Royce White getting NBA attention

[cyhiphopp]

Just don't think they compare. Fizer was a post player all the way and when he got to the next level he wasn't big enough for that position. Royce handles the ball and sees the court like no big guy I've seen. Sure his shooting needs to come around but he actually shoots it pretty good when he's not standing on the free throw line. With his skills he could play at the next level for quite some time.

I hope you are right. Maybe I just see a little Fizer in him because of their similar role on the team (go to big guy).

All told, I still think he should stick around at least next year and work on his shooting.

I think the team will be deeper next year and more wins will equal more exposure for him as well.

 

[IcSyU]

Royce doesn't "need" to stay to develop a jump shot. Turns out when you play professional basketball they help you develop these skills if they see the potential for you to get better at them.

 

[trajanJ]

I hope you are right. Maybe I just see a little Fizer in him because of their similar role on the team (go to big guy).

All told, I still think he should stick around at least next year and work on his shooting.

I think the team will be deeper next year and more wins will equal more exposure for him as well.

Fizer was a great college player. Reminds more of Robinson from KU then White. You wouldn't see Fizer or Robinson play the 1 for their team. Yes they are both valuable but I really see White at an entire different level. He's such a unique player. As a Jayhawk I really love to see what he's going to do every time he has the ball except when he's playing KU.

 

[bawbie]

I think the idea that Fizer was somehow limited at the next level by skill or size is faulty. He was limited by two bad knees.

That said, he had a better jump shot and FT shot by his Jr year than Royce does now. I expect Royce to be caught up in that regard by next season.

 

[Psiclone]

I know a lot of fans on here know more than most NBA scouts so I'm sure they are wrong but there is an ESPN insider blog about how he is jumping up many peoples boards. They love his versatility (obviously). There just aren't many guys his size with his skill set.

Word from a close high school buddy who talked to the assistant coaches today is that White isn't ready for the NBA yet, despite already being a great college player. The biggest issue is his lack of a consistent jumper which he needs to address for a year (hopefully two).

From a purely selfish perspective, I hope that is the case.

 

[Clone5]

White's best asset right now is his size and that won't be nearly as big of a factor in the NBA.

 

[VeloClone]

White's best asset right now is his size and that won't be nearly as big of a factor in the NBA.

His biggest assest is his combination of size, handle and vision. That combo isn't a dime a dozen in the NBA.

That said, I think it would be a poor decision to go in the draft this year. He needs to work on his shot. Some say that they will develop it in the NBA, but they expect the potential to pay off shortly. They aren't going to wait on a player for very long. There is a brand new pool of replacement players to choose from to fill their needs every year.

 

[CyPull]

"So which motel did the barfcats stay at Friday night?"

Well it obviously wasn't Holiday Inn Express...

 

[marothisu]

Is there really a position for him in the NBA though? There is such a huge emphasis on being able to shoot. I'm just not sure how he would fit in. Obviously he can work on things and get better at stuff like shooting, ball handling, and defense but it will be really interesting to see how his game translates.

You do realize you continue to improve right? It's not like your plateau is college and your skill set stays the same, right? Jus' sayin'

Also, not everyone can shoot. Yeah, a lot of people can and just because you think he can't now (he can, but it's not refined and he's not confident in it) doesnt mean it's always going to stay that way.


There is a position for him in the NBA but I think he needs another year or two to mature and improve on a few things. If he went after this year, he wouldn't play right away most likely.

 

[ricochet]

If RW was 6'10, he would be a lock for the NBA.

Personally, I think he stays for at least one if not two more years.

If Royce was 6'10" he wouldn't be at ISU.

I agree he is here for sure next year and I think likely the year after too.

 

[HFCS]

Royce doesn't "need" to stay to develop a jump shot. Turns out when you play professional basketball they help you develop these skills if they see the potential for you to get better at them.

Teams don't hope for their first rounders to spend a year or two in the D League. Lots of rookies teams really like and keep on the roster all season still can't crack many minutes of playing time. They travel around with the team for a 92-120 game schedule and rarely see the court, this does not allow for much practice time the way college players get it playing just a couple games a week.

It is completely possible he could develop his midrange game much, much faster as a lynchpin of a 35 game college team schedule, rather than bouncing between the D league and/or riding the bench in the NBA for 92-120 games in 200 some days.

The Bulls selected Jimmy Butler at the end of the first round, that gets him a guaranteed contract. The front office really likes him. He's at a game or traveling to a game 6 days out of a 7 day week, he has played a grand total of 65 minutes the ENTIRE SEASON. He's not playing with the D league, he's riding pine and riding on planes.

If he were a player who clearly needed to develop a mid range game or some other basic element of his position, he would be doing it 20x faster by playing college ball than his NBA experience is allowing him.

 

[CyJack13]

Teams don't hope for their first rounders to spend a year or two in the D League. Lots of rookies teams really like and keep on the roster all season still can't crack many minutes of playing time. They travel around with the team for a 92-120 game schedule and rarely see the court, this does not allow for much practice time the way college players get it playing just a couple games a week.

It is completely possible he could develop his midrange game much, much faster as a lynchpin of a 35 game college team schedule, rather than bouncing between the D league and/or riding the bench in the NBA for 92-120 games in 200 some days.

The Bulls selected Jimmy Butler at the end of the first round, that gets him a guaranteed contract. The front office really likes him. He's at a game or traveling to a game 6 days out of a 7 day week, he has played a grand total of 65 minutes the ENTIRE SEASON. He's not playing with the D league, he's riding pine and riding on planes.

If he were a player who clearly needed to develop a mid range game or some other basic element of his position, he would be doing it 20x faster by playing college ball than his NBA experience is allowing him.

I disagree. You don't just develop a skill like a mid range jump shot during games, you develop it through practice. In the NBA, you don't have to worry about going to class or practice limits, playing basketball is your one and only job. You have better coaches, more shootaround and practice time. Not to mention, you're getting used to the speed of the NBA game, NBA offenses, your teammates, etc. This will benefit Royce a lot more than playing point forward against Northern Colorado.

 

[HFCS]

I disagree. You don't just develop a skill like a mid range jump shot during games, you develop it through practice. In the NBA, you don't have to worry about going to class or practice limits, playing basketball is your one and only job. You have better coaches, more shootaround and practice time. Not to mention, you're getting used to the speed of the NBA game, NBA offenses, your teammates, etc. This will benefit Royce a lot more than playing point forward against Northern Colorado.

The preseason and preseason games were really valuable to Jimmy Butler. The shoot arounds are too. There's no way that the 65 minutes of playing time mostly during garbage time Jimmy Butler has gotten this year are even in the ball park of the learning experience Royce has had with 700-800 minutes of playing time so far.

Most teams expect their first round picks to produce and add at least some value to the team right away. Royce will need to be able to hit a free throw and a jumper to ever see decent minutes they expect from the investment of a first round pick. They don't want to pick somebody they need to wait 2-3 seasons to work on his shooting stroke, especially in a deep draft year.

He's more dominant than Fizer and Brackins were their first year for ISU, but in ways that matter to the NBA he's even more rough then they both were. Brackins could always shoot and Fizer was never as much of a ft liability. Many here are also ignoring the fact that outside of the ISU family the guy is still viewed as a personality wild card.

 

[Doc]

Royce said in his post-game interview last night that it's the last go-round for two of the players on the team. Clearly he means himself and Chris Allen, with Scotty thuggin the NCAA into giving him another year of eligibility. So yeah, bye-bye Royce after this year.

 

[CycloneErik]

Royce doesn't "need" to stay to develop a jump shot. Turns out when you play professional basketball they help you develop these skills if they see the potential for you to get better at them.

That's the post I've been waiting to see. I can't believe that nobody's addressing this idea. Does a person develop more skills playing basketball as essentially of two jobs at the same time or by playing professionally where they don't have the same limitations on helping that development?

I think staying a year probably puts him in a better position, but to say that he needs to stay in order to develop a midrange game doesn't take the pro experience into account.

 

[cyclones12321]

I hope he doesnt just come back for next year, hope he comes back the next two years

 

[kenji]

I think Royce White is a phenomenal BB player. I wouldn't be surprised either way in regards to staying or going, there is still alot of BBall to be played this year. Hopefully White leads the team deep into the NCAA tourney. He is talented enough to do it.
One reason I think White might make the jump: he is almost too big and physical for the college game. If White is hampered by foul problems down the stretch, it might hasten his exit to the NBA.

 

[swiacy]

Do you remember "Big Country" @ Ok. St. under Eddie Sutton? When he posted up down low and got the ball and turned around, everybody on defense were literally shoved out of the way. Sutton never let the refs call an offensive foul on him and he was very hard to defend because of it. The guy had very limited skills but parlayed it into a shot in the NBA. Royce doesn't have to worry about getting called for "rough" play at the college level......I give you Frank Martin's KSU philosophy as an example.

I say if Royce improves next year as much as he has this year with 10 games left that he has the potential to be a first rounder. He probably could get drafted after this year but he could make a boatload of money if he sticks around. I am sure Fred will be in his ear after the season is over.

 

[Cyke]

RW needs AT LEAST one more year to develop in college before he makes the leap. I think he has the strength of an NBA player, but you've all seen what happens when a 6'10 or taller guy guards him. Just imagine a 6'10 guy with RW strength guarding him. he needs to polish his inside game and develop a mid/outside game to be affective in the NBA. I think his dribbling skills are a great asset and NBA teams would love a 6'7 4 man who can handle it like a PG, but in all honesty, the NBA level will be a shock for RW if he decides to leave after this year.

 

[letsCYber]

If he stays next year, I'll smile.