Coby Karl

If there was an MVP award handed out at the conclusion of the D-League Showcase, Coby Karl likely would have won it. He dropped a cool 50 points in a pair of victories in Utah, tacking on 17 assists for good measure. His play in Idaho's first game of the Showcase, bringing them back from a 25 point deficit against the very talented, but disorganized Fort Wayne Mad Ants, was really an eye-opener.

Karl’s contributions go much further than the box-score, as he’s a very complete player with an outstanding understanding of the game. His body is looking better and better and his athleticism is not too shabby, particularly once he gets going past his below average first step.

Karl is a terrific shooter, as his 40% percentages on nearly two 3-point makes per contest would attest. Very few of those attempts come on clean looks, though, and it wouldn't be out of the question to see him shoot a much higher percentage if he consistently were able to get his feet set. Karl makes tough shots coming off screens or pulling up off the dribble, showing great mechanics and a real knack for putting the ball in the basket.

Karl really excels on the pick and roll, being extremely creative off the dribble and seeing the floor well. He is a very good ball-handler and can dish off to an open teammate using either hand, showing outstanding vision and smarts in the process. He gets to the free throw line in the D-League at a pretty good rate, as he’s a tough guy who is not afraid to take the ball strong to the rack, and is more explosive than you might think getting up and finishing. His decision making leaves a little bit to be desired from time to time—he is prone to trying to do a little too much with the ball, and therefore turns it over at a pretty high rate.

Defensively, Karl is limited by his average to below-average lateral quickness, often looking a half a step slow when trying to stay in front of his man. He’s able to make up for that at times with his smarts and phenomenal length (he possesses a freakish 6-11 wingspan), and certainly can’t be knocked for his effort. Still, there are major question marks about his ability to defend a position at the NBA level (the one or the two?), and this is probably what he needs to show the most to executives that make the trek to watch him play.

Karl is clearly one of the top guard prospects in the D-League, and should be on any NBA shortlist for a potential call-up. Whether he has what it takes to be a legit rotation player remains to be seen, but there is really only one way to find out.

Idaho should be led by the play of versatile Coby Karl, recently cut by the LA Lakers. Karl can play three positions in the D-League and should shoulder a significant amount of the playmaking duties. He is a very aggressive and extremely intelligent player with a terrific stroke from beyond the arc and excellent court vision, and is aided tremendously by his terrific 7-foot wingspan. Not terribly athletic, particularly in the lateral quickness department, he will have to find the right fit in order to make it back to the NBA, and will also draw significant interest from high-level European teams.

Karl had a nice game today, but spent quite a bit of time on the floor. He’s a gritty player, but has no issue taking his lumps. He made his fair share of impressive plays today, splitting a double team with a bounce pass for an assist, ripping the ball away from a couple of jump shooters, and getting an and one around two would be shot blockers by shielding the ball with his body. Karl is a tremendously cerebral player, he thinks the game like a veteran. His shot was falling today, and that allowed him to do a lot of damage from three point range. He’s got great form and his range allows him to get his shot off even when he’s facing a lot of pressure defensively. Though Karl wasn’t able to carry his team to a win, this was easily his best individual performance, showcasing his offensive skills. Karl took a beating today, and it is clear that he’s one of the most competitive guys here in Vegas.

Karl had a good game today, despite shooting poorly. He was essentially running the show for the Lakers, handling the ball most of the game and looking pretty comfortable doing it. His stat line shows that he did a little bit of everything today, and he was one of the reasons the Lakers were able to stay ahead for most of the game. Many of his missed shots were the result of poor play by his teammates, leaving him with the ball late in the shot clock. Though he’s not athleticism enough to get separation, he’s not a slouch either. The fact that he’s comfortable playing a high level allows him to effective use the athleticism he does have, something that wasn’t true about him last year. Without a lot of help around him, Karl was clearly the best player on the floor for the Lakers. His fundamentals were on full display throughout the game.

One of the best stories at this pre-draft camp any way you slice it, Coby Karl came in here determined to show that he is a lot more than that. If there was one name on the invite list that people would scrutinize due to his father’s obvious NBA connections and the fact that he already played here (poorly, besides the last day) last year—its Coby Karl. With all that off our chest, we can say with full confidence that Karl not only deserved his invite, but he was also one of the best players in attendance as his spot on this list would indicate. What makes this fact even more surprising is the fact that he is coming off (his second) throat cancer surgery just 2 months ago—meaning he probably isn’t even at 100%.

Karl surprisingly played the point guard position for most of his time on the floor, looking quite natural doing so. He has excellent ball-handling skills and the imagination and flair needed to make some highlight reel caliber passes. Karl clearly has spent some time watching footage of his father’s team, the Nuggets, showing no shame whatsoever in throwing an unexpected alleyoop lob or behind the back feed to complete a pick and roll play. A Denver scout told us after one particular game with a grin that Karl Sr. threatened to fine his son $500 for one careless turnover caused by his over-enthusiasm. Regardless of the turnover, Karl was responsible for some excellent assists, particularly in the first game where he had 6 compared to just one turnover.

In the drills, Karl looked a bit overmatched in the one on one portions, where his average quickness and first step really showed. In the actual games, though, this didn’t seem to be nearly as much of a problem, as he utilized screens beautifully and showed little hesitation making strong moves to the paint instantly right as the ball was swung to him. He drew a fantastic 7 fouls per game on average in just 20 minutes per game, some of which were converted together with the and-1.

As a shooter, Karl excels, thanks to a quick, but unorthodox release. He shows little hesitation getting his shot off, and already has NBA range as indicated by the 3-5 he shot from behind the arc at this camp.

Even though he played extremely well here, it would be surprising to see Karl getting drafted. His combination of size and athleticism is just average for a player who isn’t quite a point guard at 6-4. On the defensive end is where he’d probably struggle the most, but it wouldn’t shock to see him get a solid look in summer league, if the Nuggets don’t just snatch him up. Although most people would raise eyebrows at Coach Karl signing his son to a free agent deal (how exactly would they be able to cut him is anyone’s guess…), he does actually fill somewhat of a need with his passing and perimeter shooting skills. If all else fails, there is likely an excellent paycheck waiting for him overseas.

Starting at the point guard position for the winning team, Coby Karl certainly had one of the more noteworthy performances of day one. He showed an extremely quick release knocking down three catch and shoot NBA 3-pointers off screens, and then came up with a big steal and finish in transition with a nifty finger roll. He also made some very heady (and sometimes flashy) passes both in transition and in the half-court, driving and dishing and showing some superb confidence in his ability to find the open man. To emphasize the groove he was in, on one occasion he ran a pick and roll play with Jermareo Davidson, and while immediately recognizing the defense hedging , threw a perfectly timed behind the back bounce pass for an easy basket. In the one and one drills Karl showed his biggest weakness—his below average explosiveness and ability to create his own shot. Here in the camp he’s found a way to hide that as far as the actual game was concerned, though.