# Josh Mcroberts



## HB (May 1, 2004)

I dont know if this has been discussed on here and if it has pardon me for starting a new thread. The more I see the kid play, the more I love it. I usually dont associate myself with anything from Cameron but this kid has got amazing potential. Where do I start, the fact that he is extremely athletic can run the floor faster than some guards, ambidextrous, great passer for 6'10, very good ball handler on the break. What really gets me about is game is that he can pass with either hand and usually makes one of those did you see that kind of play once in a while. His major flaw right now is he cant shoot to save his life, but he also has that nice tear drop in the lane and for a big man thats highly suprising. Kid is still growing and I expect him to stay for maybe one or two years but boy this kid if he keeps developing, could be an allstar in the big league


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

Took him half a season, but it finally looks like he's starting to get going. Posted his first double-double last night. Hopefully, he'll continue to assert himself - maybe he becomes that key 3rd scorer for Duke.


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## HK-47 (Dec 14, 2005)

i think he'll be one of the best players in the NCAA next year. if not THE best. he has great athleticism AND great skills.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

he needs to stay around for a few years to reach his potential. i think he is a guy that could make a big mistake if he were to leave too early. next year he should be able to be the number one option there, still hard to get a read on whether he's a low post player or a face the basket player but it should be interesting to watch the developement, he has definitely picked it up lately.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

For whatever reason it seems to me that McRoberts has been a lot better since Coach K began to use him more in the press and traps.He's been pretty effective in both and it just seems that he feels more comfortable with his role now as opposed to earlier in the season.


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

McRoberts' athleticism is the best I've ever seen from a white bigman with the exception of Chris Andersen. He had a tomahawk dunk over a guy in the last game I saw that was just sick.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

i think his game has been inconsistant, its hard in that system being the other bigman but even when williams goes out josh doesnt dominate, he does some things real well like passing the ball but as of now he's light years away from the nba, that is actually good news in a way for duke fans.


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## crazyfan (Dec 9, 2005)

i think he will stay for at least another season cos sheldon will be gone and he will be the focal point of the post offense


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## Mr. Hobbes (Jul 1, 2005)

Wayyyy raw. He should stay until his junior year, at least.


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## SlamJam (Nov 27, 2004)

dude has talent but he is playing for the wrong coach. he should leave after this year to save his nba hopes.


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## PacersguyUSA (Sep 1, 2002)

HK-47 said:


> i think he'll be one of the best players in the NCAA next year. if not THE best. he has great athleticism AND great skills.



Nah, he always got dominated by Oden in high school. And by Eric Gordon too, but he's a junior.


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

I don't know about that "best player in the NCAA" comment, but the kids got some mad skills no doubt about it. He'll be a key part in all the W's Duke racks up the next few seasons.


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

his stats would look a lot better if K would start playing him instead of Melchionni


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## KingOfTheHeatians (Jul 22, 2005)

He won't even be the best big man on Tobacco Road next year.


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## CodyThePuppy (Nov 18, 2005)

Future superstar. Best freshman in the nation, don't sleep on him and let the stats fool you! He was #1 in his class for a reason!


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## vadimivich (Mar 29, 2004)

> Best freshman in the nation


He's not even the best freshman within a 15 mile radius from his dorm room door ...


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

looked better than that other guy last night. granted, Shelden Williams had something to do with that other guy's performance


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

Mcroberts showed a ton last night, if you ask me he was the best bigman on the court. he gives you a little lamar odom the way he can handle and pass and a little troy murphy. i just hope he is smart enough to stay there for a couple more years before running to the nba.


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## Matthew Maurer (Oct 17, 2002)

CodyThePuppy said:


> Future superstar. Best freshman in the nation, don't sleep on him and let the stats fool you! He was #1 in his class for a reason!


So was former Dukies Randolph and Burgess and we all know how they turned out. Now I'll admit he plays nothing like them I'm just stating don't use HS rankings to make a point. There are alot of guys who were top 10's that didn't live up to the hype.


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## Kmasonbx (Apr 7, 2003)

Matthew Maurer said:


> So was former Dukies Randolph and Burgess and we all know how they turned out. Now I'll admit he plays nothing like them I'm just stating don't use HS rankings to make a point. There are alot of guys who were top 10's that didn't live up to the hype.


Those guys were not #1 at the end of their high school careers, maybe at some point. By the time Randolph graduated I don't think anybody considered him a top 10 player anymore, while Burgess was a top 10 player but not #1. 

I've always like both McRoberts and Hansbrough but have always felt McRoberts was better. What would Hansbrough be doing if he was at Duke? And what would McRoberts being doing if he were the focal point at UNC? It's impossible to say but I feel the #s would be flip flopped. I think McRoberts is going to be the better pro, although I think both will have solid careers.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

At this point in time McRoberts reminds me of Chris Kaman, although Kaman was a much better offensive player.


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## hcsilla (Jun 12, 2003)

Hbwoy said:


> At this point in time McRoberts reminds me of Chris Kaman, although Kaman was a much better offensive player.


Kaman is a poor comparison, IMO.
Kaman was a very skilled low post C, while McRoberts is an athletic, face up PF with good J. 

McRoberts reminds me of the young Tom Gugliotta.


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## The Truth (Jul 22, 2002)

Hbwoy said:


> At this point in time McRoberts reminds me of Chris Kaman, although Kaman was a much better offensive player.



McRoberts is nothing like Kaman.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

Kmasonbx said:


> Those guys were not #1 at the end of their high school careers, maybe at some point. By the time Randolph graduated I don't think anybody considered him a top 10 player anymore, while Burgess was a top 10 player but not #1.
> 
> I've always like both McRoberts and Hansbrough but have always felt McRoberts was better. What would Hansbrough be doing if he was at Duke? And what would McRoberts being doing if he were the focal point at UNC? It's impossible to say but I feel the #s would be flip flopped. I think McRoberts is going to be the better pro, although I think both will have solid careers.



i think mcroberts was #1 in his class because it was so weak, randolph was a great highschool player and so was burgess, either would probably have been 1-2 in last years class, having said that i like mcroberts and i think he'll be a much better pro than hansbrough. right now he looks to be a european type forward in that he likes to face the basket as well as post up, he is extremely mobile and is a superb passer although he needs to work on his lateral quickness a bit.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

hcsilla said:


> Kaman is a poor comparison, IMO.
> Kaman was a very skilled low post C, while McRoberts is an athletic, face up PF with good J.
> 
> McRoberts reminds me of the young Tom Gugliotta.


Actually the only reason i compared the two is because they are ambidextrous


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## The_Legend_23 (Dec 10, 2005)

I saw him play in high school ... pretty good player


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## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

hcsilla said:


> Kaman is a poor comparison, IMO.
> Kaman was a very skilled low post C, while McRoberts is an athletic, face up PF with good J.
> 
> McRoberts reminds me of the young Tom Gugliotta.


I think the Tom Gugliotta comparison is fair. I will say I don't like McRoberts' game and don't expect him to develop into the player many expected him to be. I actually expect him to be a Cris "Birdman" Anderson type of player (minus the drug violations) with a little jumpshot in the NBA.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

ralaw said:


> I think the Tom Gugliotta comparison is fair. I will say I don't like McRoberts' game and don't expect him to develop into the player many expected him to be. I actually expect him to be a Cris "Birdman" Anderson type of player (minus the drug violations) with a little jumpshot in the NBA.


chris anderson, you're kidding right. i think mcroberts can be a combination lamar odom/troy murphy and potentially better than both.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

rainman said:


> chris anderson, you're kidding right. i think mcroberts can be a combination lamar odom/troy murphy and potentially better than both.


Agreed, he is much more skilled offensively than Chris Anderson could ever dream of and he's only a freshman...


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## hoops (Jan 29, 2003)

he reminds me of a more athletic version of troy murphy.


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## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

rainman said:


> chris anderson, you're kidding right. i think mcroberts can be a combination lamar odom/troy murphy and potentially better than both.


Odom? Troy Murphy? If he was going to be playing like Odom he would need to develop an all-around game and be able to play the point and if he was going to be like Murphy he would need to become a rebounding machine with a high basketball IQ. In both cases these are traits McRoberts has yet to display. The comparison to Anderson was more about having an athletic ability, but really no understanding about how to play the game of basketball other than trying to use your athleticism. 

I will say McRoberts needs to stay in school atleast for 3 more years and we will se what he becomes because right now he is deferring to his 2 all-american teammates, so we will see what he becomes next year, though I believe this will Paulas' team next year. However I will say if he was that dominant of a player (#1 in the country out of highschool) I am of the belief he would still be contributing more (see Marvin Williams last year on UNC).


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## Tom (Jul 15, 2002)

He could fall out of favor as several big white guys have recently for Coach K :biggrin: 

He is a real solid athlete, but no lateral quickness. He is also not a fast leaper. I believe he will play in the NBA one day.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

Tom said:


> He could fall out of favor as several big white guys have recently for Coach K :biggrin:
> 
> He is a real solid athlete, but no lateral quickness. He is also not a fast leaper. I believe he will play in the NBA one day.


burgess was in the same class as brand and randolph was in the same class as shelden williams so there were paralles there and the coaches and fans sort of fell out of favor with those others rather quick. mcroberts is by himself and will move right into williams spot. i think they sort of fear where they'll be if he were to depart for the nba, fear maybe too strong a word but you know what i mean.


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## Tom (Jul 15, 2002)

He isn't even close to playing in the NBA IMO. He shown ok lately...but, come one, he hasn't done much but show some nice athletic ability. He lacks confidence for college ball still let alone the NBA.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

Tom said:


> He isn't even close to playing in the NBA IMO. He shown ok lately...but, come one, he hasn't done much but show some nice athletic ability. He lacks confidence for college ball still let alone the NBA.


you dont have to try to convince me he isnt ready but did that ever stop anyone from going. i think he'll stay at least another year. if he were smart he'd stay till his junior year and then be the college guy on the olympic team for coach k.


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## Mogriffjr (Mar 5, 2005)

To the people who say he hasn't shown much, he simply hasn't been given the opportunity. The Duke scoring chart goes like this...Redick, Redick, Shelden, anyone else (McRoberts, NElson, Lee, PAulus, ETC).

McRoberts will shine next season when Shelden leaves and he'll be a big post presence. He's shown he can drill it from deep. He has great handles for a big man, he has a good shot and good post moves. Alas, his athleticism makes him even better. Whatever he has shown is just tipping the iceberg.

At this point, trying to compare him to Hans is not fair. Hans is the #1 option on that UNC team. McRoberts is a role player right now. To be honest, I think Hans is solely a post player who has shown more grit in the post. McRob has more overall talent.


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## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

Mogriffjr said:


> To the people who say he hasn't shown much, he simply hasn't been given the opportunity. The Duke scoring chart goes like this...Redick, Redick, Shelden, anyone else (McRoberts, NElson, Lee, PAulus, ETC).
> 
> McRoberts will shine next season when Shelden leaves and he'll be a big post presence. He's shown he can drill it from deep. He has great handles for a big man, he has a good shot and good post moves. Alas, his athleticism makes him even better. Whatever he has shown is just tipping the iceberg.
> 
> At this point, trying to compare him to Hans is not fair. Hans is the #1 option on that UNC team. McRoberts is a role player right now. To be honest, I think Hans is solely a post player who has shown more grit in the post. McRob has more overall talent.


McRoberts has an opportunity to make a play, rebound, blocked shot, assist, etc. Correct he may not be the #1 option on offense, but he could learn how to contribute like an alleged #1 player out of highschool is supposed to. Marvin Williams last year was the 4th option of the bench for a National Champion in UNC last year and still averaged 11ppg and 6rpg. So the lacking an opportunity excuse is nothing more than an excuse for McRoberts lack of understanding of how to play basketball while not being the go-to-guy.


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## Mogriffjr (Mar 5, 2005)

ralaw said:


> McRoberts has an opportunity to make a play, rebound, blocked shot, assist, etc. Correct he may not be the #1 option on offense, but he could learn how to contribute like an alleged #1 player out of highschool is supposed to. Marvin Williams last year was the 4th option of the bench for a National Champion in UNC last year and still averaged 11ppg and 6rpg. So the lacking an opportunity excuse is nothing more than an excuse for McRoberts lack of understanding of how to play basketball while not being the go-to-guy.


This makes no sense...

You bring up Marvin Williams and his 11 and 6...what does that have anything to do with McRoberts? The Blue Devils run a totally different offense than UNC. Duke relies on Redick a lot this year. They rely on Shelden in the post a lot...Shelden is the main option in the post. McRoberts does not get many touches on the court as is. He plays a certain ROLE in the game. Now, he's been asserting himself more in the game situations. Is that a product of him being more assertive? Or Duke coaches trusting him more?? I think it's a product of both. 

You can't make a big contribution on offense if you don't have plays run for you. McRoberts is known for his versatility on the offensive end. Up to this point, he has been resorted to getting the scraps, playing defense and trying to play the role that Shavlik played last year. He's been getting better on help and weak-side defending. 

So actually McRoberts gets his most opportunities off offensive rebounds, blocks and steals. He doesn't get the ball in the post to make an assist or create his own shot enough. Give him Hansborough touches and you'll see his overall game much better. Next year, when he's the main post option, you'll see him shine.


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## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

Mogriffjr said:


> You bring up Marvin Williams and his 11 and 6...what does that have anything to do with McRoberts? The Blue Devils run a totally different offense than UNC. Duke relies on Redick a lot this year. They rely on Shelden in the post a lot...Shelden is the main option in the post. McRoberts does not get many touches on the court as is. He plays a certain ROLE in the game. Now, he's been asserting himself more in the game situations. Is that a product of him being more assertive? Or Duke coaches trusting him more?? I think it's a product of both.


I am not talking about an offensive style, rather what I am talking about are the intanglible plays that role players make on every play. McRoberts' main problem is finding his role within the team concept ran at Duke. In my opinion he is struggling, because he has failed to understand how to play basketball being a role player over being the star player. It is obvious by watching him play he is accustomed to using his athletic ability over developing skill. In whatever offense a team is running a good basketball player can find a way to contribute to a team without being the go-to-guy and this is something McRoberts is failing to realize and do.



Mogriffjr said:


> You can't make a big contribution on offense if you don't have plays run for you. McRoberts is known for his versatility on the offensive end. Up to this point, he has been resorted to getting the scraps, playing defense and trying to play the role that Shavlik played last year. He's been getting better on help and weak-side defending.


I disagree players contribute to a team in different ways. As I said, McRoberts problem is lacking the understanding of how to be a role player and developing the necessary skills to contribute without having the ball in his hands every play. In my opinion McRoberts has a low basketball IQ and this could be the reason for his dissappointng play.



Mogriffjr said:


> So actually McRoberts gets his most opportunities off offensive rebounds, blocks and steals. He doesn't get the ball in the post to make an assist or create his own shot enough. Give him Hansborough touches and you'll see his overall game much better. Next year, when he's the main post option, you'll see him shine.


That is my point. McRoberts needs to understand his role on this team THIS YEAR. I am not saying he won't become a great player like Hansborough, but as you said about my Williams argument he is in a different system and role, so to use your words, "what does that (Hansborough) have anything to do with McRoberts?" Hansborough is the go-to-guy therefore he gets put in game situations to put up the numbers he does. However, McRoberts is a role player who doesn't understand how to be a role player, and this is his and other highschool stars hardest adjustment to make coming out of highschool.


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

Josh McRoberts to Enter Draft?

Is he done after this year?


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

This kids a triple double just WAITING to happen.

He can easily score then 10, good enough passing for the assists, and he's a F so rebounds shouldn't be TOO dificult. Unless Shelden eats up another 20 somethin :banana:


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## ralaw (Feb 24, 2005)

TM said:


> Josh McRoberts to Enter Draft?
> 
> Is he done after this year?


I can't fault the guy if he does leave early considering he probably would be guaranteed a top 10 pick, but he in my opinion he needs atleast one year at Duke while being the man. We have yet to see what he can do on the college level while being the focal point of the offense. His potential could be anywhere between Shavlick Randolph or Christian Laetner while at Duke, but we don't know.


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## SlamJam (Nov 27, 2004)

TM said:


> Josh McRoberts to Enter Draft?
> 
> Is he done after this year?


dude is gonna go. he knows he needs to get out before coach k has a chance to screw up another big white guy's career


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

your bias and hatred is beyond annoying


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

i was surprised to see the report that he might go, although the article hinted that he would test the waters and then maybe go back before the deadline, obviously he would be a high pick most likely top 10 but that's not the point. he needs to define his game and get better. sitting on an nba bench for 3 years isnt going to do him any good. if he stays a year or two and becomes a top 3 pick or so he'll pretty much make up any lost money. if he were smart he would stay through his junior year and play for coach k on the olympic team. that's if he were smart.


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## Gilgamesh (Dec 23, 2005)

Bogut is a better passer, rebounder, and scorer.

Is he also a triple double waiting to happen? NO.

Josh is good but he would be stupid to leave his name in the draft past the deadline. 



Jameh said:


> This kids a triple double just WAITING to happen.
> 
> He can easily score then 10, good enough passing for the assists, and he's a F so rebounds shouldn't be TOO dificult. Unless Shelden eats up another 20 somethin :banana:


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## bullet (Jul 1, 2003)

A comparison that works for me is a PF Brad Miller. he'll need to add some pounds for the big boys but hey , he just turned 19 few days back.

He certainly has an impressive set of skills , and when he plays you can really see he understands what he's doing and mostly makes good decisions (for a 19 y/o). He can Pass , Dribble , I actually think he has a decent J up to 15 but as a freshman you gotta build confidence. he's aggressive and with some added pounds he'll be a factor in the paint. he has lots of moves arround the basket.

He was McDonalds Tourny MVP.

Still - it's a different game in the pros , new physical level , if he can handle this , he'd be a very good nba player imo.


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## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

If he's good enough to play NBA ball he should declare.

Why wouldn't he? Take the money and learn on the job.

I'm in college and while I value learning my craft, if someone offered me a high paying job in the summer, I'd take it in an instant.

Bigmen need to grow in the NBA, they can only learn so much in college.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

shookem said:


> If he's good enough to play NBA ball he should declare.
> 
> Why wouldn't he? Take the money and learn on the job.
> 
> ...


So you are perfectly fine with him being stuck on someone's bench for a couple of years whereas he can learn under one of the greatest basketball coaches ever and actually be a solid contributor in college


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

Hansborough and McRoberts could both go... McRoberts needs a good tourney run.

Anything's open for this 2006 draft... Gay is like a slightly better version of Warrick, and he might go first.


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## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

Hbwoy said:


> So you are perfectly fine with him being stuck on someone's bench for a couple of years whereas he can learn under one of the greatest basketball coaches ever and actually be a solid contributor in college


Sure I'd be fine with it. NBA coaches are pretty good too and he'd probably learn just as much on an NBA team. Marvin Williams knew it, McRoberts should too.

I'm sure an extra year in college wouldn't hurt, but if he's good enough he should play in the NBA.


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