gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
03-15-13 01:40 AM - Post#146025
Not to compare every elite Ivy player to the only Ivy player currently in the NBA...but I do see a lot of similarities between Hummer and Lin.
1) All-around stat-stuffers who are good at almost everything without excelling in any single area. Too many college stars flop in the NBA and top pro leagues because they don't know how to contribute without scoring or without the ball.
2) Requisite athleticism for the next level. Another big stumbling block for Ivy prospects. Even by BCS standards, Hummer and Lin were good solid athletes. And as a result, both would thrive in a more up-tempo offense.
3) History of playing well against BCS teams. Both Hummer and Lin rose to the occasion and held their own against more athletic, higher-profile competition, including an eye-catching "Wow" performance (Lin against UConn, Hummer against FSU).
4) Both had the same weaknesses -- turnovers and tweener status -- so perhaps they're surmountable. Lin had the size of a PG but the skills of a SF. Hummer has the body of a SF but the skills of a PF. Lin had to improve his court-vision and long-range jumper. Hummer will have to improve his handle and mid-range jumper.
It's obviously a super-long shot no matter what, but I see some signs that Hummer could beat the odds. Judson Wallace is currently a rotation player on an elite Euro team (FC Barcelona), and Hummer is far better than Wallace (as good as he was at Princeton).
With a good showing at Portsmouth, maybe Petrie invites him to Kings Summer League. Or since he's from the DC area, Randy Wittman gets him on the Wizards SL team...
|
SRP
Postdoc
Posts: 4911
Reg: 02-04-06
|
03-15-13 03:47 AM - Post#146030
In response to gokinsmen
It would be exciting to watch Hummer in the NBA. I think he has the drive to do what is necessary to improve his outside shooting (I don't know how much he can do about his dribbling at this stage). Interesting to see if he can defend pro small forwards on a consistent basis. No question that he would be a part-of-the-solution player rather than a part-of-the-problem type--whatever the team needs or the coaches ask. Still a longshot.
|
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
04-05-13 09:33 PM - Post#147932
In response to SRP
Hummer NOT on the Portsmouth Invitational rosters!
https://www.portsmouthinvitational.com/ROSTERS.htm...
A conference player of the year with superb all-around stats wasn't good enough? But apparently a pair of 2nd Team forwards from the Big West and OVC were? Okay. I don't think Hummer would decline an invite if he got one, so this would be a pretty cold snub.
|
Chip Bayers
Professor
Posts: 7001
Loc: New York
Reg: 11-21-04
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
04-05-13 10:18 PM - Post#147936
In response to gokinsmen
I think his problem is he's a tweener in scouts minds, especially defensively. Not really big enough to muscle up with an NBA "4" and not quick enough to stop an NBA "3" from getting by him.
Edited by Chip Bayers on 04-05-13 10:18 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
|
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
06-10-13 09:27 PM - Post#149931
In response to Chip Bayers
Hummer doing work(outs)!
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2013/06/07/33666/
Suns, Lakers, Warriors and Kings for now.
Hoping his "glue-guy" skill-set can land him a Summer League roster spot. The Kings could certainly use him (even with Petrie gone) -- they're a mess of seflish and/or disorganized gunners.
|
H78
PhD Student
Posts: 1458
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Reg: 01-06-11
|
Re: Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
06-11-13 03:11 AM - Post#149938
In response to gokinsmen
I'm pulling for him, too.
The challenge when a "team player" like Hummer is on an NBA Summer League roster is that seemingly all the other guys are playing one-on-one show off ball, so a team player can get lost in the mix. Last summer, I remember seeing Keith Wright set screens for his teammates, to their benefit (and surprise) and I wondered if this was noticed at all by the coaches and scouts. Two years earlier, Lin's passing, defense and some key baskets did catch peoples' eyes, particularly when he was matched up against a marquee player, John Wall.
Hummer definitely has the skill set. I'm hoping he gets into the summer league, then gets matched up against one of the "anointed" (like Lin was against Wall) and then he can show his stuff, and hopefully get a roster spot, even if it means that he plays a fair amount of NBADL games, so he gets enough "cred" to get some playing time on and NBA roster.
|
Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts: 2816
Reg: 11-23-04
|
 06-11-13 11:07 AM - Post#149946
In response to H78
Does anyone here have an idea of what the better Europeon leagues pay their players? Assuming that Ian, at best, would be a low minute role player in the NBA, wouldn't he be better off in Europe? Plus, money aside, who in his right mind wouldn't rather be taking short hops around Europe with plenty of incredible attractions in one's time off (not the least of which are its many beautiful and interesting women) than bouncing around the US from one sterile airport motel to another? (Forgive my prejudice -- I just returned from a month in Paris.)
|
SRP
Postdoc
Posts: 4911
Reg: 02-04-06
|
06-11-13 06:02 PM - Post#149967
In response to Tiger69
Jump Shot. Ian will need to be accurate from 17 feet and ideally would develop a decent three-point shot. The pros generally don't want guys his size to have their defenders clogging up the lane. But if he can knock down jumpers, all his other skills (passing, rebounding, screening, posting up, etc.) will come into play as well--think of a shorter Kevin Love.
I don't know if he can find a defensive position in the NBA. He'll need to work on either banging with bigger guys or keeping up with wings. Of course, those mismatches could work in his favor on the offensive end.
|
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
06-11-13 10:51 PM - Post#149975
In response to SRP
-- I definitely see Ian as a SF at the next level. Sort of a poor man's Andre Iguodala. Or maybe Kawhi Leonard. Jumpers can develop and we've already seen him make progress over the past two years (though he took fewer 3s this year). I could also see him surprising his defenders by posting up down low.
-- As H78 said, if he makes it to Summer League, it would be ideal to see him matched up against a big name player like Otto Porter or Shabazz Muhammad. I worry about his handles and footspeed, but his strength and leaping ability could open some eyes. Forwards who pass can also grab attention.
-- I think Ibby Jaaber turned down a fringe roster spot on the Lakers a couple years ago for a $1M contract in Europe (where he's a non-star starter/6th man). But he has a lot of younger siblings to take care off. A guy like Ian, fresh out of college, would definitely accept a non-guaranteed six-figure sum to be a 12th-15th man.
|
Jeff2sf
Postdoc
Posts: 4466
Reg: 11-22-04
|
06-15-13 09:21 PM - Post#150091
In response to gokinsmen
by poor man's Andre Iguodala, do you mean a homeless man with very few options, thinking of turning to a life of crime, perhaps turning tricks?
Because Andre Iguodala and Ian Hummer have essentially nothing in common besides having their first name start with a vowel.
|
SRP
Postdoc
Posts: 4911
Reg: 02-04-06
|
06-16-13 04:08 PM - Post#150098
In response to Jeff2sf
Kevin Love is my story, and I'm sticking to it.
|
Jeff2sf
Postdoc
Posts: 4466
Reg: 11-22-04
|
06-16-13 06:42 PM - Post#150100
In response to SRP
Ok, I can picture that.
|
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
06-16-13 07:00 PM - Post#150101
In response to Jeff2sf
Iggy's a 6-6 tweener who can do a little bit of everything on offense without excelling at any one thing. Great hops. Can guard multiple positions. So a poor man's version of that.
I'm not sure how Hummer could be a Kevin Love-type (beyond their skin color). Ian is not a 6-10 high-volume 3pt shooter or monster rebounder.
|
SRP
Postdoc
Posts: 4911
Reg: 02-04-06
|
06-16-13 09:57 PM - Post#150104
In response to gokinsmen
Ian is a skilled, strong post player with above-average court vision and passing ability. He's an excellent rebounder. My point was that if he added some mid-range or 3-point shooting, then he would be a short Kevin Love. It's an aspiration, not an achievement.
|
Silver Maple
Postdoc
Posts: 3777
Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
|
06-16-13 11:09 PM - Post#150105
In response to SRP
I have trouble believing that his post skills would be of much interest to an NBA team. He's just not big enough to exercise those abilities at that level. However, his court vision, passing ability and exceptional basketball IQ could be a valuable asset. Combine that with reliable perimeter shooting and he absolutely has a realistic chance. So Ian better work on his jump shot.
|
Jeff2sf
Postdoc
Posts: 4466
Reg: 11-22-04
|
06-16-13 11:39 PM - Post#150107
In response to Silver Maple
Andre Iguodala is one of the most athletic players in the league (set aside he's also one of the 30 or so best whereas Ian Hummer may not make a roster and be one of the 450 or so best). Ian Hummer wasn't one of the 5 most athletic guys in the Ivy League.
Andre Iguodala can play point forward. Ian Hummer can stand at the college 3 point line and distribute backdoor passes. Maybe he's the rich man Spencer Hawes (i do not like Spencer Hawes).
Andre Iguodala is an AWESOME defender. Ian Hummer... so yeah.
Andre's highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6BkB2mTkRE
Ian's highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Wn9lwd3Ds
|
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
06-17-13 05:54 AM - Post#150110
In response to Jeff2sf
Well, that's why I said "poor man's" and not "he's as good as Andre Iguodala." Not sure Iggy is a Top 30 player anymore, though.
I also dispute that Ian wasn't one of the most athletic guys in the league, but I guess there's no real way to prove that unless you had an Ivy-wide combine. Even then, guards and forwards have different athletic needs.
Anyway, I admit that these sorts of analogies are usually silly (even for elite prospects). But a jack-of-all-trades 6-6 tweener isn't the worst choice, especially since I specified "poor man's."
|
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
06-17-13 06:01 AM - Post#150111
In response to SRP
Is Love a good passer out of the post (high or low)? I haven't seen that from him. Even if Ian develops a reliable jumper, Love is just a freak anomaly (even among All-Star stretch 4s) with his super high-volume elite 3pt shooting. You're right that Ian's probably a better rebounder than the stats say, though.
I'm with Silver Maple that his post-skills just won't work at the next level -- even at the D-I level, athletic 7-footers could often shut him down. On the bright side, a lot of players improve their jumpers through hard work. Kawhi Leonard was a paltry 20% and 29% 3pt shooter in college but shot 37% from NBA range this year.
|
gokinsmen
Postdoc
Posts: 3669
Reg: 02-06-10
|
Ian Hummer's Pro Prospects
06-17-13 06:32 AM - Post#150113
In response to Jeff2sf
Also, comparing Iggy's NBA highlights with a lesser high school highlight of Ian's (where he was Conference POY in one of the top leagues in the nation, btw) doesn't really make sense.
Hummer's epic swat against UK's Liggins (now in the NBA) or this literal throw-down attest to his current athleticism.
|
Jeff2sf
Postdoc
Posts: 4466
Reg: 11-22-04
|
06-17-13 06:47 AM - Post#150114
In response to gokinsmen
And that's why I specified homeless man. Iggy's not a tweener. He's a 3 who is uber athletic. No one looks at Iggy and says, oh jeez, i hope he can keep up with 3's.
He's a homeless guy on skid row. I grabbed a convenient Hummer video. Frankly, I thought it WAS flattering to him. The point is, you can't possibly expect Hummer to do any of the 10 highlights that Iggy performed with the exception of #8 which was a circus shot that all of us could do 1 out of 100 times.
I mean they have nothing at all in common. Andre Iguodala makes a play like that once a night against the best in the world; Ian Hummer makes one a season against not very good competition. It's just a bizarre discussion. AI2 didn't come from a post background, he always played 2/3. The athleticism is off the charts.
I mean that's what's so odd about your post - you took a player in Hummer who's biggest question mark is whether he's athletic enough for the NBA and compared him to a guy who's greatest strength is his athleticism. I would expect you next to compare Rosen to Roy Hibbert.
|
