The nation’s second leading scorer last season Marshon Brooks can, without question, fill it up. He dropped 52 on Notre Dame, 43 on Georgetown and scored 25 or more 18 times in 32 games at Providence last year. The unique thing about Brooks though, is that after the season ended he was seen as a second round pick. Once he arrived at the combine and hit the pre-draft workout circuit, he shot up the boards faster than any player in this draft.
Brooks stands 6’5”, adequate size for a two-guard, but his 7’1” wingspan and quick first step is what has scouts doing double takes. While his defense in college was pedestrian, the physical tools are there for him to become a very good stopper in the NBA. Brooks can also rebound the ball very well thanks to those long arms. He led the Friars with seven boards-a-game last season and averaged over a block a game. The problem with Brooks is two-fold. He was a volume shooter in college, averaging 18 attempts per game last season, which makes it tough to project how his skill set will translate to the pros when he sees far less scoring chances. The other issue is that how he will fit into his team’s offense. Brooks was asked to do so much with the ball at Providence, and excelled at the task, but his passing and turnover rate need considerable improvement.
Strengths- Perhaps the best pure scorer in the draft. Has all the physical tools to be a very good defender. A good shooter in a draft class devoid of them. Showed great improvement over four years at Providence. Very creative when it comes to creating shots for himself.
Weaknesses- A volume shooter who won’t see half as many scoring chances in the pros as he did in college. Was a bit apathetic on defense in college. Can be overaggressive with shot selection.
Brooks presents a tough case for NBA scouts trying to translate his college production to the pros, which explains his peculiar rise from mid-2nd round to a potential lottery pick. He’s been compared to Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford in the lead up to the draft, but Jodie Meeks is probably a more grounded comparison. The potential is there for him to be a very effective two-guard in the NBA, but until he improves his defense and adjusts to the flow of the NBA, teams will be just getting a solid second-team scorer. He could go as high as #10 to Milwaukee or as low as #31 to Miami.