November 2, 2019

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June 29, 2018

Julyan Stone
PG/SG - 6’6, 200lbs - 29 years old - 4 years of experience

Stone was given a few minutes as the backup point guard role at various times in the season, yet mostly was the garbage time option. He played 23 games, didn’t take a two-point shot all season, scored all of 3.9 points per 36 minutes, and somehow recorded a 123 offensive rating. What a time to be alive.

Certainly, Stone has never shown any desire to be a shooter or a scorer, so this is not in itself not surprising. It was however a remarkable example of the genre. And, from a point guard, it is a little bit too extreme. Stone has some passing vision and throws some flashy ones; it goes without saying that he is a pass-first player, and the great size for the point guard spot helps.

However, his unselfishness surely goes too far. After all, how incisive of passes can a point guard throw when the defence knows he has no desire to score or get inside the arc? A point guard is supposed to initiate, penetrate, probe, move the defence and around and exploit that movement. But Stone doesn’t move anyone around. He just does the obvious things well. Which if course is of some value, but surely not enough.

There are many other more athletic, more dynamic, more talented guards who could learn from adopting some of the Julyan Stone style, But Julyan Stone himself has too much of the Julyan Stone style. Especially on a Hornets team that needs the very dynamicism and bravado that Stone runs so antithetical to.

Player Plan: Unguaranteed season of minimum salary remaining that probably does not need guaranteeing.

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January 3, 2014

Toronto - Julyan Stone: When the Raptors needed to waive someone, ideally a point guard, to accommodate the incoming point guard Greivis Vasquez as a part of the Rudy Gay trade, Stone made the cut ahead of D.J. Augustin. This is both a big endorsement of Stone and a big mark against Augustin.

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June 22, 2011

Julyan Stone - Allegedly, Juylan Stone has a promise from the Lakers with one of their four second round picks.

[Draft promises are a strange thing. Saying you're likely to pick someone if they're there is one thing, but don't make a word which risks you either alienating people and hurting your reputation if you break it, or costing you a better player if things don't pan out the way you plan. Draft promises result in moves such as picking DeMarre Carroll over DeJuan Blair (if honoured), or the whole Efthimios Rentzias debacle (if broken). Doesn't seem like a risk ever worth taking.]

Whether the promise is true or not, a combination of a miserable draft, a strong senior season and an incredibly unique statline has put Stone into contention. On the year, Stone averaged 8.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game as a 6'7 point guard, further recording only 1.9 turnovers in 36.5 minutes per game for a 2.8 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was also named to the Conference USA All-Defensive team; faster than someone like the comparable Cedric Bozeman, Stone's athleticism and size combination is pretty smothering, and his averages of 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game lend credence to that. Offensively, Stone is UTEP's all time assist leader - magnanimous, pass-first, and high IQ, Stone is the consummate facilitator, deferential to a fault, keeping the ball moving, never one to take a bad shot, and a very capable ball handler.

His only problem is his own scoring. Stone can't make open looks, at all. He hit 52 threes in four seasons, barely cracked 60% from the foul line for his career, did little off the dribble, recorded more assists than points on two occasions, and even recorded more rebounds than points on one occasion. That's a pretty amazing statistic in a point guard. Stone became more aggressive and confident in his own scoring talent as an upperclassman, but at no point did he become in an average scoring threat by Conference USA. So while there may only be one flaw, it's a huge one.

It might be worthwhile anyway, considering his otherwise strong all-around game.

(You know how else grabbed as many rebounds as they scored points in college? Dontell Jefferson. Dontell Jefferson made the NBA briefly. There are worse comparisons around, including in this post.)

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