#1 - John Wall
#2 - Evan Turner
#3 - Derrick Favors
#4 - DeMarcus Cousins
#5 - Wesley Johnson
#6 - Al-Farouq Aminu
#7 - Ed Davis
#8 - Cole Aldrich
#9 - Greg Monroe
#10 - Daniel Orton
#11 - Ekpe Udoh
#12 - Hassan Whiteside
#13 - Donatas Motiejunas
#14 - Patrick Patterson
-------------------------
Another one of those prospects no one can agree on -- Greg Monroe -- after the jump ...
Scouting Reports
Greg is an elite-passing big man.
... his best skill is undoubtedly his passing ability. Showing excellent court vision and instincts with the ball in his hands, Monroe makes a variety of outstanding passes from the perimeter, high post, and low post, finding open shooters and slashers alike. From the first day he steps onto the court in the NBA, there's little doubt that he'll already be among the league's elite passing big men.
His post game is iffy.
... there are a few notable problems with Monroe's post game, most importantly his complete and utter lack of a right hand, along with any finesse moves off his left shoulder in general. When defenders force him to turn left shoulder, Monroe is incredibly inefficient, relying mainly on an inaccurate right-handed hook shot, but more often than not forcing his moves to the right shoulder instead, leading to more low percentage attempts.
It gets worse.
Aside from his problems with his right hand, Monroe's post game has other problems projecting to the pros, as he's not an especially explosive player, while having a low release point on the majority of his shots out of the post. He lacks anything even resembling a turnaround jumper off either shoulder, and the rest of his moves don't generate much separation in the post, which could lead to major problems against longer, more athletic defenders in the pros.
What else does he have in his offensive arsenal besides elite passing and an iffy post game?
Monroe also spends a good number of his possessions attacking off the dribble, showing very good body control and coordination in this regard, flashing impressive moves fairly often, showing himself capable of finishing on high difficulty spin drives for example. That said, Monroe is incredibly inefficient in these situations, showing average ball-handling skills going in either direction, though his problems are certainly magnified when going right.
At least he doesn't turn the ball over. Oh, wait ...
According to Synergy, Monroe is scoring at a dreadful rate of 0.39 PPP going right out of isolations, and not much better at 0.57 PPP going left. The biggest problem here is in the turnover department, as he's frequently called for travels or just outright loses the ball with his shaky control.
He can shoot though, right?
... another highly concerning area for Monroe is his complete lack of a perimeter shot, not being reliable at all from the mid or long range spotting up. He's converted just 11 of his 45 jump-shot attempts (24%) this season according to Synergy, struggling in both catch and shoot and off the dribble situations. While he occasionally will show mechanics that look decent or better, he too often doesn't hold his follow through, doesn't square his body to the basket, and just doesn't show good control in general.
How's his defense?
He does a good job of rotating himself, however his lack of explosiveness hinders his ability to do much contesting around the rim, and he's probably not as assertive as he could be in this regard either.
In the post, Monroe has done a very good job developing his fundamental base and using his physical tools well, getting up into his man, extending his length overhead, and forcing the opposition into tough shots while not surrendering position easily. On the perimeter, however, Monroe looks awfully out of sorts, getting beat laterally very frequently, and not showing much effort moving his feet in general.
And work ethic ...
Monroe came into this season very out of shape, and thus took time to shed some of the extra weight he was carrying and get himself into optimal condition. For a player who already struggles with heavy feet and a general lack of athleticism, he cannot afford to give NBA scouts the impression that he's not working that hard in the summer.
Scouts hang their hat on Monroe's "skills", high basketball IQ, and passing ability.
While scouts wrung their hands of his lack of conditioning at the start of the season and his tendency to disappear at times, many more fell for his high basketball IQ, passing ability and improved play on both ends of the court. Monroe's lack of explosive athleticism hurts his ceiling, but he's so skilled, he should be a great fit in the right system.
Too passive?
... NBA talent evaluators savaged him for being passive and seemingly out of shape.
Scouts can't come to an agreement on Monroe.
Monroe has always split the opinion of scouts and GMs. Some have loved his high basketball IQ, low post skills and unselfishness. Others have wrung their hands over his pedestrian athleticism and a perceived indifference on the court.
Greg Monroe on Twitter
Comparisons
DX: Best case - Brad Miller
Worst case - Josh McRoberts
NBADraft.net - Lamar Odom (less athletic)
YouTube
My take:
Monroe might be my least favorite prospect in the top 14. People rave about his passing ability, but on a list of skills, passing is probably the least I care about when it comes to my big men. It's great that he can pass, but what about his defense? What about his turnovers? What about his iffy offense? What about his lack of athleticism? What about poor motor? Lack of killer instinct? Coming into the season out of shape? The amount of question marks surrounding Monroe is off the charts, and I'm confused as to why so many people are high on him. He's only 19 and has some upside, but he currently has one skill that translates to the NBA, and it's not even an essential skill for someone who plays his position.
His best chance at success in the NBA is to play in a system like the Princeton, which is the complete opposite of what the Sixers should run. Don't like the player, don't like the fit, and I'd be devastated if the Sixers picked Monroe anywhere near the lottery.
Up next: Daniel Orton