Jerryd Bayless initially looked like he was a long ways away from being comfortable on the college floor, but that look on his face has swiftly disappeared and he has begun showing his amazing promise. His promise, at this point in his development, appears to be a surefire top-10 pick in 2008 and the possibility of even being drafted as high as 4th.
What has and will continue to be the most immediately impressive aspect of his game is the extreme elevation on his jump shot. It truly is of a particularly rare excellence and makes it possible for the 6-3 guard to play minutes as a shooting guard in the NBA. Interim Head Coach Kevin O?Neill (of Toronto Raptors' fame) is wisely giving Bayless extensive time at both guard positions (something John Calipari should also consider with Derrick Rose, who silenced some critics of his perimeter shot at Cincinnati).
The mechanics on Bayless? shot are very compact and exceptionally consistent. The way he holds the basketball for his free throws can only be categorized as bizarre; he cups the ball with his fingertips, but he is an 80% free throw shooter.
From the floor, he is currently shooting 51.3%, which is especially impressive considering the vast majority of his attempts are from at least 15 feet out.
At a moment?s notice, Bayless can create a shot for himself off the dribble, though I?d like to see him utilize pre-dribble jab steps and pump fakes more frequently than he does right now. When Bayless does pump fake, he sells it particularly well.
Whether in the open floor or halfcourt, he has incredible acceleration with his very first dribble. He is remarkably skilled at dribbling into his shot. When he penetrates, which has been less frequent than expected and less expected than is possible with his skill set, he does an excellent job at drawing contact and getting to the line.
An unexpected bonus is his play without the ball. He works extremely hard without the ball and comes off screens, catching and shooting the ball in one fluid motion. Bayless and Chase Budinger both do really well in this area and often do it simultaneously, which makes stops in the halfcourt problematic for opposing defenses.
His vision is particularly good, but he has yet to showcase the ability to be a brililant passer, a point guard that can create easy scoring opportunities for teammates. Presently, he is dangerous as a passer because he commands so much attention as a scorer.
But because of the elevation on his jumper, he is able to frequently spot an open teammate while taking the shot and get him the ball for an easy lay-up.
He can, however, make the spectacular pass, as demonstrated on a 2-on-1 fastbreak following a Bayless steal where he dished it between his legs to Jamelle Horne for an emphatic dunk.
Defensively, he is a very complete player. His help defense fundamentals are good, exhibiting good vision of ball and man. Sometimes he gets in the habit of reaching and not properly utilizing his outstanding lateral quickness. Because of that quickness, he should also close out tighter and more aggressively.
Athletically, he is enormously gifted. He is very strong for his age (19) and beyond using his exceptional vertical on his jumper, Bayless can powerfully finish lobs in the halfcourt and should also become an efficient rebounder and shotblocker for his size. Categorically, he is fearless in the air.
His intangibles are very encouraging thus far, as well. While more of a scoring guard, he has demonstrated the mental maturity to eventually run the point. He knows when to pull back and setup their halfcourt offense in transition when they don?t have numbers and is unselfish despite never meeting a shot he doesn?t like. He also is an excellent finisher, seemingly always playing better in the second half.
Additionally impressive in regards to his character was in the UNLV game when Curtis Terry fouled him hard on a breakaway and was being demonstrative following it, but Bayless was ubiquitously disinterested in confronting him.