NBA Comparison: Mike Conley/Chris Paul

Strengths:  A “true” PG with a great feel for the game … Charismatic player with the imagination and mindset to become a standout PG at the NBA level , “has a chance to be special”… A facilitator who shows the ability to make those around him better … Great vision and passing skills … Great burst. Has the blow by speed to get past defenders off the dribble … Good decision maker. Looks to make the right play instead of always trying to dazzle … Doesn’t force shots or overdribble (improved this in his limited time at Duke) … Excellent shooter with the ability to get shots within the flow of the offense …  Jumpshot has great form … Has range out to NBA three and just needs time to gain consistency on it … Good one on one skills … Can pull up off the dribble … A strong finisher exhibiting good body control … Ambidextrous with the dribble, showing impressive ability to go to the left and finish with his off hand … Has excellent ball handling ability with a nasty crossover … High motor kid who gets strong reviews for his character and work ethic … Has a good wingspan and big hands which are obviously positive attributes … Very efficient shooter : 53% fg, 90% ft, 45% 3p … Solid defender with adequate size. Gets low, fundamental, doesn’t gamble too often. Plays the passing lanes well (1.5 spg) …

Weaknesses:  Durability is a legitimate concern after he missed all but 8 games of his freshman season (heading into the post season)  …  The big question is whether this was a fluke (turftoe injury) or indicative of a bigger problem … Lack of experience at the college level  is concerning considering how difficult it is to master the position at the next level … Could struggle with the transition to the NBA game with just 8 games of NCAA experience under his belt. Granted he looked advanced for a freshmen PG … Has solid athleticism, but not elite … Not known for highlight reel dunks or a player who overwhelms opponents with his physicality … Needs to continue to work on his strength in order to improve his ability to finish and defensively … Tendency to get out of control attacking the basket … Put up tremendous numbers in his first 8 games, however it’s questionable he would have sustained that for an entire season through conference play … Appears to have the total package but missing such a huge portion of his freshman season makes him a risk. A team will have to roll the dice on limited college experience and exposure …

Notes: Turf toe injury has sidelined him for all but 11 games of his freshman season … When he returned from injury, he looked out of shape and was not as dynamic as he had been in the early part of the season … Refusing to participate in the athleticism testing (a first for a projected top pick) may raise some red flags … 10% body fat also extremely high for a guard raising the question whther he has been able to work out fully after returning from injury … His breakout performance came in a game that many felt were the two top teams in the country, at the time, with 31 points vs. Michigan State. Their collapse has made that performance less impressive in hindsight … The NBA game has gone the way of point guards and having a true PG gives a team such an edge. This plays right into Irving’s hands as he is viewed as a true point guard with the potential to be just a notch below the games elite’s (Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Chris Paul)…  Sources claim he will enter this year’s (2011) NBA draft if he’s projected by teams as a top 2 pick …

Aran Smith 3/8/11

Strengths: An excellent athlete in a solid 6’2 point guard body, Irving has complete command and control of the basketball in terms of handle and running a team … He’s super quick, and makes it almost impossible for his defender to stay in front of him on a one on one basis … Will cause havoc with his ability to get into the lane and open things up …  He has a remarkable ability to change direction on the dime, making him virtually unguardable and deadly in the open court … Has shown the ability to finish with both hands around the basket … His outside game is above average for a guard entering his freshman year – since he has the ball in his hands most of the time, most of his shots are pull ups off the dribble, which he has shown to be an effective weapon for him, displaying sound fundamentals with his feet setup and a smooth release … has 3 point range … He has solid point guard vision, and excels in the fast break whether it’s finishing himself or throwing a timely setup pass to a teammate … His pick and roll potential could be a big weapon moving forward, as he can make the initial pass or use his impressive change of speed ability coming off a screen to get to the rim … Shows body control when going up in traffic with an ability to elude taller defenders in the air …  Defensively he plays aggressive on ball defense, showing quick footwork and the ability to stay in front of his man with a high motor and high intensity … Very composed, mature young man both on and off the floor …

Weaknesses: Irving tends to get too caught up with his ability to handle the ball, at times causing over dribbling and poor offensive team possessions … Since he’s so quick and elusive off the dribble, he finds himself getting an open look on almost every possession, not necessarily a good thing from your point guard … At 6’2 his size works at the college level, but won’t give him much of an edge seeing over the defense at the professional level … His shot release point is also somewhat low… Shot selection and overall poise and control need improvement, however under Coach K that is unlikely to be an issue …

Overall: He will come in with established scorers around him, which will really help him in terms of growing as a playmaker and quarterback … His quickness and talent combine to make him a pleasure to watch, as he should blossom into a premier guard in the country within his first year … He’s almost a guaranteed one and done candidate, and I don’t see him slipping out of the top 5 …

Jon Wasserman 7/17/10

NBADraft.net Interview

YouTube Clip – 12/03/2010