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George de Paula: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

By Scott Chasen

Apr 12, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Phoenix Suns logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Suns at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Suns 101-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Phoenix Suns logo before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Suns at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Suns 101-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 30, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) dribbles against Miami Heat guard Norris Cole (30) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) dribbles against Miami Heat guard Norris Cole (30) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Strengths

Obviously, Lucas has ridiculous length, the likes of which really hasn’t been seen in a point guard at the NBA level, but he’s also been blessed with Kawhi Leonard-sized hands. Lucas posted the second longest and third widest hand length at the combine, finishing ahead of guys like Willie Cauley-Stein, Bobby Portis and Cliff Alexander.

Just a reminder: Those are big men. He’s a point guard.

According to Sports Science, Rajon Rondo’s massive hands are 9.5 inches long and 10 inches wise, and they still aren’t as big as de Paula’s. But once again, it’s not just one thing with de Paula. His overall size is just imposing.

De Paula is very aware of his size advantage, and he plays to it on the court. If you watch any of his highlight reels, one of the things that will pop out right away is that he loves to post up smaller guards. De Paula has no problem going after a smaller defender, and in many cases, it leads to some impressive dunks, because the smaller players have no clue how to defend in the post.

Keeping in mind that de Paula just turned 19, that type of mentality is pretty impressive, and it’s telling about de Paula as a player. He’s very turnover prone, averaging at least 3.0 turnovers per game in every national competition he’s participated in to this point, but that’s because he’s a guy that looks to force the action, rather than sitting back and waiting for things to open up.

If he ever were to hit his potential, that would certainly come in handy.

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Other strengths include being able to defend, which is definitely important for an NBA point guard. He’s able to get out into passing lanes and steal the ball, but really, his best attribute is being an on-ball defender, pressuring the ball handler (especially in full-court situations).

Additionally, he comes with a couple of solid dribble moves that he can do to either side, unlike some other foreign prospects that have come into the league.

For example, Dante Exum was known for having a really fantastic right-to-left crossover, but it appears de Paula is comfortable going either way on both crossovers and other dribble moves.

Unfortunately, that’s really where the strengths end with de Paula, but once again, considering his age, there’s certainly a lot of room for improvement — definitely more than most.

Next: Weaknesses

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