Scholarship table
Watch the NBA sometime and see what type of guards make the league, players who can shot the ball, tell me a GM wants to draft a player with a 30 percent tile from 3 and I will showyou an NBA general manager who will be fired. Vander needs another year, bottom line, needs to get his shooting in the 40 range to make the association.
All 5 are better shooters than Vander is right now!
Okay, I think a lot of people are dismissing the idea of Blue leaving. I want to play devil's advocate a bit as to why he should give the NBA a serious thought, and why NBA scouts would also give him a long look:Vander will only be 20 years old on draft night. He is young for his class (younger than sophomore Mayo) and in the eyes of scouts is a college sophomore. He made his name here with his defense and has proven to be a willing and capable defender. Most important, he has shown the ability to improve. I heard someone talking about how NBA scouts are starting to come around to the idea that potential isn't determined by age but rather by whether or not a player has shown the ability to get better. Vander has shown that in spades.When he arrived, he was a solid defender. He quickly developed into a very good rebounder and while his rebounding numbers were down this year that was because we needed him to score. He was widely criticized for his shooting form, which has improved by leaps and bounds this year (consistent form, proper release point at height of jump, and making shots out to the arc). His 3P% improved from 16% as a freshman to 25.8% as a sophomore to 30.9% this year. He was also criticized for his finishing at the rim. This year he has become as good a finisher at the rim as we've had since Wade.If the NBA drafts on potential, Vander should be a first-round pick. It may sound laughable, but this is a 20 year old kid that has made huge strides in his game since he arrived on campus 2-1/2 years ago. I still think he'd be a second-round pick if he came out, but I could very well see him developing into a solid NBA starter at the 2 (if he's legitimately 6'4") and it wouldn't surprise me if he could develop into a borderline All-Star.Of course he's not there yet. We know that, Buzz knows that, scouts know that, and Vander knows that. But who would you trust more to get there? Someone like Vander who has already demonstrated the dedication to improving his game and ability to make himself a better player or someone like BJ Young (just declared today) who actually seemed to regress a bit as a sophomore and may have hit his peak at 19?Vander should look at the NBA. I would love to have him back for a year, but if he gets word that he will be picked, he should definitely think about going. And anyone dismissing it out of hand doesn't understand that potential is more than just what class you are in school.
On that Paint Touches interview it sounded like he was planning on returning he said, “Obviously we want to get a little further next year, so now we can set that goal. Our goal this year was to get past the Sweet 16, we achieved that. So now we want to get into the Final Four.” I feel as though that is a hint toward him longing to reach the Final Four.
Why isn't his goal to win the national title? He's willing to settle for the Final Four? Let him leave!
Oh, and you know what the difference would have been between Vander as a 33% 3pt shooter and the 30% he finished with?With his 142 attempts, he would have had to make 4 more shots over the course of the year.
That is absolutely false. Let's look at the 2012 NBA Draft. In the top 12 picks, five SGs were chosen. (Beal, Waiters, Ross, Rivers, Lamb)Of those five, they all shot at about the 45% clip from 2. And somewhere in the range of 33 - 36% from 3. No one was near 40%.http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=austin-rivers&i=1&p1=vander-blue&p2=bradley-beal&p3=dion-walters&p4=terrence-ross&p5=jeremy-lamb
Whether or not Vander should leave based on what we saw Saturday or even over the course of the season is immaterial.How many guys leave who maybe shouldn't? Lots.How many guys nowhere near as good as Vander have done so? Lots.How many either have an inflated opinion of themselves, get bad advice from those around them or both? Lots.I doubt a single poster here has any insight into what's going on in Vander's head right now. Including me.Do I think leaving now would be his wisest move? Probably not. Do I want him to return? Absolutely. Despite all that, do I think there's a chance he would decide to leave? You bet your sweet bippy I do.
This is NOT FALSE...that is true. That is what is wrong with the NBA now, most of the guards can't shoot!
The latest Draft Express 2014 Mock Draft has Vander going 21st overall. Crazy. Let's see what the kid can do his senior year.
Thats Deonte Burton of Nevada
Jamil at 36Vander at 47Deonte Burton at 43http://www.nbadraft.net/2014mock_draft
47th in a draft that is considered the worst in over a decade.
2013 is weak, 2014 is loaded.
Draft Express and CBS still don't have Vander being drafted this year.
Think hell get away with the left/right arm wards in the NBA?