Draft Express: Tony Mitchell

[KoldBeer]

Very depressing to read...

Winning the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Award in 2012, Tony Mitchell was touted as one of the best low-major prospects in the country. With his sophomore season coming to a close, where does Mitchell stand heading towards the 2013 draft?

The offensive end is where Mitchell's regression this season was most pronounced, and the reasons why become fairly evident early in most possessions, as Mitchell is often content to stand and wait on the perimeter, not moving much without the ball and spending far less time trying to get open in the painted area. North Texas’ team chemistry was obviously extremely poor this season, as it appeared that the team gave up on competing at a very early stage, which Mitchell played a major part of.

Jump shots accounted for roughly one half of Mitchell's half-court shot attempts this season according to Synergy Sports Technology (compared to a much more reasonable one third last season), but more concerning is his points per possession on those jumpers nose-dived from a very strong 1.153 last year to a very weak 0.754 this year. Mitchell is taking more jump shots of higher difficulty this season and seems to be less focused on consistently using good mechanics in all situations, and it's caused him to become a far less effective and efficient player overall.

Lots more depressing stuff...

From DraftExpress.comhttp://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz2NctrvT6j
http://www.draftexpress.com

[UNT90]

I guess the well organized binder screws UNT again...

Remember how Benford said that binder would raise TM's draft stock???

[Andrew]

I really likeTony Mitchell and wish him nothing but the best but around the 6 minute mark in the video it talks about his weaknesses it makes him look really lazy. I am not trying to bash Tony. I knew he did not hustle all of the time but some of the clips he gave 0 effort. These were all road games which I did not have the opportunity to see. Just go to about the 6 minute ma and watch. He needs to come back another year and hustle up and down the court every possession.

[CMJ]

He needs to go now while he's still projected in the 1st round.

Edited March 15, 2013 by CMJ

[UNT90]

He needs to go now while he's still projected in the 1st round.

He is gone as we speak.

[Mean Green 93-98]

I really likeTony Mitchell and wish him nothing but the best but around the 6 minute mark in the video it talks about his weaknesses it makes him look really lazy. I am not trying to bash Tony. I knew he did not hustle all of the time but some of the clips he gave 0 effort. These were all road games which I did not have the opportunity to see. Just go to about the 6 minute ma and watch. He needs to come back another year and hustle up and down the court every possession.

Honestly, that one at the 7:48 mark . . . what is he doing? Just getting ready for a fast break the other way?

But this video does a tremendous job of pointing out and analyzing Tony's weaknesses. I'm sure it's painful for him to watch. I hope he and his coaches can get those weaknesses improved upon. . . . whether that takes place at North Texas or in the NBA.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Mean Green 93-98

[Andrew]

Honestly, that one at the 7:48 mark . . . what is he doing? Just getting ready for a fast break the other way?

I know! All of these videos were just from three games... Missed shots on bad looks and lazy defense. I believe the WKU and SL game were both close. If he gave half an effort maybe we would have won those games who knows. I am really not trying to rag on Mitchell, but it is inexcusable to jog up the court as every offensive player runs by you.

[KRAM1]

I wish nothing but the best for Tony going forward. Am sure he will make his decision known very soon.

[cdizzle86]

The selfish part of me wants him to stay and end his college career on a positive note, but after experiencing what happened this year, I don't know if next year will be much better.

[Harry]

The odds are he will leave and if so we all wish him the best. Sometimes in life things don't work out exactly as you would have hoped.

[MeanGreenTexan]

I cant help but wonder if the tearing down of Tony's game by some here is some type of sub-conscious effort to justify Tony staying at UNT to "improve" his game...

Look folks. Here's the plain fact. Tony is infinitely better than what he did this season at UNT. The proof: The reviews from his time at the Amare and LeBron summer camps.

When in the hands of NBA people who understand his game and what he does well, he excels. Do you know why he's even still considered a 1st round pick by some? It's certainly not because of his statistics at UNT.

He needs to go pro now so that he doesn't hurt his chances in the future by being associated with this team which is hemorrhaging badly.

[cdizzle86]

The odds are he will leave and if so we all wish him the best. Sometimes in life things don't work out exactly as you would have hoped.

Well said. +1

[Mean Green 93-98]

I cant help but wonder if the tearing down of Tony's game by some here is some type of sub-conscious effort to justify Tony staying at UNT to "improve" his game...

I guess you're referring to me with that. I don't really think I tore down Tony's game. . . . I was just observing what that video pointed out for all to see, and it pointed it out to a degree that I had never noticed it before. As far as wanting Tony to stay . . . sure, that would be nice. But I'd also be the first to admit that this past year hurt his draft stock, and failed to develop the few areas he needed to develop before the season.

Look folks. Here's the plain fact. Tony is infinitely better than what he did this season at UNT. The proof: The reviews from his time at the Amare and LeBron summer camps.

I agree that he's a lot better than he showed this past year. I disagree that the proof is to be found in reviews from his performance at the camps. Tony has always had the "wow" factor, and can certainly impress when called to impress in certain situations. But the proof will be when he can prove it over the course of an entire season playing with a team. IMO, his time with the U.S. Under-19 team proved far more than the camps proved. His performance the half of the 2011-12 season that he played proved more than the camps proved.

When in the hands of NBA people who understand his game and what he does well, he excels. Do you know why he's even still considered a 1st round pick by some? It's certainly not because of his statistics at UNT.

He needs to go pro now so that he doesn't hurt his chances in the future by being associated with this team which is hemorrhaging badly.

Can't really disagree with any of that. If he can go in the first round now, he'd better jump on that ship before it sails.

[Green P1]

Nope... Tony didn't improve this year. Neither did CJ. Neither did Alzee. Neither did Keith. Neither did Niko. Neither did Clarke. PJ got better as the season went along but you could easily argue that he was just getting acclimated to the level of competition. Franklin, the kind of player that gets by on pure hustle and heart without need of an offense or system, had a great great senior campaign.

Jordan made some nice strides late in the year to basically get back to the level he was at before suspension last season. Give Benny a bronze star sticker for that I guess.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Green P1

[Rudy]

I guess the well organized binder screws UNT again...

Remember how Benford said that binder would raise TM's draft stock???

Does that mean we can terminate Benford for breach of contract?

I hate to say it, but I think TM needs to go while he still has value. I just hope he thinks highly of the school and fans so he doesnt turm his back on us down the road. I hope we are able to get people of TM's caliber in the future.

As for TB, he just needs to go.

[Chase LOLZORZ]

Just for reference, here is last year's scouting report on him....

[meanrob]

Just for reference, here is last year's scouting report on him....

Are you serious? You want me to watch video from THAT GAME?

I don't know what the rest of the video is and don't care. That WKU loss still makes me want to sports cry.

[Andrew]

I realize more and more that he just did not hustle at all in that WKU game. Missing the rebound which could have led to a tie or win.... all of those times he jogged back and created a 5 on 4 or 4 on 3 advantage for WKU... He is so talented but needs Rogers heart in him.

[Cooley]

I think it boils down to whether Tony enjoys school enough to return. He does not make an NBA roster at this point regardless of if he goes in the first or second round. 1st round picks, of course, receive guaranteed money and teams will be reluctant to pay that after his performance this past season. On the other hand, the Miami Heat will repeat as champions and he could be a nice low risk/high reward type of pick. Don't think Lebron James or DeWayne Wade would allow any rookie to loaf.

At this point, I can see Tony having a lucrative career in Europe, after spending some time in someone's D-League. I wish the best for him because he obviously is not ready for the NBA. Would not be surprised at all if he decides to return for at least another year. (Can't sell your stock when it has hit rock bottom) Coach Benford and his handlers owe Tony an honest assessment.

[Chase LOLZORZ]

Are you serious? You want me to watch video from THAT GAME?

I don't know what the rest of the video is and don't care. That WKU loss still makes me want to sports cry.

It was tough watching Tony's highlights from that game. Edited March 16, 2013 by Chase LOLZORZ

[Quoner]

It was tough watching Tony's highlights from that game.

Are we still supposed to think you are an objective fan of LSU or are we abandoning that now?

[Chase LOLZORZ]

Are we still supposed to think you are an objective fan of LSU or are we abandoning that now?

Well I am a LSU fan. After I started that thread I decided to stick around here.

If your wondering why I said ''It was tough watching Tony's highlights from that game. '', it was because I watched that game last year...

[Andrew]

I have to LOL at the -6 six to my comment above. Of course it is justified that he just sat there on the last free throw of the game and let WKU get a board and easy two to put it out of reach for us.Of course I am wrong. Oh that was under Johhny... he must not respect Johhny... that must have been it. That is why he jogged up the court on multiple occasions on D which led to easy 2's for WKU. Loser mentality is welcome at UNT apparently. I hope we get more players at UNT who jog up the court in the biggest game of their careers (to that point). That is what the fan base wants... I guess I dont follow where the bashing on Benford is coming from. It is ok for the most taented player ever to wear a UNT jersey to not give 100% int he conference finals but lose a game to a d2 and your toast. Where is the logic? We complain about losing but then try to justify lazy play. Go figure... only at UNT

He is a great player but there is no denying that if he hustled on one of those plays and rebounded that last ft we could have been dancing....

Edited March 16, 2013 by Andrew

[foutsrouts]

Does that mean we can terminate Benford for breach of contract?

I hate to say it, but I think TM needs to go while he still has value. I just hope he thinks highly of the school and fans so he doesnt turm his back on us down the road. I hope we are able to get people of TM's caliber in the future.

As for TB, he just needs to go.

Yeah, I think those four suits need to be in reference to four lawsuits on each of the remaining years of his contract. Someone please serve the guy!

[Got5onIt]

Wishing the best for TM!

I'm hoping he doesn't forget UNT and gives back to the school & athletic program.