily. He also is very fundamentally sound and intelligent, playing perfectly within a team concept. On top of that, he has some leadership abilities and is a very good teammate. The guy really has no flaws. One can say he has a tendency to be passive at times, but I'm not worried about that. I don't project him as a superstar-type player, but moreso as the ideal kind of player you'd want as your 4th or 5th option in your starting lineup. He's the consummate glue guy.

He'll be a guy that could really just plug-in to the lineup of any team in the league due to his versatility. His ability to guard three positions is a great thing to have if you have a player who is hamstrung defensively at the PG or SF, because Roy could slide over to take the tougher assignment. Offensively, he'll bve great in a facilitator role for a team, helping their talent mesh together, filling in the gaps to make everything piece together with his versatility, namely his passing and ball-handling skills from the off-guard.

Just because a guy is projected to be a first-rounder doesn't mean he needs to be a superstar with tremendous athleticism and dunking ability. Every team needs guys like Roy who play that "facilitator" role with their versatility and intelligence. As long as his knee problems don't resurface, he should be a great mid-first round pick. I suspect he'll be able to contribute from day one and in the long-term will be one of those guys coaches and teammates absolutely love to have because of what he brings to the game.

[hcsilla]

I really liked what I saw from Roy against uCLA. He seemed a true professional with great versatility.

He reminded me of the better passing version of Bobby Simmons.

[Qman]

I think Roy is a very good prospect. He has enough Athletism to get by and is a very skilled and smart player.

[Casual]

I'm not doubting his game, I just don't see why he's so high on the mock draft. He's good at a lot of things, but great at nothing except defense. On an NBA team he's not going to impact the game that much offensively without playing point guard (doubtful) or having plays called for him. He just doesn't have a lot of potential for such a high pick. See, I don't even like Rudy Gay, but I can see why he's rated so highly because of his upside. I love Brandon (and I think he's better than Rudy Gay but we'll just drop the subject) but what you see is pretty much what you get at this point.

[Jonathan]

Looking at the other 2-guards in the draft this year, who do you like more than him?

[lunarblues]

i wonder if he could fit in playing for the hawks. he could play off JJ perfectly

[Force]

I'm not doubting his game, I just don't see why he's so high on the mock draft. He's good at a lot of things, but great at nothing except defense. On an NBA team he's not going to impact the game that much offensively without playing point guard (doubtful) or having plays called for him. He just doesn't have a lot of potential for such a high pick. See, I don't even like Rudy Gay, but I can see why he's rated so highly because of his upside. I love Brandon (and I think he's better than Rudy Gay but we'll just drop the subject) but what you see is pretty much what you get at this point.
Well Danny Granger fell pretty far for having similar problems.

4 year college player that could defend, was versitle, and had smarts. Upside? None.

Regardless, I'd rather have a player that has skills with smarts, but limited athletism compared to elite shooting guards than a guy like Gerald Green who has shown no signs of devloping guards skills.

[lunarblues]

Roy's Key Skills:

Distributor
Low Post Offense
Athletic
Rebounder
Slasher
Face-Up Offense
Midrange Jumper
Perimeter Defender
Scorer
Shooter
Hustle
Three Pointer Range

He was the only player that posessed all of these skills. He might be the best player in this draft.

[J_Ray]

Are you guys crazy? Brandon Roy can flat out play, he played PG every year @ UW until his senior year. He's got handlez, can shoot, and defend, let him slip to Utah.....

[Genjuro]

I'm in the Roy bandwagon. I just love his skill set and basketball IQ. A guy as smart as him, with his resources to play the game, shouldn't need freakish athleticism to deliver his stuff in the NBA. He's a player that makes his teammates better, a rare quality and usually underrated.

[woma]

And me, me too, allow me to join this bandwagon :). I love to watch Brandon Roy and also for me he really looks like a complete player, I hope that he will be drafted into some decent situation, I don't want to see him being put in place where he wouldn't be used properly.

[osaurus]

do u guys think that he could play the PG position??

[Force]

Not without either another playmaking shooting guard, or without a great backup.

He can spend some time at it, but won't be a traditional point guard. I'm not sure about his ability to defend point guards for 35+ minutes either. But he could play some point guard due to good skillset, passing, and solid decision making.

[greenpepper7]

Are you guys crazy? Brandon Roy can flat out play, he played PG every year @ UW until his senior year. He's got handlez, can shoot, and defend, let him slip to Utah.....


Wow... people really haven't seen BRoy play much. First off he never played PG until his sr year. His freshman-junior years he played the 2 and the 3 (3 more often than not).

A person above said BRoy impersonated Vince Carter in practice, I think he might be confusing Vince Carter with Julius Hodge. Before the NC State game last year BRoy did a bunch of Julius Hodges moves in practice.

[osaurus]

the question was not if he is a PG but weather if he can play a bit of the PG position and excel or do a decent job at it. for some reason i see in him the same calmness and approach in the game i see on chauncey Billups but that is just me.

[Force]

Chauncey has great speed and great handles, along with playmaking.

Roy has similar calmness, but no where near that point guard skills or athletism. Roy makes good decision making, not great playmaking. Not NBA point guard playmaking.

[lrsitdown]

I disagree. Many people who have watched Brandon Roy in practice outside of the team have publicly commented in amazement (i.e. Marcus Johnson) on the type of ball handling skills Brandon posses.

I honestly think Brandon could succeed at any of the 1-3 positions. He does have playmaking abilities off the dribble, knows how to get to the line and is a very intelligent decision maker when attacking the basket. Brandon Roy may not be exceptional in one category, but he is very underated and pretty damn good in all categories. As we know it doesn't take freakish athleticsm to make a name in the league. If you look at players like Ginobli, Duncan, Billups, or others, you will find great players who don't dominate their positions with athletic prowess.

I'm 100% certain Brandon Roy could play the 1 at the next level. It might take time right out of the gate, as it does for any rookie, but he would make a very good point guard.

[lrsitdown]

I disagree. Many people who have watched Brandon Roy in practice outside of the team have publicly commented in amazement (i.e. Marcus Johnson) on the type of ball handling skills Brandon posses.

I honestly think Brandon could succeed at any of the 1-3 positions. He does have playmaking abilities off the dribble, knows how to get to the line and is a very intelligent decision maker when attacking the basket. Brandon Roy may not be exceptional in one category, but he is very underated and pretty damn good in all categories. As we know it doesn't take freakish athleticsm to make a name in the league. If you look at players like Ginobli, Duncan, Billups, or others, you will find great players who don't dominate their positions with athletic prowess.

I'm 100% certain Brandon Roy could play the 1 at the next level. It might take time right out of the gate, as it does for any rookie, but he would make a very good point guard.

[Casual]

When people say he played point guard this season, they mean he brought the ball up the court. He didn't start dishing out no-look assists just because of that. The ball went through him on almost every possession. His passing was there whether he played off the ball or not.

[Force]

If you look at players like Ginobli, Duncan, Billups, or others, you will find great players who don't dominate their positions with athletic prowess.
Ginobli and Billups are pretty athletic.

Duncan is by far the most skilled post player at power foward. Roy reminds me of a swing man version of Granger from last year. Versitle but not a freak athlete.

Point guard? I am not too sure he can handle it full time. Skill is there, but it takes a lot of smarts, skills, and experience to be a two way player.

He can be an initiator, type of Harper/Pippen player. But don't expect him to create

[lrsitdown]

Ginobli and Billups are pretty athletic.

Duncan is by far the most skilled post player at power foward. Roy reminds me of a swing man version of Granger from last year. Versitle but not a freak athlete.

Point guard? I am not too sure he can handle it full time. Skill is there, but it takes a lot of smarts, skills, and experience to be a two way player.

He can be an initiator, type of Harper/Pippen player. But don't expect him to create

Your missing the point, I'm not comparing Brandon Roy to Ginobli, Billups or Duncan. Just making the general point that having great athleticism is not a prequisite to becoming a great player in the NBA. Although I would argue that Brandon has more raw athleticism than both Ginobli and Billups. Not by a wide margin, but after watching him play for 4 years in the pac 10, Brandon is extremely athletic.

Roy has a very unique grouping of skill sets especially for his size. He is not necessarily a pure scorer. At Washington, he took opponents off the dribble and provided easy bucket after easy bucket for teammates all over the court. He truly is a phenomenal passer. I could easily see Roy playing a bigger 1 causing mismatches for smaller points trying to match up with him on the opposite end. Since Roy has the lateral quickness to guard smaller ones, he would be great defensively. Especially since the pick and roll is so tough to guard in the NBA. Roy would be able to switch out and guard a larger player without other defenders having to worry about helping a smaller guard defend a bigger player in the post. Playing the one may not be his fulltime postition in the league, but for the right matchups, playing the one could create some great mismatch problems for a lot of teams.

[choochootrain]

Brandon Roy the most complete player in the draft. He will play a long time in the NBA. Great body, athleticism and skill package.

[Force]

Your missing the point, I'm not comparing Brandon Roy to Ginobli, Billups or Duncan. Just making the general point that having great athleticism is not a prequisite to becoming a great player in the NBA. Although I would argue that Brandon has more raw athleticism than both Ginobli and Billups. Not by a wide margin, but after watching him play for 4 years in the pac 10, Brandon is extremely athletic.
No, great athletism is not needed.

What is needed is good enough athletism on the defensive end, skills on the offensive end.

Roy has that.

But guys like Billups are athletic. Guys like Ginobli are athletic.

But even so, it took Billups how long before he could start? He had to hone skills.

Ginobli? A long time in International leagues to hone skills.

Athletism is not needed, but it helps a lot. There was a big reason why guys like Paul do better than more skillful players like a Deron Williams in the first couple of years, or how Amare and Howard can thrive despite missing some skills.

Roy? Smooth athlete on offense, position defender on defense. Not great footspeed on defense. But great position defender and good length.

[lunarblues]

On ESPN, Scout's inc. has just listed in thier report of Roy that point guard may be the best position for Roy in the NBA.

[Social Lubrication]

On ESPN, Scout's inc. has just listed in thier report of Roy that point guard may be the best position for Roy in the NBA.

link please? :)

[coachjon]

i think roy will be a very good pro. he has nice size and NBA ready body for a SG. he should go anywhere from 4-7. i have him going to boston where he could team with paul pierce and be a good one two punch on the wing or a guy that could backup both pierce and szczerbiak at the 2 and 3. they take him because he is the best possible player at 7

[lunarblues]

link please? :)

http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=18898&draftyear=2006&univLogin02=stateChanged
you may not be able to read it because you have to be an ESPN insider to look at it.

Roy may have been the most complete player in college basketball last season. He has great height, length and athleticism for the guard position. He did not play the point for Washington, but that may be his best position at the next level. Roy has excellent quickness, and is wiry strong. .

[klopp24]

im a brandon roy fan and hopes that brandon will be taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves. he could play the 3. because u have banks at 1, mccants at 2 and ? at 3. perfect fit.

[kkennedy999]

he did play some point at UW, and i think if could definitly develop to be a point, but he would need to be part of a two man back court because he isnt that quick

[wombat6802]

He could play point just like eRonnie Brewr can play point. He can move the ball up the court and he has good vision and passing ability, but he just isn't a point guard.