The Hidden Gem of The 2015 NBA Draft: Bri-Fense

Through this season’s NBA Playoffs, we have seen players such as Matthew Dellavedova, Tony Allen, and Andre Iguodala contribute to the success of their team without the ball in their hands. Volume shooting and highlight-reel dunks are great, but do they actually contribute to success when it matters?

The 2015 NBA Draft is filled with talented guards such as D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, and the Harrison twins. But over the past four seasons, no player has frustrated the opposition as much as VCU’s Briante Weber.

Racking up 374 steals over the course of his career, Weber finished third all-time in NCAA career steals. While on pace to destroy the all-time record, Weber tore his ACL, MCL & Meniscus in February.

Former VCU coach Shaka Smart’s first plan of action was to wreak havoc on their opponent and Weber accomplished that like no other. While Coach Smart and Weber have since moved on from their days at VCU, Briante is making excellent strides toward a full recovery and is preparing for a future as a professional basketball player.

Pre-injury, Weber was averaging 8.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.7 RPG and a jaw-breaking 3.9 steals per game. The stat sheet does not do justice for what Weber was able to achieve.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a small sampling of what Weber is capable of when healthy:

One comparison I draw to Weber is Shaun Livingston. Despite being smaller than Livingston, Weber displays outstanding length and can defend both guard positions. Weber, just like Livingston, will succeed in the NBA despite suffering a horrible knee injury. He may never display the 45″ vertical he once had, but his stellar instincts on both ends of the floor could prove effective in the right system.

It’ll be interesting to see where and how Weber ends up. If his knee fully heals, we will see him frustrating NBA offenses. Although when Weber went down to injury, he was an excellent mentor to his teammates and if his playing career fails to materialize, “Coach Bri-Fense” would be gladly welcomed back at VCU.