From Stick Doggy Dog in the forum, with all of the Amare hype, should the Warriors be giving up on a talented big man so early when he shows some promise? The Warriors have been notoriously bad at developing big men, especially with Don Nelson at the helm. Traditional low post big men without a consistent outside shot aren’t the norm for the Warriors. Wright has potential to be a good up and down PF for the Warriors, but will he get the chance? A front line of AR/BW/Beans could be an athletic, active, shot blocking team, but will we ever see it?
-Del
Brandan Wright is still a kid. He will not turn 22 until October. His body type is 100% ectomorph and relatively immature even for a 21-year-old so he while he can get stronger now, he will not be able to gain much weight for a few years. By the time he turns 24, though, he should finally be able to break 225.
Over the last two NBA seasons, Brandan Wright proved that he is already an efficient NBA player over his 1064 career minutes at age 20 and 21.
Here are his per 40 minute career NBA stats:
17.8 pts, 9.6 rebs, 2.2 blks, 1.1 assists, 1.1 stls, 1.4 TOs, 4.1 fouls
His career field goal percentage is 54% and his career free throw percertage is 72%.
Last season, Wright’s free throw percentage climbed from 68% his rookie season to 74%.
Last season, Wright was among the top 30 NBA players with more than 30 blocks in both blocks per minute and blocks per foul. He was also in the top 40 in the NBA in fewest turnovers per minute among all players who played more than 500 minutes.
Wright holds onto the ball. He is a superior NBA finisher from 12 feet in and especially at the rim. He doesn’t complain. He doesn’t need plays run for him. Best of all, he won’t reach his full potential until he has already been locked into a relatively cheap second contract.
When you add Wright’s pre-draft reach together with pre-draft vertical, he’s one of just 25 players currently in the NBA (along with Randolph and Stoudemire) who can get his finger tips a full 2 feet above the rim. Not one player from this year’s draft can say that.
Wright’s big weakness is literally his weakness. He also gives sporadic effort on defense and the boards compared to what he could give if he had, say, Randolph’s motor and tenacity. But Wright is just 21. He should get stronger every year. He should gain a few pounds every year. He should extend his jump shooting and jump hook range a bit every year. He should learn to hold his own on defense a little more every year. What makes anyone think he will not?