[Dr.Zoidberg]

Looks like a solid pick at 51 for me. He could be a perfect fit for Kidd setting him up from 3-point land. Here a scouting report of NBADraft.net:

NBA Comparison: Shandon Anderson

Strengths: 2-guard with excellent athleticism and shooting ability ... Catch and shoot specialist ... One of the premiere three point shooters in the country ... Has been completely on fire through the first half of his senior season (shooting 53% from 3) ... Has a good frame for the shooting guard position with both height and length ... Has excellent speed, excels in the open floor finishing well on the break with his explosive leaping ability ... While not pretty his shot is effective: The high release point on his shot allows him to get shots off without much daylight ... Has improved defensively and gathers a fair number of steals (1.5 as a senior) ... Really moves well without the ball, setting opponents up for screens and constantly moving to get open ... A quality free throw shooter ... Hard worker, has shown improvement in his all around game. Shows dedication to his conditioning and gets stronger as the game goes on ...

Weaknesses: Overall feel for the game is improved but not outstanding ... Ball skills, passing and ball handling have shown improvement but are not great ... Lacks a great mid-range game ... His ball handling and ability to create off the dribble is weak ... A little on the skinny side, could stand to add some body strength, which would enable him to finish better at the rim and after contact ... His shooting motion, while effective is unorthodox. He shoots the ball above his head ala World B. Free and sort of slings the ball instead of one steady motion. But you can't knock the results ... He appears to have good range, but the unorthodox form begs the question whether he will have trouble stepping back 4 feet to the NBA line with the same success ... Because he doesn't drive to the basket much, his trips to the line are limited ...

Aran Smith - 1/8/2008

Link

December 28, 2007 - Averaging over 20 points per game on absolutely outrageous shooting percentages (54.6% FG, 54.9% 3P) playing for an undefeated team is a good way to draw attention to yourself, and that’s exactly what Shan Foster has done over the past few weeks. A guy that we somewhat wrote off over the summer after appearing to be a pretty one dimensional shooter on film, he was always going to look a lot more interesting shooting 55% from behind the arc over the 34.6% he shot last year. And while you could probably still label Foster a pretty one-dimensional guy—the dimension he does have in his game looks absolutely incredible at the moment, and will surely be enough to draw him considerable interest from the NBA if he can keep up anywhere near the same pace over the course of the season.

Foster has good size for the shooting guard position, at a lanky 6-6 with a very nice wingspan. He’s a skinny player who’s frame probably isn’t the best, but at his position and considering his skill-set, that’s probably not the end of the world. Athletically, Foster is average at best, showing a poor first step and underwhelming lateral quickness. That’s part of the reason why he wasn’t considered a great prospect up until this year.

The one saving grace, though, has everything to do with his shooting stroke. Foster has a slightly unconventional release, cocking the ball behind his head (think Michael Redd) with a super high release point and putting a great deal of arc on the ball. He shoots the ball with unbelievable confidence, though, coming off screens and just throwing the ball in the basket with the greatest of ease, showing outstanding touch and an incredibly quick release. In case you wondered whether his numbers might be a fluke 11 games into the season, consider that he’s attempting just under 7 ½ 3-pointers per game. He is absolutely money once he sets his feet, featuring NBA plus range on his jumper and absolutely no conscience running off a screen (which he does quite well) and firing away.

Foster was very streaky from behind the arc last year, being somewhat feast or famine in the sense that he could go 1 for 7 in one game and then 5 for 8 just a few days later. The reason for that is that he has a tendency to cock the ball too far behind his head when he’s being very closely guarded, making his release point a bit on the inconsistent side. He’s done a better job at finding and taking much cleaner looks this season, reading ball screens better and not forcing the issue, and thus shooting a higher percentage.

If a defender runs out wildly trying to contest his initial catch, Foster is smart enough to put the ball on the floor and step inside the arc for a better shot. He can stop and pull-up from mid-range, much preferring to do so rather than take the ball all the way to the basket and finish at the rim. If he does take the ball all the way, you’ll often see him finishing a play with a nifty right-handed floater from about 8-10 feet out.

Not being a terribly explosive athlete, Foster is not a very good ball-handler either, particularly with his left hand. He did not attempt even a single free throw in four of Vanderbilt’s 11 games this season, which gives you a small indication of his lack of offensive versatility. He’s a player that can be nullified for long stretches by a big, long and athletic defender that gets right in his grill and does not give him the daylight he needs to get his shot off on the catch and shoot, but to his credit, Foster realizes his limitations and does not force the issue. Foster is currently ranked #1 in points per possession amongst draft prospects, as well as 7th in True Shooting Percentage. He’s an unselfish player who seems to have a very nice feel for the game.

Defensively, Foster puts in a solid effort, and can even find some success at times due to his intensity combined with his excellent size and wingspan. His lateral quickness as mentioned is fairly average, though, and he also seems to suffer trying to go through screens due to his lack of strength.

When it comes to his final evaluation, we have to think that he rates favorably at the moment in comparison to other shooting guard prospects in the draft. It is early in the season, though, so we’ll have to see how he fares once the competition stiffens for Vandy in their SEC slate. It’s hard to fathom him shooting the ball at the same 55% rate all season, so once the shots inevitably stop falling temporarily, Foster would be well served to pick up the other parts of his game. At the moment, it’s hard to look at the stats and call him anything else but the best shooter in college basketball.

Link

Here some Highlights on YouTube:

2007/2008
Part1
Part2

Interview:

Part1
Part2