Ford: RJ Hunter Could be on Trail Blazers Radar

Chad Ford's latest iteration of his mock draft is out (ESPN Insider required) and he has a new name at #23 for the Portland Trail Blazers, Georgia State shooting guard R.J. Hunter. Ford says:

...there are several intriguing 2-guards who could fit here. Of that group, Hunter has the most upside. He's a terrific shooter, has a high basketball IQ, and can be a playmaker as well as a shooter.

The 6'6", 185 lb Junior shot 36% from college three-point range as a freshman and 40% as a sophomore but only 30% this season. His overall field goal percentage has never topped 44%, sinking to just below 40% this year. Despite that he scored 19.5 ppg and held up a 55% True Shooting percentage.

If last year's roster remains intact, Hunter would be the fourth shooting guard in Portland's rotation behind Wesley Matthews, Arron Afflalo, and CJ McCollum. Ford mentions that Matthews and Afflalo may not return, justifying the focus on shooting guard accordingly.

--Dave blazersub@gmail.com / @DaveDeckard / @Blazersedge

Random P.S.: Why do people say a guy has a "high basketball IQ"? Do we say someone has a "high geometry IQ" or do we just say he's smart? Do we say someone has a "high food IQ" or that he's a brilliant chef? It seems like some kind of code for, "This guy is not real-smart, just basketball smart." Like we can't credit athletes with having brains.

Alternately, from an editing perspective, we're talking about basketball players being drafted into a professional basketball league. Isn't the "basketball" in "basketball IQ" implied? I'm having flashbacks to Dan Dierdorf saying, "That was a great football play." What's wrong with saying, "He's a terrific shooter, has a high IQ, and can be a playmaker as well as a shooter"?

/rant