Greg Monroe Draft Profile
By Bryan Rose
There has been a lot of speculation about Greg Monroe and the Kings for quite some time. Monroe plays a type of big man game that General Manager Geoff Petrie loves – or – does he? According to ex Arizona State coach Bill Frider, Petrie dislikes Monroe (which, if you know Petrie…a) doesn’t make a ton of sense and b) really doesn’t make a lot of sense since Petrie keeps his mouth shut more than any GM in the league).
Anyway, let’s look at Georgetown center a little more in depth.
Cons: The biggest con that scouts continue to see in Monroe is his passive nature. He’s not a guy that will force the situation and looks to avoid it, to be honest. Very Brad Miller like in that sense (yea, you can cuss now). He also seems to lose interest in the game and just floats around – seemingly like he’s lost interest in the game and wants to be some other place. He’s not overly quick (as in a first step) nor is he super-athletic like a DeMarcus Cousins, but, it’s rare to find a center that’s not a #1 pick that isn’t. With that said, he’s no worse than average in those areas….so by no stretch is he slow. His jumper is questionable and somewhat streaky and he doesn’t have the best ball control as he turns it over at a pretty high pace. He also like Cousins has a bit of a body fat % issue.
Pros: Georgetown runs the famous Princeton system that we King fans are so familiar with and it fits Monroe’s skill set perfectly. Monroe has similar tools to big men of King past such as Brad Miller, Vlade Divac, and Chris Webber. He sees the floor incredibly well – much like a guard. He’s one of, if not the best passing big man in the draft and is incredibly unselfish (at times to a fault). Also, being a lefty gives him a unique advantage as most players aren’t comfortable guarding left handed players, especially big men. He has very quick hands for a big man on the defensive end and is pretty fast for a guy his size, allowing him to run the floor. He has a high basketball IQ and seems to understand situations on the floor at a higher clip than most of his peers. Solid rebounder and does a good job at boxing out.
Monroe is definitely an intriguing prospect if the Kings are looking to improve their front line, but, he might be available a few picks below where the Kings selection is which could set up a possible trade.
Here are a few profiles of Monroe:
Physicals:
Height – 6′11
Weight – 247
Age – 19
Wingspan – 7.2 feet
Highlights versus Notre Dame: