Pruitt does NOT have a total game package. His strength seems to be his offense, which he appears able to demonstrate against lower levels of competition. At the NBA level it's just as important to defend as it is to score and Pruitt is not a good one-on-one defender (based on the few occasions that I saw him play) however, he does defend the passing lanes quite well.
As a combo guard Gabe is undersized at the 2 and lacks the handles and mindset of a PG. When open he shows a silky stroke but has trouble creating separation for his own shot and lacks the demonstrated ability to create for others.
I like his athleticism but am disappointed that his basketball IQ isn't better and that he doesn't appear to be an instinctive opportunist as an NBA talent.
I therefore wonder that so many bloggers want him to stay and fill a roster spot. He is far from game ready and unless he does a remarkable turn-around will not prove to be an asset to this team.
Well I respect your opinion I just wonder if "based on the few occasions I saw him play" is from garbage minutes last year where it really doesn't tell you a whole lot. To be fair many rookies struggle with defense in their rookie year. Your analysis actually almost sounds like bigger version of Eddie House with more athleticism and the D not as good. Here is some analysis from people in the know.
03/15/07
Scouting Report: An athletic, good scoring point guard.
Strengths: Good height for the point guard spot. Very athletic and explosive. Good jumping ability. Can really push the ball and get up and down the court. Blow-by ability in the half court. Very good scorer. Hits a ton of three-pointers – averaged over two a game for his career. Great free throw shooter. Really improved his playmaking and assist to turnover ratio. Gets lots of steals.
Weaknesses: Needs to add weight for the NBA. Missed first 11 games his junior season due to academic problems. Missed five games his sophomore year due to injury. Needs to work on his point guard skills since he hasn’t always played the 1spot.
from 1/18/08
But to learn more about his NBA potential, the best person to ask is probably Utah Flash coach Brad Jones, for whom Pruitt played parts of this season in the NBA Development League.
"He'll grow into being a pure point guard," said Jones by telephone. "He's a playmaker and if you can pass the ball to set people up like he can, you can be a point guard. When he is in the mind-set of setting people up, he can be a point guard."
"I like Gabe Pruitt a lot," said director of basketball operations Danny Ainge recently. "I just can't get him minutes."
"I'm really proud of him," Rivers said. "All we work with him on is his defense. His offense is good."
from 07/03/08
Assistant coach Armond Hill described Pruitt as "polished" after yesterday's workout, and general manager Danny Ainge praised his growth as a player.
"Gabe looked good," Ainge said. "I think in as much as his body looks better than it did a year ago, he's more confident in his game and his shot. But it's one practice."
So we have some opinions from a scout, a GM, D league coach, head coach, and assistant coach at 3 different points in time over the last year or so. It's not much at all really but these guys see him play much more than any of us to form an opinion and unless if they are blowing some smoke there seems to be at least some promise here otherwise I'm not sure he returns for training camp this year. The big difference in comparing the hype and some kind words from the Celtics brass about Brandon Wallace a year ago is that we didn't keep Wallace for a whole year and not even half a year while Pruitt is still around so that says something in itself.
We all have questions including myself about what he can do in the NBA and I hope gets a ton of minutes in the preseason so I can get a better feel if we should keep him.
Topic: Pruitt=Invisible Man?? (Read 4169 times)