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GEORGE LUCAS DE PAULA – 6’5” POINT GUARD, BRAZIL, 19 YEARS OLD
*George Lucas de Paula is referred to as both George Lucas and George de Paula by NBA scouts.*
Breakdown – George Lucas is a super sized point guard because of his six foot five inch stature. Lucas has good ball handling skills and terrific court vision to go along with above average quickness that allows him to stay with any guard he’s defending. One of Lucas’ greatest attributes coming into the NBA will be his excellent defense. With that being said, Lucas is still very raw and lacks the necessary basketball I.Q. to be an immediate starter.
Draft Status – The good news about Lucas is that he just turned 19 years old this month. Lucas’ lack of experience suggests that he may not be a major contributor right away, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be able to learn. He is best suited for a team either late in the first round or early in the second round; wherever Lucas lands, he should be a nice commodity on the bench as he gains experience and develops his game further.
NBA Player Comparison – Being that Lucas is from South America, is left handed, and has such a rangey body, he resembles Manu Ginobili in a way when he plays. Many strengths and weaknesses of Lucas’ game are similar to those of Ginobili when he first came into the NBA. For one, Lucas has extremely good court vision and can make passes at different angles that are hard for teams to defend. Because of his height and Ginobili’s height of six feet six inches, the comparisons of the two are almost uncanny. However, with the good also comes the bad. Lucas by all accounts isn’t a very good jump shooter, and what’s worse is that he has a hitch in his shot shooting across his body. Because of the lack of correct form, his shots either fall to the left and right; his jumpshot should be the first thing corrected before he even reaches the NBA Summer League. Most people tend to forget that before Ginobili was one of the reliable weapons in Greg Popovich’s arsonal, he wasn’t a very good shooter. During his rookie season, Ginobili shot just 36.3 % from three point range. After that 2002 season, Ginobili’s numbers from three slowly but surely improved for five consecutive years. Lucas could be that player, but he’ll have to get drafted to a team that will allow him to develop his game, even if that means he has to go to the D-League.
Prediction – Late first round pick.
Teams – San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trailblazers, and Memphis Grizzlies
