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Well...if he really shot the lights out and made that much of an impression...I would probably give it a bite. White always had the tools and quite frankly, the skill set, he's just never gotten it together in college. Wasn't even a college star. However, it seems like the light bulb has turned on for him, and hopefully, it will stay on...and if so, he can be one heck of a prospect and perhaps even a steal.
As the article stated, he already has a lot of the Triangle qualities--passing, ballhandling, experience, even shooting to an extent--and then some with his freakish athleticism. He may not be a bad choice at all if he manages a way to be consistent, and Mitch finally drafts someone who is really athletically superior.
The same could be said with the Cavs, who are looking at Daniel Gibson at the 25th pick. Gibson's really deep in the 2nd round in most mocks, but as long as players fill a need, it just goes to show that they can make it to the first round. Like White, however, Gibson is also naturally talented and blessed with shooting ability and athleticism.
The Lakers also worked out Joel Freeland, Dan Grunfeld and an unnamed big man. Nice to see that they've worked out Freeland.
These were my past opinions about James White, btw:
rydjorker121 wrote:White's a naturally unselfish player, but he's not a full-time point guard. He can handle the ball on the perimeter and pass the ball, but lacks the ability to create consistently for others. Nonetheless, though, his passing ability and relative versatility should be a key factor in determining his place in the draft.
White's probably an early 2nd round pick; if we choose to trade down for a couple of picks, we could nab him with one of them. Gives us the athleticism and the relative versatility we need.
And for my past in-depth analysis on White, here it is:
rydjorker121 wrote:There was no question White's stock was going to go up the charts in workouts. No matter how poor or mediocre the players were at college, the intriguing combination of long arms, athleticism, a high vertical and/or blazing speed will always intrigue scouts. Hence the hype on uber-athletes such as Gerald Green, Josh Smith and Gerald Wallace.
However, James White is a special case. He never really capitalized at ALL during his five years at college (he was once a Florida Gator before he transferred). Normally a person with his kind of athleticism and physical gifts would only stay in college for no more than 2, maybe 3 years, but James White could not make the leap to the NBA until he was a senior.
A lot has to with that; he never really impressed as a college player at all, was not really a leader, more of an all-around role player type of guy at college. He never put up huge scoring numbers and certainly was never a superstar at college as well, and people are left wondering why that was the case. The fact that he couldn't break through as a college star, combined with his injuries and lack of great improvement, really made White a mid-2nd round pick by the time college was over. Of course, though, with these workouts, he is certainly bound to put himself back into perhaps the late 1st round bubble; there is always going to be a team that is going to fall for his athleticism.
White actually has a solid skill set and has polished his game as his college years progressed, improving his jumpshot (a 80% free throw shooter), showing decent versatility (especially with passing) and playing fairly good defense. He can really be a sleeper, undoubtedly, and find a niche as a possible role player in this league. And if the ice breaks for him, he may have that slim chance of being either a super role player or even a possible star. He certainly looks the part of the NBA prototype and that alone will get him looks. If it weren't for his freakish athleticism, we probably wouldn't even be talking about much of an NBA prospect.
