WCC NBA Draft Profile: Anthony Ireland

For four great seasons, Anthony Ireland ran the point for the LMU Lions. While sometimes the wins didn’t come his way all the time, Ireland was not the reason why.

Now that his WCC career is done, Ireland is attempting to accomplish every basketball players dream; make it big in the NBA.

While he has got  tough road ahead of him, it seems Ireland will be taking a shot, whether it be in the NBA or Europe.

The Process

There is little information on what Ireland has been up to. Ireland has  not worked out for any NBA teams to the public’s knowledge. However, Ireland has been hard at work, as apparent by this following video.

In addition to the typical workouts, Ireland played in “The Basketball Tournament,” a 32 team, single elimination tournament with a grand prize of 500,000 dollars. Ireland played for the Citi Team, which made it to the quarterfinals.

March 8, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Loyola Marymount Lions guard Anthony Ireland (3) shoots against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second half in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths

+ Playmaking

Ireland always had a knack for making the flashy play. Whether it’s by scoring or passing, Ireland can make NBA type plays.

+ Shooting Range

From Ireland’s time at LMU, the floor general showed serious range, showing he can shoot a 3-pointer from the NBA line.

­+ Active Hands on Defense

Ireland was always fishing for steals on the defensive side of the court, which led to easy opportunities on the offensive end. The former LMU point guard averaged 1.5 steals in his career, including 1.7 steals per game his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

Weaknesses

– Size

At only 5-foot-10, Ireland does not possess the height that the NBA is looking for in a player.

– Field Goal percentage

Ireland only shot 41.5 percent from the field, which is a little low for the high volume scorer that Ireland was in college.

Developing

• Passing

Ireland was relyed upon as a scorer at LMU, and never was able to showcase his talents as a distributor as much as he could. Look for this side of Ireland’s game to come out in a setting where he has more talent around him.

The Overall Picture

Just like most of the WCC players looking to achieve their dreams in the NBA, Ireland’s chances of being drafted are pretty slim. However, since Ireland is such a dynamic player, a team like the Thunder or the Pacers can afford to take a chance on the former LMU star.

Ireland’s best chances of making it to the league is through the NBA summer league, where he can impress a team with his play and make it to an NBA roster. If that doesn’t work out, Ireland is primed to have a fantastic career in Europe.