Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 2:47 pm  |  7 responses

NBA Prospects: Landry Fields

How well will the Pac-10′s leading scorer transition to the L?

by Sam Cadet

Times may be hard for unranked Stanford as they wade in the middle of the Pac-10 standings. But Landry Fields has blossomed into a star for the Cardinal as he amped up his numbers this season. The senior swingman is a top 10 scorer nationally and is a major nominee for Pac-10 player of the year. All-America selection nods aren’t farfetched either. Landry has made major strides in his last year and he has plenty of upside as an NBA career is in his sights. Nonetheless, there are some noticeable kinks in his game that are worth griping about. Read on and see if Landry Fields is NBA ready or just gassed as such due to a breakout year.

PROS

Talented Scorer

Fields is far from a one trick pony when it comes to getting buckets. He has a solid spot up J, can put the ball on the floor and can score with his back to the basket. Landry Landry Fieldsis even good for the floaters off the dribble and can finish in the paint. His three point shooting hasn’t been the greatest this season but he’s not awful from behind the stripe. Nevertheless his form has enough promise for him to call attention on the perimeter in the League.

Athlete
Landry is quick in the open court and can make a poster out of defenders if he creates enough room. He’s also good for put back dunks. This advantage will be vital in the pro game as he’ll have to finish against faster, stronger defenders as a swingman. Additionally it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep up on the wing in a league full of swift slashers. His speed also comes in handy for his next asset.

Stealing
Two steals a contest with multiple 3+ steal efforts proves Landry’s patience on the ball and in the passing lanes. It’s one of the biggest turnarounds in his game aside from scoring and it’s not like he wasn’t picking pockets last year. He can make a killing if he can get picks when teams rotate the ball or set up isos.

Offensive Rebounding
This strong point may be largely attributed to the NCAA-level ball he’s up against. But a healthy amount of his 8 boards a night come from playing the offensive glass. Going for rebounds as well as steals says something about his ability to hustle for more scoring opportunities as a scorer and a team player.

CONS

Turnover Prone
Fields can get kind of careless with the ball. Whether it’s a bad pass or getting too dribble-happy on the wing he’ll have to defer to the point more until he improves his offensive awareness. Additionally, it’s somewhat nagging to get on his low rate of dimes as the team’s top scorer but they go hand in hand when you look at his assists to turnover ratio.

Blocking
It’s somewhat perplexing that Landry’s capable agility and length doesn’t rake in more swats. It’s especially concerning when you notice he’s just as big if not bigger than most of the guards and forwards he goes up against.

Free-Throw Shooting
Thankfully this is a snag that can be alleviated with practice and dedicLandry Fieldsation so it’s not a huge deal. Plus with Field’s growth as a scorer you’d assume that he’d highlight this flaw when transitioning to the pros like many before him. Nevertheless it’s something that he has to assess as he goes to the line often.

Pull-Up Jumper
When Landry drives most of the time he’ll attempt to finish at the rim or dish it out to a teammate. He seldom shoots off the dribble because the defense he’s currently up against allows it. He won’t have the luxury to coast into the lane and attract attention as often at the pro-level. If he wants to carry on his reputation as a prolific scorer he’ll have to sharpen this difficult technique to the repertoire. If not then he’ll find that those scoring lanes won’t be open for exploitation nearly as often.

CONCLUSION

Landry’s offensive skill set looks great now but it’ll have to adapt to a much faster NBA game. This may not be as big a hurdle as it sounds as he’s quick enough to become a scoring option off the bench. The main issue for him will be learning how to take better care of the ball against seasoned vets. He already gives it away too often against amateur level competition so it’ll be a sore spot in his rookie season should he get proper PT. Fields is a first rounder as he has the right size and athletic range to be a competent 3 in the Association. He can sneak into the Lottery if he can somehow lead Stanford can into the NCAA Tournament and has an impressive showing.

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  • http://www.slamonline.com Joey Whelan

    Fields has no chance of landing in the lottery, at best we’re talking mid to late second round. Right now he is just starting to work his way into draft discussions. Offensively he struggles to score when he can’t get to the rim. He shows a good basketball IQ, solid athleticism and is an adequate defender when projecting out to the NBA. But to even think this guy can crack the lottery is very, very far fetched. If he can add polish to his perimeter game and have good showings at Portsmouth and individual workouts, he has a shot to land in the second round or get picked up for summer league.

  • http://slamonline.com/ Ryne Nelson

    Landy’s proven he’s a great offensive player and a solid rebounder and perimeter defender. I agree he’ll have to improve his shot accuracy, but at 22+ ppg, I think he has enough tools to get first round looks.

  • http://slamonline.com/ Ryne Nelson

    Then again, I defer to Joey’s judgment.

  • http://smokingsection.net Sam Cadet

    Apparently you’ve seen more of him than me Joey. I can’t think of tons of 3′s in college that are flat out better than him but i’m not saying he’s the best. Then again you’re the expert here so we’ll just have to see.

  • http://slamonline.com Joey Whelan

    Here’s my big issue with Fields as far as he projects to the NBA, where does he play? He capitalizes on mismatches in college because he is a 6-7 guy who can go inside and outside, but he isn’t skilled enough to play the perimeter in the NBA and is too small to play as a power forward. It’s a telling sign that the majority of his touches come in isolation and cut plays. He can burn bigger, slower power forwards and move well off the ball against them. You put him against an elite small forward and he is going to have his problems. He has good length, solid athleticism, is creative around the rim and gets to the line at a very high rate, but he’s a tweener. If he comes a consistent perimeter shooter, that changes everything. Of course, he could win over a lot of teams with his IQ and ability to do the little things well, only time will tell.

  • Julio Mathieu

    Nice article. Very thorough. I haven’t heard much of Fields but basketball IQ, ability to learn/adapt, and knowing one’s role goes a long way in terms of NBA success.

    Unfortunately for Fields, the fact that he plays in the weak Pac-10 will be a detriment. I agree with the authors that he will have to make some noise in tournament play in order to garner the attention from pro scouts.

    First rounders are usually reserved for those who can contribute right away, but the trend has been to draft players with the most upside. At 22 years of age, teams will pretty much focus on whether Fields can contribute right away.

  • Billy Walton

    Focusing on stats is the problem. If you follow Fields closely you would notice he has been guarded by centers, PG’s or best def player, with probably more doubles than any Div I player – since his team is so weak. Offensively his assists should be 2X official stats (blown layups etc. by team-mates on dishes)… Stanford is so lop-sided his talent is obscured by the stats – Really capable player, who is NBA ready, if you see past his stats.

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