Name: William "Smush" Parker
Player comparison: Polished Leandro Barbosa/Improved Keyon Dooling
Size:
1. Height – 6’2.5" w/o shoes. 6'4" w/shoes
2. Wingspan – 6’10”
3. Weight - 205
4. Body Fat – N/A
Athleticism:
1. Lateral movement – Excellent. Has kept up with little PGs every SPL game. Anthony Roberson is the most notable name. Full-court press for 25 minutes. Very tough to do.
2. Initial quickness - NBA quickness. Good, not great.
3. Top speed – Fast. Would excel in transition as a finisher as well.
4. Vertical leap – Excellent. He'd be an underdog in a dunk contest. As high as Bryant. Quick off the feet.
5. Reflexes – Quick. Good hands. Has stolen the ball from the PG w/full-court press pressure in 2 of the 4 games.
6. Strength – Very skinny arms, but great leg strength.
7. Conditioning – Tires out on back to back games. A given due to the level of effort on both ends of the floor, especially defensively.
8. Footwork – Good. Isn't prone to traveling. Fundamental shots from the perimeter and drive.
9. Balance – Very good. Didn’t get pushed on penetration. Nothing off-balanced.
Skill Level:
1. Offense
• Perimeter Play
• Dribble penetration – Good first step. Doesn't really look to penetrate, but blend in within the offense. Good decision-maker who has exhibited a short 5' tear drop shot along with excellent dunking ability. Has even shown semi-transition speed, where after a made basket... will push the ball. With the defense at their heels, will attack the basket and be aggressive to score or create a play.
• Post play – Could improve post entry pass play. Rather conservative. More confortable when he's absolutely sure that the pass will be caught.
• Off-the-ball – Good footwork off the ball. Good spot up shooter. Opens up a passing lane to a driving player.
• Short game (0’-7’) – 5' Teardrop and dunking ability in his arsenal.
• Midrange game (8’-18’) - Good. Straight up jumpshot. Pulls back on the shot a bit too much, but the shots drop from 16'-19' w/ consistency.
• Long range (19’-23'9" or longer) – Spot up jumpshooter. Doesn't shoot off-the-dribble. Could use more arm strength. A bit short. 20' is definitely his mark.
2. Defense
• Man to man defense
Position – Excellent at the SPL level. Keeps up with starting guards, little guards. When the Lakers need a defensive stop, he's in the game and forcing turnovers. VERY important.
Anticipation – Surprising. Quick hands allow him to steal the ball off the dribble or when exposed.
• Off-the-ball defense
Position – Solid. Didn’t get beat by backdoor cuts.
Anticipation – Showed good ability to read the pass and cut the lane. Strength is in man-defense, rather than off-the-ball.
• Team defense
Position - Good.
Anticipation – Rotates well defensively clogging the paint when necessary. Contests shots.
Rebounding
1. Offensive
• Box-out – N/A
• Hustle – N/A
• Energy level – N/A
• Position – N/A
2. Defensive
• Box-out – Doesn’t box out.
• Hustle – Hustles well after loose balls.
• Energy level – Average
• Position – Usually out of position for rebounding.
Intangibles
• Leadership – N/A
• Attitude – Good attitude. Quiet demeanor every game. A joker. "Save that ball! Save that ball! Thank you!" DB knows what that means.
• Work Ethic – Obvious improvement has shown with the dramatic improvement done overseas in Greece. Helped his decision-making, man-defense, and shot consistency.
• Competitiveness – Very competitive. When the game is on the line, will step up.
• Unselfishness – Rarely takes bad shots. Unselfish player who doesn't demand the ball.
• Toughness – Strong competitor on both ends of the floor.
• Mental – N/A
• Physical – Good PG frame. Could use more upper body strength for consistent range on his shot with extended minutes.
Summary: Good backup PG. 2-way player. Not as quick as Barbosa, not as explosive as Dooling to the basket. Definitely NBA level athleticism and certainly above average (8/10) overall. With continued improved skills, would really be a borderline starting PG in the triangle offense. I would've preferred him over Fisher. Uses his length well and moves his feet defensively.... hounds all over the floor. Good shot selection. Good decision-making. Only spectacular when he steals in full-court press situations and throws down a 2-hand reverse dunk. 80s defense. Doesn't rely on the handcheck along the perimeter which prevents foul trouble. Absolutely a vital requirement of PGs. Consistent game to game assume he has adequate rest. Litterally the same size as Romain Sato and every bit as good athletically. Not as TO prone as he used to be.
Downsides: Could definitely use more strength, especially the upperbody. Could show more aggresiveness when attacking the basket. Needs to be more vocal on both ends of the floor. Needs to polish his handle that much further to NBA level guards.
, ....