Spotting An All-Star

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Devin Harris has arrived. The fourth year pro, traded from Dallas to New Jersey before last year’s trade deadline, is a feather in the cap of New Jersey Net GM Rod Thorne. Give him an “A” for understanding how to spot a young guard ready to become an All-Star. Harris is the highest scoring point guard in the league averaging 23.7 points per game, currently sixth overall in the NBA. When asked about Harris, Thorne mentioned his tremendous athleticism. While many NBA guards have outstanding speed and jumping ability, there are only a few that can execute moves at high speeds and remain in control of their athleticism. Harris is the possessor of that “skilled speed.” It’s the art of finishing quickly around, over, and through larger players at the rim on a consistent basis. While Harris is not a quick release jump shooter, the threat of being able to run by your defender makes his jumper “look” quick. Harris is also a live defender consistently generating deflections and challenging shooters. If I were a GM looking for the next NBA All-Star, these four players would be on my trade board and heavily scouted.  

1. Ray Felton (Charlotte Bobcats) – Felton has outstanding speed, quickness and finishing ability. With the emergence of DJ Augustin at the point, Felton is being asked to play the shooting guard position when he is clearly a point guard. He has frequently been pushed to the off-guard position, which has hurt his progress as a pro. If you put him next to Kobe in L.A., you have a potent backcourt with a winning pedigree. I would recommend a trade of Jordan Farmer, who has a very high upside but might be more suited for a high screen and roll system, where the point guard has the entire top of the circle to operate. Felton would thrive in the LA triangle.

 2. Ben Gordon (Chicago Bulls) – Ben Gordon is an All-Star in  the making. The Bulls guard is another player who has guarded bigger players and has been asked to play the two. I feel he is a championship caliber combo guard that has enough point guard skills to flourish, and although he isn’t lightning fast, he has the athleticism and enough speed to dominate. He is a notoriously strong game finisher with a winning pedigree. Imagine Ben on Portland, Houston or Orlando.

 3. Nate Robinson (New York Knicks) – His jumping ability is unquestioned and his run and gun is a show in itself, however, Nate needs one more year to understand NBA passing and tempo. By next year, he could average 20 plus points a game and lead the league in steals. He still gets caught in the air in the lane with nowhere to go and takes two reckless jumpers per game, but an athletic team like Atlanta would benefit from Nate’s speed and his growing knowledge of point guard spacing. Think Phoenix Suns before Shaq, with enough lane presence in Al Horford to get tough points during playoff time.

 4. Kyle Lowry (Memphis Grizzlies) – Lowry has tremendous one-on-one ability. Any high screen and roll or top-of-the-key isolation gives him an advantage because of his speed. He has been injury prone and now shares time with Mike Conley and super-talented OJ Mayo. If given the ball and told to just play, he becomes an 18 point-a-game scorer with an easy 8 assist. Put Lowry on the Milwaukee and have him run with Richard Jefferson and you have Harris and Vince in the Midwest.

 The Rest: Others who are not all-star caliber but would provide solid point guard starting skills:

* Sebastian Telfair: Think Rafer Alston after he matured. Bassy has a similar growth line.

*Earl Watson: Has great speed and quickness with enough NBA experience to handle a starting role.

This story is filed under: 45 Degrees of Blackness, Sports