Since several of us go back and forth over ACC ball, most commonly concerning Dook and the Mountain Goats who stepped in hot asphalt....
Tyler Hansbrough...Big timer in the NBA or serviceable power forward? Bust?
How do you see his career playing out?
...
Any takers?
I like your thinking Birdman.
And that (see underlined above) is certainly the question.
Let me point out the caveat right away that I am not a big fan of NBA basketball and that postition will tend to bias my own outlook on this particular subject.
Having said that it will probably not surprise you to learn that I am jaded on this subject. Hansbrough is a phenomenal PF and arguably the hardest working kid in college basketball. He's tenacious, hard nosed, and relentless in offense. I've seen him handle his own getting the ball to the net while surrounded by a swarm of bigger (and he's not small mind you) players
and getting the foul called while doing it...and then nailing his free throws almost every time afterwards. I'd almost refer to him as a bully in the paint and under the rim which I think is great; throws a lot of opposing players off.
His style is perhaps too methodical though and this could be a weakness at NBA level where there's a lot more hustle and a whole lot more fluidity. Speed is everything and while he's an extraordinary athlete I'm not sure that he's quite there yet either. I can't exactly describe it but there's a certain mechanical style that he utilizes to a greater or lesser degree which, while effective many times inside, it is disconcerting and won't be workable in the NBA. His perimeter game is a little stilted for NBA play too in my opinion but he's been improving in that area this season.
He has some extraordinary strong suits that would make him a good NBA pick outside of his methodology; having played in the Klieg lights at Carolina he knows how to perform under pressure. And he works hard; loves, indeed lives, the game; and won just about every accolade that he could possibly win at college level.
I don't know how he'll evolve his play from college level to the NBA. He doesn't need much development. He's shown some great improvements outside that 3 point line and his inside the paint game is remarkable but needs more speed.
I think that he will do well in the NBA if he can hone his talents just a bit more yet keep his relentlessness intact. Assuming that he gets adequate time on the floor with whatever team drafts him he'll do alright.
Maybe I'm not so jaded after all.
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