You hear the phrase all the time when you watch coaches get stopped by sideline reporters before heading into the locker room. It’s a conversation that usually goes like this.
Reporter: “Coach what adjustments are you going to make at halftime.”
Coach’s response: “We just aren’t making shots” or “we have to take away their space, they’re just making shots.”
Shot makers come in all shapes and sizes, but there are those who are put on the floor to make them. That’s their job. It’s a specialty.
Specialty players are always sought after in the NBA world because if you have someone who can stretch the defense from the perimeter then you really can stifle a team trying to double-team your best player. Or even your second-best player.
The key to specialty players is their ability to defend, and this is where Louisville’s Kyle Kuric may have an edge as he tries to make a career for himself at the professional level.
His size (6’4 195) is solid enough to guard both backcourt positions, physically, but he’d be a liability on the ball. He’d have to initially come off the bench and guard smaller SGs, which limits his effectiveness right off the bat.
His ability to shoot, though, is very intriguing. He hasn’t shot the ball well this year (33%) and his minutes have gone up. People who focus on “usage rate” or the amount of production per minute, will frown on this immediately. He’s made 167 triples at Louisville playing at an NBA pace. This tells me that he can make shots in transition. It also shows me that his catch and release ability is close to an NBA level.
From what I’ve seen from his range he can shoot from every spot including the corner. Many coaches teach their shooters to “find the corners” on the fast break. The corner 3 makes the defense stretch all the way from baseline to baseline and it’s critical for secondary break opportunities in transition to find trailers. It’s a quality that is a commodity in the NBA.
Kuric’s athleticism and finishing ability on the break has been impressive at times too, yet too often he gets lost within the offense and within the style of play. That said, he has the tools to possible be an impact specialty player at the next level and worth keeping an eye on this weekend as Louisville plays in te Elite Eight after defeating Michigan State last night.
– proven 3-point shooter at NBA pace.
– Good size and athletic ability.
– Makes from range and all angles.
– Can project to NBA specialist.
Weaknesses:
– Ballhandling.
– Can only defend one position.
– If he’s not making shots, hard to project his impact at the NBA level.
Tommy Dee is the founder of TheKnicksBlog, editor of CHARGED Magazine and is a regional scout for Marty Blake and Associates. Follow him on Twitter.