[Draftexpress] James Anderson Workout update

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/James-Anderson-5106/

Funny how how a lot of people were criticizing me for saying James isn't a great athlete. But I still think he's a better athlete in game than the scouts are saying. He won't blow past anybody or out jump the NBA 2 guards but he will surprise people some because he's a good run-leaper and has excellent body control to finish near the basket.

He reminds of a mix between James Harden and Chase Budinger. He doesn't have the leaping and explosive athletic ability of Chase but his shooting ability is in between those two and has sneaky athleticism similar to James Harden.

I like the "hybrid" Harden/Budinger comparison... As long as you're saying James has the best parts of the two's individual games... Which is what I think you were saying.

Yeah I'm pretty much saying that
I compared him to Chase too because like Chase, James is primarily a shooter, and is really effective off screens and standstill, which is what Chase exceled at, both at Arizona and in Houston. And like Chase, he doesn't have great footspeed and tends to stand too high in his defensive stance. I think in the right system (like Houston or Phoenix) and right team, he can be an elite role player like Chase too.

As for Harden, he is a much better ball handler and crafty basketball player than either, but I think James's craftiness to finish near the basket is very similar to Harden and they both have sneaky athleticism.

(btw, I just noticed the irony of the comparing James with Harden and Chase )

I cannot figure out for the life of me why Xavier is rated higher than James on some mock drafts.


James is arguably the better defender and overall athlete (watch the game vs KU and see Xavier's European-style matador defense in action) and a better instinctive scorer, although Xavier does have a pretty sweet lefty stroke, which is arguably better than James'.

I try to find as many reasons as possible to criticize you.

I'm just really attractive to some people I guess

I was surprised that James finished 3rd out of the 20 or so guards (both point and 2-guards) at the NBA combine in the sprint. I don't remember the distance, but his time was 3.19 seconds, X. Henry from KU was 2nd at 3.18 and John Wall was 1st at 3.14 seconds. The guy from ohio state was 5th at 3.29 seconds if I recall correctly.

Anyway, good result for James. Guess he's faster than some thought.

He's moving up the draft charts it appears!

LOL, further proving how unathletic JA is. No possible way he is very athletic if he can run with those guys.

I don't think anyone here is or has said he is "unathletic"

But in NBA terms he will an average athlete against most 2 guards. I've defended him and gave him more credit than he got in terms of his athletic ability , but fact is he was never a overwhelming athlete even at the college level.

However, with that said, I think the athleticism aspect can be overrated. There are guys much less talented and athetic than James who have made an impact on their team.

Just because you're not a "great" athlete doesn't mean you can't be a "good" one or a "strong" athlete. Scouting reports DO differentiate between them.

John Wall is a freak athlete.

Xavier Henry and James are good, but not great athletes. Same thing with Evan Turner.

Coordination and foot quickness are sometimes part of the equation and can mean you're a "good" athlete and can certainly still be a star in the league but if you're lacking elite explosiveness (ie speed running the floor and jumping) then it simply means you're not a top tier/freak athlete.

So then......you meant to say JA was not a FREAK athlete? OK

He finished 3rd out of the 20 guards at the NBA combine in the sprint--just 0.05 seconds slower than the leader, John Wall...just saying.

Maybe it is his jumping ability you are referring to? Does anybody know how he did with the vertical leap?

I can't find it but I bet it's anywhere from 33" to 40"

Yeah, hopefully at least 36".

Yeah generally his jumping ability and his lateral quickness, in the case of James.
I mentioned speed running the floor because they are usually correlated to vertical explosiveness. I do think James is a good run-leaper though and my guess it will be anywhere between 34-37, with a no step vert around 28 or 29, which are solid numbers either way.

Generally, I don't put a whole lot of stock into draft combine workout numbers , as guys who are regarded as "average" athletes can sometimes post numbers that are better than the "good" ones and sometimes doesn't always correlate to what their game film says. They usually can do more hurt you more than they actually improve your stock.But in this case, I think James can actually improve his stock a little bit if he does well in these drills.

I still think James is better than Xavier and still has room to grow too, especially with his dribbling and he has a pretty good wingspan and frame to put on some weight.

by the way, where are you guys getting these results? Usually Draftexpress or nbadraft.net has them up immediately and updates them

Aww I've missed your sarcastic eyerolls so much

Well.......that is implied. But the point of contention here is that you said people (probably thinking of me huh?) said he is "unathletic." No one said that. I didn't say that either. But some people here freaked out when I pointed out the same exact things that were said in these scouting reports.