Brandon Paul
Shooting Guard, 6’4″, 201 lbs. Senior, Illinois University, 22 years old
Mar 22, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Brandon Paul (3) shoots against Colorado Buffaloes forward Andre Roberson (21) in the second half during the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at the Frank Erwin Center. Illinois beat Colorado 57-49. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
2012-13 stats:
32.0 minutes, 16.6 points, 40.1 field goal percentage, 32.5 three point percentage, 73.8 free throw percentage, 2.7assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks.
Strengths:
Although Brandon Paul is only 6’4″, his wingspan of just over 6’10”, and his athleticism is going to greatly help him in the NBA. Paul, who can run three quarters of the court in just 3.37 seconds, is incredibly fast and quick. That should bode well for him in an athletic driven league.
Brandon Paul was an animal on the offensive side of the ball, at times. If his scoring was adjusted to per 40 minutes, he would have ranked seventh out of all the guards. Paul possesses the ability to score in bunches, and fast. With his quick first step, and overall speed, Brandon Paul is able to get by his defender and get to the rim easily. Another thing that makes Paul such a lethal scorer is his ability to create for himself. Yes, Paul didn’t have great shooting averages, but he was the focal point of an offense that didn’t have any other big scoring options (the next closest was 12.3 points a game).
Weaknesses:
While Paul can put up points quickly, he doesn’t always have the best shot selection. You would think someone who shot 32.5 percent from three would take less than 6.7 attempts per game, but that wasn’t the case with Paul. He also wasn’t very good in the paint — he shot just 47 percent. For a scorer like Paul, he was extremely inconsistent during his time at Illinois.
Brandon Paul showed flashes of being able to play good defense, but seemed to lose interest at times. At these times, Paul would lose his defender. For someone who is really inconsistent with his scoring, you would at least like consistent defense.
Where he fits in with the Lakers:
Brandon Paul would probably be a shooting guard on the Lakers because they have enough point guards right now. Paul would have to play shooting guard, and I’m not sure the Lakers want another inconsistent shooter (looking at you Jodie Meeks). Another thing the Lakers don’t need is someone who doesn’t always play defense (looking at just about every Laker player). I just don’t really see Brandon Paul fitting on the Lakers.
Our take:
Caleb Cottrell: I think I’ll pass. As I said before, the Lakers don’t really need him. I kind of like him because he is from the Big Ten, but I think the Lakers have more pressing needs in the small forward and stretch four positions.
Jacob Rude: With a 6’10 wingspan, Paul is an interesting prospect to me. I don’t put him in a Jodie Meeks mold because he can create shots for himself better. Watching him play last year, he seemed to conserve energy defensively to help carry the team offensively (we know all about that). I think given a more diminished offensive role, he could produce defensively. I’m a fan, and I would be happy to see him on the Lakers.