In his annual report showcasing the opinions of anonymous scouts, Seth Davis gives fans some insight into what NBA scouts are thinking about the former Syracuse duo.
In Syracuse, Seth Davis is known, above all else, as the guy who said that Montana would beat Syracuse in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
This time, though, he's the one giving voice to anonymous NBA scouts on this year's draft class, including the Syracuse Orange's own Michael Gbinije and Malachi Richardson.
In his annual "Finch" report, an anonymous collection of the opinions of five scouts on players in this year's NBA Draft, Davis creates brief scouting reports on virtually every college player who's available. Before he gets to the player descriptions, he warns that his "scout" takes a critical and questioning approach to player analysis, focusing on areas of weakness or concern.
Richardson, projected just outside the lottery, and Gbinije, projected as a second round pick, both receive their fair share of criticism from the anonymous scouts.
To be fair, though, even Ben Simmons, the likely No. 1 pick in Thursday's draft, was criticized for his lack of shooting ability, entitlement and aloofness.
On the Syracuse duo, Davis writes that scouts think Gbinije's "advanced" age limits the number of teams that will want him, while they worry whether Richardson will ultimately be athletic enough to compete with NBA starters, especially on the defensive end.
Here is the complete analysis from Davis's scouting report on Gbinije and Richardson:
On Malachi Richardson:
"Hard one to get a handle on. Big kid, huge hands, inconsistent shooter. I don't think he's a pure shooter yet. If he can tighten up that jump shot he can be a prototypical two/three in the league. My question is, can he make plays with the ball in his hands? Seems like he's striking while the iron is hot because of his last 10 minutes against Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. He played in that zone at Syracuse so you don't know if he can defend. He has broad shoulders so he'll fill out. My main concern would be whether he's athletic enough to play against starters eventually."
On Michael Gbinije:
"He's good, but the guy is 24. He should be better than everybody else. I think he has some value on a good team but no value on a bad team. He's a really good straight-line athlete who can make a three, and he should be able to guard people. He's a good risk as a second round pick. He can fill a stat sheet."
Well, that was a mostly negative review of the two Orange players likely to be taken in this year's draft. If that wasn't enough criticism for you, by the way, they also throw in a shot at Carmelo Anthony's NBA career in their analysis of Ben Simmons:
"You wonder if he ends up like Carmelo Anthony: someone who's a great player but not a winning player."
Syracuse loves you, Seth Davis.
