NBA Player Live Scouting Reports (amateur, games, best, team)

[dallasgoldrush]

I've been fortunate to see a lot of the top NBA Players live and sometimes it's interesting to see how different their games can appear in person versus on tv. These are just a few of the interesting amateur scouting reports I've put together over the years. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to post your scouting reports too!

Tony Allen: Bulldog on defense, can't play a lick of offense. Not a lick.

Chris Bosh: This man can play basketball for real. With that length and silky smooth 18 - 20 footer. Don't give him any space.

Stephen Curry: Not out-of-this world athletic, heavy focus on distributing, good passer, good ball handler. Never looks like he's trying very hard. Drops 15 points on your head in a two minute period just when the defense gets comfortable, and there's nothing you can do about it. You can not stop him from getting a shot, and his moves to get them are so subtle you always miss them. That slight head fake or pass fake. It's beautiful. Probably frustrates the h*ll out of defenders because his game just doesn't look like he should be that good. Not an elite defender, but better than he's given credit for.

Kevin Durant: Not into the fancy stuff. Just a straight up shooter. That's his game. This long 7-footer just shoots from all over the floor. He's got range and accuracy. Takes one or two dribbles and lets it fly. From anywhere. He's like a Dirk Nowitzki with even longer arms and waaay more athleticism. It's impossible to stop a guy with his body and his game from scoring. It's too easy for him. It's unfair.

Marc Gasol: Looks like one of the best players on the floor even when he's doing absolutely nothing. Huge guy, strong, physical, beautiful outside touch, passes like a point guard. Not super quick but doesn't need to be. Plenty of crafty moves with the ball. Great passer. Maybe a bit too passive as a scorer -- if he were selfish he's capable of averaging 25 ppg. Did I mention he's a beautiful passer??

Draymond Green: Animated aggressive player. Strong. Plays great team ball. Plays defense like it's offense. He goes at offensive players and likes to bang against them underneath the basket.

Al Horford: He's a good passer, but overall I wasn't impressed. A good player, but not a game changer.

Kyrie Irving: All over the court doing what he wants, bullies defenses, sometimes forces difficult shots but it's hard to judge him because he usually makes them. Just enough bullet passes through traffic right to the fingertips of the open man to keep you from forgetting he could be a top distributor if he really wanted to be.

LeBron James: He's a man playing against boys. Even when on the floor with a bunch of other Hall of Famers he looks like he's toying with them. If it's not a huge game he usually looks bored. Huge guy. Speed like a guard. Loves to handle the ball. Below average outside shot. Turns the ball over waaay too much with lazy or daring passes and doesn't seem to care. Vision out of this world though. A lot of the time those passes find the target when you'd least expect them to.

Chris Paul: Really small guy. Way more athletic than he looks. Can jump several feet when he starts his dribble and still pull that crossover down real low. Makes great moves to the basket and in traffic. Good shooter. Good handle, controls the pace of the game. Does exactly what he wants, sets his guys up beautifully.

Marcus Smart: Talk about a tough player. This guy just looks like a bulldog out there. Likes to work on defense, and is plenty talented with the ball on offense -- although he's not in a system built for him to shine offensively.

Isaiah Thomas: Tiny guy but blazing quick, super athletic, super-fast accurate release on his shot, can jump out the building. Mostly creates space for shots just be taking one quick but huge hop to land several feet away from the defender all by himself. One of my favorite players.

Klay Thompson: Obviously a great shooter, but he's also really big and strong and tenacious on defense. Really.

Russell Westbrook: Plays in 5th gear the whole time. No pacing whatsoever. Never takes a play off. Big. Athletic. Strong. Fierce. Faster than a speeding bullet. Maybe not the highest basketball IQ, but a much better and more unselfish passer than he's given credit for. Can get into trouble when he's rushing. He can also destroy you.