Just off the top of my head, some of the best point guards today: Curry Brunson Murray Lillard Kyrie Trae Maxey Fox Fvv All of them are 6’3 and under. Since when did 6’2-3 become small? I think Sheppard’s foot speed and point of attack defense is a legit concern. He counters that with some of the best hands/defensive playmaking since Stockton or Gary Payton. If the argument is that he isn’t a point guard then I’ll have to agree to disagree, Sheppard was the 4th highest recruit and had to share the ball with 3 other guys that were higher on the pecking order just for freshmen. Expanding his usage is low hanging fruit for “upside”.
Nikola Topic is intriguing, and definitely a more natural pg than Sheppard. His ft% suggests that he will eventually be able to figure out his 3pt shot, but if you watch him shoot, there is a hitch that looks like the most uncomfortable shot since Michael Kidd Gilchrist or Markelle Fultz, no exaggeration, I can’t get over it.
I think I would throw up if we took Clingan at #3! Boban's less skilled younger brother Edey tore him a new one every time he tried to guard him! I'm okay with Topic or Resachre but the one I think has the best chance to be a FVV replacement is Rob Dillingham. Has the quickness, head fakes and herky jerky dribble drives that allow him to maneuver through the defense and like T. Maxey he already has his off the glass game down! Looks clutch to me just from watching some video tonight and I think he'll be able to get his shot off in the NBA. With Amen I think 2 combo guards could function quite well together.
For every Maxey there are 100s of Aaron Holidays out there, there's a reason a lot of these fall in the draft that's because 99% of them turn into fodder level players. This is like me telling you off the top of my head Shaq, Yao Ming and Wemby are all centers taller than 7'1, therefore we should draft Eddey no 3. Sheppard scored 70% TS why do you think he was fourth on the totem pole? Is his coach just dumb or what?
thanks for bringing up Dillingham. I had the same take away after watching his videos. His stats are similar to Damian Lillard coming out of college, except he’s a better three-point shooter and much more athletic than Damien. This guy can be a great replacement for FVV. Shooting over 44% from beyond the arc usually translates to being able to shoot in the NBA.
I'd prefer something crazy like this: To Cavs Jalen Green Brandon Ingram Future Brooklyn pick To Pelicans #3 Pick Jesean Tate Dillon Brooks To Rockets Donovan Mitchell Trey Murphy FVV / Thompson Mitchell / Whitmore Eason / Murphy Smith / Sengun / Adams / Landale Defense and shooting.
Dillingham should be the pick if we keep it. He has the capability of being a starting PG down the line. Sheppard looks to be a scoring threat off the bench. Sheppard is the better defensive player in college, but his lack of athleticism will really hurt him in the pros. Dillingham is much more polished offensively. I’ll be happy with either, because I think the bigs available, other than Sarr, will be career backups.
Have to disagree a bit here. I’d be pretty happy with a Nic Claxton, Jarrett Allen outcome for Clingan. Think those are upper medium comps for him. (Marc Gasol would be a pipe dream but it’s not unlikely). Also it’s not fair to compare their draft position to their current, panned-out self; they have reached beyond their medium projections easily. The other bigs you mentioned, if they are available at 3, I don’t think they move me. The biggest differentiator for Clingan is his passing. It’s a bit underrated. His size and rim protection, along with his P&R potential adds ton of versatility to the line-up. Yes we have Steve Adams. But 1) he’s much smaller 2) doesn’t offer nearly as good of rim protection in the long run and 3) doesn’t pass as well 4) more expensive in the short run (with Alpi extension looming. The Rockets traded for him partly because of the contract. I’d be very ok with Clingan develop under the aegis of Adams for a year, trade the Aussie / Adams , and we have a real and versatile big man rotation from both a play and financial perspective.
Both of those guys would be good fits on our team. I think Dillingham has more upside that Sheppard, but I would be happy with either if we don’t trade the pick.
Clingy is basically slightly taller Kessler. Kessler was even a better 3pt shooter in the college. Genuinely wonder which ret*rd will pick him. I assume that Stone learned his lesson so my bet is Wizards.
I don’t follow college ball, but from what I’m reading, this seems like the perfect draft to trade down for multiple picks. Since there’s no consensus on ranking players.
