2011 Nike Hoop Summit Prospect Breakdown (Rivers and Wroten)

I profiled a lot of the Team USA standouts in my article about the McDonald's game that can be found here. A lot of the same players were impressive in the Hoop Summit - McAdoo, Beal, and Gilchrist - but I'd like to take a closer look at the game's MVP Austin Rivers and future Huskie Tony Wroten who didn't play in the Mickey D's event. The box score for the game can be found here.

Tony Wroten - Wroten didn't play in the McDonald's event, partly due to inconsistent play and also because he was coming back from an injury his senior year. Nevertheless, Wroten is a top tier talent and earned an invite as one of only ten players to make up Team USA's roster. At 6'5'' Wroten has great size for either guard position and really caught scouts' eyes with his court vision in this game. As a point guard prospect, he is a very intriguing player, one who could potentially go in the lottery.

At the Hoop Summit, he finished the game with 5 assists and 3 turnovers. The passes he managed to complete were all impressive. He had a few lob passes, no look bullets inside, and saw things other players didn't. While trying to make spectacular plays, Wroten also forced a few passes that resulted in turnovers. Right now he has the court vision but lacks the decision making. Out of all the players in the game, he has the biggest flare for the dramatic, which makes his upside noticeable, but also makes you less certain of him than guys like Beal and Gilchrist. He still needs to find a way to use his talents in an efficient way. The talent is there.

In a way, he reminds me of a cross between OJ Mayo and Lance Stephenson. A combo guard type with immense talent, he just needs to tone down his playground style. Mayo has the jumper that Wroten is missing, which puts him in the same boat as Stephenson, but he looks to have Mayo-esque athleticism. His size and athleticism makes him a potential great defender and he already shows good instincts in the passing lanes. Even when he is not scoring, he can fill up that stat sheet.

Wroten is a guy that could go either way next year at Washington. Isaiah Thomas is leaving, but Abdul Gaddy is back from injury so we will see how they play together. I think they'll complement each other well since Wroten can get to the line and make plays, while Gaddy is more of the conservative type who hangs around the three point line. Wroten can have a big effect on a Washington team that should enter the year ranked in the top 25.

Austin Rivers - Rivers took home the MVP at the Hoop Summit, but I'd be hesistant to say he had a better game than Biyombo, Davis, and Gilchrist. He scored 20 efficient points (7-11 shooting) while not having an effect anywhere else in the box score. The 20 points were rather quiet, Rivers mostly created his own shots with his solid crossovers, since he wasn't one of the guards that were hounding the World team and creating steals. He isn't on the level athletically as other team USA members and it showed as the rest of the team were making plays in transition. Right now, Rivers is a one on one scorer who needs the ball to be effective. He is a very good scorer, but he needs to learn to play off ball. His point guard skills haven't shown yet and it is questionable if he is a franchise player. Often times he looks to the referees for help when he can't complete a play, when it really boils down to the fact that he isn't a great finisher at this point. He is a one dimensional scorer at this point and while it is still very earlier, he has to show some more things at Duke if he wants to be a top 5 pick.

2011 Nike Hoop Summit Prospect Breakdown (Biyombo and Nogueira)

Team USA handled the World team easily in this years contest, but it was a good opportunity to see two potential 2011 first round draft picks - Bismack Biyombo and Lucas Nogueira. Both had an chance to show what they could do against an undersized USA frontline. Check out the box score here.

Bismack Biyombo - Biyombo's team lost by 12 points, but he stole the show with his athleticism. Earlier in the week he was measured with a 7'7'' wingspan and a chiseled (4.8% body fat) 243 pound frame. He used that length to help him record a triple double - registering 12 points, 11 boards, and 10 blocks. The loss was worse than the scored showed as the World team struggled to get into their halfcourt offense, but when they did, Biyombo worked hard inside to create space for himself in the post. His post game is very raw, but the USA didn't have a inside player that could handle him on the blocks. From my recollection, all of his points came off dunks, where it appeared no team USA player had a chance to contest his shots. He finishes strong and gets off the ground quick. He is constantly moving offensively, either battling for position or running out to set screens.

Team USA did manage to get a fair dose of alley-oops by him, but nobody could directly get a shot off against him. He blocked a shot with his elbow. He was one of the few players not intimidated by the talent on the opposing team. It was, in short, an all around great performance by Biyombo. The hype train is officially rolling. I've had him in the lottery since my initial mock on this site (mid-March) and now he could push even farther. We can compare him and Valanciunas another time, but the between those two will start to heat up. Personally, I would put Biyombo as the front runner.

Lucas Nogueira - He is definitely a project, but we already knew that. He reported into the event with only 218 pounds packed onto his nearly seven foot frame. With those measurements, he has a long way to go until he can handle NBA big men. I'd compare him to a Hassan Whiteside/Javale McGee type in terms of style and skills, but even though they weren't strong, they both were significantly bigger than "Bebe" is now. Whiteside weighed 227 pounds at less body fat than Nogueira last year (and he managed to pack on a lot of muscle after being drafted by the Kings) and McGee is a bodybuilder compared to both of them - 241 lbs at even less body fat when he was drafted. "Bebe" is a soft spoken kid too, which reminds me of McGee in a way. One would hope that wouldn't translate into lacking toughness when he does bulk up enough to battle in the paint.

Offensively, he shows solid potential like McGee and Whiteside. He can face up and hit a jumper and doesn't rush. He made a nice post entry pass in tonight's game against Team USA. He can even put the ball on the floor a little to get to the hoop. He moves well and gets solid lift off the ground. However, his strength prohibits him from getting many easy buckets and doing work in the post.

Defensively, he has to rely on blocking shots. He seems to be a very good shot blocker, but I would hesitate to put him on McGee's or Whiteside's level. I don't think he is as explosive off the ground as those two.

Overall, Nogueira seems to strongly be considering entering this years draft. He didn't help his stock in this game, but he is the kind of guy who would look good going up against a chair in workouts. I don't think he is a top 20 pick, or a guy who makes an impact anytime soon, but I could see a team taking him in the late first round. He could also slip into round 2 like Whiteside did last year.