Author Topic: Victor Claver...any good?  (Read 1747 times)

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Victor Claver...any good?
« on: June 22, 2009, 08:49:51 AM »

Offline Mon

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Could he be the guy that Danny gets @ the end of the first/top of the second?

Maybe stash him in Europe?

6'10" - Athletic - Can shoot

Just saying...

From Draft Express:
"Situational Statistics: This Year's Small Forward Crop
April 24, 2009
No one will ever know how high Victor Claver’s stock could have rose had he not gotten hurt, and we’ll probably have to see if he can bounce back next season before knowing how to fully evaluate his NBA potential.

Claver was the definition of an opportunist before losing the vast majority of his season to a knee injury. Finishing at the rim at a 60% clip (very solid in the competitive Spanish ACB) and shooting 40% from three in catch and shoot situations, the 1988-born forward appeared to be turning the corner on his immense potential. Claver’s midrange game is still lacking, as evidenced by his .44 PPP on pull up jumpers, but the biggest concerns surrounding his game stem from the fact that he turned the ball over on 22.6% of his logged possession in half court settings and was fouled on only 6.4% of his shots, ranking him as the most turnover prone and the second-worst player at drawing fouls in our group. It’s pretty clear what he needs to work on the most this summer—his ball-handling skills. Considering the serious setback he endured, all Claver needs to do to keep his stock high going into next summer is prove that he hasn’t lost any of his considerable athleticism and continue shooting the ball at an excellent clip."


From NBADraft.net:
"Strengths: Very strong mentally with impressive physical characteristics as well ... A long athletic forward, with good agility and smoothness in the open floor ... Has a nice skill set offensively with the ability to face the basket and shoot from outside as well as get by his man to the basket ... His combination of height and agility plus offensive polish makes him a very dangerous player ... He likes to play open and when he has some space he normally eludes his defenders because usually hes faster ... He possesses great confidence as a scorer, with the ability to shoot from distance, especially from the corners where his percentage is best ... In the paint he likes to play facing the basket and doesn't waste dribbles ... He attacks the rim with aggressiveness and often finishes with fantastic dunks. Has developing ball handling ability and possesses vision to see the floor and find teammates ... he's adept at recognizing double teams and passing out of them ... Similar to Jorge Garbajosa, Claver has a real sense for the game, very smart ... Claver's great length (big wing span) gives him an edge defensively where he's a solid shot blocker and rebounder ... Great leaping ability and a willingness to put his nose in the play make him strong on the boards ... Despite his youth, Claver has already played in the highest level in Europe and has shown great maturity. This year he has played his better games in Playoffs 2007 (11.5 ppg, 2 rpg,. 75 bpg) assuming a very rare offensive responsibility for its age. He is a very intelligent player who knows to choose the best option in offensive game ...

Weaknesses: He needs to add strength although he's very tough and doesn't seem to have any issues with his body, just further developing strength as he's still just going on 19 ... He also needs to improve on defensive rebounds ... Due to his physical development, he is still in the process of defining his position. During a great part of his career he has played as a small forward, but this year in Pamesa Valencia has played his better matches as a power forward ... At this point he lacks the strength to play inside (as a 4) in the NBA and he's a little slow footed with his foot speed laterally on defense ... He's such a talent he should be able to play both forward positions, but finding his best fit either at the 3 or 4 will be of help to him ... He's generally a better offensive player than defender, he should improve his defense because is a little bit soft and less focused there ... As power foward needs to gain muscle and toughness to battle opponents on the boards ... Offensively he needs to improve his mid-range shot and his back to the basket game as he often gets too enamored with drifting away from the basket ... Having an inside/outside game ala Dirk Nowitki would be a big advantage for him ... He is excellent at drawing fouls from his opponents, but his percentage of free throws is just average at 62%, so becoming a better foul shooter will be a great help to him ..."

Re: Victor Claver...any good?
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2009, 09:51:30 AM »

Offline Chris

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Well, from everything I have read about him (which is not a ton), he sounds like an excellent prospect, who would be going MUCH higher in the draft, if it wasn't for the injury he had this past year.

I wouldn't be against picking him, if a pick fell in the C's lap, but I wouldn't get my hopes up of him ever being anything special either.  Guys like him show up in the draft all the time, and then disappear. 

Re: Victor Claver...any good?
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2009, 03:19:12 AM »

Offline ctrey

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I would LOVE to get this guy. I have friends in Europe (I grew up over there) who have watched him and they think he could be special.