Donte Greene SELECTED BY: Memphis Grizzlies, Round 1(28) traded to Rockets

SI Rank 7 GRADING SYSTEM

BIOGRAPHY: Greene started 35 games for the Orange as a freshman this season, averaging team highs of 17.7 points and 1.6 blocks to go with 7.2 rebounds per game, making him one of the more versatile underclassmen in the draft. He was named to the All-Big East rookie team after posting the fourth-best scoring average in the conference. Has great size and athleticism for a young player, but has some significant weaknesses. His shooting percentage declined during the Big East portion of the schedule, with him shooting 38.5 percent from the field in 18 conference games after shooting 46.7 percent during the non-conference schedule. He tended to fade late in games, but that could be in part due to fatigue as he was forced to play increased minutes because of injuries on Syracuse. With his size, Greene is able to move around and vary his shot, but he still needs to work on his shot selection, which can be very poor, especially against the more elite teams. He averaged 14.9 shots per game and an incredibly high 7.5 3-point attempts. Greene isn't particularly comfortable with his left hand and he lacks an explosiveness around the basket, which could help him get to the free-throw line more often. He shot 70.7 percent from the line, but didn't get there that often, averaging just 3.8 attempts per contest. Greene also wasn't particularly strong with his ball handling, averaging 2.6 turnovers. He's considered a late lottery or mid first-round pick.