Second-rounder Barton has first priority

Published 12:00 am Thursday, July 5, 2012

Will Barton isn’t a legend in his own mind. But he’s a heck of a lot better than a second-round draft choice.

“I definitely have a chip on my shoulder,” says the 6-6, 175-pound swing man from Memphis, taken by the Trail Blazers with the 40th pick of last Thursday’s draft. “I’m a first-round talent. Now I just have to go in there this summer and prove I should be on the team.”

Earl Watson (2001) and Monta Ellis (2005) were chosen No. 40 in the draft. So, too, were a lot of names soon forgotten.

Barton expected to go as early as No. 17 and no later than No. 29, late in the first round.

“I was disappointed,” he admits. “I expected to go earlier. But at the same time, I appreciate the opportunity the Blazers are giving me. I can’t wait to get there.

“It’s just one of those things. Now it’s on me to prove a lot of people wrong.”

Damon Stoudamire joined the University of Memphis last year as an assistant coach on Josh Pastner’s staff, after two years coaching with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.

“I’ve only been around him one year, but I thought he was one of the best college players in the country last season,” says Stoudamire, the Wilson High grad and former Blazer guard. “His numbers reflected that.”

As a sophomore in 2011-12, Barton led Conference USA with an 18-point average, shot .509 from the field and grabbed a team-high 8.0 rebounds for a Memphis team that went 26-9, won the conference title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was the conference player of the year.

So what turned off NBA scouts?

“I don’t have a clue,” says Stoudamire, 38, the NBA rookie of the year in 1995-96. “There’s no science to how that thing works. He can’t worry about that. There are too many examples of guys out there who have been successful second-round picks to look back at it.

“Will needs to go to Portland and do what they ask. One thing I know, he’ll come ready to play. He’s a high-level player, and he has a lot of incentive.”

“Will’s body type hasn’t changed a whole lot since high school; maybe that scared some teams,” says Chad Buchanan, Portland’s director of college scouting. “It didn’t scare us at all. (Strength and conditioning coaches) Bobby Medina and Todd Forcier will get with him in the weight room and add some muscle. They’ll get him to be wiry strong.”

Barton, 21, was one of the top prep stars in the country coming out of Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. The Baltimore native was a McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-American and played in the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland before deciding on Memphis over Kentucky. Why the Tigers over the Wildcats?

“The opportunity to play with my brother,” Barton says.

Antonio Barton is 11 months younger — “You can call us twins. We’re that close,” Will says — and was a part-time starter at Memphis as a 6-2 point guard last season.

Will Barton showed major improvement in his second season as a starter with the Tigers, after averaging 12.3 points on .428 shooting as a freshman.

“He has improved his perimeter shooting,” Buchanan says. “That’s still evolving, but it’s good enough that you have to guard him on the perimeter. He’s very active on both ends of the floor, has a great energy to him.

“He’s good at attacking the basket, he has athleticism and he’s a good offensive rebounder. He has a nose for the ball and a knack for making a lot of good things happen on the floor.”

Stoudamire came away impressed during his time with Barton.

“He’s a competitor, a very tough kid,” Stoudamire says. “For us last year, he made a lot of plays. He did a lot of things that go-to guys do. He can score in a variety of ways, a great rebounder for his size. Everybody talks about his strength — and he does need to add strength — but he gets a lot out of what he has.

“He needs to continue to work on shooting the long ball. He’s inconsistent right now. But he’s all over the floor. He was one of our best steals guys. He’s long and wiry and gets a lot of deflections. He plays with a motor.”

Stoudamire says Barton won him over in another way.

“From the first day I got here, he had a routine working to get better,” Stoudamire says. “Before practice, after practice, before workout, after workout, Will Barton had a routine. He did it every day, all year long. Never deviated from it. His work ethic is one of those things that will translate to the NBA.”

Buchanan calls Barton a “swing man” capable of playing either shooting guard or small forward.

“I’ve played everything at Memphis — point guard, shooting guard, small forward, sometimes a little power forward,” he says. “But I’m a natural shooting guard.”

Stoudamire isn’t predicting Barton will be a star with the Blazers.

“I look at Will as a guy who can be eventually a rotation guy,” Stoudamire says. “He can cause havoc for somebody’s second unit. In the right situation, Will could be effective. He is very driven. In his mind, Will feels like he has to make it. “

With a short roster — at least so far — the Blazers are sounding as if they expect Barton to make the team.

“He is going to have to come in and prove he belongs,” Buchanan says. “There are no guarantees for those guys in the second round.

“We want to continue to evaluate him, get him to summer league and evaluate him there. But we feel good about his future. He’s a young player with a lot of growth left in him as a player.”