Mitch Kupchak told the media on Wednesday, that he is open to acquiring more draft picks. He’s willing to do anything to upgrade the roster’s talent altogether. That could possibly mean trading players for draft picks, accepting bad contracts for draft picks, or even trading down. Zach Lavine could be a guy he’s after.
Jan 16, 2014; Boulder, CO, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Zach LaVine (14) shoots against Colorado Buffaloes guard Xavier Talton (3) in the first half at the Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
How does Zach LaVine come into the picture?
Zach LaVine is a UCLA freshman with elite athletic ability and length by position. However, that position is undetermined. Out of Bothell High School in Washington, he played point guard. He wasn’t a typical playmaking point guard. He was a scorer through and through. While he may not have the ball-handling tricks of Pistol Pete Maravich out of high school, he does have perimeter shooting that is unusually accurate for an elite-athlete freshman.
So, what can Zach LaVine do?
Zach LaVine is an above-average ball-handler and perimeter shooter by age. Usually, elite athletes out of high school get away with athletic talent. They out-run, out-jump, and out-power opponents. LaVine has tremendous breakaway speed in transition, but his ability to shoot from the perimeter his highly developed. He excels at catch-and-shoot situations from 20′. When he opts to drive and pull-up from midrange, he’s average at best. However, because of his ball-handling and explosiveness, there is tremendous potential to develop his midrange jumpshot off-the-dribble.
Zach LaVine’s highlight reel out of high school screams lottery pick.
That’s not all. Draftexpress took his measurements at the Chicago PreDraft camp. Listed at roughly 6’5″ with a 6’8″ wingspan and elite vertical ability, the tremendous upside is there. He is not to be mistaken with another famous combo guard out of UCLA, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook did not have a polished jumpshot, nor was he the a top option offensively. What Westbrook showed out of UCLA was the ability to play defense and attack the paint. He too, had tremendous combine scores. The rest is history.
In fact, LaVine did better than Westbrook when it came to vertical leaping. He set a new record, doing better than Peyton Siva’s 44″ vertical just a year ago.
There are several things he needs to work on. While he has excellent physical tools and ball-handling ability, he struggles to get to the basket. Some, may consider that he was a 3rd option, at best, at UCLA. Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams were the dominant perimeter scorers. Anderson did a great job setting things up in the halfcourt. Adams liked to score out in semi-transition. That left LaVine spotting up from the perimeter often.
Jan 18, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Zach LaVine (14) controls the ball during the first half against the Utah Utes at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
LaVine’s ability to attack the basket was limited. Anderson didn’t always go for a layup when he attacked, but he had the length to get good shots within 10′ of the hoop. The traffic in the painted area is just too dense. Jordan Adams is considerably stronger and has a near 7′ wingspan. LaVine needs the space to utilize his speed and verticality to finish at the rim.
Playmaking wasn’t LaVine’s strength. He’s average at best. His assist-to-turnover ratio is above average for a shooting guard. It is 1.6:1. However, it is concerning that, out of high school, he averaged no higher than 2.8 assists per game. Even Marcus Smart, who plays like a converted shooting guard, averaged well over five assists per game in the allotted playing time. Kyle Anderson and Bryce Alford handled point-guard duties for the entire game. Considering LaVine was a 3rd option at best, he did a solid job creating plays.
Defense is different altogether. Focus is a big issue for LaVine. Despite having great athletic abilities, size, and good basketball IQ, he did not force turnovers as effectively. If there is a red flag about Lavine, this would be it. Anderson is not known for being a great athlete, but his excellent basketball IQ and power forward-like length allowed him to force turnovers despite playing multiple positions defensively. Jordan Adams isn’t near the athlete that Lavine is, yet, he used his wingspan to cut into passing lanes and deflect passes to get into transition. He averaged over 2.6 steals per game. Lavine, who has above average length and is the best athlete of the three players, averaged 0.9 steals per game in over 24 minutes of play. Having a good assist-to-turnover ratio is a great indicator of ball-handling and execution of basketball IQ. Forcing turnovers is also an indication of basketball IQ as well. It’s very clear that Lavine is an offensive minded player, but doesn’t exert the same focus defensively.
His game greatly resembles Gerald Green or Jamal Crawford. Green prefers to opt for the jumpshot or finish at the rim. Jamal Crawford uses his ball-handling ability to create shots from midrange. All three of them have similar frames, athleticism, and defensive issues. LaVine is still young, so a lot can change.
However, if there is one thing that separates the men from the boys, it is work ethic. Zach Lavine has focus off-the-floor. That can’t be taught. Every interview he’s been in, whether it’s the Los Angeles draft workout or the Draftexpress Pre-Draft workout, he mentions that he’s trying to take someone’s job. He knows it’s a competitive world out there. He knows he needs to work on certain things.
If fans, scouts, and general managers changed their approach to observation, they’d see a lot more upside. If we looked at him as a high school project point guard, he would go top-5. Everyone had a chance to watch him at the NCAA level, and found out who he was early, and expanded on his weaknesses.
But, if there is a player that we’d like to see Kobe Bryant mold, Zach Lavine has all of the attributes to get it right. He has the ball-handling to expand upon, the jumpshot that is NBA-ready, and the athleticism to raises his upside. How scary could he be? Imagine Stephen Curry with more explosiveness. Curry had a more polished perimeter touch out of Davidson, but he was also a junior when he left for the NBA.
Think of LaVine in two more years. Once he adds some strength and gets some defensive focus, he can warrant major playing time.
That’s a scary thought to have on someone’s NBA roster.