Chris Kramer

Chris Kramer - Kramer has long been in the NBA conversation, and has signed contracts with the Bucks in the past. It's been a while since then, 2010, although Kramer has done enough to keep himself on the NBA's radar in that time. On the face of it, it is hard to see why - a 6'3 26 year old defensive combo guard who can't shoot and has every single facet of his offensive game in question at this level. But then you see his athleticism, tenacity and relentless defensive pressure, and it starts to make some sense. Kramer keeps coming back because he is the type of player a coach wants to coach, and the kind of player a team so badly wishes its projectable 6'7 long and athletic wings would channel. But Kramer can never be a 6'7 long and athletic wing, and so it will never work out. Mind you, he's got more chance than Aaron Craft.

Kramer has worked out for many teams this summer, and went to summer league with the Pacers, where he totalled 32 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds and 7 fouls in 2 games. At that time, I wrote this about him:

Kramer is an extremely strong 6'3 defensive specialist with no discernible offensive talent whatsoever, who really should have played football instead. He was a great fit for a big program in the college game, but he'll be far less great in the professional arena, where the players get harder to defend. It would be a great thing for the fan's perspective to see him do well, for the Purdue graduate is a local boy, but unfortunately, Kramer is let down by his own face. He's just too good looking for me to root for anything other than his abject failure.

His problem, succinctly yet fairly, is that he can't make a shot. Kramer is tough, smart, gritty, strong, defensively aggressive and defensively tenacious, but offensively, he can't dribble, shoot, create or pass. Kramer has not got a good set jumpshot, can do nothing off the dribble, can't finish around the basket, and can't get there either. He averaged only 6.5 points, and while he again does the little things well - moves the ball, makes the extra passes, only took good shots, shot a good percentage - he also can't contribute the big things. Is there room in the NBA for a player like that? Yes, always, but not when they're 6'3.

Chris Kramer

Kramer is an extremely strong 6'3 defensive specialist with no discernible offensive talent whatsoever, who really should have played football instead. He was a great fit for a big program in the college game, but he'll be far less great in the professional arena, where the players get harder to defend. It would be a great thing for the fan's perspective to see him do well, for the Purdue graduate is a local boy, but unfortunately, Kramer is let down by his own face. He's just too good looking for me to root for anything other than his abject failure.