Most of the people familiar with my previous writing for Total Sports Live already know about my personal infatuation — misplaced or not — with Creighton All-American forward Doug McDermott. McDermott was one of the first draftees that I profiled for the “Six for the Sixers” series that went up earlier this summer.
The 2014 NBA Draft is three days away, and, yes, McDermott continues to sit as the guy I believe they should take with the number 10 selection. What makes McDermott so special is his ability to simply fill up the point sheet from anywhere on the court with a wide arsenal. He has a deadly mid-range and three-point game, and his basketball IQ is among the highest of any of the other potential lottery picks.
McDermott also has his shortcomings and what (allegedly) makes him unattractive to some NBA general managers and scouts. His stats more than speak for themselves when you look at them, but there is the continuing attitude that McDermott will struggle to succeed in a league where a guy that can shoot close to and above 45% from three-point range is a premium. Guys like McDermott spread the floor, and many NBA offenses have several plays where a wing three or a corner three is part of the game plan.
McDermott does all that and more.
Don’t just take my word for it, however. In today’s installment of the Monday Morning Conversation podcast, listen to Jacob Padilla of The Creightonian newspaper in Omaha as well as Bright Side of the Sun — the Phoenix Suns blog on the SB Nation family of websites. Padilla has covered Creighton basketball for the last three years, and he has been reporting on McDermott. He has seen McDermott’s maturation as a basketball player, and he has first-hand knowledge of what the Creighton product can become at the next level.
Follow Jacob on Twitter and check out his scouting profile for McDermott at Bright Side of the Sun.
https://soundcloud.com/adiobroyster/monday-morning-conversation-june-23-2014-jacob-padilla-of-the-creightonian
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