NBA head scout likes Jamar Wilson

Former University at Albany guard Jamar Wilson has a fan in NBA director of scouting Marty Blake, who said Wilson has the ability to play in the NBA. Eventually.

“Oh yeah, maybe not this year, but he definitely has a chance to play,” Blake said. “I think the guy’s skilled and he can do it. Sometimes he tried to do too much (in college). If he will just contain his game and go with the skills he has, hey, if I had a team, he might be better than some of the guys playing in the league. There are veterans out there making good money who might not be as quick. All he needs is some experience.”

All indications are Wilson, who didn’t play well in the Portsmouth Invitational last month, didn’t receive an invitation to the NBA pre-draft camp that begins in Orlando on Tuesday.

“It’s not looking that way,” Michael Whitaker, Wilson’s agent, said earlier this month. He and Wilson didn’t return phone messages last week. The NBA hasn’t released the rosters for Orlando yet.

Whitaker said earlier this month he was in the process of setting up individual workouts with NBA teams next month, though he declined to reveal which franchises were interested.

Blake said his office isn’t in charge of sending invitations to the Orlando camp. He added Wilson might need some seasoning in the NBA Development League before he can play in the big leagues.

“He needs to play somewhere and work on his game,” Blake said. “He’s really skilled and we saw him against Boise State (in the BracketBusters). He can dominate the level of basketball he played in. He didn’t play well in Portsmouth, but everybody knows that he has skills, especially at the point guard. I would urge him to play in the development league, which is going to 16 teams next year.”

It certainly doesn’t look like Wilson is going to get taken in the NBA Draft on June 28, but Blake pointed to players such as former Notre Dame guard Chris Quinn, who went undrafted last year and then played in 42 games for the Miami Heat.

“There are pretty good players this year who won’t get drafted,” Blake said.

Source: Mark Singelais, Staff writer of Times Union