JAG’s Sports Blog

Any college basketball fan has to be watching the battle for the scoring title and player of the year honors in the NCAA between Duke star guard J.J. Redick and Gonzaga star forward Adam Morrison. They seem to be able to score at will, but what is either players potential to have such an impact in the NBA next year.        

     J.J. Redick is the All-American with a shot that most experts call the most perfect form around anywhere. Redick is considered probably the best shooter in the country be it college or pro. Throw in the mystique of playing for Duke University and you have possibly the most hated player in America along with one of the most beloved. Duke is the college equivalent of Notre Dame in college football and the New York Yankees in professional baseball. Many fans hate Duke because almost every player they have recruited in the last 15 years has been a McDonald’s High school All-America and fans want to see some other school just once beat out Duke for a coveted player. Redick is currently averaging 28.7 points a game and has to be the favorite to win the Player of the year award because he plays for Duke and their level of competition speaks for itself.

    Adam Morrison is a sure bet as an All-American this year as he leads the nation in scoring at 29.3 points per game. Morrison plays at Gonzaga University out of Spokane, Washington (same college as retired NBA star John Stockton), thus not many people have had the chance to view Morrison play. Morrison truly put himself on the map when he scored 43 points against Michigan State in Hawaii during the tournament there and started rolling from there with every eye-popping performance after another in helping lead Gonzaga into the top 10 this season. Morrison would probably be a lock for player of the year honors if he were going against any other player than J.J. Redick. Gonzaga played a very respectable pre-conference schedule, but competing in the West Coast Conference can’t compare to playing against the Atlantic Coast Conference every game. Both players have absolutely dominated their competition this season, but how will they stack up in the NBA and which player has the most upside in their potential to succeed next season.

    Most people assume Redick will do great in the NBA because he’s such a great shooter, but the NBA is more than just being a great shooter. The obvious fact for any player entering the NBA will be what team they get drafted by. Redick has improved his ball handling abilities, but he definitely is not a point guard, thus he has to get the ball in a position to shoot it. It’s not as likely he will create his own shot in the NBA and probably won’t get the green light to shoot whenever he wants like he does now at Duke. The three-point line isn’t as close in the NBA and that will take away the step back fade away three-pointer Redick casually puts up in college. The talent level is just so good in the NBA also that he will have to play some defense and get nailed with screens from bigger, heavier and quicker players. The key for Redick to be more than a shooting specialist in the NBA will be which team drafts him. If he goes to a team with a good big man to play inside outside basketball with, Redick can be great. Another key will be getting on a team with a point guard like Jason Kidd or Chris Paul that will pass the ball willingly and spot the open man for the long three. Redick is projected anywhere from 2 or 3 in the draft to somewhere in the first round, so no one knows where he may wind up, but his stock has gone up with the improvement in his game form each season.

   Adam Morrison is an intriguing NBA prospect because he’s only a junior, so talk of him going pro could be premature. Morrison is 6′8″ and he could be a match-up nightmare in the NBA for the good and bad. Everyone knows that the NBA is about match-ups and bigger players might have a hard time guarding him because of his quickness and smaller players might simply be too small to guard him. Morrison’s problem could be his weakness on defense and his inability to guard anyone in the NBA. It’s a two-way street in that coaches don’t like rookies that don’t or won’t play defense and wind up sitting them on the bench, but also like the energy they can bring if he can consistently bury the three-pointer in the NBA. Morrison is not the best of rebounders either for a big man, so what he does well, he will have to do really well if he is bound to be successful in the NBA.

    This is all speculation on strengths and weaknesses of both players, but all you have to do is look at players that compare to these guys and you can see that not many are stars in their own right. The NBA is about match-ups and even Redick himself has acknowledged that he doesn’t necessarily see himself as a future star in the NBA because 80% of the players in the league are role players.

    College domination doesn’t instantly translate into professional domination because it’s a whole new ball game when the best compete against the best on a daily basis. The rough and tumble play of the NBA almost always takes its toll on college players coming into the league only used to playing 40 minutes a game and 35 games a season. Rarely does a shooting guard or a forward come to the NBA with the green light to shoot whenever they want either, which means your ego gets put in check after being the big man on campus for 4 years.

   Take a look at Steve Nash as a guard and you will see the difference between him and Redick. Nash is an excellent shooter, but it’s his ball handling abilities and willingness to find the open man that separates him from almost any other guard in the NBA. Chris Paul is the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year award. Paul isn’t an outstanding shooter, but his skills with the ball creates opportunities for other players and opens up shots for himself. In the NBA, you can find a ton of 6′8″ and taller players (usually European) that can shoot lights out from three-point range, but won’t go anywhere near the basket to rebound or play defense.

    At this point, Morrison seems to fit this mold and he might really consider staying in to refine his game a bit more even if it means scoring less and becoming a better well-rounded player. I’ve always been a believer in taking the money when you can, but for staying power in the NBA, Morrison might want to improve his game by learning to play all facets of it instead of just being a scoring machine. Almost everyone in the NBA can score, so you must do things to separate yourself from the pack if you want o be more than just a role player your whole career.

I think both J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison can be productive players in the NBA, but without a perfect setup in the draft, I really don’t foresee either player being legitimate stars in the league in their own right. I state this because we all know how much hype will proceed them to the NBA and every simple play they make will be reported as if they just revolutionized the game as opposed to doing what you expect when given the chance.

  Shout it out and give your opinion on why you think they’ll succeed or just be good players that made an NBA roster.