Editor's Note: This is also on Half Smokes.
Is it just me, or does it seem like every Georgetown NBA Draft prospect gets questioning for not showing enough "heart" or "aggressiveness?" People said Jeff Green was too passive back in 2007, and many more said Roy Hibbert was too "soft" in 2008. Now, many scouts are saying Greg Monroe lacks "aggression," "passion" and an "ability to take over a game." History has a funny way of repeating itself, doesn't it?
The guys at SB Nation's Georgetown blog Casual Hoya noticed this trend too, and like me, they think it's time to put a stop to it
It's becoming laughable that six seasons into John Thompson III's tenure at Georgetown, NBA scouts still say the exact same things about every lottery-bound player entering the draft from the school. First it was Jeff Green's perceived heart, then Roy Hibbert's, now Greg Monroe's. I assume at some point it will click that Thompson has smart, well rounded, hard working basketball players that don't need to make Kobe Bryant's jutted out nonsense face to show that they care about winning and care about the game. Each of the three aforementioned players have gotten significantly better year-by-year since they have been in college and then the pros.
A-frickin-Men. Sure, Green and Hibbert aren't stars, but they'll be very solid players in the NBA for a long time. Monroe comes with more accolades than both of them, so I see no reason why he also won't be a very good player in the NBA. Maybe he won't be Kobe Bryant, but who is? There's really nothing wrong with getting a sure fire 10-year big-man starter with a late lottery pick.