93 Small Forwards

[Zyme]

Bruce Bowen: C+ C+ C- A- C A

Continuing our trend to talent picked over by later schools is Bruce Bowen out of Cal State Fullerton. While Shaq tallied a lot of blocks, the NCAA DPOY, NABC Defensive Player of the Year, went out west to Bowen. He was a menace on defense, racking up a Big West record for steals and was a nightmare to match up against. Opponents shot a shocking .250 worse against Bowen. He has a wonderfully quick outside shot, and his sharp cutting freed him up for a ton of open looks from the corner. His man struggles came with a hit and miss from the free-throw line extended, where he seemed too close to be effective and too far away for him to take advantage for his elite above the rim skills. Scout left the combine raving about his lithe frame. He put on a show at the Combine as, during his warmups, he displayed his martial arts prowess, his high jump kicks were something to behold.

Byron Russel: C+ C+ C B- C A

Step out Big West DPOY, step in Big west OPOY. Russel is among the crop of players who are stuck between positions in this draft. While he has the skills for the 3, his size and strength lend to the 4 but his only decent rebounding make him somewhere in between. Pick over in HS, he made the big west coast schools regret not offering him when he posted a 18/7 over his last 2 years. He led Long Beach to a conference championship and the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tourney. This kid can flat out score.


Kurt Thomas: C+ C C- C+ C A

A surprise early entrant out of Southwest Conference Texas Christian. While he seems to have a good head on his shoulders, according to teams' comments after his interviews but scouts were left scratching their heads. The general agreement is that the sophomore would have been much better served going back to school for a year or two, his potential is undeniable. They concern is he is not quite ready to contribute at the next level and develop his sitting skills for a year or two before he is ready.

Ervic Gray: C+ C C C C+ A

Following in the footsteps of Larry Johnson and the 91 championships is always hard and Evric really seemed to feel the pressure when he inherited the lime light when that incredible team bounced to the NBA ranks. He has the talent, as evidenced by his solid 14/7 season, but he seemed to wilt in every big game he played in. His biggest weakness is the range on this shot, but when he finds himself free throw extended he never seems to miss. When defenses forced him out, he really struggles, as he never seemed to assert his ability in the post. At the combine, when running post drills, he looked great, but in the scrimmages seemed to fade back into his mid-range comfort zone. He has the pieces, but really has never put it all together.

Andrew Amaya: C B D+ B- C B

The Saluki out of Southern Illinois impressed the heck out of scouts at the combine this year. Despite being one of the last players to receive an invite, proved he deserved his slot. Outside of Houston, he has the best looking deep ball in the class, an even has the quickness and the ability to recover on defense that he was able to play long stretches as a tall 2 guard. What really lets him down is his inconsistent passing as he under and over led players a number of times in the scrimmages and even bonked a 2v1 fast-break drill, twice.

Other 1993 Small Forward prospects:
Lucious Harris: C C+ C- C+ C- A
George Lynch: C+ D+ C- C+ B- B
Chris Mills: C+ C+ C C+ C+ B
Julius Nwosu C+ C+ D+ C+ C- B
Kornel David: C+ C C- C- C+ D