GEELONG’S NBA DRAFT HOPE
Matthew Dellavedova’s rags to riches career is providing inspiration to Geelong basketball prodigy Jock Landale in his bid to win an NBA contract ahead of this morning’s draft.
MATTHEW Dellavedova’s rags to riches career is providing inspiration to Geelong basketball prodigy Jock Landale in his bid to win an NBA contract.
The NBA draft will be held in Brooklyn, New York, at 9am today, with Landale, Xavier Cooks, Deng Adel, Emmett Naar and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr among Australians hoping to hear their names called.
They only have to look at Dellavedova, the tough point guard from Maryborough, for proof a snub at the draft will not end their NBA dreams.
“You look at someone like Matthew Dellavedova,” said Landale, who starred over the past four years at Dellavedova’s former college, St Mary’s, in California.
“He went undrafted and could have easily been drafted ahead over 30 or 40 guys, but it worked out pretty well for him.”
Landale, 22, a centre from Geelong Grammar and the Geelong Supercats, averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds a game for St Mary’s in 2017-18 and the past two years was named a finalist for US college basketball’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Centre of the Year Award. He is Australia’s top draft prospect this year, but is tipped to be a second-round pick or go undrafted. The 211cm giant is an oldfashioned big man but has limitations on his athleticism that could hamper his defensive ability. “His footwork’s off the chart, he’s got NBA passing skills, NBA toughness,” a scout said. “The thing that he’s got to be better on is showing people he can make the three, because that’s become our game now. “He’s also got to be more of a consistent mid-range pop shooter but basketball IQ, off the charts, toughness off the charts, he checks a lot of boxes that I feel will get him in the second round. “If somehow he does go undrafted, he’s going to be a guy that someone’s going to pick up for Summer League and I think he’s going to find his way, possibly to a two-way contract. “He doesn’t have a lot of hops in terms of athleticism and jumping up over the rim, but he’s a smart player, he knows how to play off the low block — especially the left block — and knows how to get to his shot, sets good screens, rolls hard and has good hands. “I’ve been watching him for the last few years at St Mary’s and he really changed his body. “I could see him being drafted in the back half of the second round and then again I could see him not being drafted and play on a Summer League team in Las Vegas or ending up somewhere in Europe.”
Cooks (Winthrop University), Adel (University of Louisville), Naar (St Mary’s) and Lual-Acuil Jr (Baylor University) are all expected to go undrafted.
They are all likely to o end up signed by NBA teams as undrafted free agents and, if so, will aim to follow Dellavedova’s path by impressing at the Summer mer League, avoid the axe and secure ure contracts.
The NBA has a long g history of players going undrafted ed but enjoying lucrative careers eers with Ben Wallace, Brad Miller ller and Bruce Bowen among ong the defiant group.
“Sometimes going undrafted is better than n getting picked late in the he second round,” Landale le said.
Dellavedova’s story y provides the hope. He was snubbed bbed at the 2013 NBA draft despite e a recordbreaking career at St Mary’s where he was the all-time leader der in scoring, assists, games played, free throw percentage and three-point shots. He signed as an undrafted drafted free agent with the Cleveland leveland
Cavaliers, but t was given little hope of securing a contract.
His desire and aggressive play in practice and the NBA Summer League led to a two-year milliondollar contract with the Cavaliers.
Dellavedova’s heroic play alongside LeBron James, including an NBA title in 2016, resulted in the Milwaukee Bucks signing him to a four four-year, year, $US38 million contract in 2016.