I don't really see poor athletcism, maybe you and I disagree. There are a slough of pgs in the league that aren't jump out the gym athletes, and it's not like I'm saying he's a lotto pick.
He's got lots of talent and a defined skillset. well just bump this when he's eating in workouts.
I'm as much of a Bazz fan as the next guy and hope he finds his way to the league one way or the other. But he simply doesn't have NBA athleticism. You just don't find many below the rim guys in the league. The ones that you do find, have something special going on.
With that said, Bazz has legit NBA range on his 3 ball and gets it off quickly. Although he's not fast end-to-end, he's got a sneaky quick first step or two and a knack for creating space. It's just hard for sub-6 footers (or even legit 6-0 or 6-1) to get their shots off against the bigger, stronger and more athletic NBA guards. Just look at how ripped most of them are. Bazz does not have a muscular body type, but neither did Steve Nash, and he won an MVP or two.
Another concern, that I'm not sure is as big as it was a few years ago, is how well a player can defend his position. Now that teams are allowed to use zone schemes, it's a little easier to make up for a player who's not a good defender. Although Bazz is not the fastest, nor strongest kid, he does have quick hands and good instincts, that might dispel this concern for some NBA GMs and scouts.
If there is one thing that Bazz can do to improve his stock is to improve his table-setting game. If NBA GMs can come away with being impressed with Bazz's lead guard skills this upcoming season, and he keeps up his shot-making abilities, his stock will rise. Stats don't always tell the story since a guards assist numbers are only as good as his teammates ability to finish.
IMO, Bazz probably is in the best situation as far as having multiple scoring weapons around him than he has during all his 4 years at UConn. Granted, picking up cheap assists to bigs who can post up and score inside might still be a challenge, but we do have a few bigs who can catch and knock down jumpers from the elbow in. Tyler was good with that in spurts. I remember seeing Nolan knocking down J after J last year in practice and in the layup line, and I think he hit a couple during games last year. I've been hearing he and Facey can both knock down Js, and hopefully between these 3 and Brimah, they can catch a ball or two in the post and dink and dunk some in off of some feeds from Bazz. But where I think he'll pick up a lot of his assists this year will be dishing it to our skilled perimeter players who will knock down Js and attack the paint. Boatright, Daniels and Giffey can score from just about anywhere. Calhoun and Tolksdorf are good catch and shoot scorer. I don't know much about Kromah but he looks like a physical combo player who can probably cut to the basket, catch, attack and finish.
It's always hard for a UConn guard to be near the top in assists nationally when they have that multi-guard capability, but i think Bazz will have the ball in his hands more than enough to improve that assist/game number, but more importantly pass the eye test if he gets enough NBA looks over the season. I expect his NBA draft stock to rise as the season goes on and I hope it's enough to earn him a spot somewhere in the middle of the second half of the first round if there are some teams that have a need at the PG position. I think worst case scenario, he get drafted in the 2nd round, unless he struggles again with injuries. I can't remember for sure, but I think at least 2 of the 3 seasons, he's been here, he's found his way into a walking boot, something that the NBA gets real concerned about. Durability is huge when it come to getting drafted and making a team. Players who can't stay healthy don't last very long, unless they're uber-talented. Let's hope Bazz's foot problems are behind him.
