Recap: Cavs 84, Magic 100 (or, this is really a Brad Beal draft profile)
2012-04-15Cleveland scored 30 first half points as their injury depleted offense could not unlock the defensive riddle that is Dwight Howard.
Wait?
What?
Howard didn’t play tonight? Oh, never mind. Well…ummm…Toronto and Sacremento won, so Cleveland again has the fifth worst record in the NBA and is tied for fourth fewest wins.
With that, let’s discuss everyone’s favorite collegiate shooting guard: University of Florida freshman Bradley Beal.
Beal sits in the top five on every draft board. As one of the youngest players available, turning 19 in June, he tallied 15 points on 57% true shooting, with 7 rebounds & 2 assists per game over his one year with the Gators. Despite a reputation as an ace marksman, he finished the season converting only 34% from long range. Scouts love his shooting form though, and he also is a skilled shot creator that is praised for his maturity & coachability. He reaches the foul line at a reasonable rate, attempting five free throws a game and making 77% while there. Finally, his rebounding is elite for a shooting guard. Per minute, pace adjusted, he ranks 4th of 83 shooting guards in the draftexpress.com database.
Game Summaries: According to the box score, Beal struggled in Florida’s March 4th loss to Kentucky. Scoring five points on ten shots won’t get it done. His outside shots wouldn’t fall and Anthony Davis gave him headaches at the rim. Beal exhibited a nuance to his game that can be viewed favorably however. He showed advanced ball-handling skills with both hands and facilitated the offense well. He understands a need to feed the post, and in addition to his four assists, dished several on-point passes that were fumbled or resulted in missed shots. Three of his dimes came in transition, where he frequently creates opportunities by grabbing defensive rebounds and bolting down the court (six d-boards this game). Defensively he flashed signs of strength against UK’s freshman stars; on one possession staying between Marquis Teague and the basket before blocking his layup, and on another trip down the court, impeding an MKG drive with quick feet prior to stealing the ball with rabbit-fast hands. Overall, this does not go down as a noteworthy game for Beal, but even on 1 of 10 shooting in a double-digit loss; I was impressed.
In the first game of a relatively unexpected jaunt to the NCAA tournament elite eight (Florida was a 7 seed); Beal totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds on 72% true shooting in a blowout win over Virginia. It was a relatively nondescript game, as he scored three of his five field goals off offensive rebounds and another from a catch-and-shoot three. He frequently brought the ball up court and initiated the Gator offense. As the pick-and-roll ball handler, he showed good decision making; his lone assist lead to a Patric Young dunk as the roll man, and twice he set up Eric Murphy with wide open pick-and-pop eighteen footers, only to watch the shots rim out. It was a quiet double-double in a 25-point victory; nothing wrong with that.
Summary: Unlike Austin Rivers, Beal closed the year very strongly. Instead of NCAA coaches figuring him out; he began mastering the college game. Over the last 10 games, in 35 minutes, he averaged 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 turnovers, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and shot 47 / 35 / 78 (60% TS and this included the 1 of 10 UK game). Everything about that looks great, and each number represents an improvement over his first 27 games.
Like everyone else, I am high on Bradley Beal. He’s extremely skilled for an eighteen-year old and by all accounts, he works hard and possesses excellent “basketball IQ”. Most comparisons include Ray Allen and Eric Gordon. I’m going on a quick tangent and saying that it is silly to compare any 18 year old to Ray Allen; he’s a singularly unique player, maybe the greatest shooter of all time, a man that may score 25000 points and drain 3000 three pointers. It’s a strained comparison, like Bismack Biyombo to Ben Wallace, another once in a generation player. They’re eighteen years old; unless they blistered the college game for a year like Kevin Durant, no need for hyperbole.
Anyways, rant aside, the Eric Gordon comparison seems apt, to the level of him being considered a great shooter in college while only making 34% of his threes. Gordon went on to knock down 39% his first year in the league and was a 38% long distance shooter through three years. That said though, Beal shows abilities of advanced ball handling, court vision and rebounding compared to Gordon. Just like last year, if the Cavs number goes past on lottery night with another team’s name in their place; I will jump high enough off of my couch that I could be a lottery pick. To me; Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist & Brad Beal are all cream-of-the-crop draft day scores.
@Alex what would be so terrible about Gordon playing next to Paul? Well, it wouldn’t get ya anywhere near sniffing a championship! Again, I think it is entirely rational to think that the Cavs have the kind of support from top-to-bottom to go after a high-ceiling guy like PJ3 or T Jones. I think since we went for the “safe” route last draft and it worked better than we could’ve hoped, now is he time for a high-risk, high-reward pick! I’m telling u, we can find a Beal type player far moreeasilywith the Lakers pick. swing for the fences, I… Read more »
AlexS,
Thanks for the lowdown on Beal.
Watching him, there is something about his body control, ball handling, change of speed & direction, passing, etc that makes James Harden a decent comparison.
Beal doesn’t turn 19 until draft day. I think he’ll be a better shooter than he showed in his one college season and be a very solid two way player for a long time.
But the Jones’ floors are so much lower than Beal’s. If I’m looking for a franchise player, I would take Davis, Drummond, and Perry Jones, but if I want a sidekick for Kyrie, I would take MKG, Beal, or Barnes over anyone not named Anthony Davis.
We don’t need to take a massive risk on a boom-or-bust guy like Drummond or Jones. What’s so terrible about Eric Gordon if he would be playing next to Chris Paul?
I would never take Terrence Jones over Beal. Maybe Perry, but probably not. My favorite combo for this draft is P. Jones and Terrence Ross.
I’m not sold on MKG either cuz I don’t think he has nearly any offensive skills but man, if one could combine Beal and MKG! Now that would be a player! I think I would actually rather take a flier on superior talents like PJ3 and T. Jones rather than Beal. Their upside (along w/ Henson) is just so much higher than Beal’s. I trust that between the good character of Kyrie and TT and the tough love coaching of Scott, the Cavs could risk picking these types of players.
Offensively, Beal is a great scorer. He just has a knack for getting good looks and putting the ball in the basket. When he’s at his best, he’s knocking down open 3s and then driving past defenders when they begin to close too hard. He’s also a good passer for a 2 guard and would occasionally initiate the offense. For someone who shoots 47% of his total field goals from long range, he gets to the free throw line at a high rate, taking about 5 FTs per game (making 77%). While he only makes about 34% of his three-point… Read more »
Defensively, he’s a solid option. While he isn’t a lockdown perimeter defender, he’ll usually take the opponents best wing player. Where he really excels is on the glass. He averaged 6.7 RPG this year and had more double digit rebounding games than all the other SEC guards combined. I think his biggest issue on defense is that he will get caught ball watching or bringing help defense too early, leaving his man wide open for a three. Other than that, I don’t see any glaring weakness on defense, and he would be an improvement over any wing on the Cavs… Read more »
As someone who has seen Beal play in person over a dozen times this year and countless other times on TV, I would like to think I’ve learned a little about the type of game he plays and his potential in the NBA. While UF officially lists him at 6-3, that must be without shoes, because he looks almost 6-5 when standing next to his teammates. At a sturdy 207 pounds, he’s strong enough to finish through contact in the lane. One important note on Beal is he played this season primarily at SF (and occasionally at PF and point… Read more »
Beal just doesn’t just have the size and premier athleticism I value in a SG. Period. Plus his TS % was not very good for a supposed knock-down shooter.
The good thing about Beal is that it looks like he would be able to be that 2nd scorer who can create scoring opportunities for himself, and potentially others, with Kyrie on the bench, sort of like James Harden.
I also have a feeling that with how loaded the Kings are at guard, they’d go for either Drummond, Robinson, or Barnes if they were ahead of us. They’re a lot deeper in the back court than they are at SF and they could fall in love with putting another potentially elite big man next to Boogie Cousins.
As of now, I personally would rather us draft Drummond and pick up a wing player with our later pick. I also would prefer Jeremy Lamb over Beal if Drummond was gone. Beal’s stock right now is off the charts, and got a huuuuge boost from the beginning to end of the tournament. He is nasty, but seems to be more of a power guard that can attack and finish, as opposed to a flat out shooter who I think would pair up better w/Kyrie. I don’t know that we need another guard that needs the ball in his hands… Read more »
And although Beal will most likely go at 2-3, if the draft order stays in the same order that it is in right now (and we get number 4 instead of the kings), we would still have a good chance of getting beal if New Orleans resigns gordan.
Kinda sounds a little bit like D Wade with the high rebound numbers
Great wins today by TOR, SAC and NO.
I know that this is unlikely, but it isn’t too late to having the third worst record if we lose out. New Orleans has 2 very winnable games on their schedule (Bobcats and Golden State).