Between now and the June 28 NBA Draft, SUPERSONICS.COM will break down one of the top 15 prospects in the draft per day, getting audio analysis from Sonics Director of Basketball Operations Dave Pendergraft and commentary from Sonics play-by-play broadcaster David Locke and SUPERSONICS.COM's Kevin Pelton. Today, Washington guard Brandon Roy.
Pendergraft's take:
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Locke's take: Brandon Roy takes the Locke three-part NBA Draft test and shatters it. There is no question he was the man at the University of Washington. He got better each and every time he took the floor last year.
Amazingly, Pac-10 opponents knew that he was the key to everything the Huskies did and they were never able to stop him.
In big games Roy was at his best. At big moments he never wavered.
Roy exemplifies everything you want out of a players and a winner. That does not mean there are not some concerns about Roy’s game.
What does he do great? Roy does everything well, but what is going to define his game on the NBA level. His college game was subtle. Will that subtly survive at the next level or will a lack of athleticism catch up with him?
One NBA evaluator, who I trust a ton, thinks Roy will be a 15-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist player in the NBA. That would be a terrific career and that is good place to start for Roy.
Pelton's take: As a UW grad who was at Hec Ed for Roy's first career basket (of many), all objectivity is long out the window here. Fortunately, Roy happens to be the kind of player I like regardless of whether they don the purple and gold.
Roy really was a great role player as a junior. He shot 56.5% from the field and had an assist-to-turnover ratio (1.45) that many point guards would envy. When Nate Robinson and Tre Simmons moved on last year, Roy's role changed and he was more than equal to the task of shouldering the Huskies offense. If Roy forced the issue, he could easily have scored more than the 20.1 points per game he did put up, but he was content to set up his teammates.
I'm of the opinion that the jack-of-all-trades players, like Roy, are often underrated in the NBA. Roy won't likely overwhelm you with his NBA effort, but he'll fill up a stat sheet and help his team win. He's the odds-on Rookie of the Year and a likely top-five pick.
