Pass The Mic: NBA Teams Will Regret Passing on Ty Lawson
Selected 18th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2009 NBA Draft, Ty Lawson saw several point guards get picked ahead of him. One person who thinks 17 teams made a mistake passing on the former Tar Heel is Trevor Kapp from our sister site Bouncemag.com. We passed the mic to Trevor and let him vouch for the 2009 ACC Player of the Year.
Without question, attributes like height, size, strength and speed are important in determining if a player has the physical skills to make it to the next level. But sometimes, ballplayers are ballplayers, regardless of whom they’re competing against.
Ty Lawson is one of those guys. He averaged almost 17 points and seven assists per game last year, winning ACC Player of the Year and helping lead UNC to its fifth national championship.
But Lawson is just 5-11 (on a good day), and many NBA GMs questioned whether his height would hinder him.
In Denver’s pre-season game against the Lakers Friday night, Lawson blew by defenders with ease and was a menace on the defensive end, displaying that cricket-like quickness that made him a Second-Team All American last year. He finished with 29 points, six assists and five steals, capping off a stellar pre-season in which he averaged over 10 points, three dimes and two thefts in about 18 minutes of play.
I know it’s just the preseason, but Lawson showcased his brilliance for three years in the biggest market in college hoops and dominated opponents on all levels. What more did he have to prove? I wondered in early June why he was so low on draft boards, and I can’t help but be even more curious now.
The NBA Draft is hardly an exact science and is in many ways about upside. But is it really worth taking the chance on someone like Hasheem Thabeet, Ricky Rubio, Jordan Hill, Brandon Jennings, Earl Clark, Austin Daye or Jrue Holliday—guys who MIGHT turn into go-to players—when you have a proven leader right in front of you?
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October 26th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
tjgriffin says:
agreed. Ty Lawson is going to be a solid contributor for years to come. The Nuggets look solid so far with Carmelo scoring two points a minute in the preseason and now with Lawson backing up Billups they are going to be a headache out west this year. I don’t think they get past the Lakers, but I know Lawson will prove to be a better NBA player than Daye, Thabeet, and Jordan Hill. Good work by the Nuggets selecting him, they are lucky so many other GMs did not realize what a talent and leader Lawson is.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
D.H. says:
I have to agree. This guy has proven he can play when it matters most. He oozes basketball IQ and now he gets to learn from ‘Mr. Bigshot’. Denver made a great decision, hopefully they can mold him into Chauncey’s replacement.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
control says:
I don’t know why NBA heads won’t take a guy who is 5′11, but will jump all over him if he’s 6′1. Really, two inches doesn’t make THAT much of a different in basketball. I would honestly rather have a guy with 20 more “basketball IQ points” than 2 more inches…
I’ve played guys who had 2 inches on me (about 6′10 or so) and it doesn’t make up for their lack of skills, strength and IQ compared to mine.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Brown says:
That’s my biggest problem with the NBA draft. Too many GMs focus on potential and the “what if” factor a player has. They ignore the players who are already pretty damn good.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
kevin k says:
Lawson flat out made Jordan Farmer and any other Lakers’ guard who were defending him look like Shawn Bradley
October 26th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Jack Attack says:
Denver got a steal with Lawson, makes up for giving away Jameer Nelson for peanuts. Brandon Jennings is going to be nice though.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
LaMont says:
alot of gm’s don’t want to be the next portland who took a guy that was good, a guy that they needed in Sam Bowie and passed on Michael Jordan. sometimes you have to be wary of guys that lead stacked teams in college (North Carolina was stacked - did Ty make them better o rdid they make Ty better?)All picks are made based on potential.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
JBaller says:
I agree, Ty’s better than half the guys that went before him. I’m a Knicks fan living in Colorado; I think NY missed out on him as a cheap back up to Duhon that prove his worth. At least my Nuggs had the right idea about him - Friggin Walsh pick J. Hill? WTF?
One more thing…If havin’ a few more inches will get you a spot on an NBA roster, how come Ron Jeremy aint playin’?
October 26th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
T.J. says:
Teams are gonna regret passing oon Jeff Teague For Sure lol
October 26th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
control says:
JBaller
Because he’s coaching the Magic right now…
October 26th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
fan says:
Anthony Carter & Jordan Farmar are terrible. I didn’t like Lawson but I see something. He has a savvy and confidence you can’t teach. He also might be the fastest player in the league. He should get major minutes if Denver wants to win now. Their window shrinks every year. Why are there so many bad players in the league now a days. What’s going on. Who judges talent. Who is making these decisions. Coaches,GM’s,Scouts alike. Just because you have yrs on resume doesn’t make you qualified. Majority of you guys are horrid. What are you looking at or for?
October 26th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
D.H. says:
@LaMont
You just mentioned Jordan was the better pick but then go on to say how “you have to be wary of guys who lead stacked teams in college ie NC”. A little ironic don;t you think? The Jordan/Bowie comparison is not a valid argument in this instance. The OP was talking about how there many GUARDS (note, same position) were drafted before Lawson. Bowie and Jordan did not play the same position. Portland choose Bowie to fill a positional need, not because they felt he was the safer pick. Lawson, imo, should have been drafted over Rubio, Jennings, and Holliday; but I’m no NBA GM.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Shrink This says:
I agree with the above posters on how a guy’s draft position is based mainly on the promise of ‘potential’ and hope Ty Lawson makes the GMs selecting at least some of 17 guys ahead of him look foolish.
How many GMs have lost their jobs on the promise of potential? How many more should?
I wonder how many successful late first rounders and second rounders it will take for NBA GMs to start drafting guys who are actually likely to realize their potential (regardless of what it’s predicted to be)?
@6 and 8, love the hedgehog jokes by the way.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Captain Jean Luc-Picard says:
How tall is Jonny Flynn (compared to Ty)?
Incidentally, the same team that drafted Ty drafted Jonny.
So I think the shortness mime is, well, pretty short.
October 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Lamont
Jordan avg nearly 20ppg and was player of the year (2X’s) in college. He was pretty much a sure shot.
Same Bowie avg something like 13ppg and 8reb. or something mediocre like that.
So Bowie was more of the risk considering his low production on a good team. While Jordan dominated on a good team.
The only reason portland passed on Mike was because Clyde Drexler played the same position (although Clyde begged them to pick MJ and offered to play PG/SG/Sf to get them to pick Mike).
As for Ty Lawson, he’s not nearly as fast as Dickey V and the rest of the world claims. He was allowed to run at full speed at UNC. That just means he’s under control going fast. Speed is what TJ ford has, Darrell Armstrong had. ty lawson is fast, but no where near the fastest. Johnny flynn is fast and quick. Lawson will be another Brevin Knight, while Flynn has a chance to be Tony Parker.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Carlos Boozer says:
Might just be the UNC thing, but he and Ray Felton remind me a lot of each other. So I have a feeling that he’ll be a quality backup or the 20th best starting PG in the league.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Diggity Dave says:
Nuggets have their point guard of the future when Mr. Big Shot calls it quits. Very smart pick up that’s going to pay off for a very long time.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
itsakademiks says:
lived in the same area growing up im a few yrs older then him but known about him since like the 7th grade. just might be the fastest player in the league.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
control says:
I think Aron Brooks might be the fastest/quickest player in the league. That guy has some insane speed, makes guys look like they are standing still most of the time.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
E says:
Ty Lawson is super quick and he’s been solid in preseason he’s a sleeper for rookie of the year
October 27th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Fen says:
Chicagorilla
“Lawson will be another Brevin Knight, while Flynn has a chance to be Tony Parker.”
are you serious?? i cant even believe im gonna take the time to say something about this but flynn has a chance to be tony parker??.. thats the funniest thing ive ever heard…
the 2 pgs are so unalike its rediculous.. and Lawson can play the PG position just as good as any of those cats at the top of the draft board… think hes proven that..
October 27th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Bron42 aka Had Springs before Slamball says:
you guys are skippin alot in the jordan bowie debate…go watch espns “10 reasons you can’t blame portland”…the main 3 reasons portland didnt take mike…
3….they took a need position
2….can’t teach height plus he was on a stacked team
1….they already had clyde drexler in his prime…jordan at the time was pretty much consider a poor mans drexler, explosive athlete. Did they kno he’d turn into bulls mj? no but in college mike was known mostly for his hops and the georgetown shot so they had no real reason to draft him right after already having the glide.
October 27th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Scotty Walnuts says:
Ty Lawson is gonna be the next Tim Hardaway..
everyone says the same things about him as they did Tim…short, lightning quick with no jumper. Same things w/ Ty.
If he can develop a mean jumper and soak up some of Mr. Big Shot’s knowledge for a few years. I think he can be a star.
October 27th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Bron42 aka Had Springs before Slamball says:
@scotty, ya well they also said the same thing about tj ford and he was no time hardaway…lots of short pgs are fast…
October 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Scotty Walnuts says:
@Bron42
true very true…but I’m just waving my Nugz’ flag here…haha
TJ Ford has forgotten he’s PG…he’s become a gunner not a true PG anymore. IMO. Hopefully Chauncey’s mentoring will make the difference between being “short fast PG” and true floor general…eventually of course. CB’s got a little tread on his tires left!!