Nando De Colo says he is willing to play either guard position

If you are rookie Nando De Colo having versatility is a blessing. His versatility allows San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to construct different lineups that feature his size and passing without compensating for size. Versatility is an advantage he has over Patty Mills.

And he probably realizes that he needs to embrace his versatility to realize his full potential in the NBA. He may want to become a distributing point guard with a propensity to find the open man rather than a shooting guard that specializes away from the ball. But adhering to one defined role rather than a couple would severely limit De Colo’s minutes.

For this reason, he is content with playing either guard position (via basketeria).

“I am delighted to be here in San Antonio and could start the season with this team. It’s a new experience for me, with many goals. I’ll wait to see what the coach wants from me and I will train hard to earn my place. Yes, the truth is that there are many players in both positions, but as I said before, I will see what position the coach needs me and I’ll train hard to develop my game.”

Most Spurs fans received their first taste of De Colo at the 2012 Olympics in London. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 34.1% from the field, numbers that aren’t too appealing. De Colo also tallied 2.8 turnovers per game through six games. His turnovers can be attributed to overconfidence and his tendency to fit the ball in difficult, often unforgiving passing angles.

Popovich won’t tolerate this, of course, unless he becomes Manu Ginobili. That is going to take awhile and for the time being, De Colo will need to be satisfied with being De Colo, the player who can play both guard positions quite well.

Hat-tip to Lucas Pastore of Spurs Brasil.

Photo courtesy of basket4us