Joe Soriano
O.J. Lewis3/2011 Scouting Report: Gary Neal
March 6th 2011 17:11
I recently talked about why the San Antonio Spurs are so successful, and that's because they have many players that embrace their roles on the team and do a good job of fulfilling their roles. Gary Neal is one of those guys. The undrafted rookie has proven to be a solid player on the team that is a good shooter and performs well offensively. Although he doesn't create his own shots, he isn't called upon to do so in the Spurs' offensive scheme. Creating shots for himself is not his role. He is supposed to camp out near the perimeter and hit shots from kickouts- for the most part.
Neal is average in the other facets of his game, and he isn't exactly "good" at any one thing in particular. However, Neal is a decent player that is really good on the perimeter. A knock on him is that he focuses too much on playing around the arc. When Neal is on a hot streak- like he is now- his shot is nearly unstoppable. He is shooting 41.9 from downtown as well as 44.1 from the field in general, and Neal doesn't attempt many close shots so the stats aren't skewed.
Neal has successfully transfered from the European game to the NBA, and he has been one of the biggest surprises this year in terms of rookies. He was ruthlessly efficient in Italy for his team Treviso, and he led the league in scoring there. Although he actually can create a shot if he is needed to- he did that in Italy- he does a good job of stepping into a new role in the Spurs' scheme and sitting back while spreading the floor and taking his shots from teammates in a supporting role.
Although Neal isn't a physically gifted defensive player, he has now decided to try defending once he has come into the NBA. It is evident that Neal is trying as hard as he can to make the most of his opportunity to finally play in the biggest league. He makes sure to do what he can defensively, and he works so hard in a part of the game where hard work is key. I think Neal will be a solid role player for years to come, and he really embraces and plays any role he has to for his team to win. He is definitely somebody you want on your team. He will help you get your championship by working hard and constantly improving and trying to show his work.
Neal is average in the other facets of his game, and he isn't exactly "good" at any one thing in particular. However, Neal is a decent player that is really good on the perimeter. A knock on him is that he focuses too much on playing around the arc. When Neal is on a hot streak- like he is now- his shot is nearly unstoppable. He is shooting 41.9 from downtown as well as 44.1 from the field in general, and Neal doesn't attempt many close shots so the stats aren't skewed.
Neal has successfully transfered from the European game to the NBA, and he has been one of the biggest surprises this year in terms of rookies. He was ruthlessly efficient in Italy for his team Treviso, and he led the league in scoring there. Although he actually can create a shot if he is needed to- he did that in Italy- he does a good job of stepping into a new role in the Spurs' scheme and sitting back while spreading the floor and taking his shots from teammates in a supporting role.
Although Neal isn't a physically gifted defensive player, he has now decided to try defending once he has come into the NBA. It is evident that Neal is trying as hard as he can to make the most of his opportunity to finally play in the biggest league. He makes sure to do what he can defensively, and he works so hard in a part of the game where hard work is key. I think Neal will be a solid role player for years to come, and he really embraces and plays any role he has to for his team to win. He is definitely somebody you want on your team. He will help you get your championship by working hard and constantly improving and trying to show his work.
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