If the Hawks take a chance on a high-risk, high-reward candidate during Thursday's draft, then a player whose name they may call is Kevon Looney of UCLA. Looney fits the bill, both in terms of the talents that the Hawks typically seek as the talents they may need to supplement their current roster. The 19-year-old is long, has shown a good touch from the outside, and can go an get a rebound in traffic.
Despite being a teenager going up against mostly older players, Looney averaged 11.6 points and and an impressive 9.2 rebounds in his only season at UCLA. In a small sample size, he made 22 of the 53 three-point shots he attempted (41.5%).
To find out more about the Milwaukee native, Hawks.com reached out to Bruins Nation, SB Nation's UCLA blog, speaking specifically with writer 'DCBruins', who covers men's basketball for the site.
Q. What does Kevon do well?
Bruins Nation: Everything except post up. He is really a versatile player. Watch this video for a sample:
That was a key game for UCLA that if we lost that one our season was likely done. We had lost six in row going into that game, and all he did was score 27 points and have 19 rebounds.
Q. How does his game translate to the NBA?
Bruins Nation: He is NBA ready. I think he is a bit undervalued right now. He was also underutilized at UCLA. He could be a real gem in the NBA.
Q. What can he do to improve?
Bruins Nation: I am not sure of his durability. He may not physically be ready for an 82-game season. He also needs to be a bit more assertive. Also he needs to learn how to post up. His man-to-man defense needs work as well. However, those are all things that I think can improve with the right training and coaching staff.
Q. What style of play suits his game best?
Bruins Nation: He is very good in the open court for someone of his height. He is not a post up player, but is a good offensive rebounder and has a great motor. He can do everything a four should on offense and more except post. Even though he isn't great in the post, he does throw good entry passes into the post. He is particularly comfortable with the ball in his hands for a four.
Q: To which current or past NBA player would you compare him?
Bruins Nation: A young Kevin Garnett. Not an exact match, nor is he that good yet, but he is a similar kind of player. He is long for his height as well.