With the 43rd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft the Lakers selected Devin Ebanks from the University Of West Virginia. Wait doesn't this sound familiar? (Trevor Ariza was the 43rd overall pick by the New York Knicks back in 2004).
At first it was surprising. I knew the Lakers had received a steal as soon as I heard his name.
I'm taking a wild guess that most people don't know much about Ebanks, so I'll give you the rundown.
Career Stats
2008-2009 Season: 10.5 (PTS), 7.8 (REB), 2.7 (AST), 47% from the field.
2009-2010 Season: 12.0 (PTS), 8.1 (REB), 2.4 (AST), 45.7% from the field.
As you can see, Ebanks can play efficiently and well. He may not have eye-popping numbers but he was consistent and solid. When a forward can average close to a double-double every game throughout his career, he can obviously play.
Coming out of Bishop Loughlin High, Ebanks was an instant prospect. He was ranked 11th overall top high school player coming into West Virginia.
Even at the collegiate level, Ebanks was an instant impact. Ebanks was listed as one of the Top 15 impact freshman by Sports Illustrated coming into the 2008–2009 season.
It's scary how close of a comparison there is between Ebanks and former Laker, Trevor Ariza. Both players are 6 ft 8 in, Ebanks is 205 (lbs) and Ariza is 210 (lbs), both were the 43rd pick of their draft class, and both are freak athletes with crazy wing spans.
As a Laker Fan, it is one of my many hopes that Ebanks turns out to be another Ariza. If you have watched him play you can see signs of talent. Ebanks is among the few that loves to be known as a lock-down defender and one who can crash the boards.
Now as normal human being, Ebanks is not perfect. He has had some attitude problems throughout his basketball career. Even during his collegiate career, he had to sit a couple of games due ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
