by STL MVC » July 30th, 2012, 10:51 am
McDermott will find a place in the NBA because he is so damn solid in everything he does. He is so good at finding his shots within the offense and never forcing anything, so good at getting a body on people and blocking out, so good at sealing his man in the post, etc. It is uncanny, almost like he is intentionally trying to create a basketball tutorial video during games to show 11-year-olds how to do everything perfectly.
He can't exactly "create his own shot" (whatever that phrase means, anyway) at this point, for the most part, he isn't an elite defender and he's a tiny bit undersized to really bang with power forwards in the NBA. But he is so efficient and such a mistake-free player, it seems like he's a classic role player at the pro level. He seems like the kind of guy who can play 15 years in the league as a solid backup.
I don't really think Shane Battier applies in this scenario, because he was a cant-miss prospect out of college and I believe a three-time National Defensive Player of the Year. That's in addition to his scoring. Royce White doesn't apply either because he's a completely different player (always had the ball in his hands, a creator, etc.)
I don't really watch much NBA so I'm not sure who he compares to, but he'll stick somewhere. I don't think he'll be all that coveted after his junior year though unless he's just made himself into a freak athletically or shows an ability to take over with the ball in his hands.