Man... how many of you guys declared Ben McLemore a bust last year? Many of you are still saying it. I can't remember how many times I defended that kid on forum posts while people overreacted to his dreadful rookie season. You could see the potential... great athleticism with an absolutely gorgeous shot. Legitimate size for a shooting guard (6'5 205). We saw him shoot 50%/42%/87% in College. We saw him called likely the 2nd best player in the draft behind Nerlens Noel (many publications favored him to Marcus Smart).
Look, maybe he doesn't keep it up, but by the end of last season he was showing why he was drafted. He finished with double digit scoring his last 5 games. Final game he showed flashes of what he might become... 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists .
And now this season... he's 21 years old and averaging 11 points on very efficient 47%/42%/87% shooting. That's the McLemore everyone expected to see before fans gave up on him during a rough rookie year. His last 5 games: 15.6 points on 52%/42%/75%... he seems to be improving every game.
He's relevant for two reason. #1 - the longstanding rumor that the Kings were willing to give him along with Isiah Thomas and additional picks for Rondo (
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/231999/Kings-Offered-Celtics-Isaiah-Thomas-Ben-McLemore-Picks-For-Rajon-Rondo ) ... though I have my doubts the Kings were willing to do that. #2 - According to Woj, the Kings offered us McLemore for the #6 pick:
http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2014/6/26/5847492/report-kings-and-celtics-discussing-trade-of-ben-mclemore-and-6th-pick ...
So as McLemore continues to develop, it will be hard not to imagine what could have been. Some fans will wonder what might have been had we traded Rondo for a McLemore/Thomas/picks package. I like Smart a lot, but I have a feeling we might end up looking back on the #6 for McLemore opportunity as well.
Nonetheless, I think we missed the boat on McLemore. I can't imagine anyone sneaking away with McLemore in a trade anymore. I think the lesson is that you can make a swing for a super prospect when that super prospect is temporarily underperforming. But as soon as he starts to hit his stride, it's over. Keep that in mind if you see someone like Alex Len or Dante Exum become available. Easy to say "nah he's a bust... he's playing terrible as a 20 year old rookie", but you might end up regretting the blown opportunity when the young guy starts showing his potential. You know, maybe McLemore goes through a really cold streak, loses his starting position to Stauskas, and this post ends up looking ridiculous, but I do think it's an important lesson to keep in mind. The only reason a prospect like McLemore would even be available that early in his career... is if he monumentally underperforms. You don't get a crack at talent like that otherwise... and that window can shut pretty quickly.