Disclaimer: This piece does not reflect the views of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
G, Brazil, 19 years old
6’5.5", 197 lbs
6.7 % Body Fat
7’0" Wing Span
8’.8" Standing Reach
Stats In 2014-15 With Pinheiros/Sky (Brazil)
6 Games, 2.5 PPG, 0.67 ASP, 0.67 RPG, 0.17 SPG, 50 FG%, 75 3P%, 50 FT%
Where He’ll Go In The Draft:
He could really go anywhere in the second round. Likely somewhere between 40 and 50.
Most casual basketball fans haven’t heard of de Paula. The 19 year old hails from Brazil and is a lanky 6’6” point guard with potential oozing out of him. Potential, of course, has gotten many top executives canned in the past. That’s why de Paula will likely go somewhere in the second round instead of the first. He still has plenty of room to develop on and off the court. For example, communicating with his teammates won’t be as easy for de Paula as it is for most.
“The language is hard… I’m trying to learn English fast as I can, so it’s a long process for me,” de Paula said at the Combine. “I’m trying to communicate through other people. I always had an English class in high school but I never had a conversation with other people. This is my second time that I have conversation with other people in USA.”
Ideally, de Paula would be drafted by a team that can afford to let him grow and season. He’ll likely be a team’s third point guard and would greatly benefit from playing a substantial amount in the D-League to get his reps in.
de Paula’s wing span is crazy for his position and that should help him on the defensive end right away. Don’t let his lanky build fool you, de Paula is strong and he’ll continue to fill out which is a scary though.
He has big hands which will help again (almost Rondo-like) with passing, but also like Rondo, that could prove to be problematic when he shoots the ball. Perimeter shooting is probably his biggest weakness right now.
Whoever takes de Paula will have to be patient with his skill set. He’s got the tools of an above-average point guard, he just needs to figure out how to use them.
de Paula confirmed at the Combine that he has interviewed with the Clippers, Jazz, Nets, Spurs, Knicks and 76ers.
Ratke’s Take
de Paula was very modest at the Combine in Chicago when we were able to talk with him. This is probably a combination of his personality and the language barrier. He did call this the biggest opportunity of his life and for him, this is it. This is something he’s worked his whole life for and it’d be silly to think he wouldn’t keep working to improve.
While his shooting may be a concern, he’s not that bad. According to Draft Express, de Paual shot a combined 29 percent from deep and 71 percent from the free-throw line in all of his games last season. Those numbers don’t scream “REGGIE MILLER!”, but that’s not a bad baseline for a guy who should be a freshman in college.
He’ll probably go in the second round, but if a team with point guard depth decides to take a flier on de Paula late in the first, don’t be surprised. In 2019, who knows what this kid could be.
Twitter Talk
Quotable
“Best opportunity ever that I’ve had in my life. I feel comfortable with myself to play here and it’s my dream. I work every day since I was eight years old. This is my dream.” George de Paula on what it would mean to play in the NBA.