Buddy's draft status.....

[WTSooner]

Ford over at ESPN did his first mock draft for 2016. He did not have Buddy going in the first round. Has Buddy rated as the 6th best SG as of today, behind the following:

Malik Newman
Mississippi St.

Furkan Korkmaz
Turkey

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
Kansas

Grayson Allen
Duke

Antonio Blakeney
LSU

 

[BigTime]

Ford over at ESPN did his first mock draft for 2016. He did not have Buddy going in the first round. Has Buddy rated as the 6th best SG as of today, behind the following:

Malik Newman
Mississippi St.

Furkan Korkmaz
Turkey

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
Kansas

Grayson Allen
Duke

Antonio Blakeney
LSU

I think he is going to have to really prove that he can:

A) Handle the ball in traffic
B) Make good decisions
C) More consistent scorer from the midrange and at the rim

If he improves significantly in all three areas then I think he will be a mid to late first rounder...

 

[AdaSooner]

I think he is going to have to really prove that he can:

A) Handle the ball in traffic
B) Make good decisions
C) More consistent scorer from the midrange and at the rim

If he improves significantly in all three areas then I think he will be a mid to late first rounder...

Spot on post, BT!

If Buddy can do those three things, the sky is the limit for this OU team. So, for that reason alone, nothing would please me more than to see him elevate his draft status to a can't miss first-rounder by draft time. I also want to see one of my all-time favorite Sooners achieve the success he deserves at the next level.

 

[WTSooner]

I think he is going to have to really prove that he can:

A) Handle the ball in traffic
B) Make good decisions
C) More consistent scorer from the midrange and at the rim

If he improves significantly in all three areas then I think he will be a mid to late first rounder...

Agreed.

Right now, in the NBA, is an average to below average athlete at the SG position that doesn't bring much to the table other than being a solid 3 point shooter. That probably isn't 1st round draft material. Not much he can do about his size/athleticism (and I'm sure some will disagree with my assessment on him), but he needs to be become a better, more well rounded offensive player.

 

[pnkranger]

I disagree about athleticism. Buddy is QUICK for a guy his size, has great hands, and can get up. Also has a great motor and is a good defender. Athleticism is not his hold-up ... it's his overall skillset.

 

[Darwin]

I disagree about athleticism. Buddy is QUICK for a guy his size, has great hands, and can get up. Also has a great motor and is a good defender. Athleticism is not his hold-up ... it's his overall skillset.

very good point , he can upgrade his skill set in general or just become consistently the best 3 point shooter in the draft, that would jump him up.

 

[WishforOU]

Buddy is a good athlete and will make someone happy at the next level.

 

[jackson_supersooner]

Spot on post, BT!

If Buddy can do those three things, the sky is the limit for this OU team. So, for that reason alone, nothing would please me more than to see him elevate his draft status to a can't miss first-rounder by draft time. I also want to see one of my all-time favorite Sooners achieve the success he deserves at the next level.

And honestly I would love to see buddy's numbers change...meaning instead of trying to be an insane high volume scorer I would rather see his shooting percentages go up and even if that means his point total goes down. I like to call those "smart points".

I(and scouts) like seeing a guy who takes smart shots. Not meaning buddy takes dumb ones but when you're having a game where you just can't hit that 18 foot money jumper like usual... Pump fake and take it to the rim don't shoot it until your arm falls off trying to hit 1 of 10. He needs to learn to build his confidence in his shot.

Most players forget about this but when you struggle from deep...take it to the rim to get your rhythm and confidence back ...not only that but you draw the defense in and make them guess about what youre going to do rather then think "oh buddy has the ball he's about to take that long jumper again I can sell out and contest it cause he won't pump fake and drive." Small things like that will improve buddy AND his stats in more ways then one.