2015 NBA Draft: George "Georginho" de Paula (PG; Pinheiros)
George de Paula, 6-6, Point Guard, Pinheros
3 points, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 0-3 2P, 1-2 3P, 16 minutes
Current: PG - NBA: PG - Possible: PG
Bday: 05/24/1996 (19 Years Old)
H: 6' 6"
W: 197 lbs
Pick: 41 in 2015 Mock Draft
Rank 29 in Top 100 Prospects
Rank 1 in International '96
Rank 7 in 2015 Point Guards
Agent: Alex Saratsis
High School: -
Hometown: Diadema, Brazil
NBA Comparison: Shaun Livingston/Kawhi Leonard (long arms)/Rajon Rondo (big hands)
The youngest player participating at the Combine, and also possibly the most highly touted, George de Paula stepped into a very difficult situation and ended up having a fairly positive performance that will undoubtedly help his draft stock moving forward.
De Paula was significantly more aggressive than he was in Portland at the Nike Hoop Summit, making some outstanding passes using both sides of the floor, playing at different speeds while showing off slick ball-handling skills, strong court vision, and very nice creativity for a 6-6, 18-year old point guard. He absolutely towered over any of the opposing point guards he matched up with, which helped him see over the top of the defense and also match up with a few different positions, displaying nice versatility in the process. His defense is more potential than actual production right now, as some of the older players were able to take advantage of him with their superior strength and experience, despite trying to be competitive, and he wasn't quite able to figure out how to utilize his tremendous length as much as you might hope considering how physically gifted he is. He also had a few moments showing his youth, airballing a 3-pointer and making a few careless passes.
It would not have surprised anyone if De Paula went into a shell and had a very quiet outing here in Chicago like he did in Portland, but instead he stepped up, was assertive and showed all 30 teams in attendance just how talented he is, even if he remains at least a few years away from reaching his full potential.
Overview
As the 2015 NBA Draft approaches, we’ll be taking a look at the top prospects in this year’s class to gain a sense of what the Phoenix Suns should do with their pick. Today, we’ll be taking a look at George de Paula, who is also known as George Lucas.
De Paula is one of the most intriguing prospects in this class, mostly due to his impressive size and length. De Paula is 6’6 with a 7’0″ wingspan, which is simply ridiculous for a point guard.
In fact, it’s a step further than ridiculous. It’s record breaking.
Aside from his measurements, de Paula should be able to contribute as a defender, and he’s a player that attacks the game and plays quite aggressively. Couple that with the fact that he turned 19 less than a week ago and you have one of the more intriguing prospects in this year’s draft.
If de Paula is on the board when the Suns pick in the second round (44th overall), there’s a real possibility the team could take a chance on him. After all, backup point guard is considered a position of need for the team, and if the Suns take a big in the first round, they could be looking at the backcourt later on, whether or not that’s something fans feel they should be doing.
Strengths
Obviously, Lucas has ridiculous length, the likes of which really hasn’t been seen in a point guard at the NBA level, but he’s also been blessed with Kawhi Leonard-sized hands. Lucas posted the second longest and third widest hand length at the combine, finishing ahead of guys like Willie Cauley-Stein, Bobby Portis and Cliff Alexander.
Just a reminder: Those are big men. He’s a point guard.
According to Sports Science, Rajon Rondo’s massive hands are 9.5 inches long and 10 inches wise, and they still aren’t as big as de Paula’s. But once again, it’s not just one thing with de Paula. His overall size is just imposing.
De Paula is very aware of his size advantage, and he plays to it on the court. If you watch any of his highlight reels, one of the things that will pop out right away is that he loves to post up smaller guards. De Paula has no problem going after a smaller defender, and in many cases, it leads to some impressive dunks, because the smaller players have no clue how to defend in the post.
Keeping in mind that de Paula just turned 19, that type of mentality is pretty impressive, and it’s telling about de Paula as a player. He’s very turnover prone, averaging at least 3.0 turnovers per game in every national competition he’s participated in to this point, but that’s because he’s a guy that looks to force the action, rather than sitting back and waiting for things to open up.
If he ever were to hit his potential, that would certainly come in handy.
Other strengths include being able to defend, which is definitely important for an NBA point guard. He’s able to get out into passing lanes and steal the ball, but really, his best attribute is being an on-ball defender, pressuring the ball handler (especially in full-court situations).
Additionally, he comes with a couple of solid dribble moves that he can do to either side, unlike some other foreign prospects that have come into the league.
For example, Dante Exum was known for having a really fantastic right-to-left crossover, but it appears de Paula is comfortable going either way on both crossovers and other dribble moves.
Unfortunately, that’s really where the strengths end with de Paula, but once again, considering his age, there’s certainly a lot of room for improvement — definitely more than most.
Weaknesses
The word raw doesn’t even begin to describe de Paula. He’s turnover prone, his shot needs work and he lacks the pure athleticism to overcome many of the flaws in his game.
That may sound pretty harsh, but once again it’s worth remembering that he just turned 19 (I’m going to say this about 100 times in this article, so be prepared). De Paula has a long way to go to get his game ready for the NBA level, but then again, he would be able to log minutes in Bakersfield to start out at the very least.
Best-case scenario, by the 2016-17 season, de Paula is ready to provide spot minutes off the bench, which I realize isn’t exactly the most fascinating or exciting thing to hear as a fan of a team, but given that de Paula is a swing-for-the-fences type pick, short-term success is not the goal.
Ultimately, the hope is that he can turn into a Shaun Livingston-type, and maybe even go beyond that ceiling, but there isn’t a whole lot to be sure of at this point.
De Paula could help himself a long way by simply working on his jumper, starting with his inconsistent shot release. Because of the release and his awkward shot form in general, de Paula is a dismal three-point shooter, who converts at an approximate rate of 27 or 28 percent across all competitions. De Paula is also lacking as a free throw shooter, coming in as an approximate 67-70 percent shooter.
Overall, if he’s able to show teams that he’s making progress in regards to his shooting or even his shooting form, they may be more likely to reach and take him earlier in the draft, similar to how Bruno Caboclo was selected in the first round despite being projected to be taken about 20-30 picks later by many analysts, including ESPN’s Chad Ford, who had him at 65.
Like Caboclo, de Paula showcases impressive length. However, unlike Caboclo, he lacks any semblance of explosiveness, at least at this point in his career.
Nearly 20 backcourt players tested better than de Paula at the combine in their max vertical leap, not to mention 30 players topped his time in the shuttle run. His three-quarter court sprint took an unimpressive 3.45 seconds, which was the ninth slowest time, falling behind over 40 prospects.
He’s clearly got a long way to go, but you can’t teach size and length, and that, coupled with de Paula’s aggressive nature, might just be enough to get him on an NBA team.
Potential Fit
It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Suns to pick up a backup PG, especially if they want to use Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight as a 1-2 punch in the future and keep Archie Goodwin on the wing.
And while the team could always look to add a veteran or even sign a D-Leaguer — *cough* Joe Jackson *cough* — those moves aren’t usually made with long-term success in mind; they’re more about short-term fixes for contenders.
The Suns could view de Paula as a guy who could be a top-tier backup PG after a few years of development, before becoming a starter in his own right. That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but it also is far from exciting for the fan base.
As far as present fit is concerned, there really is none. Unless de Paula progresses fairly dramatically, he’d be hard-pressed to earn backup or spot minutes right away. After all, if a team is going to hand out a few spare point guard minutes in a game, they’re probably going to look for a strong ball handler that’ll make good decisions and, simply put, won’t mess up the game.
De Paula is a guy that’s better at top speed than any other. If you put him in a game, he’ll be at his best pressuring the other team in the backcourt and driving into the lane in the front court, which is great for a starting point guard, and even a backup that’s going to play lots of minutes.
However, for a plug-in guy, you don’t really want someone that’s going to speed the pace up and make things hectic– although if de Paula could improve to the point where he had starting-point guard level skills, it would certainly fit right in with what the Suns are trying to accomplish as a team.
Conclusions:
There’s a pretty solid chance George Lucas is available when the Suns pick 44th, and just going off pre-draft ranking, he fits right in with that number. De Paula is the 40th ranked prospect on Draft Express, although he is a tad bit lower on a couple of other sites.
Obviously, second round picks do occasionally work out and become solid players, but it isn’t incredibly often that this happens. So personally, I’m always behind the swing-for-the-fences pick once you get past the first 10 or so picks in the second round. And that’s exactly what de Paula is.
In a recent article, Basketball Insiders’ Alex Kennedy likened the risk and reward of a guy like de Paula to Bruno Caboclo, who was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 20th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Since that time, Caboclo has struggled to find time on the court, playing about 23 minutes total last year, but that doesn’t mean the pick didn’t make a splash when it happened. If you don’t remember, check out the video (start at the 2-minute mark if you don’t feel like watching it all):
“The Brazilian Kevin Durant.”
Who knows for sure with these guys anyway? Maybe George de Paula can be the Brazilian Rajon Rondo.
3 points, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 0-3 2P, 1-2 3P, 16 minutes
Current: PG - NBA: PG - Possible: PG
Bday: 05/24/1996 (19 Years Old)
H: 6' 6"
W: 197 lbs
Pick: 41 in 2015 Mock Draft
Rank 29 in Top 100 Prospects
Rank 1 in International '96
Rank 7 in 2015 Point Guards
Agent: Alex Saratsis
High School: -
Hometown: Diadema, Brazil
NBA Comparison: Shaun Livingston/Kawhi Leonard (long arms)/Rajon Rondo (big hands)
The youngest player participating at the Combine, and also possibly the most highly touted, George de Paula stepped into a very difficult situation and ended up having a fairly positive performance that will undoubtedly help his draft stock moving forward.
De Paula was significantly more aggressive than he was in Portland at the Nike Hoop Summit, making some outstanding passes using both sides of the floor, playing at different speeds while showing off slick ball-handling skills, strong court vision, and very nice creativity for a 6-6, 18-year old point guard. He absolutely towered over any of the opposing point guards he matched up with, which helped him see over the top of the defense and also match up with a few different positions, displaying nice versatility in the process. His defense is more potential than actual production right now, as some of the older players were able to take advantage of him with their superior strength and experience, despite trying to be competitive, and he wasn't quite able to figure out how to utilize his tremendous length as much as you might hope considering how physically gifted he is. He also had a few moments showing his youth, airballing a 3-pointer and making a few careless passes.
It would not have surprised anyone if De Paula went into a shell and had a very quiet outing here in Chicago like he did in Portland, but instead he stepped up, was assertive and showed all 30 teams in attendance just how talented he is, even if he remains at least a few years away from reaching his full potential.
Overview
As the 2015 NBA Draft approaches, we’ll be taking a look at the top prospects in this year’s class to gain a sense of what the Phoenix Suns should do with their pick. Today, we’ll be taking a look at George de Paula, who is also known as George Lucas.
De Paula is one of the most intriguing prospects in this class, mostly due to his impressive size and length. De Paula is 6’6 with a 7’0″ wingspan, which is simply ridiculous for a point guard.
In fact, it’s a step further than ridiculous. It’s record breaking.
Aside from his measurements, de Paula should be able to contribute as a defender, and he’s a player that attacks the game and plays quite aggressively. Couple that with the fact that he turned 19 less than a week ago and you have one of the more intriguing prospects in this year’s draft.
If de Paula is on the board when the Suns pick in the second round (44th overall), there’s a real possibility the team could take a chance on him. After all, backup point guard is considered a position of need for the team, and if the Suns take a big in the first round, they could be looking at the backcourt later on, whether or not that’s something fans feel they should be doing.
Strengths
Obviously, Lucas has ridiculous length, the likes of which really hasn’t been seen in a point guard at the NBA level, but he’s also been blessed with Kawhi Leonard-sized hands. Lucas posted the second longest and third widest hand length at the combine, finishing ahead of guys like Willie Cauley-Stein, Bobby Portis and Cliff Alexander.
Just a reminder: Those are big men. He’s a point guard.
According to Sports Science, Rajon Rondo’s massive hands are 9.5 inches long and 10 inches wise, and they still aren’t as big as de Paula’s. But once again, it’s not just one thing with de Paula. His overall size is just imposing.
De Paula is very aware of his size advantage, and he plays to it on the court. If you watch any of his highlight reels, one of the things that will pop out right away is that he loves to post up smaller guards. De Paula has no problem going after a smaller defender, and in many cases, it leads to some impressive dunks, because the smaller players have no clue how to defend in the post.
Keeping in mind that de Paula just turned 19, that type of mentality is pretty impressive, and it’s telling about de Paula as a player. He’s very turnover prone, averaging at least 3.0 turnovers per game in every national competition he’s participated in to this point, but that’s because he’s a guy that looks to force the action, rather than sitting back and waiting for things to open up.
If he ever were to hit his potential, that would certainly come in handy.
Other strengths include being able to defend, which is definitely important for an NBA point guard. He’s able to get out into passing lanes and steal the ball, but really, his best attribute is being an on-ball defender, pressuring the ball handler (especially in full-court situations).
Additionally, he comes with a couple of solid dribble moves that he can do to either side, unlike some other foreign prospects that have come into the league.
For example, Dante Exum was known for having a really fantastic right-to-left crossover, but it appears de Paula is comfortable going either way on both crossovers and other dribble moves.
Unfortunately, that’s really where the strengths end with de Paula, but once again, considering his age, there’s certainly a lot of room for improvement — definitely more than most.
Weaknesses
The word raw doesn’t even begin to describe de Paula. He’s turnover prone, his shot needs work and he lacks the pure athleticism to overcome many of the flaws in his game.
That may sound pretty harsh, but once again it’s worth remembering that he just turned 19 (I’m going to say this about 100 times in this article, so be prepared). De Paula has a long way to go to get his game ready for the NBA level, but then again, he would be able to log minutes in Bakersfield to start out at the very least.
Best-case scenario, by the 2016-17 season, de Paula is ready to provide spot minutes off the bench, which I realize isn’t exactly the most fascinating or exciting thing to hear as a fan of a team, but given that de Paula is a swing-for-the-fences type pick, short-term success is not the goal.
Ultimately, the hope is that he can turn into a Shaun Livingston-type, and maybe even go beyond that ceiling, but there isn’t a whole lot to be sure of at this point.
De Paula could help himself a long way by simply working on his jumper, starting with his inconsistent shot release. Because of the release and his awkward shot form in general, de Paula is a dismal three-point shooter, who converts at an approximate rate of 27 or 28 percent across all competitions. De Paula is also lacking as a free throw shooter, coming in as an approximate 67-70 percent shooter.
Overall, if he’s able to show teams that he’s making progress in regards to his shooting or even his shooting form, they may be more likely to reach and take him earlier in the draft, similar to how Bruno Caboclo was selected in the first round despite being projected to be taken about 20-30 picks later by many analysts, including ESPN’s Chad Ford, who had him at 65.
Like Caboclo, de Paula showcases impressive length. However, unlike Caboclo, he lacks any semblance of explosiveness, at least at this point in his career.
Nearly 20 backcourt players tested better than de Paula at the combine in their max vertical leap, not to mention 30 players topped his time in the shuttle run. His three-quarter court sprint took an unimpressive 3.45 seconds, which was the ninth slowest time, falling behind over 40 prospects.
He’s clearly got a long way to go, but you can’t teach size and length, and that, coupled with de Paula’s aggressive nature, might just be enough to get him on an NBA team.
Potential Fit
It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Suns to pick up a backup PG, especially if they want to use Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight as a 1-2 punch in the future and keep Archie Goodwin on the wing.
And while the team could always look to add a veteran or even sign a D-Leaguer — *cough* Joe Jackson *cough* — those moves aren’t usually made with long-term success in mind; they’re more about short-term fixes for contenders.
The Suns could view de Paula as a guy who could be a top-tier backup PG after a few years of development, before becoming a starter in his own right. That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but it also is far from exciting for the fan base.
As far as present fit is concerned, there really is none. Unless de Paula progresses fairly dramatically, he’d be hard-pressed to earn backup or spot minutes right away. After all, if a team is going to hand out a few spare point guard minutes in a game, they’re probably going to look for a strong ball handler that’ll make good decisions and, simply put, won’t mess up the game.
De Paula is a guy that’s better at top speed than any other. If you put him in a game, he’ll be at his best pressuring the other team in the backcourt and driving into the lane in the front court, which is great for a starting point guard, and even a backup that’s going to play lots of minutes.
However, for a plug-in guy, you don’t really want someone that’s going to speed the pace up and make things hectic– although if de Paula could improve to the point where he had starting-point guard level skills, it would certainly fit right in with what the Suns are trying to accomplish as a team.
Conclusions:
There’s a pretty solid chance George Lucas is available when the Suns pick 44th, and just going off pre-draft ranking, he fits right in with that number. De Paula is the 40th ranked prospect on Draft Express, although he is a tad bit lower on a couple of other sites.
Obviously, second round picks do occasionally work out and become solid players, but it isn’t incredibly often that this happens. So personally, I’m always behind the swing-for-the-fences pick once you get past the first 10 or so picks in the second round. And that’s exactly what de Paula is.
In a recent article, Basketball Insiders’ Alex Kennedy likened the risk and reward of a guy like de Paula to Bruno Caboclo, who was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 20th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Since that time, Caboclo has struggled to find time on the court, playing about 23 minutes total last year, but that doesn’t mean the pick didn’t make a splash when it happened. If you don’t remember, check out the video (start at the 2-minute mark if you don’t feel like watching it all):
“The Brazilian Kevin Durant.”
Who knows for sure with these guys anyway? Maybe George de Paula can be the Brazilian Rajon Rondo.
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