| Antoine Wright's Lack Of Impact Disheartening Authored by Mark Kelley - January 29, 2006 - 1:09 am
Antoine Wright wasn’t supposed to be a star. Drafted with the 15th pick overall by the New Jersey Nets, the Texas A&M product lacked the sheer athletic ability, aggressiveness, and instincts routinely seen by the game’s best. Yet, when general manager Rod Thorn tabbed Wright as his selection in the first round of the 2005 draft, he did so with the belief that Antoine could become a valuable member of what Rod hoped would become a top-of-the-line bench.
In recent seasons, the bench had been a main problem in plaguing an otherwise great team. Though the team had well-liked players coming off the bench throughout the Jason Kidd-era (most notably, Aaron Williams, Brian Scalabrine, and Lucious Harris), it lacked a viable point guard option to turn the reigns over to when Kidd took a breather, as well as a dependable three point shooter on the wing. In selecting Wright, Rod hoped to satisfy the team’s need for a shooter.
Coming out of Texas A&M after his junior season (where he put up impressive overall numbers, averaging 17.8 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game to go along with a 50 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent shooting from behind the arc), Wright was expected to step into an NBA locker room from day one and make an impact. Armed with a tremendous outside stroke, Coach Lawrence Frank expected to be able to use him off of the bench to stretch the defense. His mid-range game was fairly polished, and he used his shooting ability to get easy lanes towards the basket, employing a series of head fakes and body pumps to get his man in the air. Though his athleticism wasn’t at the same level of a guy like JR Smith, once at the basket he was able to finish (whether it is with an athletic dunk or a crafty layup) as well as most other draft prospects. He was far from a liability defensively and even projected to be quite a defender in the league when looking at his physical stature. On draft night, I wrote regarding Wright that:
“It takes me two hands to count the years that New Jersey critics have stated that the team is in desperate need of a sweet shooting player, whether in the starting lineup or coming off of the bench. It seems as though every year names like Wesley Person and Steve Smith pop up in off-season plans due solely to their marksmanship from behind the arc. In Antoine Wright, they finally have fulfilled that need though the draft. Though Gerald Green projects to be a better overall player at his peak than Antoine Wright, Green is just too far away for a team in win-now mode. Let’s face it, Jason Kidd isn’t getting any younger. He needs contributors as soon as possible, a role that Wright currently will fill more admirably than Green.”
Looking back at this quote, the reasoning for drafting Wright over Green seems sound. With an aging point guard still the most important member of the squad, the Nets are in win-now mode for the foreseeable future. Gerald Green’s talent was and is unquestionable, but as seen by the numerous inactive’s that he has put together this season (he has yet to play a minute in the NBA and is currently in the NBDL), he is a project that could possibly take years before results are seen. Wright played a position of need and would allow the Nets to use their off season money on more pressing matters, such as shoring up the front court by finding at least two competent bodies. He’d play an important role on the ball club, and even had enough potential to turn into a legitimate starting swingman in the NBA. Though irked by who was passed up, Nets fans had to give Rod Thorn the benefit of the doubt due to his track record (that number twenty-three he drafted was pretty darn good, no?).
Three months into the season, though, and the honeymoon is already over. It is almost unfair to judge a prospect so soon into his NBA career, especially when the prospect has seen such limited minutes. Wright has played in only six of the team’s games (and only fifty-four total minutes), riding the pine in a suit more often than actually touching the hardwood. But, the reason for the disdain for the selection thus far actually comes from those inactives. As stated, Wright was supposed to step in and be a major factor right away. It was the sole reason for the pick. Thorn and company were not selecting based on potential or star power. They were hoping that they’d grab a player with a great offensive game who could come off the bench immediately. They were hoping for a quality reserve.
What they were not looking for was a project. After all, if they wanted one, there were better players available to try something like this out with, most notably the supremely talented Green. New Jersey didn’t pick based off of best talent available, they picked off of need. Anyone can look like a genius in hindsight, and I would never make it seem as if I was against the pick from the start (I praised the pick on draft night). But, as of this date, the pick has been a failure. Not only has he not played a role on the team (any at all), but when given minutes he has simply not looked good.
Similar to being unfair to judge a prospect this early in the season, it is also unfair to look at his statistics in such limited minutes and try and get a read on him that way. So, I won’t use his lack of a three point bucket thus far (0-4) or poor field goal percentage as a means to make an assessment on his game. Rather, simply watching him gives all of the ammunition needed.
In the limited minutes that Wright has received thus far this season, he has shown good mechanics on his jump shot, as reported by scouts who saw him often at Texas A&M. But, he has generally been too strong with his shot, clanking it off of the rim or backboard. Perhaps most disheartening about his game so far has been his perceived lack of hustle. For a guy who should be trying to do anything he can to gain minutes, his lack of hustle in a recent game against the Celtics was alarming. He was loafing in a zone defense, but was definitely able to contain his man in a man-to-man set. Yet, wouldn’t you expect somebody in his position to put in as much effort as possible? He was questioned ruthlessly after his mediocre performances in the summer league, yet hasn’t really shown a sense of desire.
Although notably ravaged, the Nets’ bench hasn’t performed as expected this season. Wright’s lack of an impact is a main reason for the disappointing start. His talent has not been lost, but the impact seen has been miniscule. Not the expected output when drafting a “ready” college player, over other available talents. |
