[new_royalslider id=”11″]
Going from chasing a National Championship to being undrafted must be pretty rough. For Aaron Craft, he is just grateful he gets to play basketball and is hopeful some NBA team will take a chance on the floor leader. The Las Vegas Summer League is a great opportunity for un-drafted free agents and players with hopes of making an NBA roster to leave a lasting impression.
The Golden State Warriors picked up the former Ohio State Buckeye for the Las Vegas Summer League, but he comes to the Nevada desert already having played with the Philadelphia 76ers in the Orlando Summer League that took place last week. He didn’t get to see the floor much, but is hopeful he can show his defensive prowess with the Warriors.
Craft is an Academic All-American who is also a two time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, is hoping to make an impression with first year coach Steve Kerr. Craft is a pesky defender who can attack the rim with ease. Unfortunately, he doesn’t shoot the rock very well, which could be a cause for concern. At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Craft is a bit undersized, but has shown that he could use his intelligence to his advantage on the hardwood.
Craft is a competitor and Kerr has quickly recognized that he is a winner. Craft was able to quickly pick up the Warriors offense and has already seen the floor much more in Las Vegas than he did in Orlando. Craft has shown that he can smoothly run the offense, but his best offensive weapon is his ability to get in the lane. His bobbing and weaving through the defense and his relentlessness is something to admire.
Craft is a proud defender and has no problem swarming the defender and grabbing several steals per game. Could he score enough to get on the floor? He definitely needs to improve his shooting ability if he wants a shot at being a solid NBA player. Craft looks like a player that will benefit from the right system, but he really help himself if he could become a deep shooting threat.
Although athleticism isn’t Craft’s strong point, he has enough lateral quickness to keep up with speedy NBA point guards. Craft is an expert at reading the passing lanes and with his quick hands, he could continue to be pesky defender at the next level