Marcus Dove

We last looked at Marcus Dove back in October, when we had an opportunity to analyze the entirety of his junior season. Two things were very apparent about the senior at that point: he was one of the best overall defensive players in the country, and he was a non-existent offensive factor. With a little more than half of his senior campaign under his belt, not much has changed defensively, Dove is still a force; but we have begun to see some decent progress on the offensive side of the ball.

The biggest change in Dove’s play this year has been his level of aggressiveness with the basketball. Previously he was resigned to screen for teammates and to serve as a safety valve if the offense became stagnant, as a result, Dove attempted just over three shots a game and he was very predictable with the ball. The senior has become much more of a scoring threat this year, though, thanks to the work he put in in the offseason, and his increased inclination to attack with the ball. Dove has more than doubled his scoring average from 4.7 a year ago to 10.4 this season, and while his shooting percentage has dropped from 58% to 45%, this is directly related to the senior now taking over eight shots per game.

Perhaps the biggest knock against Dove throughout his career has been his poor ball-handling skills. While he shows great quickness for a player his size, he rarely can beat defenders off the dribble due to the lack of comfort he has handling the basketball. Once in a while, he will be able to take a slower frontcourt player to the basket, but only if he has a straight line to the hoop. Dove certainly hasn’t shown a drastic improvement in his dribbling skills this season (his turnovers have actually increased slightly), but he has added a spin move to his arsenal when attacking the basket that allows him to get closer to the rim while on the move. In the past, he was often forced to pull up and elevate over defenders for very difficult, off balance shots, but now through hard work Dove has added this spin move and a jump hook which he finishes with a fair amount of consistency. With his length and pretty good leaping ability, this is a tough move for most defenders to stop either because of a size or quickness mismatch for Dove.

Dove has also improved his touch around the basket. He seems to have spent a decent amount of time in the off-season working on his mid-range game, and while he hasn’t shown a lot of ability to pull up and shoot off the dribble, Dove is now able to elevate and finish the occasional runner in the lane when he can’t get his spin move off. He is also showing an improvement in his body control when he gets into the lane. While in the past, Dove would merely throw up an awkward shot when heavily contested by defenders, from time to time now he shows the ability to maneuver around opponents to get a better shot off.

While there have been some gradual and subtle improvements to Dove’s game, there is still a tremendous amount to be desired from an NBA scout’s standpoint. Dove is not a perimeter shooting threat, while his percentage has improved this year, he still lacks ideal mechanics. His release is long and slow, and as a result his release point isn’t consistent. This also means he needs a fair amount of room to get his shot off, and since he is solely a catch and shoot player beyond the arc, he doesn’t get a lot of looks. Dove also still needs to improve his ability to create shot opportunities for himself. He still isn’t a threat to pull up off the dribble, and when he does put the ball on the floor it almost a guarantee he is driving right to the basket. Dove has a pretty good back to the basket game for a player primarily out on the perimeter, but at this point his only real move is his jump hook, which he hasn’t even perfected yet. At the next level where he often might have the opportunity to take smaller players into the paint with his back to the hoop, Dove will need to further develop this part of his game to be an inside and outside threat.

Defensively, Dove is still a standout. He is able to guard both small forwards and power forwards, proving to be effective against both kinds of players. His length combined with his quickness and aggressiveness makes him a headache for perimeter players; his great anticipation and quick hands have also led to more than two steals per game for Dove. Where he has made some improvements on the defensive side of the ball have been with his physical abilities. At just 215, Dove is fairly thin, and while he hasn’t bulked up much since last season, it is apparent that he has gotten stronger. Bigger post players in the past have been able to back him down with a fair amount of ease, forcing Dove to rely on his timing to alter or block shots. From what we’ve seen this season, though, he is able to hold his ground a little better against stronger players. While bigger bodies (like Blake Griffin on Monday night) will still be able to push Dove around, he is making it harder on opponents than in seasons past.

The increased offensive output this season can only help Dove. He was already considered an intriguing prospect simply because of his athletic frame and strong defensive abilities. At the next level, he will likely be asked to guard small forwards and hybrid power forwards (ala Travis Outlaw, Tyrus Thomas, Shawn Marion), a task he should be able to handle. While he by no means at this point shows the ability to be a consistent scoring option in the NBA, the strides he is making this season are certainly encouraging. Adding a consistent spot-up jumper from the corner (think Bruce Bowen) might be all that it takes now to keep him in the league for years to come. While Oklahoma State’s play so far will likely keep Dove from showcasing his abilities in the NCAA Tournament, he will get the opportunity to do so at events like the Portsmouth Invitational and the NBA Pre-Draft camp in May.

If NBA scouts are looking for a future top-scoring option, then Marcus Dove is likely not the player for them. However, if they are looking for an absolute force as a perimeter defender, than the fifth year senior will fit the bill just fine. At 6’9” Dove has great size and athleticism for a wing player, and his added length is a bonus. He isn’t very strong, and at just 215 pounds is rail thin, so some time in the weight room certainly couldn’t hurt him, especially when he is forced to cover bigger players near the basket.

Dove has never been called upon to be an offensive presence for Oklahoma State, but at the same time he doesn’t make much of an effort on that end of the floor either. Blessed with great physical ability, he certainly has shown flashes that indicate he can score from time to time if he wants to, but often he prefers to set screens and remain passive. The majority of his points (he only averaged 4.7 in 28.6 minutes last season) come from open looks near the basket or in transition. Dove does a fairly good job moving to open spaces in the half court setting, but unless he is inside the paint or has a straight line to the hoop, he struggles to score. He has an awkward shooting motion, pushing it more than shooting it, so he isn’t much of an outside threat.

A major deterrent in the Dove’s threat on offense is his lack of ball-handling skills. He can get to the basket from the perimeter only when he has a straight line to the hoop. His first step is slowed down tremendously by his poor ball control, so often he gets caught taking awkward shots or turning the ball over. Dove does do well on the break though, primarily due to his play on defense. He has tremendous anticipation skills and quick hands, leading to an abundance of intercepted or deflected passes that he is able to take the other way for easy dunks.

Defensively, there may not be a better perimeter defender in the country. Dove has every physical characteristic you want out of a defender out on the wing. He is long, is quick laterally, has great anticipation skills and is smart. He forces a lot of turnovers and tough shots simply by staying one step in front of his man on almost every play. Very rarely will you see Dove bite on a fake from an opponent. In the last season’s Big 12 semi-finals against Texas, Dove spent the entire game covering national player of the year Kevin Durant. Despite Durant winding up with 26 points on 11-24 shooting in the box score, Dove played a tremendous game. Durant simply hit a lot of difficult shots.

Dove is even more appealing to scouts as a defender because of his versatility. He can cover smaller quicker perimeter players and be just as effective defending against bigger players that stay closer to the basket. That isn’t to say that Dove will be an interior defender in the NBA, he isn’t big enough or strong enough, but he is the kind of player that can cover bigger guards or smaller forwards that like to go inside sometimes.

The biggest question now is when Dove will be back on the court. Dove was charged with aggravated drunken driving over the summer and accepted a plea agreement in August. Oklahoma State head coach Sean Sutton suspended Dove indefinitely from the team, but he is expected to eventually be reinstated. As far as on the court matters are concerned, Dove is already one of the nation’s elite defensive players, and the fact that he is being mentioned as a potential pro player with how poor his offensive numbers are, really says volumes about his ability to shut down opponents. Dove does need to step up his offensive production and become more aggressive, if he is to really help his stock and his team this season.

Oklahoma State’s Marcus Dove will surely not blow you away with his statistical production, as he averaged only 3.8 points per game in 05-06. Everyone within the Big 12 knows that he is not a scoring threat, yet he is still one of the most respected players the conference has to offer. This is due to the fact that the Cowboy junior is considered by many to be the top perimeter defender in the country by many, if not the nation’s top defender regardless of position.

Defensively, Dove is absolutely everything you can as for in a wing. He has all of the prototypical physical attributes, such as great lateral quickness, long arms, and good reaction time. In addition, the redshirt junior is a cerebral defender, not over gambling or putting himself in bad situations. He is able to use his length to create havoc in the passing lanes (1.4 steals per game), and block more shots (1.0 per game) than your average perimeter player.

Throughout the entire 05-06 season, the California native met every single test opponents threw at him. He had the pleasure of guarding the likes of Adam Morrison and Brandon Rush on the wing, while being forced to even defend smaller guards such as Acie Law and Jarrius Jackson when need be. The versatility that Marcus provides is unparalleled at the college level, and this is why many feel that he could be a legitimate draft candidate without any resemblance of an offensive game.

The Cowboy junior is a pure liability on the offensiveend, seemingly more so by choice then due to lack of skills. Whenever Marcus tries, he is able to get into the lane at will, and create easy looks for his less heralded teammates. Dove just doesn’t seem to have any pulse when he’s not defending someone, and his shocking statistics will back that up.

In a three game stretch running from February 8th until February 13th, Dove took 1 shot in 96 minutes of playing time. These games were against Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Kansas respectively, and the Cowboys went 1-2 over that stretch.

The Oklahoma State wing’s passivity did not end there however, as he had another three game stretch where he only took a single shot. Against Baylor, Iowa State, and Kansas, he was unheard from yet again on the offensive end. Fortunately for Dove, his Cowboys went 2-1 over that trip.

In order for Marcus to have any shot of being drafted, he must pick it up on the offensive end. He is a far more interesting prospect then San Diego lockdown defender Corey Belser was for example, although Belser possessed a far more advanced offensive game. Dove’s size, athleticism, and ability to defend have put him on the NBA radar, and now it is up to him as to if he solidify himself as a Draft prospect with development on the offensive end.