Matt Bouldin

Matt Bouldin - Four years after his first summer league, Bouldin is back for more. He spent last year in the D-League, and after starting the season so far down the L.A. D-Fenders's bench that he could hardly get a minute, he got free and pretty much evenly split the season between the Delaware 87ers and Fort Wayne Mad Ants, guard-starved teams that gave him free reign to create offense. Bouldin responded to the tune of as-near-as-was 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game, shooting 37% from three point range alongside 1.5 steals a contest. And if that looks pretty much identical to his numbers as a senior, that s not a coincidence. The slow ball-dominant high IQ good passing good shooting sorta-combo guard has battled injuries as a pro and has not been able to expand his game, but last year gave him the opportunity to prove he was healthy. He also proved he was still good. But not NBA good.

Senior guard Steven Gray got out to a blisteringly hot start to the season, then cooled down immensely, and now is averaging only about the same as he did as a junior, except now on only 41% shooting. Gray is a good sized, decently athletic guard, with a good jumpshot and some good defensive abilities, but he can't dribble. This wasn't a problem when he had Matt Bouldin next to him, but with Bouldin graduated and going to Greece, and Demetri Goodson continuing to offer nothing at point guard, Gray suddenly had to become a primary playmaker, ball handler and creator. And with his lack of handles, he just can't do that. Gray's a good passer of the ball, yet without the ability to dribble through much traffic, such a passing skill is inevitably underutilised. Other wing options include German freshman Mathis Monninghoff (who, at this point, offers little more than some hustle and catch-and-shoot abilities), junior college transfer Marquis Carter (who has become a big minutes player for the team, contributing a little bit in all facets of the game, with good efficiency and few mistakes), and Canadian national team member Mangisto Arop (pronounced without the A, and who likes to post up from 25 feet away, which must always be lauded).

Matt Bouldin - Perhaps surprisingly, Bouldin went undrafted out of Gonzaga. He was definitely a valid draft candidate, but for some reason, the second round went a bit weird. Bouldin is a big strong off-guard who can occasionally play the point, armed with good passing skills, but without much athleticism. The curly haired one has a decent jumpshot, but not good enough of one to make it in the league as a shooting specialist, and his lack of speed (plus his rather average 6'5 size) deemed him a defensive liability at the NBA level. It also rather undermined his driving ability.