Tony Wroten has had the opportunity to dominate the ball at Washington this season, but needs to add a lot more polish to fulfill his NBA destiny. Jonathan Tjarks assesses Wroten and the other NBA prospects wearing Huskies uniforms this season.
Feb 22, 2012 - In many ways, the point guard is the quarterback of the basketball team, responsible for making the right decisions distributing the ball. And over the last generation, as the country's best athletes have migrated to those two positions, their responsibilities have grown.
PGs who can score and QBs who can run have to be able to call their own number without short-changing their teammates.
When Vince Young took over at Texas, the production of Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson, two WRs who became high NFL draft picks, slipped. Similarly, Washington PG Tony Wroten Jr. is still figuring out how to take advantage of his offensive gifts while fully utilizing Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox, two future first-round draft picks on the wings.
Wroten, a powerful 6'5 guard with a 6'8 wingspan and excellent ball-handling skills, could score at will in high school and AAU ball. But for the first time in his life, he's no longer the most dangerous player on the floor.
He's the Huskies' leading scorer at 16.5 points a game on 46.5 percent shooting, but Ross, a better athlete and shooter, is right behind him at 15.6 points on 45.7 percent shooting. And while Ross and Wilcox will move the ball around the perimeter before trying to initiate offense, the ball has the tendency to stick in Wroten's hands.
As a result, both players can disappear for long stretches of games. Washington's dramatic 71-69 win over UCLA on Feb. 2 is a perfect example of this problem. Ross, after barely touching the ball while Wroten went 4-11 and turned the ball over five times, took over when Wroten got into foul trouble, scoring 10 of the Huskies final 12 points to finish with 22 on 9-13 shooting.
Washington's offense has so many weapons that it would be hard for any PG to keep everyone happy, much less someone with a score-first mentality like Wroten. There's Wilcox, one of the country's most dangerous shooters, Abdul Gaddy, a 6'3 PG who was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, Darnell Gant, a 6'8 shooter and Aziz N'Diaye, an extremely raw 7'0 center with a slowly developing post game.
Nor was there much of a pecking order as the season began. The Huskies lost their top three scorers from last year: Isaiah Thomas, now with the Sacramento Kings, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday, older brother of Philadelphia 76ers PG Jrue Holiday.
The result has been an uneasy transition process. Washington, one of the most talented teams in the country, has stumbled out to a 19-8 record, with the low-light coming in a 92-73 home loss to South Dakota State in December.
However, Wroten, after playing 27 games for coach Lorenzo Romar, is a more polished player than he was at the beginning of the season. He still has the occasional stinker, like his six-turnover game against Oregon on Feb. 9, but he's getting better at knowing when to pick his spots offensively.
The Huskies would probably have a better record with Gaddy at the point, but Romar chose to ride out the growing pains of his tremendously talented freshman.
That's why, as March nears, Washington is extremely intriguing. They have the talent to beat anybody, but if not utilized properly, they can lose to anyone, too.
6'7 sophomore shooting guard
6'5 shooting guard
6'8 senior power forward
Down-the-road possibilities:
Tony Wroten Jr.: 6'5 guard with excellent vision and ball-handling ability, but is averaging 3.8 assists and 3.9 turnovers a game as a freshman and needs to significantly improve decision-making ability. Biggest red flag for next level is lack of a three-point shot (shooting 18.8 percent from long-range). Inability to space the floor will prevent Wroten from being an effective NBA role player; like Tyreke Evans, has to dominate the ball to be effective.
Aziz N'Diaye: Athletic 7'0 junior center from Senegal. Averaging 8.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in only 22 minutes and has shown desire to improve as well as a high motor in first two years in Seattle.
Abdul Gaddy: 6'3 junior guard who is still only 20 years old. Hasn't been able to fulfill recruiting pedigree in first three years due to age, injuries and extremely talented teammates who prevent him from dominating the ball. Has a good feel for the game but isn't a great athlete, so will need to refine every aspect of his game next year, from long-range shooting (31.7 percent from beyond the arc this season) to scoring off the bounce (39.9 percent from the field) and running point (4.7 assists to 2.0 turnovers), to be an NBA-caliber player.
Shawn Kemp Jr.: Doesn't have father's unreal athleticism, but can play above the rim at 6'9 and 265 pounds. Has not gotten much playing time as a freshman, but combination of size and athleticism is worth keeping an eye on.
1 comment
Comments
Good stuff as always
Texas fans dissatisfied with the development of Cory Joseph and Avery Bradley should look no further than Abdul Gaddy. One of Bradley’s sparring parnters out of the Washington area, Gaddy, a big, young-for-his-age point guard, should be playing in the NBA. Instead, he played less than 50% of total minutes his freshman year, tore his ACL in his promising sophomore year, and now looks overseas-bound. The point is: there are no guarantees with 5* prospects. It takes some coaching up to get them to become first round picks.
As for Tony Wroten, it looks like dude has a first round guaranteed contract if he wants it. Most of the draft talk has him as the second best point guard prospect in the draft behind Damian Lillard, and Wroten might go higher anyway based on potential and athleticism. I think it’d be a mistake for him to stick around for his sophomore year.
I really like Terrence Ross. Probably the only “Alternative All-American” I got right.
http://aseaofblue.com | http://barkingcarnival.com | @JC_Hoops
by jc25 on Feb 22, 2012 1:56 PM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed