Tim Duncan is undoubtedly one of the very best to ever pick up a basketball. His consistency, ability to win multiple championships, leadership, numbers, and accolades are all proof of that. Year in and year out he always found a way to impact games and was able to dominate by for the most part just keeping his game simple. TD was the last superstar player to stay in college for 4 years before going to the NBA. We might not see that for a very long time, if ever again.
Here is a look at Tim Duncan's draft day scouting report courtesy of Usenet Draft:
Scout: Kevin Lachance
Duncan is the best player available in the draft and a lock to be the first overall pick. He has the ability to become an NBA superstar.
Scouts have mixed opinions on Duncan's NBA position. He may be a more dominant player early on in his career at power forward, but has the tools to be a dominant center. His position will depend on the team that selects him.
In terms of comparisons I have heard David Robinson and Brad Daugherty. I feel Hakeem Olajuwon is a closer comparison because of his mobility and size.
In terms of physical skills Duncan has great mobility. He is capable of consistently beating his man down the court. He has long arms and excellent timing for blocking shots. His footwork on post moves is constantly improving.
In terms of basketball skills, Duncan has the total package. Duncan can score in a variety of ways. He can take his man down low with an assortment of post moves. He uses the glass well on his turnaround jump shot. He can also step outside and hit the mid-range jumper. Duncan's passing ability is incredible for a player of his size and experience. He led Wake Forest in assists. Duncan handles the ball better than most post players.
Duncan's greatest attribute is his defense. He averaged double figures in rebounds in his final 3 years of college. This past season he averaged close to 15 boards a game. Duncan can swat shots with the best of them. He is the all-time blocked shots leader in the history of the NCAA.
Despite his overall game, he has a few things to work on. His biggest need is adding strength and weight. He will need to adjust to the power of the NBA. He needs to continue to develop his offensive game. One concern is his low free throw percentage (64%). However, it was the lowest total of his 4 years.
As NBA scouting director Marty Blake says "He may be the most complete player to enter the NBA in the last 10 years".
Scout: Philip Kasiecki
Tim Duncan is not the most talented player in this draft. However, he is the best player in it, and he will be a successful NBA player because of his style of play. For Duncan, it is simple: he plays. He plays hard every minute, with confidence and emotion at both ends of the floor, and he plays to win. He has a winning attitude that will greatly help the team that drafts him, going beyond what he will do that shows up in the box score.
Duncan is the type of player who can lift his team with his play, as he can take over games at either end of the floor, and is the consummate team player. He can dominate defensively, as he is an excellent shot-blocker and rebounder. At the offensive end, he is constantly adding to his game, as he has expanded his shooting range with time. When double-teamed, he will pass the ball back out to an open teammate; he involves his teammates as though he were a point guard, as he realizes that he alone will not win ball games.
Duncan will be a franchise player because he makes his teammates better, in addition to being a great individual talent. He averaged a double-double in each of his last 3 seasons in college, in scoring and rebounding.
If Tim Duncan is not the first pick in the draft, the GM doing the selecting will be referred to the best psychologist within a 50-mile radius. This holds even if the team selecting first is set at center, as Duncan can play power forward as well.
Scout: mmauer@bellatlantic.net
Duncan is one of college's most dominating centers to play the game since HAKEEM OLAJUWON. Duncan makes all the right plays offensively, which is perhaps his only weakness is that it is raw but still developing.
He is a HUGE defensive presence in the paint as a rebounder and a shot blocker. He isn't the kind of leader that some coaches would prefer. But if you look at Wake Forest's record you'll see that he did just fine. If he had desired to go into the past 2 drafts he would have been number 1 overall. But there is no doubting that he is a huge talent that will surely develop into a fine superstar. His averages are 20.8 PPG, 14.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 3.3 BPG.
This is the most complete player I've seen in years.
Scout: dedelman@acpub.duke.edu
Tim Duncan - An extraordinary college ballplayer; if you haven't seen him night in and night out you can't appreciate it. Needed badly to stay the extra year to work on his offense, but now has excellent footwork inside. Can nail the mid-range J. Good rebounder, both athletic and technical; reasonably good shot-blocker. Man defense not really tested in the ACC (no other centers of note). Starts as a 12/10 guy like Mutombo (fewer blocks) but his work ethic could make him into an Olajuwon type. To my mind a very easy #1 pick, the only guaranteed star and the most probable superstar in the draft.
Worst he could be: Otis Thorpe with a few assists thrown in.
Best he could be: Olajuwon.
