The Allan Ray Situation

Allan Ray has an unfortunate situation to deal with. Yes, it is a crime that such a talent would go undrafted, however it is not the least bit surprising. Allan is a 6'2" "shooting guard that can't run the point," or at least that is the belief many GMs and scouts across the NBA subscribe to.

They are not necessarily the ones to blame for initially having this view; Allan did the majority of his damage in college from outside 15 feet. That was what was best for his team. For the most part, he left penetration duties to Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry. The Wildcats, like most teams, needed a shooter. Allan was happy to fill that role (and a mighty fine job he did). His selflessness has hurt his draft stock, because the people that would be responsible for drafting him think that to be successful at his height, he would need to run the point. This idea is brobdingnagianly flawed.

The idea that there can not be a 6'2" "shooting guard" in the NBA is completely overblown. What this idea's believers really mean is that a 6'2" shooting guard can not be a franchise player a la Kobe, Michael; it would be too taxing on their bodies because they would be going up against larger players almost every night. Unfortunately, these people's actions do not reflect their beliefs. Because he is undersized to be a franchise player, he goes undrafted. They completely overlook the fact that a guy like Allan could be a superb player for 25-35 minutes a game; at the very least a shooting specialist. And everyone could use a shooting specialist on their squad.

They also overlook the fact that Villanova put four guards on the court for the majority of their games, 6'8' Will Sheridan often being the tallest Wildcat playing. Because of this, Allan spent portions of each game defending the opposing team's second largest player, and would have to volplane above the giants down low and snatch rebounds away from them to keep his Wildcats from getting killed on the boards. The guy is a winner. No matter what his role, Allan could help every team in this league like he helped his team in college.

Allan wouldn't need to be a "shooting guard," per se. He is more than capable of bringing the ball up the court, handling against pressure (although how often do you see full court presses and half court traps in the NBA, especially compared to college ball... exactly), and distributing. His strengths are his shooting and his ability to create for himself, however he is certainly capable of setting up teammates; he is not one dimensional. That being said, teams would be silly to turn him into a pure distributor, like a Jason Kidd, because that is not his game. As long as someone does not try to morph him into a pure distributor, but rather let him play basketball - shoot when he has the shot and distribute when the opportunity is there - the four year college star will be an excellent player in the NBA.

Unfortunately, aspirant GMs in the league would rather choose talents from overseas, who would be unproven in all areas but one; in that history has proven that they will more than likely never pan out.