Boris Diaw, 6-8, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns, 24 years old
Jonathan Givony
One of the most improved players in the world over the past year, International or not, Boris Diaw has gone from being an underachieving prospect with the Atlanta Hawks to one of the most highly unique and sought after forwards in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. What ironically might have jump-started his career and gave him the confidence he needed to cash in on his awesome potential was the stint he had in last summer’s Eurobasket Tournament in Belgrade, where he helped France to the Bronze medal.
To further justify the huge leap Diaw has made over the past 12 months, he’s been named the Captain of the French National team; quite an accomplishment for a player who was considered too meek and timid to not be an offensive liability for the Atlanta Hawks, at least according to them.
Now Diaw comes to Japan as one of the most recognizable stars in the basketball world and with the expectations of the leader for a team that is considered one of the favorites to come away with the Gold.
What was once considered his biggest weakness has now become his biggest strength playing for one of the most innovative coaches and systems in the NBA under Mike D’Antoni and the Phoenix Suns. Diaw is essentially a player without a position, featuring the passing and ball-handling skills of a guard, the length and size of a forward, and the toughness and basketball IQ to even defend Centers like Yao Ming if asked to. It works for the Suns, but there are many more conservative coaches who wouldn’t quite know how to utilize him.
Diaw is a mismatch threat waiting to happen, comfortable facing the basket and using his athleticism to get by players and finish with the utmost creativity. While his perimeter shooting is still quite poor, he excels at finding the open seams in the defense with his freelance off the ball movement to knock down mid-range jumpers.
Aggressive and instinctive, Diaw is an outstanding rebounder who is particularly good on the offensive end. What really makes him an elite level player is his incredible court vision, though. Diaw averaged an astounding 6.2 assists last season from the power forward or center position for Phoenix, many of them downright spectacular.
Defensively, Diaw is almost equally as impressive, utilizing his long arms, excellent toughness and superb athleticism to bother players bigger or smaller than him in the post or on the perimeter.
Diaw's often excessive unselfishness will be put to the test in Japan where he will be forced to shoulder a bigger offensive load than he usually does with the Suns. How he will handle this task will tell us plenty about the player he has evolved into at age 24 and just how ready he might be to step up and take the Phoenix Suns to the next level year while competing for an NBA championship ring.
The difference between playing with a point guard like Tony Parker instead of Steve Nash will also become crystal clear in the evaluation process. Further complicating matters is the fact that he's looking for a long-term extension in the 50+ million dollar range this summer, with top decision maker Mike D'Antoni not far away watching. If he has the type of summer many envision from him, look for the extension to get done now rather than waiting for restricted free agency next year.
Tony Parker, 6-2, Point Guard, San Antonio Spurs, 24 years old
Jonathan Givony
Fresh off a breakout season in the NBA, Parker comes to Japan as a one of a kind commodity for a tournament like this. A case study for your “typical” American style point guard, Parker will be especially intriguing to follow as he highlights the differences for us between the NBA and International game.
In terms of sheer quickness and explosiveness, Parker is in a class of his own here in Japan when excluding Team USA. NBA defenders find it almost impossible to stay in front of him when he decides to make his way to the basket, so it will be fascinating to see how this translates over the World Championships and how much of France’s game will revolve around his ability to penetrate and score rather than running a traditional half-court offense as most of the other teams here will do. It will also be interesting to see how he performs without the benefit of playing next to the #1 player in the world in Tim Duncan.
Last year at the Eurobasket in Belgrade, Parker was absolutely atrocious early on in the tournament, to the point that he was benched and had the embarrassment of seeing his team play much better basketball without him. Despite getting going late, he averaged only 12 points on 34% shooting from the field and 21% from behind the 3-point line, and dished out 2.6 assists compared with 2.3 turnovers. Once his role was reduced, the French team took off, and without the pressure of being the absolute star for his team Parker returned to form and helped Les Bleus win the Bronze medal behind a stellar 25 point, 5 assist game in a win over Spain.
Parker must show better decision making ability in this tournament--especially in the clutch-- than he has so far in international play and even in the NBA playoffs when things really matter. His inability to consistently knock down the three pointer has been an Achilles heel for him in his career so far, and it will be fascinating to see how opposing teams defend him as this can be a major problem (not just for him, but for France in general) in the International game. Especially since his team doesn’t have a great frontcourt presence in the most traditional sense. Even free throws are too often an issue for Parker, as evidenced by the 57% he shot from the line last summer in Belgrade. The French will only go as far as their star PG will led them, but they will need him to be consistent and under control.
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