With the NBA Draft fast approaching, and the Early Entry List set, it's time to examine more in depth some of the players who could be available for each of the Pacers three picks. (I am operating under the assumption Dallas will be sending us their 2nd round pick this year, not next, to complete the Shawne Williams deal. June 1st is the final deadline for Dallas to decide.)
Obviously, the Pacers 1st Round pick is the most exciting and has the most potential for value. As we need a lot of improvement in all areas, I will be looking at players who should be available for all three picks. My plan is to post two profiles a day, for 2nd rounders, until the Draft Lottery on May 18th. After the team's first round position is finalized, I'll begin profiling 1st Rounders.
These profiles cover players I believe have some value to offer the Pacers next season and in the future. These profiles are not intended to advocate for one player over another, just examine their strengths and weaknesses, and discuss in some detail what they have to offer. For each profile I provided Ten Important Statistics to guide the discussion. When discussing how each player can help the Pacers I will try to specifically reference the team needs I identified in Setting the Table for the Pacers Summer. Here is who we will be looking at today:
Sherron Collins - PG - 5'11" 215 lbs. - University of Kansas
| Pts/40 | Reb/40 | Ast/40 | Stl/40 | eFG% | 3PT% | FT% | FTA/40 | A/TO | PPR |
| 18.8 | 2.5 | 5.4 | 1.3 | 51.0% | 37.0% | 85.5% | 4.7 | 1.89 | 1.79 |
Strengths -
- Sherron Collins is strong with his dribble penetration and can create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He is a good shooter when he has time to set his feet.
- He is a very strong free throw shooter.
- Collins is a high character guy, and has displayed strong leadership capabilities during his 4 years at Kansas.
- His height is a disadvantage but he has the smarts, focus and experience to be an effective team defender.
- Some highlights:
Weaknesses -
- Collins needs to really improve his conditioning. This is likely one of the reasons he saw such a huge decline in his numbers this season.
- Collins forced up a lot of bad shots this past season and his shooting efficiencies suffered. He also struggles shooting off the dribble. He is still more comfortable looking for his own shot than creating for others.
- His strength and quickness allow him to be an effective penetrator, but his height and lack of explosiveness, really hamper his ability to finish in traffic.
- He is supposedly one of the best "pure" point guards available in this draft, but his Pure Point Rating is pretty average.
How he can help the Pacers -
- This question really comes down to how the Pacers feel about A.J. Price. If they see him as an eventual starter than Collins could develop into a capable back-up. If they don't believe in him at all then they could take Collins and hand him the role Price plays now. If they see Price as a long-term solution at back-up point guard then Collins looks a little redundant, and may not make a whole lot of sense for the team.
More information -