Lastest on Greg's Prospects

[westendhoya]

An except of what was said about Greg's potential draft stock fluctuations...

"I continue to field more questions about Georgetown big man Greg Monroe than any other prospect in the draft not named John Wall. The questions are all asking why Monroe could've been ranked in the top 10 last season, but not ranked in the lottery this season. Monore is a year older, is having a very good sophomore season and unlike last year, his team is now winning.

Monroe supporters point to a series of strong games of late including a 29-point, 16-rebound, 4-block performance against Villanova, a 21-point, 14-rebound, 7-assist game against Rutgers and, most recently, a 21-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game versus Duke.

How can a 6-10 big man with this many skills not be in the lottery? I sometimes ask the same question. All I can say is that NBA scouts aren't sold. They think Monroe isn't athletic enough and they question his motor.

In between the aforementioned games we just spoke of, he had some rocky outings, including 8-point performances against both Seton Hall and Syracuse. He also went 4-for-14 from the field against Pittsburgh.

With so many 4s with extreme athleticism in front of him, including Patrick Patterson, Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders and Whiteside, he's having problems distinguishing himself.

Still, I wonder whether teams will change their tune as we get closer to the draft. Monroe has the size to be a center in the NBA. He is a terrific passer. He's very skilled and when he's playing hard he can dominate. We'll continue to watch his stock closely. Be patient, Monroe fans. His stock may improve soon enough..."

insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4879979&name=nba_draft

[westendhoya]

Guess he'll have to come back one more year to really show the scouts what is what....

[Big Dog]

Obviously this is rampant speculation, but if he isn't sure-fire lottery, what point is there in leaving? Yes, if the academics were bothering him or getting the money RIGHT NOW was critical then he could leave, but given that he already made the decision to come back after last season I think we evidence that those issues aren't decisive for him.

[CAHoya07]

See, this is where I think NBA scouts are stupid. Monroe has showed CLEAR improvement from last year, his numbers are up, and his team is now winning. Yet somehow he was a lottery pick last year, and is no longer this year. The only thing I can think of is that it was an extremely weak draft last year. Other than that, I just don't get it.

Jeff and Roy didn't dominate EVERY game. Yet for some reason Greg is expected to. Oh well. If he wants to come back one more season to continue to work on his game and improve his prospects, I certainly couldn't argue with that... ;D

[TrueHoyaBlue]

[td][/td]I would be okay with Greg making the determination that he needs (at least) one more year of development to make himself into a solid top-3 pick!

One other note, related to what some others have said on this post, is that the big knock on Greg last year was that he wasn't aggressive enough, didn't take over games, didn't take enough shots.

This season, he has taken a lot more shots (and probably some more questionable shots), leading to a decline in FG%. Yet his point rebound and assist numbers are up. He has also made efforts to work on his right hand, leading to the lower field goal shooting, and possibly some of his turnovers.

So by doing exactly what people thought he needed to do, his stock has fallen. Go figure.

[Big Dog]

Feb 2, 2010 17:35:15 GMT -5 CAHoya07 said:

See, this is where I think NBA scouts are stupid. Monroe has showed CLEAR improvement from last year, his numbers are up, and his team is now winning. Yet somehow he was a lottery pick last year, and is no longer this year. The only thing I can think of is that it was an extremely weak draft last year. Other than that, I just don't get it.

Jeff and Roy didn't dominate EVERY game. Yet for some reason Greg is expected to. Oh well. If he wants to come back one more season to continue to work on his game and improve his prospects, I certainly couldn't argue with that... ;D

I'm not an NBA scout but certainly I'd love to see Greg get stronger and play tougher against teams with major interior size and strength like Syracuse.

Recall that Greg came to school hyped as the no. 1 recruit in his class, and then built on that by thoroughly embarrassing the outrageously overrated Hasheem Thabeet on national television. As it turns out (and as any regular Big East watcher could have told you) Thabeet sucks. I'm not saying this is what matters to scouts, but the magnitude of Greg's performance against Thabeet has to be diminished.

[Just Cos]

If I were a scout and I really liked a prospect, I wouldn't be telling people that I really liked that prospect.

[hoyabinx]

Feb 2, 2010 17:17:54 GMT -5 westendhoya said:

They think Monroe isn't athletic enough and they question his motor. . . .

. . . . With so many 4s with extreme athleticism in front of him, including Patrick Patterson, Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders and Whiteside, he's having problems distinguishing himself.

What the heck does "question his motor" mean? Seriously, that has to be the most amorphous, trying-to-nail-jello-to-the-wall thing to try and define.

Patrick Patterson? Really?

[daytonahoya31]

Greg is the best power forward in the country and it's not even close. Of the people mentioned above, the only guy I'd rate on par with him is Larry Sanders.

[TBird41]

There's something to the point that Greg hasn't done that well against bigger (read NBA sized) front courts. His really big games this year (Butler, Nova, Duke) have come against teams that are small upfront.

I'd say we've played three teams that play NBA size (or strength) front courts: Cuse, Pitt & UConn. He's averaged 12 pts per game on 41% shooting. He's rebounded pretty well though, grabbing an average of 8.3 rebounds a game.

A cursory glance at last year's stats shows a similar issue with shooting against bigger front courts as well.

[IDenj]

i used to love the larry sanders show. probably some of the best tv ever written.

as for that blurb about greg, didn't they say the same thing about jeff green?

[SFHoya99]

Those PFs they list above are hysterical. I like Sanders, but he's not exactly playing NBA-level frontcourt players often at VCU.

That said, there's some truth to the "concerns." Greg does need to finish better down low. He needs to elevate better on his shots there as well. He could get stronger.

The concerns are just overstated relative to who they having going ahead of him.

Patterson? No one is concerned he's like 6'7" and his upside is a Carl Landry/Paul Millsap-type?

Udoh? No one is concerned he has NO offense?

[dchoyafan]

Once Greg develops a reliable right hand and finishes more consistently around the rim, he will be a lottery pick for sure. Scouts expected him to do that this year and the reason his stock has dropped for the moment is because he hasn't, despite otherwise solid (to great) play.

[seaweed]

imho, this problem does not translate to The League, where there will be big strong individual matchups but GM will not face big strong double and triple teams like he did in those games

Feb 2, 2010 17:52:37 GMT -5 TBird41 said:

There's something to the point that Greg hasn't done that well against bigger (read NBA sized) front courts. His really big games this year (Butler, Nova, Duke) have come against teams that are small upfront.

I'd say we've played three teams that play NBA size (or strength) front courts: Cuse, Pitt & UConn. He's averaged 12 pts per game on 41% shooting. He's rebounded pretty well though, grabbing an average of 8.3 rebounds a game.

A cursory glance at last year's stats shows a similar issue with shooting against bigger front courts as well.

[hibbertfor3]

Seems crazy that Gregs stock has dropped despite his clearly improved play. Regardless, can you imagine if Greg (and Chris and Austin) all come back next year? I imagine that is a pre-season top 5, if not #1, team

[sleepy]

If/When Greg leave this year, he will not be a finished product like Jeff Green or even Hibbert was when they left. He still has a long way to go before he is truely ready to make an impact at the NBA level. He has to get stronger, devlop a better back to the basket game, learn to finish, and seriously improve his outside shot. He has to get stronger with the ball too. If his goal is to make in immediate impact from day 1 in the NBA, it would definitely be in his best interest to return. I honestly think he could improve on all of these things in one off-season if he really puts the work in. I think he is just one hard-working offseason away from being a complete beast, honestly
That all being said, Greg, imo, is almost definitely going to be a lottery pick come June and will most likely be gone. And I honestly wouldn't blame him one bit, nor should anyone else.

[TBird41]

Feb 2, 2010 19:13:33 GMT -5 sleepy said:

If/When Greg leave this year, he will not be a finished product like Jeff Green or even Hibbert was when they left. He still has a long way to go before he is truely ready to make an impact at the NBA level. He has to get stronger, devlop a better back to the basket game, learn to finish, and seriously improve his outside shot. He has to get stronger with the ball too. If his goal is to make in immediate impact from day 1 in the NBA, it would definitely be in his best interest to return. I honestly think he could improve on all of these things in one off-season if he really puts the work in. I think he is just one hard-working offseason away from being a complete beast, honestly
That all being said, Greg, imo, is almost definitely going to be a lottery pick come June and will most likely be gone. And I honestly wouldn't blame him one bit, nor should anyone else.

So if he went pro after this season and then put in a hard-work off season like you describe, he'd be ready to make an impact when the NBA season started?

[sleepy]

Feb 2, 2010 19:17:16 GMT -5 TBird41 said:

Feb 2, 2010 19:13:33 GMT -5 sleepy said:

If/When Greg leave this year, he will not be a finished product like Jeff Green or even Hibbert was when they left. He still has a long way to go before he is truely ready to make an impact at the NBA level. He has to get stronger, devlop a better back to the basket game, learn to finish, and seriously improve his outside shot. He has to get stronger with the ball too. If his goal is to make in immediate impact from day 1 in the NBA, it would definitely be in his best interest to return. I honestly think he could improve on all of these things in one off-season if he really puts the work in. I think he is just one hard-working offseason away from being a complete beast, honestly
That all being said, Greg, imo, is almost definitely going to be a lottery pick come June and will most likely be gone. And I honestly wouldn't blame him one bit, nor should anyone else.

So if he went pro after this season and then put in a hard-work off season like you describe, he'd be ready to make an impact when the NBA season started?

No, he is still two offseasons away and a regular season from being NBA impact ready. But just one from being college superstar ready.

[richfame]

Ive been very impressed with GM this season. Once I got it thru my thick head he wasnt going to be Alonzo Mourning ive gained more of an apprecitaion for his game.

Improvments:

Better rebounder
Works harder on the court, better motor.
I did see him finish with his off hand against Duke

Other than his miss use against the syracuse 2/3 MOnroe has been great. I think one more year of growth will help both us and his overall game..

[HoyaSinceBirth]

His improvement in rebounding is amazing. I'm surprised he doesn't get more praise for this.
he went from averaging 6.5 rbds to 9.8 rbds a game
he's grabbing 9.4% Off rebounds and 24.8% on the defensive end good for 24th in the country.
Last year he grabbed 8.8% and 16.7% respectively.