ESPNs Chad Ford mentioned former Fresno State guard/forward Paul George in his draft ESPN Insider draft blog and had great things to say about him.
Many point out how George (6-foot-8) failed to dominate at this level. He averaged 16.8 points per game and 7.2 rebounds this season as the Bulldogs (15-18) lost in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament. But they fail to take into consideration the fact that you don't have to dominate in college to have NBA front offices lust after your potential. What's important isn't what players are now, but what they could be down the road.
With that said, Ford called George the "upside sleeper" of the NBA Draft's first round and wrote how George is compared to Tracy McGrady and Wilson Chandler.
Wrote Ford in his draft blog:
"George is closer to Chandler than McGrady at the moment, but it's clear that he's the type of player who could explode with a little coaching. He's been in the gym with former NBA big man Don MacLean for the past three weeks working on the little things that separate the good wings from the great wings. Specifically, he's working on creating his own shot -- ball handling, first step and getting separation off the dribble.
In the workout we saw, George was terrific. He showed deep range on his jump shot, exploded to the rim and had terrific quickness. Scouts have had questions about his consistency and toughness. They've also worried about his love affair with the 3-pointer. But it was also clear that he was rarely pushed at Fresno State. ...
In this environment, playing alongside other NBA prospects, he looked much sharper and more focused. He needs to get stronger and improve his motor (something he admitted to me when we chatted) but MacLean told me George has been a sponge since coming into the gym.
George believes he may be more of a 2-guard than a 3. Some NBA teams agree. In fact his first workout is in San Antonio on Thursday. His workout partner: Kansas shooting guard Xavier Henry."
What does the writer mean by saying 'he was rarely pushed at Fresno State.' Does that say something about the coaching?
As I read the "rarely pushed" comment I assumed it referred to the level of competition Paul faced at Fresno State and in the WAC in general. Often times, players only play at the level of their competition even when they have greater skills and abilities.