If there ever was a time that the Hornets needed a future replacement for David West now would be the time. Enter Craig Brackins a 6 foot 10 inch power forward known for his ability to stroke the ball and play a more European style of game. Many observers like Brackins ability to score from his ability to face up, “I think that’s how I separated myself from other people,” Brackins said. “Everybody has strengths, mine just happens to be shooting and I expressed that in the workout.”
Some say that they expect little from the tall, lanky forward, others remain more hopeful. But as we approach the season can we really expect him to be the replacement for David West?
Returning to school seemed to be the wrong option for Brackins in terms of what kind of money he could get. After averaging a very nice 20.2 points per game and 9.5 rebounds it seemed that Brackins was one of the top forwards in the entire country. But returning for his junior year was not the right decision as Draft Express explains,
"Pegged as a potential lottery pick last spring, the 22-year old California native took a huge risk in returning to Ames at the urging of his former AAU coach T.J. Otzelberger (now an assistant coach at Iowa State), as he’d be asked once again to shoulder a heavy load at ISU, for better or worse. Thus far, the risk hasn’t paid off."
Looking ahead it could be interpreted that returning may have been beneficial for Craig as teams focused entirely on him and forced him to take inefficient shots, rattling his game. For his NBA game he must understand that teams will force him into tough situations and being the centre point of a team I think will help him in the long term on the offensive end.
What I don’t like about Craig is his inability to go after rebounds. If there’s something this team needs from an off-the-bench scorer, it’s rebounding and Craig just doesn’t possess the frame, mentality or willingness to go after both offensive and defensive rebounds.
"Brackins has regressed as a rebounder; his production in this area has dropped by 25%. He continues to be a paltry offensive rebounder, ranking last amongst all collegiate draft prospect centers in that category and 8th worst out of the 117 power forwards"
If Craig is to last in the NBA he’s going to have to improve on the rebounds, but also on defense. Watching summer league it was evident that Craig would get overpowered defending the post, wouldn’t possess the lateral quickness to keep up on the perimeter, and his pick and roll defense was quite mediocre. With Monty Williams as his mentor I expect Craig to make some strides on this side of the ball, no matter how noticeable they are to the public at large.
For all the stick that I throw at Craig some have him fitted as the next Lamarcus Aldridge, while others view him as a second-round pick who may have been selected a little too early. Whatever the case his role as the next Hornet starting Power Forward is one of doubtfulness and scrutiny. I personally think the chances of Brackins ever averaging 20 and 8 in the NBA is highly unlikely no matter how hopeful I am. Can he be effective in this league? Sure, but what were looking for is someone who can be with Chris Paul for the rest of his career and I’m not sure that he fits the bill. Hey, I could easily be proven wrong, heck I’d love to be proven wrong. But to me it seems that the best Craig could do is be the next Channing Frye, not the next Lamarcus Aldridge.
With more game-film outside of the Summer League and College tapes I think many of us can get a better understanding for a guy who only really got into basketball because, “all my friends started to quit the other sports we played and started playing basketball exclusively. So I did too.”
Looking at this season I am hoping that Craig really works hard on his defense. I do expect the Montsta’ to plug it into him from day one, but actually working on his fundamentals day in and day out will be a key to him getting into the rotation. If he can do that through training camp and preseason I wouldn’t be surprised to see Craig take some of Songaila’s minutes (and further facilitate a Darius trade). But for now it seems like his concerns are more to do with splinters in his butt, than playing significant minutes.
Season Guesstimate:
Points per game: 2.0
Rebounds per game: 1.5
Minutes per game: 5
Game number where he exceeds 15 minutes: 52