BRANDAN WRIGHT one of the fastest rising stars in the basketball scene.
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146 Seconds of Brandan Wright
In all the KG craziness, it was easy to forget that the Warriors snagged a player at the end of June that many consider to be the third most talented in the 07 draft. Since we missed seeing Brandan Wright in the summer league, I went digging on YouTube for college highlights. There’s not much, but it’s more we’ve seen of him on the Warriors. A warning: these are highlights. They’re the best of Brandan Wright’s lone collegiate season and can’t be taken as representative of his usual play. That said, when trying to judge a player’s upside, what better to consider than his best plays? These clips should show us some of Brandan Wright’s raw tools. Clip 1: UNC v. Gonzaga Three things stand out here: * Brandan Wright doesn’t need to put the ball on the court before he goes up. He seems very comfortable catching the ball while moving towards the basket and going up in a fluid motion. For a slight guy like Brandan Wright, this is key, since any time he’s standing still is likely time he’s getting muscled out of the paint. It also avoids the situation I see Powell get into repeatedly: catch the ball or rebound in great position, tuck the ball, get mobbed by two or three defenders, throw up an errant shot. On a slashing team like the Warriors, Brandan Wright should be able to work the seams on the weak side for a lot of easy looks moving towards the basket. * He’s smooth with the ball, even on the outside. This is really an extension of the point above, but from these few looks he seems confident clearing space and putting up the jumper. Ideally, the Warriors would like him to be a factor on the boards and around the basket, but it never hurts to be able to step out to 10-12 feet and knock down a shot. Please, Brandan, just don’t pull a Joe Smith. * He has freakishly long arms. The poor Gonzaga players don’t seem to grasp how high his wingspan goes. He’s even floating out to block shots on guards here and his timing seems to be excellent. With Andris and Brandan Wright on the front line together, the Warriors should be able to frustrate penetration around the basket. Clip 2: UNC v. Ohio State On the first possession here, Brandan Wright doesn’t even try to establish position. Given his body type, he’s going to have a hard time pushing out heavier players with his lower body. Still, he hangs around the basket and slashes to the hoop when the shot goes up. The flipside to his slightness is that he’ll likely be faster and more agile than the players trying to lay a body on him. On the second possession, watch Brandan Wright work his way around the floor. When he does post up, the defender rolls around to front him. Bad move. Brandan Wright’s wingspan is so huge that the Warriors should be able to pass over most fronting defenses to get him the ball. He times his release to the basket perfectly here and gets an easy dunk. Again, very smooth. Clip 3: UNC v. NC State Only a single play here, but it’s an impressive one. Brandan Wright blocks a reverse lay-up and appears to palm the ball out of thin air. Teams will likely exploit Brandan Wright’s weight by pounding him with bigger men. His ability to take the hits without fouling back, know when to give ground, and recover to guard the rim will be key. If he can time all his moves like this one, he shouldn’t be a liability on the defensive end. Obviously, Brandan Wright is still a tremendous question mark when it comes to being a contributor next year, but you can see what Mullin and Nellie liked in the kid. For those of you who saw more UNC games last year than I did, a few questions: * How is Brandan Wright’s rebounding? I presume he picks up some slashing and reaching with his long arms, but is he able to hold any sort of position beneath the basket? * How is Brandan Wright’s passing, particularly on the perimeter? Does he freeze up when forced to make a choice with the ball or seem to have pretty good court IQ? * How is Brandan Wright’s consistency? He’s was knocked as being soft in the days before the draft. How did he get the reputation? Did I miss any good highlights? Drop a link below.
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