Adreian Payne
Birthdate: Feb. 19, 1991 (Dayton, Ohio)
School: Jefferson Township (Dayton, Ohio) Class: 2014 (OFFICIAL) Height: 6'10" Weight: 245 NBA Position: PF |
Scouting Report 1.0 — 05.20.2014 (Matthew Quammen)
Adreian is a very athletic big that can score in a multitude of ways. In the NBA, he will be an immediate impact pick and pop player that can actually defend fours and fives. Proof of his athleticism: Adreian won the college dunk contest this season. If he were three years younger, he’d be a top five pick without question. This begs the question, what took him so long to develop into the player he became? Some would credit Tom Izzo’s coaching, which is no doubt a factor, but the biggest change was that he began shooting threes late in his junior year.
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He shot over 42% of his threes as a senior and it opened up the rest of the floor for him to operate. My theory is that, like with all guys over 6’6, the air is just different up there, they are all weird, and it takes them longer to figure shit out. He is a solid, physical defender and an aggressive rebounder. It will take him time to adjust to defensive rotations and the speed of the game, but he has all the ability to be an above average defender. Beginning the season, he was ranked as a potential 2nd rounder and he currently is projected as a mid to late first rounder.
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I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t end up in the lottery as size always rises as the draft gets closer. There simply aren’t many guys who can defend the four and knock down threes the way he can. If you have any questions about his character, YouTube the story about him befriending Lacey Holsworth, a young girl battling cancer over the past year and a half. I’m high on Adreian, and believe he’ll have a long NBA career. Worst case: Ersan Illysova, Average case: Robert “Big Shot Bob” Horry, Best case: Chris Bosh.
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