(USA Today)

Vander Blue has taken on the daunting task of transitioning to point guard at the NBA level. The decision has been criticized by many–perhaps more so than the decision to declare early itself–but only Blue and those helping him in the months leading up to draft really know if this is the right call for him to make.

All there is to do is project how Blue will play the position in the NBA. There’s not much to go on from his time at Marquette, given that the only times Blue ran the point was in three-guard sets as a sophomore with Todd Mayo and Darius Johnson-Odom alongside him.

In comparing numbers to fellow point guards in this year’s draft, consider Blue played off the ball his entire junior season and is trying to become something in two months that he’ll try to make a living off the next decade. Those around him have done so for years, and subsequently have the game tape, to show general managers and scouts.

There’s two sides to the game, and what Blue can provide on defense likely will be his calling card at the next level. What Blue must prove, however, is that he’s able to contribute as a scorer and passer. Defensive specialists (see: Wilson, Derrick) work on the collegiate level, but to earn minutes (and a contract) one must be able to score and distribute.

In this write-up his passing skills and numbers won’t come into play. What will be looked at is how Blue has performed in pick-and-roll action, perhaps the most important attribute for an NBA point guard to have. Per Synergy.com, we took ESPN.com’s top 20 point-guard prospects and measured how they performed as the ball handler in pick and rolls. The numbers only show scoring, so understand that these rankings aren’t the end all, be all. There’s another half to how point guards play within pick-and-roll sets, but we only have scoring numbers to analyze.

Those with green numbers ranked in the top five of the respective category while, you guessed it, red means he ranked in the bottom five of the top 20 point guards.

13.5 percent of Blue’s scoring attempts came off pick-and-roll action, likely with Jamil Wilson, Juan Anderson or Steve Taylor setting the screen near the free-throw line, with Blue driving toward the paint or pulling up for a jumper. Since Blue wasn’t a point guard who used the action all that much, relative to others, it’s not surprising he’s toward the bottom of this list, which ranked point-per-possession Division I percentiles. We put each player’s assist rate in on the far right for comparison-sake, but again that doesn’t mean much for Blue. He was a scorer for Marquette.

He did use the action more as a junior (13.5 percent), up from 6.3 percent as a sophomore and 4.6 percent as a freshman. So it’s fair to say he’s played more of a point-guard role last year than ever before. 

Blue’s 0.7 points per possession fall in line with Peyton Siva and Ray McCallum (0.71 each) and his field-goal percentage was a respectable 36.4 percent, similar to Montana’s Will Cherry (37), Siva (38.4) and Michael Carter-Williams (37). It was notably higher than Baylor’s Pierre Jackson (34.1 percent), another scoring guard trying to make it at the point (yes, Jackson has much better passing skills, but work with it).

These numbers may not look too positive for Blue, but players such as Siva, McCallum, Phil Pressey and Myck Kabongo are other second rounders who put up similar scoring numbers to Blue in pick and rolls. Again, passing is an important part to the equation, but if Blue can improve his scoring while playing the point–remember, all Blue’s numbers came as a shooting guard–it could give him the upper hand against others ranked near him.

BONUS: Taking a more national approach, here’s a few other takeaways from the chart above.

– Trey Burke is the total package. His pick-and-roll scoring numbers ranked near the top of this list, and he was able to put up the fourth-highest assist rate. Burke is the top player on this list who played in a high-major conference, and the fact that he used pick-and-roll sets in 35.5 percent of possessions and still produced 0.98 PPP is mighty impressive. He’s far-and-away the best point guard in the class and, in this writer’s opinion, the top player in the class.

– We documented Shane Larkin’s pick-and-roll volume when Marquette played Miami, and scouts/GMs having almost 47 percent of his scoring attempts coming from such sets is important. Shooting better than 46 percent from the field on those attempts will help his stock almost as much as his Combine numbers.

– Michael Carter-Williams has upside with the best of this year’s point guards, but his lack of time in pick-and-roll sets and horrendous field-goal percentage is telling. He needs work on his shooting, and this shows why.

– Pierre Jackson shot just 34.1 percent off pick and rolls, but his points per possession gave him a top-8 ranking. What that shows is his 3-point shooting off these sets is second-to-none in the class, similar to Nate Robinson’s style of play. Teams should be looking for comparisons of the two, and this is a good starting point.

– Phil Pressey will be selected or not selected for his passing skills, but he’ll need to improve his scoring to complement it. His 34 percent shooting clip is nothing to write home about, and he’ll need to become even a small scoring threat.

(USA Today Sports Images)

Perhaps the only thing more interesting than Juan Anderson deciding to return to Marquette one month after requesting his release was the news that he will make the transition to the backcourt for his junior season.

Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook’s Mark Miller first reported the news, and it came, more or less, as a shock. After all, Anderson had played inside his first two seasons–more out of necessity than anything–and originally projected as a small forward coming out of Castro Valley High School (Calif.).

There’s reason for optimism that Anderson can make the move, considering A) he has shown range from beyond the 3-point arc, B) has shown some handle in the open court and C) has good speed/quickness for a 6-foot-6 switchable.

But where Anderson may have the best argument to transition from forward to guard is on the defensive end.

If we’re being realistic, the main reason for his move to the perimeter is to get him as far away from the paint as possible.  The 210-pound Anderson missed an entire offseason to gain weight and muscle, and nine out of 10 times he was over-matched inside. The Marquette Brand partially has been built on forwards playing “up” a position–small forwards to power forwards; power forwards to center–however, it’s clear Anderson isn’t part of that equation. He has plenty of room for growth and the potential is there, just not inside.

The general consensus is Anderson must prove he can hang with guards on the perimeter. It’s not a matter of shooting, driving to the basket–though he will need to show marked improvement there–or playing in transition (Anderson was fourth-best on the fast break, based on PPP, per Synergy). It’s proving he can stay in front of the smaller, likely quicker players. His length will help, and it’s something he proved last year.

Consider these stats from Synergy:

Last year Anderson was crushed in the post, allowing 1.111 points per possession. That ranked in just the 9th percentile for all NCAA players, a quite telling (and awful) number. Again, these numbers shouldn’t be surprising. Anderson did play well against the pick-and-roll as the “big” in the equation, allowing 0.786 points per possession, ranking in the 55th percentile for all players. The latter numbers aren’t bad by any stretch; the big takeaway is the post-up defense.

Juan Anderson’s inside numbers as a sophomore.

Juan Anderson’s perimeter-based numbers.

The Oakland native was much better on the perimeter. In playing defense against spot-up shots–the closest type of shot to a perimter-based attempt–Anderson allowed 0.87 points per possession, in the 56th percentile for all players. He also played well in limited attempts against pick-and-roll ball handlers, ranking in the 54th percentile.

These numbers show Anderson was much better outside of the paint, but now they need context. Anderson’s 0.87 PPP-against versus “spot-up” shots was similar to Jamil Wilson (0.84), Vander Blue (0.822) and Junior Cadougan (.813).

The one caveat here is obvious: Anderson’s numbers came against other small/power forwards. If he’s going to play as a shooting guard this year, he’ll have to defend the same position. Can he do that? Time will tell, but last year proved he’s an above-average defender on the perimeter and, maybe more important, not all that useful in the post. The move to shooting guard may prove to be beneficial for both Anderson and Marquette’s post defense.

(USA Today Images)

A little more than a month after being granted his release, junior forward Juan Anderson has decided to return to the Golden Eagles, the team announced early Monday morning.

A source close to the situation revealed to Paint Touches earlier this month that teams from the Pac-12 and Missouri Valley Conference had inquired on Anderson, but that the 6-foot-6 forward did not receive as much interest as he originally thought he would when he made the decision to transfer from Marquette.

“I had an extended opportunity to discuss everything with my family and after those conversations we believed, along with the coaching staff, that Marquette was the best place for me to continue my career,” Anderson said in a press release.

The 6-foot-6 forward started 31 of 35 games last year, averaging 13.0 minutes, 2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds.

Eleven days after Anderson asked for his release, Paint Touches wrote that Marquette would miss what Anderson could have been, noting that a pair of shoulder injuries his freshman season (and sophomore preseason) slowed the former top-70 recruit’s progress.

He rejoins a loaded frontcourt, consisting of seniors Chris Otule, Davante Gardner and Jamil Wilson. Junior-college junior Jameel McKay also arrives on campus this month and could start from Da 1. With Steve Taylor set to miss the next 3-5 months after knee surgery, Anderson could be in line for extended minutes and could jump on the opportunity to play well in Taylor’s absence.

“After multiple conversations that have transpired over the last month with Juan and his family, he has decided to come back to Marquette and rejoin our program,” Buzz Williams said in the release. “He is grateful for this opportunity and I am convinced this is the right thing to do.”

Anderson’s return gives Marquette 13 scholarships. Earlier in the offseason Jake Thomas, who also sought his release from the program, made the decision to return on scholarship.

Vander Blue is still chasing a handful of shooting guards leading up to the draft. (USA Today)

Vander Blue is looking to improve in a few areas before the NBA draft to prove he’s worthy of a draft selection. But more important, he’ll be competing against other shooting guards who have the same goal in mind. Blue has stated that he’d like to transition to point guard at the next level–and we’ll have PG rankings later–but NBA general managers may see Blue at his natural position, so that’s what we’re breaking down today.

Over the last 10 seasons, 123 shooting guards have been drafted, with as many as 15 being taken in 2006 and 2012, and as few as 10 taken in 2010 and 2011. Some of these players have had point-guard capabilities, so we included those, but did not include pure point guards in the total.

Every draft is different, so there isn’t too much stock to be taken from previous results. But for the sake of analyzing and arguing, we can safely assume Blue must rank in the top-15 to have a shot at being drafted–no, Blue doesn’t need to be selected in the draft to make it in the NBA, something Wesley Matthews proved, but it’s still every player’s goal.

Here are the top 25 shooting guards in this year’s class–our rankings, so debate as you will–and where Blue stands among them. Of the groups, we ranked each in terms of how good a chance Blue has of moving up before draft night.

No chance: With these players it’s time to be honest: Blue has a zero percent chance of being selected higher. He could dazzle at the NBA Combine, dominate in individual workouts and come off as a star during interviews, but the players below will be selected before him. Period.

1. Ben McLemore, 6-foot-5, Kansas: The ultra-athletic shooter has stellar range, can rebound and has perhaps the best chance of anyone in this class to become a true superstar.
2. Victor Oladipo, 6-foot-5, Indiana: The best perimeter defender in the class has improved his outside shot and can get to the hoop at will, and he has the leadership skills teams in the lottery are looking for.
3. C.J. McCollum, 6-foot-3, Lehigh: One of the most accomplished player in the draft, this senior has a quick first step and excels in transition, combined with solid defensive traits.
4. Shabazz Muhammad, 6-foot-6, UCLA: The top 2012 high school recruit has plenty of upside and can score in a variety of ways, but struggles defensively and isn’t terribly athletic.
5. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 6-foot-5, Georgia: Playing for the Bulldogs didn’t give him much national notoriety, but he’s a deadly outside shooter and has excellent size to help on the defensive end.

Little chance: Never say never with these players, but Blue is still below these fringe Lottery-to-first-round picks and it would take some serious improvement on his end, combined with each players’ stock falling for Blue to move ahead of these players. At this point it would be nothing short of a small miracle for Blue to move into the top-six.

6. Allen Crabbe, 6-foot-6, California: One of the better scorers and shooters in the class, Crabbe likely will move to shooting guard at the next level, as he’s undersized as a small forward.
7. Jamaal Franklin, 6-foot-5, San Diego State: Franklin has excellent size and length for the position, gets to the basket and is a superb rebounder, but hits jump shot could be a concern for teams.
8. Archie Goodwin, 6-foot-5, Kentucky: Having played for John Calipari, Goodwin is automatically a serious prospect. However, he needs refinement in his game and much improve from the perimeter.
9. Ricky Ledo, 6-foot-6, Providence: Much like Lance Stephenson, off-the-court concerns and a lack of effort are sure to make teams nervous, but like Stephenson, his strength and ability to play the point make him intriguing.
10. Alex Abrines, 6-foot-5, Spain: As is the case with all international prospects, rankings and scouting reports come from draft databases. Abrines is a fantastic outside shooter and athlete, but needs to add strength before seeing playing time at the next level.
11. Reggie Bullock, 6-foot-6, North Carolina: The underrated scorer took a major step in his junior season, and his versatility will serve him well at the next level. He could probably ranked higher on this list.

50-50 chance: None of the below players are guaranteed first rounders but, for one reason or another, still have a leg up on Blue. Keep an eye on these players to compare Blue to during NBA Combine and individual workouts.

12. Glen Rice Jr., 6-foot-6, Georgia Tech: One of the hardest-working defenders in the class, Rice Jr. will need to prove his offensive worth to be considered in the first round. He did, however, average 25 points per game in the D-League last season (was kicked off GT’s team).
13. Tony Snell, 6-foot-7, New Mexico: A natural small forward, Snell’s lanky frame may push him to shooting guard, a position where his outside shot and athleticism could make him a first-round pick.
14. Tim Hardaway Jr., 6-foot-6, Michigan: One of the stars of the NCAA Tournament, Hardaway Jr. does just about everything well, but nothing great. He could be a solid value pick based on family genes and upside.
15. B.J. Young, 6-foot-3, Arkansas: This combo guard played primarily at the point, but his ability to score and explosive first step make him a viable candidate to see plenty of time at shooting guard.

The main competition: Now that we’re out of the (extremely) unofficial cut-off, these are players who we can safely assume are right in the thick of it with Blue (he’s in this group). These players are looking to move into the top-15 and are–for the most part–players who had great collegiate careers but may not stack up against the better prospects. They’ll have to prove their work over the next 40-or-so days.

16. Sergey Karasev, 6-foot-7, Russia: Per ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, Karasev can play multiple positions, has stellar floor vision and can get to the basket. His upside is a toss-up, but he’ll be able to contribute from Day 1.
17. Vander Blue, 6-foot-4, Marquette: The Golden Eagles’ leading scorer made a giant leap in his junior season and has the length to defend, but his outside shoot needs serious improvement, despite the improvement.
18. Brandon Paul, 6-foot-4, Illinois: He can score from anywhere on the court but inconsistency and effort are concerns. If he shoots well in pre-draft camps, he has a solid chance at being drafted.
19. Michael Snaer, 6-foot-5, Florida State: Always a flair for the dramatic, Snear did most of his damage around the basket and on the defensive end, though he’s still an impressive shooter.
20. Seth Curry, 6-foot-3, Duke: If his brother, Stephen, has proved anything, it’s that a Curry with an outside shot is a good bet to succeed. Seth isn’t much of a point guard like Steph has loosely become, but the upside is there.
21. Durand Scott, 6-foot-3, Miami: An outstanding defender, Scott can play both guard positions, but where he fits in at the next level is a major question. He did run plenty of pick-and-roll action with the Hurricanes, which will help.

Also looking to move up: Blue should be widely considered ahead of these players on most, if not all, big boards. They have potential to move up, like all prospects, but Blue’s traits give him the upper hand to date.

22. Kenny Boynton, 6-foot-1, Florida: Nate Robinson’s playoff performance has done wonders for undersized scorers, and Boynton fits that bill quite well.
23. Khalif Wyatt, 6-foot-3, Temple: He almost became NCAA Tournament Hero No. 1 against Indiana, and the toughness seen in that game is sure to be ingrained in the minds of NBA teams come draft time.
24. Will Clyburn, 6-foot-6, Iowa State: A lot like Jimmy Butler in a lot of ways, where he can play both shooting guard and small forward and is a great rebounder. If his jump shoot improves, his stock will, too.
25. Carrick Felix, 6-foot-6, Arizona State: His size allows him versatility on the defensive end and he’s much better around the rim than he is from the perimeter. He’ll be 23 years old when the NBA season begins.

Vander Blue put up big number in Chicago at Day 2 of the NBA Combine.

What first began with some not-so-favorable reports out of Chicago seemed to have ended with a bang for Vander Blue, who came out a winner from the past two days at the NBA Combine.

There wasn’t much to be seen or read about on Day 1, other than Blue being listed as “from DePaul” and an ugly report from ESPN.com Insider Chad Ford, writing, “It’s pretty hard to hurt your stock in a camp like this. But there was some negativity around the poor shooting performances by Archie Goodwin, B.J. Young and Vander Blue. All three players really struggled to look the part of “shooting” guards in the drills Thursday.

We know from Blue himself that he’ll be working as a point guard throughout the draft process. Still, struggling to shoot is struggling to shoot. Gone are the days of pass-first point guards with little-to-no outside shooting prowess (we see you, Tony Parker; keep the fight alive), so it was a slight disappointment to see Ford name Blue out of the 60+ prospects in attendance.

[RELATED: Vander Blue's NBA equivalent]

Luckily, Day 2 brought plenty of success.

Before anything began on the court, Blue measured in at 6-foot-5 1/4, more than an inch taller than his 6-foot-4 listing at Marquette and taller than consensus Lottery picks Victor Oladipo and Ben McLemore. Furthermore, the “point guard” Blue measures in as the second-tallest at his position, behind only Michael Carter-Williams (6-foot-5 3/4.). What’s remarkable is that Blue wouldn’t even be considered all that undersized for a shooting guard; now he’s one of the taller point guards in the class, and if that handle is consistent his “new” height is a major plus.

Blue weighed in at 197 pounds, which isn’t terribly light but presumably lower than he would have liked. Then again, it also leaves room for him to add weight and muscle however an NBA team sees fit. Blue appears to have worked diligently in Los Angeles the last month, so this isn’t a matter of not packing enough weight on.

Blue’s 6-foot-6 wingspan is just average for his height, and his 8-foot-4 1/2 standing reach a much better number. Either way you look at it, Blue plays longer than he is so these numbers won’t help or hurt his status. He covers ground and plays above the rim, so being average in this department is just fine.

At 4.6 percent, Blue measured in with the 12th  lowest body fat of all players. That’s a pretty impressive number, for whatever it’s worth, and proves that flying to Los Angeles, as far away as possible from Real Chili, Sobelman’s and Dog Haus, will do the body good.

But where Blue made his mark earlier this afternoon–and official times won’t be posted by this story’s publishing–was in the speed and agility drills. This really should come as no surprise since Blue’s quick first step has been on display all season, but it’s another thing to do it in front of scouts and general managers, knowing dollars and draft stock is on the line. Here’s what Blue did:

Blue finished with the top time for guards in the modified lane agility drill at 2.70 seconds, 0.19 tenths ahead of Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan and 0.2 tenths faster than Illinois’ Brandon Paul. The Michigan duo, Tim Hardaway Jr. (2.93) and Trey Burke (3.01) rounded out the top-5 for guards. The modified lane agility drill, which Anonymous Eagle so eloquently described in their live chat, is: “where the player stands in the middle, bounces to one side, then to the other side, and then finishes by heading to the first side. Two-tenths of a second in that drill is a LOOOOONG time.”

[NBA SCOUT: Vander Blue can be a 'poor man's Tony Allen']

Essentially the measurement here is lateral agility, more of a defensive test than anything. For Blue, who will make or break his dollars with his defensive showing, this was about as best-case a scenario as he could have hoped for. This was the one drill (aside from outside shooting) that he needed to perform well in, and he wound up topping the list.

 Blue also showed off his straight-line speed by posting the fifth-fastest 3/4-court sprint time (3.14 seconds). The only players to top him were Miami’s Shane Larkin, North Carolina State’s C.J. Leslie, Georgia’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Missouri’s Phil Pressey. Blue also finished third in the lane agility drill (different, of course, from the modified drill) by posting a time of 10.4 seconds, slower than only Leslie (10.19) and Tony Snell (10.36). Again, a solid showing to rank in the top five with such athletic players around him.

Blue finished his testing with a 37.5-inch vertical which unofficially put him 14th for all guards. I couldn’t find any information on his bench press, but as Chad Ford said, zero general managers care about this number.