UCLA shooting guard, Arron Afflalo, has declared himself for the NBA Draft yet again, and this time there's no going back. There's two things I've always wondered about Arron:
1) Why is his first name spelled with two R's instead of two A's?
2) Why does his last name have that extraneous L in it?
Really, wouldn't it have been easier for everyone involved if he was just Aaron Affalo? Would it have killed him to make those changes to make our lives a little easier? I think not.
In any case, since I broke down the strengths and weaknesses for
Jordan Farmar last year, I figure might as well do the same for Arron, so here goes:
Strengths- He's a willing defender - Arron works really hard to shut down any player he's matched up against. He takes every one on one matchup to heart, and despite limited lateral quickness, almost always manages to stay in front of his man. He won't necessarily generate a ton of steals, like speedy teammate Darren Collison, but his man will find it difficult to get a clean shot off when Afflalo clamps down.
- He can hit the open three - Afflalo has a quick release with nice form on his shot. He's adept at coming off screens while still being in position to drain the outside J.
- He is a great finisher - Despite his limited jumping ability, Afflalo has a knack for getting the ball in the rim on breaks, no matter what the defender tries to do to stop him.
- He's a solid guy - Always a team player, always says the right thing to the media, always wants to win. Really, just a stand-up kid.
Weaknesses- He's not the most athletic kid in the world - Arron lacks the explosive jumping ability you usually see in NBA 2-guards these days. He is more of a jumpshooter than a rim rocker. He might have trouble getting his own shot in the NBA unless he comes off a ton of screens.
- He has a tendency to crumble under pressure - In the biggest games of his career versus Florida, Afflalo was all but invisible. In a few key games this season, such as losses to Cal in the Pac-10 Tournament and NCAA Tourney games against Indiana and Pittsburgh, Afflalo struggled mightly to make shots. The worse things got, the more he pressed, which only compounded the poor shooting.
- He needs some Pro-Activ solution - Look the kid can't help that he's got major acne all over his face, but at some point, the boy has to become a man. Follow P Diddy and Jessica Simpsons example, and use your signing bonus to buy some Pro-Activ, won't you?
All things considered, the very best case scenario I see for Afflalo in the NBA is a career like Bruce Bowen or Raja Bell. Glue guys who are known for their fierce D, but can also hit the open three when called upon.
The question is this -- would you use a first round pick in the hope that he can turn into Raja Bell? At best? I'm worried many NBA teams will say no, and drop Afflalo into the second round, where his contract would not be guaranteed. If this happens, I'm not sure Arron will look back on his decision to leave as a wise one. I hope however, that things work out.
Good luck Arron! See you in the NBA.
