#32 – David West
West seemingly came outta nowhere to play a huge role on a Hornets squad that took the league by storm last year. He somehow slipped to the late first round after scoring National Player of the Year honours at Xavier, and was supposed to be a solid pro, but has taken things to a whole ‘nother level: an All-Star who’s still young and improving every year.
He plays with the poise and maturity of a veteran, maintaining composure and excelling under pressure. He hit several game winners this year and was admirable in defeat against the Spurs, showing no fear against Tim Duncan, at times just straight up abusing him (even on D: 2 blocks/game). He expands his repertoire every season; his back-to-the-basket game looks polished for an undersized four, and he wets mid-range jumpers all day. It takes a truly versatile defender to slow him down.
Of course David’s got the benefit of playing with point god Chris Paul, but West’s inside-out game may be just as much to Paul’s blessing on his drive-and-dishes. Not to mention giving Tyson Chandler more room to dominate the offensive glass and catch alley-oop lobs; his game’s a glove-fit for the Hornets’ offense. As his team continues to do big things, we’ll surely see and hear a lot more from West, who took a more indirect route to NBA stardom than most highly touted prospects, but appears to be right on track.
West seemingly came outta nowhere to play a huge role on a Hornets squad that took the league by storm last year. He somehow slipped to the late first round after scoring National Player of the Year honours at Xavier, and was supposed to be a solid pro, but has taken things to a whole ‘nother level: an All-Star who’s still young and improving every year.
He plays with the poise and maturity of a veteran, maintaining composure and excelling under pressure. He hit several game winners this year and was admirable in defeat against the Spurs, showing no fear against Tim Duncan, at times just straight up abusing him (even on D: 2 blocks/game). He expands his repertoire every season; his back-to-the-basket game looks polished for an undersized four, and he wets mid-range jumpers all day. It takes a truly versatile defender to slow him down.
Of course David’s got the benefit of playing with point god Chris Paul, but West’s inside-out game may be just as much to Paul’s blessing on his drive-and-dishes. Not to mention giving Tyson Chandler more room to dominate the offensive glass and catch alley-oop lobs; his game’s a glove-fit for the Hornets’ offense. As his team continues to do big things, we’ll surely see and hear a lot more from West, who took a more indirect route to NBA stardom than most highly touted prospects, but appears to be right on track.
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