The one big question mark that I was able to see with Casspi is his shooting form. It's hard to describe without offending someone (i.e. "like a drunk middle school girl heaving a bowling ball") but I'll do my best.
Casspi picks up his dribble and sets the ball slightly right of center on his body, pulling it back into his shooting pocket roughly even with his breasts, with the back of his hands nearly touching his chest. He then brings the ball up much like you would throw a yo-yo, out in front of his body with his hands trailing behind, flicking the ball out -- with maximum backspin the (intended) result. His ball seems to rotate 25% faster than the average shot while travelling in the air and it rotates precisely over the seams so i imagine he gets a lot of friendly bounces. The most amazing thing about his form is that, while so unorthodox, it's almost entirely consistent. In other words, he shoots completely "wrong" from a textbook perspective but he shoots it the same "wrong" every single time. The result during the open shooting drills today was an impressive display: swish after swish after swish. His career shooting percentages are also impressive on paper.
The question I had, which I can't answer without seeing him play, is: how will this work out against athletic NBA defenders? I put this question to Nate, who agreed that Casspi's shooting motion was unconventional and had the following to say..
Nate:
You wonder if he can get that off in the league. But he did in the workout.
It's a perfect shot to get the defense to commit. He's able to put the ball on the floor. It's low and it's out in front of him.
With that pump fake and being able to handle the ball, put the ball on the floor, it helps [make up for the low release]. It is a little bit unorthodox but he has done it for awhile and he's pretty comfortable with it.
Nate's got a good point: Casspi's shot motion is so strange that athletic wings will lick their chops when they see him catch a swing pass and slowly go about putting the ball into his shooting pocket, thinking it will be stuff city when he finally gets the ball out of his hands. So as a player who can stretch the defense, he's probably ready to go in the short term. As a player who will be able to create a shot one-on-one and actually execute his slow-developing, low-release shot off the dribble, it might be awhile.
In any case, he's a very interesting prospect and reminds me a little bit of Rudy. Not just for the scruffy facial hair. It's clear that he's carrying the expectations of a nation on his back and he seemed quite comfortable doing so. He was a natural in front of the camera and was smart enough to come prepared to answer questions about the Blazers. He stated that he thinks the Blazers have a winning tradition and that he wants to player for a winner right away. From a "culture" perspective, he seemed an ideal fit.
The questions with Casspi are: where does he fit on this roster and will he succeed in a slow-tempo offense? He seems like a better fit in an up-tempo, open court game.
Another good question: will he even be available at 24? I wouldn't be surprised if he was off the board before Portland made a pick, unless they move up.
Although I'm not sure his ceiling is super high Casspi will be a fun player to watch progress in the NBA.
