Leslie Staying Humble, Working on his Game

Great attitude. 

Wish we'd had the privilege of seeing Travis in a Dawgs uniform one more season, but I certainly don't blame him for staying in the draft.  If you know you're going to be a lottery pick no matter what, then deciding when to come out is a matter of how much you enjoy the college game (and how comfortable you are with the risk of injury).  But if you're on the bubble for being drafted, you have to make the jump to the NBA whenever you can.  And so it was.

Leslie was drafted, but that's just the first step.  During his one year with the Clippers, he rarely saw the floor.  The issue now is whether he can get to the NBA and stay.

Well, Travis has certainly helped himself this week.  After being named the MVP of the D-League All-Star Game he is in a stronger position than ever before.  The Red and Black newspaper reported that out of the 20 players who competed in last year's D-League All-Star Game, 6 were later called up to the NBA.

Path to NBA

Leslie has the athleticism and the attitude, now he just has to keep working.  He averages less than 2 assists per game and he has generally needed someone to set him up for scores.  I'd like to see him distribute the ball effectively and gain more ability to create his own shots off the dribble.  At the same time, I realize that Leslie gets just 27 minutes per game.  If he were on the floor for 35 or more minutes like some of the other D-League leaders, his ppg (16), rebounds (7), assists (1.7) and other stats would no doubt go up. 

The key for Travis, as I've said before, is developing more side-to-side quickness.  He's great at leaping and running straight ahead, but the true elite guys mix in a strong left-handed move, spins, hesitations, pump fakes and the like to their repertoire.  If he learns to go around defenders just as easily as he goes over them, Leslie could have a long NBA career.

Travis Leslie Named MVP of D-League All-Star Game

Leslie scored 19 points with 7 rebounds in the game. 

Highlights

Leslie was a last-minute addition to the game after Andrew Goudelock couldn't play due to injury.  Travis came in and put on a show.  Sure, there wasn't much defense played in the game, but that's true of all the all-star games.  The key is that Leslie showed what he can do out there.

Leslie is averaging 16.2 points and 7 rebounds with 2 steals in 27 minutes a night in the D-League.  He's shooting 50 percent from the floor overall and 40 percent from behind the arc.

Leslie Named D-League Player of the Month

Great honor for Travis Leslie. 

Dawg fans no doubt remember that Leslie has tremendous hops.  Don't think I've ever seen a play quite like Leslie's dunk over Demarcus Cousins (in UGA's game against Kentucky at Rupp Arena). 

There was some concern over how Travis would fare after he left UGA early to go to the NBA.  He didn't play much last season after getting drafted by the Golden State Warriors.  Then at the beginning of this year, the Warriors cut him.  To make matters worse, Leslie had to work hard to rehab from an injury.

Well, the video below shows that Travis can still play at a high level.  He's still posterizing big men.  Still playing great defense.  On one play he leaps from just inside the free throw line on the steal and flush.

Travis will compete in the D-League Slam Dunk Contest tomorrow night.

Leslie

Notwithstanding the dunks, perhaps a more impressive part of Leslie's performance has been his all-around game.  Shooting 55 percent from the field, 43 percent on threes, leading his team in rebounds.

With all his athleticism, Travis never showboats.  He smiles when teammates celebrate, but other than that, he almost looks unimpressed.  Great teammate.  Player of the Month.  Yeah, he'll get called up.

Leslie Cut by Clippers

The Clippers never were a good fit for Travis. Leslie was a high-flyer on a team that didn't need his skills. They already have Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to catch lobs, plus a slew of other guards to throw 'em.

I suppose that the question is whether any NBA team is a fit for Leslie. Does Travis Leslie have NBA talent?

Leslie is a guy with pretty good speed straight ahead and excellent athleticism up and down. What he has lacked is the side to side quickness and the handle to get around guys.

Some will attribute Leslie being cut to his decision to leave school early. But the fact is that another year with Coach Fox was not going to help his game. Although Fox has a reputation for developing players, in reality our guards played worse last year than the year before. Dustin Ware went from 44 percent in field goal percentage in 2010 to 34 percent in 2011. Gerald Robinson fell off from 44 percent to 43. Brantley managed to go from a paltry 31 percent shooting to 25. Similar story for three-point shooting and assists.

Shucks, Leslie could have injured himself a la Marcus Lattimore. Besides, chances are that Leslie had more of a chance to showcase his skills playing with Trey Thompkins than he would have had running with Marcus Thornton or Donte Williams at the power forward for last year's 15 and 17 squad. I don't begrudge Leslie for bolting to the pro's when he had the chance. Would have loved to see him in the red and black one more year, but after all, it is his career.

The issue going forward for Leslie is how to move that career forward now that he has been cut at the last possible second prior to the season. Other teams have pared their roster down. They're likely not looking to add a player at this point.

Couple of options: Leslie could go play internationally, or he could look for a good D-League team, one on which he can play every night and get better. Although international teams are paying a lot of money these days and Leslie is young enough to enjoy time overseas, I'd probably pick the D-League route, at least for now.

Several NBA guards will not stick this year, either through injury or bad decisions or something else. Leslie has to keep his head in the game, get good counsel from family and other advisors, and be ready.

Good luck, Travis.

DM

Woodbury Wins Championship

Terrance Woodbury got his chance and he ran with it. After making a D-League roster, Terrance put together an impressive season, averaging 11 points and 3 rebounds per game for the Austin Toros.

Woodbury was even better during the playoffs. In the finals against the L.A. D-Fenders, Terrance averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds. Austin won the championship last weekend, and Terrance was a big part of the story. He scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the championship game, adding a steal, a block and an assist to his totals.

What’s next for Woodbury? He’s hoping to make an NBA roster. The natural fit would be for the Toros’ NBA sponsor, the San Antonio Spurs, to give him a look, but Woodbury would fit with any team seeking an inexpensive shooter and great locker room guy.

Congratulations, Wood!

Travis Leslie Interview

upon the occasion of his return to the NBA from his short stint with the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League.

The Clippers obviously believed that Travis would benefit from practicing with the team as much as any improvement in his game from playing against D-League competition. It was good to hear Leslie's take on the experience.

U-Turn

Leslie Adjusting to D-League

Had 19 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the field, 1 of 1 from the free throw line. Also notched 2 rebounds and an assist in 25 minutes.

His team, the Bakersfield Jam, beat the Idaho Stampede Saturday night.

In 4 games so far, Leslie is shooting 56 percent, and averaging 13 points and 4 boards in 21 minutes per night.

Terrance Woodbury Interview

He's playing great for the Austin Toros. In a fantastic city, getting his chance to showcase his talents in front of various NBA scouts.

Still has good form on his shot. He'll have to put it on the deck consistently and go strong to the basket to really round out his game, but if he commits to rebounding and defending, some team may pick him up.

Terrance

Remember, too, that older posts from Terrance's D-League, international and college careers can be found by clicking on Terrance's name in the blue hyper-text below the article.

Ezra Williams Playing Consistent Ball

As I posted a couple of weeks ago, Ezra Williams is playing for the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League.

Williams is averaging a respectable 7 points and 2 rebounds in right at 18 minutes per game. He has yet to miss from the free throw line. He also has 1 assist per game, which I figure is about right for him.

Williams did not play in the Toros' last game, a win over the Sioux Falls SkyForce. Not sure if he was injured or not. The Toros won rather convincingly, by a score of 117 to 91.

Since Austin is affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs, maybe Williams will be considered by management if the Spurs need a scorer from behind the arc.

Richard Hendrix in D-League

File this one under "Basketball."

It's only tangentially related to UGA. Georgia has done a nice job the last few years in playing against Alabama. One of the keys to UGA's performance against the Tide was keeping Richard Hendrix under control.

Hendrix is a star in the making. If he ever learns to shoot free throws, the guy could really help Golden State. Hendrix is playing now in the D-League, out west playing for the Bakersfield Jam.

Turns out that Hendrix has some ability-- not sure how much, but some ability-- from behind the arc.

Anyway, I admire Hendrix for playing hard at Alabama and going about his business in the right way.

Hendrix

Steve Newman and Utah Flash have Off Game

Steve Newman played in Utah's most recent game against Bakersfield. He scored just 3 points in 17 minutes, going just 1 for 6 from the field. He was able to grab 6 boards in the contest, but it would have to be considered as an off game for him.

His teammates didn't fare much better. Though Bill Walker had a nice game, with 23 points on 8 of 10 shooting, the Utah Flash was no match for the Bakersfield Jam. Bakersfield won the game, 122 to 81.

Fred Gibson makes Roster

As with Steve Newman, Fred Gibson has made a D-League team in the Southwest.

Who knows? If he has been working on his jump-shot, Gibson may end up as a really fast shooting guard on some future NBA squad.

Albuquerque

Steve Newman makes the D-League

I thought that he had made the team, but it's more official now that the last round of cuts have occurred and Newman is listed on the roster.

Utah Flash Roster

Congratulations, Steve.