Agreed. An honest evaluation will likely place Delon as an early second rounder. Most would advise him to come back for a year in that scenario because (1) the 2015 draft looks much weaker than this one and (2) Delon can improve his stock (carrying a Pac-12 contender on his back/learning to shoot).
I agree. It often depends on personalities, and I think while Delon probably enjoys the U, he has had the NBA on his mind for over a decade.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
Remember Kodiak may have a better sense of his draft status than anyone close to Delon. I think a lot depends on how much Delon likes and trusts his coach.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
I think the people telling Delon to leave will point to Michael Carter-Williams as a comp: http://www.nbadraft.net/players/michael-carter-williams
MCW was much more highly regarded than Delon, but he has a similar build/game: long, deceptively quick, good handle, finishes well, can't shoot. People soured on MCW leading up to the draft because of his jumper and rumors about a bad work ethic, but he's been one of the top two rookies in the league this year.
I think the smart money is on Delon testing the waters by declaring for the draft but not signing with an agent, thus leaving open the option of returning (and getting an even better idea for what the scouts want to see from him to improve his stock). From there it will simply depend on how he does at the workouts prior to the draft.
Delon is All-PAC-12, First Team:
2013-14 Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Honors
He also made the All-Defensive Team.
Last edited by U-Ute; 03-11-2014 at 01:58 PM. Reason: Fixed URL
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
While I'm glad for Delon, I have one gripe...
<rant>
10 guys on a first team? 5 guys on a second team? I hate all conference teams with 3-4 teams of players on them. Basketball teams have 5 guys on the court. Your best 5 are your first team starters, your next 5 are your second team.
</rant>
For the first time (that I've noticed), Delon is on Chad Ford's top 100 NBA prospects (2014)... checking in at 82.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/...ear/2014/set/4
"Wright is intriguing to NBA scouts because of his size. At 6-foot-5, he has great size for his position and is a true point guard. He really needs to continue to work on his jump shot to get a shot at the first round in 2015."
Other Pac-12 players on the list:
6. Aaron Gordon
13. Zach LaVine
24. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
27. Kyle Anderson
42. Jahii Carson
44. C.J. Wilcox
48. Spencer Dinwiddie
51. Jordan Adams
57. Nick Johnson
66. Brandon Ashley
67. Joseph Young
70. Kaleb Tarczewski
73. Jabari Bird
85. Jordan Bachynski
97. Dwight Powell
Wow this conference is talented. For comparasion's sake, MWC has 2 players on the list (spots 95 and 96), and the WCC has 0.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
It's a catch-22 with Delon and a jumper. He's so good at finishing at the rim, you'd rather have him shoot from 3 feet than 15. It's a higher percentage shot and will draw more fouls than he would shooting Js. In fact, a mid-range game is probably the last thing Utah needs from Delon, although it's a shot he will probably see more of given how good he is at getting to and finishing at the rim. But would it be nice if he could shoot over 30 percent from 3? Absolutely. He shot 22 percent last year. FWIW, Andre Miller was a career 29% 3PT shooter.
One more thing about Delon vis-a-vis Andre. Andre was never the marksman from the line that Delon is, both in accuracy and attempts.
This is bordering on blasphemy in these parts, but from a purely numbers perspective, what Delon did last year surpassed anything Andre ever did at Utah. Plus, Delon is doing it against better competition. Which makes it paramount for us to make some noise nationally next year. Postseason success is really the only area in which Andre holds a massive edge over Delon. Give Delon an Elite 8 or better appearance, and you're easily talking about one of the 10 greatest players ever at Utah.
Agreed. Regarding the pull-up jumper, I am thinking that if he has that weapon defenders will be much less able to simply collapse and try to keep him out of the paint. He can pull up and hit a 10-12 footer if they do. It just makes him an even bigger problem for the other team. Would you agree?
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
On paper... the difference between Andre and Delon now was the court leadership and ability to finish a game. Having the ball in the hands of Andre at the peak of his game here was always a good thing, Delon tends to make some pretty big mental errors.
So I'm okay with you saying what you do about Delon in respect to Andre, but the intangibles (which have also made him have a very nice NBA career) is what keeps Andre on top of the heap.
I agree that a 3 threat from Delon would be the best solution, but if a mid-range jumper gets consistent quicker it isn't really a catch-22 situation because it will open the lanes. Near the end of the season teams were sagging to the basket when he had the ball to take away that shot and it turned out to be relatively effective. If he can hit that mid-range jumper (presuming it is easier for him) then the defense have to play him straight up again, and he'll exploit them each time.
I actually tend to think being a solid 3pt shooter will be easiest for him. The art of the mid-range jumper has largely disappeared from the game because mid-range jumpers are simply hard. With a line in front of you and even some opportunity to set up can be an easier shot to develop.
What you say is true. And its effectiveness would be unquestioned if you didn't have the 3-point shot. But with the 3, and with how Delon is so good at finishing at the basket (he shot 63 percent from 2, which led the Pac-12), it makes little sense for him to develop a mid-range game unless you knew that was the only shot he could get AND he could never crack 22 percent from 3 (which is what he shot last year). And at 6-5, that 10-12 foot shot should be there every time anyway, but as we all know, not all defenders are created equally, and part of the reason he shot 63 percent from 2 is because guys really cannot defend him straight up. So why help the defense by asking Delon to take lower percentage shots?
Also, it bears repeating: Delon is a master at getting to the line. He had nearly 200 FTAs last year, which from the best information available, might be a single-season record at Utah for a guard (The top 10 in the media guide only goes to Doleac and Nevill, who each had a 215 FTA season; Delon had 193). Shooting more mid-range jumpers takes away from that, and again, bails teams out defensively (fewer fouls, etc.).
The 3-point shot, however, is an obvious difference maker. It's worth 33 percent more than any 2-point shot. We're all familiar with that. Delon and Utah would be best served if he could get his percentage above 30 percent. Now, a lot of those 3s will come late in the clock but it doesn't matter -- if he hits 1-2 of them, it does far more damage to what the defense has to do than if Delon drains 5-6 mid-range jumpers.
One of the most interesting things about Delon's mastery at getting to the line was it appeared to be a learned/developed skill. Through the first 14 games (Oregon State), Delon had shot 51 FTs, or 3.6 per game. The most he attempted in a game to that point was 7 against Idaho State. However, in the last 19 games, he shot 142 FTs, or 7.5 per game, with 6 games he shot double digit free throws. Of course, this increase coincided with games against better, longer, and more athletic teams, where you would think it would get tougher to get to the line. I think that says a lot about Delon, his ability to learn how to play at this level, and also to adapt as teams started figuring out how to play him. If he can add 15 pounds of muscle he'll be able to be even more effective at taking contact, finishing, and getting to the line.
It's a learned skill, but I also think you could attribute the following to Delon's increased FTAs:
1. He had a rep and started getting calls from the officials
2. Our games were more competitive, and we won several of them. The closer your MOV is when you win, I think it's safe to say you're probably going to have more FTAs because the opposition is in foul-at-all-costs mode.
I've been saying this since the pre-season "schedule": Delon should spend all summer shooting 3s. A pull up game would be nice, but teams will still prefer his pull up game to a layup. In other words, a pull up jumper will not create more layups for Delon.
If Delon could hit 3s, on the other hand, teams would be forced to guard him beyond the arc (something that doesn't happen now) which would allow him to blow-by people - something that rarely happened this year outside of fast breaks because teams sag on him so much.
If Delon wants to get people talking about him as a high draft pick, he really needs to be consistent on hitting 3s off of pick and rolls. Right now, Utah can't run a pick and roll with him because teams can go under the screen with no consequences (Delon won't hit the 3 and he is not great and hitting the rolling big man on the pass). If he were a threat to shoot on those plays, our offense would have instant life.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
A pull up jumper (a la Boatright and Napier) is for smaller quicker guards who are unable to get above the rim amongst the trees. They pump fake the 3 and then drive the lane as far as they can before pulling up.
Delon hitting a respectable % of 3's would have the same effect as when LeBron started hitting 3's: guys had to finally run him off the 3 point line, allowing him to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Especially since he is big enough to handle the contact. That's the second part: Delon needs to put on another 20 pounds to withstand the contact.
Those two things are 1 and 1a he needs to work on.
Plus, the added strength will help him with those 3's late in the game.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell