Julian Wright is a 6'8" versatile SF/PF playing at Kansas. Projects as a true small forward on the NBA level. Needs to show he has some semblance of a jumpshot or he will not be a guaranteed lottery pick in 2007.
I love this guy's game. He moves like a gazelle out there on the court. Can handle the ball, pass very well and extremely athletic. My knock on him is his perimeter shooting is weak and he needs to add on a few more pounds, thats a definite.
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He's tearing up Florida right now. He is simply an athletic beast and I love the way he plays. He does need to step out and shoot better for a legitimate chance at the next level.
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He is an amazing athlete that is a jumpshot away from being a top 3-5 pick. He can handle it, rebound, pass it (did you see that no look dime to I think it was Arthur?), and shoot it a little bit. But like DavidCain said he just needs more confidence in it and that comes with practice.
At the very least, he could be a Boris Diaw on the next level. Watching him and Arthur in the post is a lot of fun. There are some amazing frontcourts in college this year.
Regardless of what happens in Saturday's West Regional final between No. 1 seed Kansas and No. 2 seed UCLA at HP Pavilion, Jayhawks forward Julian Wright knows one thing: he'll be back with the Jayhawks next season.
Wright, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, said he will return to Kansas for his junior season in 2007-08, even though he is considered a potential lottery pick in June's NBA draft if he forgoes his final two seasons of college eligibility.
Wright, from Chicago Heights, Ill, has averaged 12.1 points and 7.9 rebounds in 37 games.
"I made the decision before this season that I'm not thinking about [the NBA] at all," Wright said. "I'm coming back."
Wright is still considered a somewhat raw prospect with tremendous abilities.
He scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Kansas' 82-80 overtime upset of then-No. 2 Florida on Nov. 25, a game in which Wright dominated Gators forwards Al Horford and Joakim Noah, another pair of potential NBA lottery picks.
But Wright also has been plagued by inconsistency at times during his second college season. He scored 33 points and had 12 rebounds in a 92-74 win over Missouri on Feb. 10, then scored only four points with three turnovers in a 71- 62 victory over Kansas State nine days later.
"He's just a sophomore in college," Kansas coach Bill Self said of Wright. "He's a fabulous talent, and I've said that all along. When he's playing his best, his ceiling is higher than anyone else's. But he's not a natural scorer. That's not what he wants to do. So sometimes he can kind of give the appearance of not impacting the game as much because he's not scoring points."
Wright said part of the reason he plans to stay at Kansas is he hopes to earn a bachelor's degree in communication studies in only three years. He hopes to graduate from Kansas by summer 2008. On the court, Wright said he probably won't reach his full potential for "another five years."
"The route to getting better is to stay in college," Wright said. "The NBA is more of a skills setting."
That's his prerogative and i think he does need to work on a consistant outside game. One thing i'm starting to believe here is this draft, which started the year out looking like one of the best in some time, is starting to look rather ordinary. And althoug some like Horford and Hawes and Brandon Wright have a lot of potential i'm not sure they're enough at this point to make this crop stand out. If the unlikely happens and Oden or Durant stay in school i think we're talking major letdown in this class.
That's his prerogative and i think he does need to work on a consistant outside game. One thing i'm starting to believe here is this draft, which started the year out looking like one of the best in some time, is starting to look rather ordinary. And althoug some like Horford and Hawes and Brandon Wright have a lot of potential i'm not sure they're enough at this point to make this crop stand out. If the unlikely happens and Oden or Durant stay in school i think we're talking major letdown in this class.
This is how I feel too, and I wont be shocked if more big name players drop out and go back to school.
Which I what I said in the beginning of the season. There are two franchise players at the top (although I really believe Brandan Wright will evolve into one), the actual guys who will be in the draft are merely NBA starters, but not really game changers.
The '08 draft promises to be very deep, because there are plenty of guys who are going one and done (Davon Jefferson, OJ Mayo, Derrick Rose) along with the super sophs and other good bigs like Devon Hardin (healthy), Roy Hibbert, Jason Smith (Colorado State).
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Julian Wright
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