Weekly Insight with Grant Hill - 3rd Edition - Court Intelligence

Weekly Insight with Grant Hill - 3rd Edition - Court Intelligence



Today, I want to talk about Court Intelligence.  What does that mean?  I’m talking about those certain intangibles that set players like Steve Nash apart from players like Jason Williams.  Players that have the exact same skillsets can vary drastically in their application if IQ and Discipline don’t (or won’t) exist in a big way.

Let’s start off with UConn product, Ryan Boatright.  Ryan is, in my opinion, the craftiest player available in this draft.  While he may not “wow” you with his athleticism, he rarely makes a bad decision.  He has the tools to become a decent scorer, and when he does look to score, he will more often than not.  This kid rarely forces up a bad shot.

Steven Adams will only get a brief mention here, as I’ve already said too many great things about this kid.  Put it simply, he is the smartest big guy in the lottery, hands down.

Here’s one for you – Luka Mitrovic.  Not only is this kid one of the tallest, smartest kids in the draft, but the fact that he plays smart and under control basketball will definitely benefit his jump shooting style of play.  Not only can this kid score from anywhere, but his awareness will also allow him to anticipate shot trajectory and, thus, ideal positioning for his substantial rebounding ability.

I know when you started reading this article, you knew it was only a matter of time before we mentioned Boris Dallo.  If you haven’t noticed, this 6’5” point guard out of France has some serious floor general potential.  Awesome, right?  Couple that with legitimate court intelligence and you have a pretty special player.  He can see above most on the court and can make the right passes from all angles.  Additionally, his ability to read the offense benefits him on the defensive end as well, where he has the ability to play on-ball against both opposing point and shooting guards.

Michael Cobbins – the more I see from this kid the more I like.  I know Nik Stauskas is getting the nod as the player with the best intangibles in this draft, but a close 2nd has to go to Cobbins.  He has an all-star personality and combines that with draft-leading IQ and Discipline.  He may never be an actual all-star, but neither was Shane Battier.  You get my point.

Now let’s discuss some kids I’m worried about.  Jerami Grant, Joel Embiid, Zeke Marshall, Noah Vonleh and Aaric Murray.

I mean, that’s five players that are widely touted as physically dominant prodigies and yet, I’m telling you to be worried about their ability to put it together on the court.  Keep in mind, Discipline is a huge part of the game these days.  It determines if your big guy has the ability to stay on the floor for an entire 36 minutes per game.

Jerami Grant is a sensational talent with scoring and playmaking simply oozing from him.  But his court intelligence is so low, that you wonder if he’ll ever be able to put it together at the professional level.

The fact that Joel Embiid has appeared on this side of the discussion should worry you a bit.  There is no doubt that he has the potential to be an incredible offensive threat once he develops, but he’s already lackluster defensively and I have my doubts about his ability to stay on the court.

Zeke Marshall is easily summed up by referencing Larry Sanders.

Noah Vonleh is a disappointment here.  I like this kid and disagree with his self-assessment likening himself to Josh Smith.  That’s misleading in the sense that Vonleh should/could be at least an efficient offensive player, if not one that looks for his shot regularly.  The problem becomes one where I question his ability to accurately apply his tremendous and varietal skillset on real CSL hardwood.

Finally, white hot Aaric Murray may be climbing the early season big boards with his excellent play for Texas Southern, but he may rise only as far as his ceiling will allow.  While this kid scores most of his points by creating trips to the line for himself, his out-of-control drives through the paint (those plays that generate whistles for him at the collegiate level) may not be call as frequently on the professional level.

Zeke Marshall's lack of intangibles and his lack of discipline plus his age makes him pretty unattractive as a prospect.

Still sounds like Embiid - Adams is a lock for the 1-2 picks from everything I've seen.