FanPost

Is Malcolm Lee the Next UCLA Guard in the NBA?

 As I read about Malcolm Lee's impressive pro workouts and his status as a possible PG or at least combo guard on the next level, I thought back to a post I did a year ago on "Back to Point Guard U."  Yes, there was a lot wrong with the post, but if Lee makes it in the pros, what an amazing record CBH will have of training and developing pro-guards.  Is Malcolm Lee next?

It's hard to remember a time when UCLA guards didn't play great defense. Coach Ben Howland takes some criticism for his snail-slow offense, but his players, for the most part, reach the NBA with solid defensive fundamentals already in their back pocket.

Luc Mbah a Moute, Arron Afflalo, Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday are, perhaps, the best examples. The five players had varying degrees of offensive skills when they were drafted, but each was able to lockdown on an opponent in the halfcourt set.

Bruins guard Malcolm Lee is keeping that tradition alive this year. Like the UCLA players before him, he can defend multiple positions (point guard and shooting guard),

Or this in the Detroit Newspaper a while back:

Among the group of guard prospects the Pistons brought in for predraft workouts this week, combo guard Malcolm Lee could be the most intriguing.

Lee, 21, declared for next month's draft after three seasons at UCLA.

He follows in a long line of Bruins who have excelled in the pros -- guards such as Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holiday, Darren Collison and former Piston Arron Afflalo.

I guess to sum it up on Lee is this post after his workout for the New York Knicks (emphasis mine):   

Again, none of the above are projected anywhere near New York's 17th selection, though Lee does fancy himself a first round pick and is the highest rated on the mock drafts that I've seen. There may come a point at which people are like "hey, remember that time Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison, and Jrue Holiday all turned out pretty well?" and move Lee up the boards on precedent alone."

BTW, I am not trying to sell Lee short.  Being possibly the best 1-3 defender in the country last year is an impressive accomplishment.  But what I am also saying is critics can attack CBH all they want but if Malcolm Lee makes it, it will be in no small part to UCLA and CBH.  As Malcolm Lee said after his Knicks tryout when asked if UCLA helped him: "most Definitely, I feel like UCLA prepared me in my three years there."

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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