Money in the Banks?

[Peter Delevett <pdelevett@xxxxxxxxx>]

Or would that be, Banks in the money? Anyway, Chad
Ford rates Banks the 8th-best PG in the draft, behind
(in order) Ford, Hinrich, Barbosa, Gaines, Ridnour,
Marcus Moore and Mo Williams. His take: 

"Think a poor man's Baron Davis. Banks already has an
NBA body and an NBA-type game. He's strong, can get to
the basket at will and already plays solid defense.
He's got great court vision and can really run the
break. However, he has issues. He's an inconsistent
shooter from the perimeter, is turnover prone, and
scouts fear he's closer to 6-0 than 6-2. He's on the
late first round, early second round bubble."

One thing that leaped out at me from his stat line is
that while he averaged 5.5 apg last year, he also
tallied nearly 4 to/g. And though he sported a 51% fg
percentage, he shot just 33% on treys - not terrible,
but not exactly Steve Kerr. Leads me to think a lot of
his gaudy shooting percentage is due to drives instead
of jumpers. Again, I haven't seen him play and might
lean toward him over Williams or Moore, but if he were
the steal of the draft you'd think other teams would
know about it.

Here's what NBADraft.net says, whatever this may be
worth:

Strengths: Defensively he has NBA skills as he is
blessed with quick hands and solid lateral quickness
... Has a unique NBA ready body that is both strong
and sturdy ... Can seemingly drive to the lane at will
thanks to his great hesitation crossover move that
gives him good separation from his defender ... Once
in the lane he has the uncanny ability to hang in the
air and wait for the defense to commit before making
his move ... Excellent rebounder for his size [note
averaged 3.4/game last year] ... After he gets the
ball he really looks to initiate the fast break ...
Once he penetrates into the lane he is a hard player
to stop as he is able to rely on his biggest asset
which is the drive and dish ... Has developed solid
leadership skills often he is a steady influence over
his teammates ...Thanks to his wonderful court vision
and creativity he has the ability to make difficult
passes with pinpoint precision ...

Weakness: Height will become a big question for him
come draft day. Although listed at 6-2, upon
appearance he looks to be closer to 6-0 to 6-1 ... At
this point Banks is not a very efficient shooter from
the perimeter as he struggles with consistency ... Due
to his height he is a post-up target for bigger guards
who usually can get position on him ... Can get
frustrated on offense if his shot isn't failing which
usually leads to him taking questionable shots ...
Still needs to work on developing into a better
shooter off the dribble ... Decision making when the
ball is in his hands has been vastly improved since
last year but turnovers still can plague him at times
... Still learning as a point guard how to control the
tempo of a game better ... Still learning how to make
players around him better but to his credit he is
steadily improving in this aspect of the game ...



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