Lazar...

[DonCornholeone]

What is the consensus on Lazar's talent ceiling?  We all see the leaps and bounds improvements he has made since last season.  Do we think he will stay at his current production clip?  What kind of player do we think he could be?  NBA?  Europe?

[mufan924]

NBA for sure

[SoCalwarrior]

A poor man's Corey Maggette.

[LastWarrior]

NBA for sure

NBA for sure?!?!  How many points did he score against Georgetown? 

He's too slow to be 3, too short to be a 4, and too slow to be a 2 in the nba.  He'll be in europe or nbdl.

[MarquetteFan94]

NBA for sure

NBA for sure?!?!  How many points did he score against Georgetown? 

He's too slow to be 3, too short to be a 4, and too slow to be a 2 in the nba.  He'll be in europe or nbdl.

You're going to judge Hayward's NBA future on one game where he didn't score as a Sophomore in college after he's been our leading scorer for most of the season?

Wade was too short and didn't have the outside shot to be a 2....didn't have the handle to be a 1.....he's done alright.

[LastWarrior]

You're going to judge Hayward's NBA future on one game where he didn't score as a Sophomore in college after he's been our leading scorer for most of the season?

Partially yes and partially based on all the NBA I watch.  So tell me guys... what position do you see him playing in the NBA?  DOn't get me wrong, he's gonna be a very special college player but I don't see that translating to the nba.

[Coobeys Oil Depot]

Offensively, his game reminds me of Carlos Boozer at its base. Hayward lost the fat that Boozer kept throughout college and Boozer had much more drive for rebounding. I think Hayward is the better 3 shooter but Boozer is the better defender. Similar dimensions and perhaps a rough comparison.

[MUSF]

NBA journeyman at best.

Full disclosure: I thought Diener would be an NBA washout

[MUFanInGreenBay]

Boozer and Hayward have a few similiar aspects to both their games, however, Boozer  is 6'9" with above average athleticism and Hayward is only 6'6" with average athleticism at best. That's the big difference. At 6'6" Hayward obviously could never play the 4 spot in the NBA like Boozer does. And like someone else said he's too slow(not agile and athletic enough) to be a SF in the NBA. I think he would get abused on defense. Just think guys like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are SG and they're both bigger than Hawyard. Not saying Hayward would be matched up with a player of the same caliber of those two guys every night, but it just gives you an idea of what type of size you see at just the guard spots in that league. That's crazy. Hayward is one of those tweeners that will be a very good college player, but will end up playing in Europe. I think of Hayward as Alando Tucker without Tucker's hops/speed/quickness, but armed with a better shooting stroke than Tucker.

[MUFanInGreenBay]

Does anyone think there is a player on the current MU roster that will be on an NBA roster some day? I think DJ will play in the NBA eventually(his game is better suited for the NBA) and that McNeal has a shot.

[77ncaachamps]

He'll make it to the NBA.

Depending on the talent available and the improvement made, he can do it.

If Dan Gadzuric can fill a hole, Anthony Carter still drop a dime, and Employee #8 still chuck up shots, Lazar can make it.

I think McNeal might beat him to it first. The guy's an active pest defensively.

[CTWarrior]

Does anyone think there is a player on the current MU roster that will be on an NBA roster some day? I think DJ will play in the NBA eventually(his game is better suited for the NBA) and that McNeal has a shot.

DJ is the only one I see with a reasonable shot at NBA minutes.  He is NBA strong and has an NBA handle and can defend at that level.  Court vision is borderline and he needs to improve his shot, but I think he has a great mid-range jumper in his arsenal and when he finally realizes it, he could be a somewhat effective offensive player at that level.  Not a star, but a guy who gives effective minutes when called upon.   He's not a guy who will have a long career, because when his tremendous athleticism deserts him, there's not enough else to fall back on.

McNeal has no offensive game for the NBA.  Sure he can defend, but there aren't going to be the easy lazy passes to pick off.  He is going to have to be a tremendous on the ball defender to make up for deficiencies elsewhere.  I do not see him in the NBA.

Matthews is a solid college player and has an NBA body, but not the shooting touch or ball handling ability or quickness to thrive at his size in the NBA. 

As many have stated, Lazar is a tweener, and though he hits a lot of threes, his outside shot is a set shot.  He is not a particularly adept jump shooter.  Look at how he struggles against the good teams with NBA athleticism, if not NBA talent, like UConn and Louisville.  I think the biggest reason we struggle against those teams is that Lazar, a guy we count on, is overmatched in those games.  He's only a soph so he could yet prove me wrong, but I don't see him in the NBA, either.

Other than that, I suppose Mbakwe might have a chance, but I've only seen him on the floor for about 30 minutes so who knows?  He'd need to bulk up some, though.

[mugrack]

He could wave a towel at the end of the bench in the NBA, like Novak.

[WashDCWarrior]

I McNeal wants to play NBA ball, the best player for him to study is Ron Artest.  Both similar in great defense and average athletisism (speed and hops).  Artest is a little bigger, but McNeal doesn't bring the baggage of being a headcase.

[tower912]

Lazar will be a very good college player.   If he were 6'9", he could make it in the NBA.   The market for 6'6" 3/4's are slim, particularly when they are not super quick.    Lets enjoy him and not worry about the NBA.   His future is very bright at MU.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Lazar will be a very good college player.   If he were 6'9", he could make it in the NBA.   The market for 6'6" 3/4's are slim, particularly when they are not super quick.    Lets enjoy him and not worry about the NBA.   His future is very bright at MU.

I agree with this sentiment... I'm a college hoops fan, so I'm careful not to let NBA speculation sour my view of a player's college game (I'm afraid this has happened with DJ as people seem to bring up his NBA potential all of the time, when his NBA potential really has no effect on his college abilities).

Anyways, with this said, I still see Lazar as somewhat of a Josh Howard. Howard is obviously longer and more physically gifted, but he played a similar "combo-forward" position in college and continued to develop into a nice SF in the pros. Lazar has some work to do with strength, defense and rebounding... but I would say that MU/Crean are known for developing those areas... so in another 2 years, he could become a decent prospect.

[IrwinFletcher]

I McNeal wants to play NBA ball, the best player for him to study is Ron Artest.  Both similar in great defense and average athletisism (speed and hops).  Artest is a little bigger, but McNeal doesn't bring the baggage of being a headcase.

Artest is signifcantly bigger and stronger than Jerel.  I am n ot sure that I consider McNeal a great on the ball defender. Very good, but reaches to much and gambles too much.

[Ready2Fly]

He could wave a towel at the end of the bench in the NBA, like Novak.

Or hit game-winning shots like Novak a few weeks ago?

I don't see Lazar in the NBA unless he develops a dribble-drive game and can hit the mid-range jumper with consistency.  He has two more years to get there and if he does he'll be almost impossible to defend senior year.

[MarquetteFan94]

With the amount of improvement we've seen from Lazar from last season to this season I wouldn't doubt his NBA chances at all....the kid hasn't finished his Soph year, he has a nose for the ball, has developed a nice outside shot and shows great athleticism in the open floor. 

If guys like David Noel (6'5"), Adrian Griffin (6'5"), and Ruben Patterson (6'5") can find a home in the NBA at SF...I like Lazar's chances.

[BrewCity83]

I'm not sayin' he has the talent of Dr. J (who does?), but Lazar's body is pretty similar to Julius Erving's.  Slightly shorter, but he may still be growing.

[MUSF]

With the amount of improvement we've seen from Lazar from last season to this season I wouldn't doubt his NBA chances at all....the kid hasn't finished his Soph year, he has a nose for the ball, has developed a nice outside shot and shows great athleticism in the open floor. 

If guys like David Noel (6'5"), Adrian Griffin (6'5"), and Ruben Patterson (6'5") can find a home in the NBA at SF...I like Lazar's chances.

Noel and Patterson are significantly better athletes than Hayward and Griffin is a defensive specialist and went undrafted. Not really a good comparision IMO.

[RawdogDX]

Lazar will have two more fantastic years at mu (putting him in our top 20 reb and scoring) and then be an late first round pick who rides the bench and never really has much success in the nba.  Ends up in nbadl or europe.

[ecompt]

He's a tweener who isn't lightning quick and doesn't handle the ball well. He will have a terrific career here but I just don't see him as an NBA prospect. I hope I'm wrong.