2013 Draft Profile: Myck Kabongo
Mar 14, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Myck Kabongo (12) drives to the basket against the Kansas State Wildcats in the first half during the second round of the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Myck Kabongo
Point Guard, 6’2.75″, 180 lbs. Sophomore, Texas University, 21 years old
2012-13 stats:
37.3 minutes, 14.6 points, 41.8 field goal percentage, 29.6 three point percentage, 79.2 free throw percentage, 5.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals.
Strengths:
Myck Kabongo only played in 11 games in his last season due to a suspension, so it is hard to fully evaluate him with such a small sample size, but from what we were about we able to see, Kabongo had a couple big strengths. Myck Kabongo is an amazing play-maker. During his time at Texas, he showed off his ball-handling skills, and his passing. 5.5 assists per game may not look good, but he he wasn’t on a that good of a team.
To go along with his great play-making ability, Kabongo is great in the paint. By that, I mean he can rebound and score. Because Kabongo is such a great passer, driving the lane is a lot easier since teams have to think about his passing ability. As far as rebounding goes, Myck has a feel for where the ball is going to go. You don’t grab five rebounds a game as a 6’3″ guard by chance.
Kabongo is also a good defensive player. He has a wingspan that is over 6’6″ that allows him to be effective on the ball, and in the passing lanes, as well — he didn’t average two steals a game by chance. Not only does his length help him, but his athleticism does, too. Kabongo possesses great speed, which could really help him when going up against the super athletic point guards that fill the NBA today.
Weaknesses:
Myck Kabongo is an extremely inconsistent shooter. One night he will go off, and then the next night he will have you shaking your head. Much of his inconsistency comes from his mid-range to outside shooting. Shooting 41.8 percent from the field, and 29.6 percent from three isn’t ideal for a guard. Kabongo is also turnover prone — he averaged 3.0 turnovers his freshman year, and 3.4 in his sophomore year. Looking at the advanced stats, Myck has a turnover percentage of 20.2 percent; this means that he turns the ball over about 20 times per 100 possessions. Yikes.
Where he fits in with the Lakers:
Myck Kabongo doesn’t really fit well with the Lakers. Yes, he is an athletic guard, and the Lakers need more athleticism, but they don’t need another guard that can’t shoot. That’s what they have Darius Morris for. Kabongo has the potential to be good if he can get a jump shot, but I’m not sure the Lakers want to develop someone.
Our take:
Caleb Cottrell: I’ll pass. Yes, he has potential, but the Lakers already have Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Darius Morris, Chris Duhon, and Andrew Goudelock for point guards. There are other players in the Lakers range who can fill their immediate needs.
Jacob Rude: If there’s a position the Lakers are deep at, it’s point guard. Right now, there are five PGs on the roster. Drafting another one who can’t contribute immediately and needs work on his game is not what the Lakers need. PASS!