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Authored by Christopher Reina - 8th February, 2008 - 2:33 pm
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Derrick Rose was the subject of a recent RealGM Prospect Report, but the Memphis Tigers have three other players in Robert Dozier, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey who could receive looks as early as late in the first round and most definitely in the second round.
Robert Dozier
Out of the three, Dozier has the highest ceiling but also needs the greatest amount of work. His instincts in all areas of the game are impressively there, even if his fundamentals aren’t. Under the right tutelage, Dozier could become a very versatile and valuable combo forward in the NBA.
He is very long and athletic and he combines those gifts with a great motor to be one of the most active players in college basketball. He is a good open floor defender and tries to get his arms into the passing lanes on every possession.
While he can’t be classified as a great shotblocker, he gets more than one per game and has the physical tools to be above average in this facet of his game on the NBA level.
Rebounding is another clear strong skill of Dozier’s game. He is an especially talented offensive rebounder, largely due to great instincts and quickness. His offensive to defensive rebounding ratio is outstanding.
Dozier’s shooting mechanics need serious refining, but he can actually make wide-open 15-footers and the occasional 3-pointer. He has exhibited more and more confidence as the season has progressed and has a shot that defenders must respect.
His pre-dribble moves show some sophistication although his handle needs considerable work. He has improved here as well, recently showing a nice little side dribble into space before kicking it to a perimeter shooter. Dozier has also begun to hit soft runners in the lane, scoring for Memphis in ways other than the dunk or put-back.
Most recently, Dozier violated team rules by being at a nightclub at 2:30 AM and also had a complaint filed against him by an ex-girlfriend which could hurt his stock in June.
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Douglas-Roberts is a prime example of an excellent college shooting guard with questions about whether or not he has enough tools to succeed on the NBA level.
He needs to become stronger and is also far from being spectacular athletically although his reverse dunk on a fastbreak against Gonzaga certainly helps dispel that notion. The lack of strength in his core causes him to not be as balanced as he needs to be since his center of gravity is too far out in front of him.
What he does do well, of course, is score. He has improved his perimeter shot dramatically this season and is shooting 50% from 3-point territory. The increase in no small part is due to how well Rose frees up everyone on the floor allowing very few of those 3-point attempts to be tightly contested. His mid-range game is very good as he works well without the ball.
With the ball, he can beat his man off the dribble and get himself into the lane for pull-up jumpers and runners. He also goes well to the baseline before throwing up soft teardrops.
He is a below-average passer, showing little imagination or crispness evidenced by his .65 assist to turnover ratio which is worse than O.J. Mayo’s .85 and Eric Gordon’s .73.
Defensively, he should be better on-ball against the ordinary competition he faces in Conference-USA. He gets beat off the dribble because of those balance issues and is clearly not as quick laterally as he needs to guard top NBA shooting guards. Furthermore, he is frequently prone to getting backdoored. What he does do well defensively is utilizing his long arms to get his hands on passes.
He is worth examining, but his liabilities defensively will likely offset what he will deliver offensively.
Joey Dorsey
Dorsey, who already is 24, can be a useful NBA player right out of the gate. In reality, he will have to be because a player of his age is already about as good as he’ll ever be.
There are few people in the world who can combine such a staggering amount of strength and athleticism. He will never be a serious threat (or even much of a concern) offensively, but his effectiveness on the offensive glass allows him to put occasional points on the board. He isn’t horrible with the ball and has some semblance of touch, but the vast majority of his shot attempts are dunks. His hands are far from great, but he is strong enough to catch just about anything and will easily finish lay-ups and dunks.
But in the NBA, as he is on the college level; 98% of his value comes from rebounding and defense. He is easily the country’s most prolific rebounder, grabbing 17.5 per 40 minutes with 6.1 of those coming on the offensive side, which is extraordinary considering how infrequently he has the chance to rebound his own misses.
He is very conscientious when it comes to boxing out, getting his wide body even wider, and he impressively tips out any ball in his reach he can’t fully grab.
Dorsey defends the pick and roll very well, not looking overmatched when forced to defend a dribbling guard because he has good lateral quickness.
Alhough somewhat on the short side for a big, Dorsey is a great shotblocker. Unlike some shotblockers, Dorsey will use either hand to block shots, depending on which side he is on, and he also looks to actually get a hand on perimeter shots and not simply contesting them.
Past Prospect Reports
Prospect Report on Derrick Rose of Memphis
Prospect Report on Michael Beasley of Kansas State
Prospect Report on D.J. Augustin of Texas
Prospect Report on Jordan Hill of Arizona
Prospect Report on Jerryd Bayless of Arizona
Prospect Report on O.J. Mayo of USC
Prospect Report on Davon Jefferson of USC
Prospect Report on Eric Gordon of Indiana
Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM. He can be reached at Christopher.Reina@RealGM.com |
