Chet has better handles, his hands just aren't as quick as Jabari's. Smith is just quicker and a more explosive athlete so he is smoother on pull ups. Chet is more gangly and while he isn't as quick or explosive, he is more skilled at deception on pull ups and with a 7'7" wingspan he can wait longer to shoot and is harder to block.
I wish this thread title/poll could be expanded to include Jabari Having said that, Chet's recent run of excellence is starting to pull me back his way As much as it hurt watching us pass on Mobley, Chet really is the closest thing, and I'd hate to pass on that rare 7ft skillset twice in a row Chet is not the same level of athlete, but skill-wise, he is as good or better than Mobley across the board Unlike Mobley, I have zero questions about how much Holmgren loves the game Although he is in a slump ATM, I don't hold it against Jabari Unlike Chet and Paulo, he is stuck playing with just one future NBA talent on this team, and that guy is a big man with no playmaking ability or outside shot to open up the paint for him to attack Auburn's guard play is infuriating to watch at times, and the main reason they have no shot of winning the tournament I see Pearl screaming at them on the sidelines, but often it's as if Green and KD think they are the show on that team, and completely forget Kessler and JSJ are the future pros on that squad Jabari really seems to be pressing lately, and I don't blame him, since he regularly goes several consecutive possessions doing nothing but inbounding, setting screens, and spotting up without ever touching the ball during live play It's a shame we won't ever get to see him next to guards that actually set him up for easy looks until after the draft As for Paulo ... I'm not even sure he is the best player on his own team anymore, much less the best in this draft class AJ Griffin has become the man for Duke over the past month, and IMO, has become their top prospect Not only as the primary scorer, but also as Duke's main ballhandler in the half court offense, jumping past Banchero, Moore and Keels in the process I give Nook full credit on this one ... he was way ahead of the curve in predicting Griffin's draft board skyrocket His rapid ascension has me wondering if he doesn't become the Scottie Barnes of this upcoming draft class By that I mean, as recently as a month ago, this draft seemed to have a locked-in top4, just like last year Consensus had the top tier as Paulo/Chet/Jabari/Ivey, similar to Cade/Mobley/Green/Suggs, with the only question being what order they would come off the board before the 'next' tier started at pick #5 Just as Barnes crashed the party on draft night and pushed Suggs to 5, I can see Griffin jumping Ivey and possibly even his teammate Paulo to go as high as #3, depending on who is drafting in which spot IMO, Paulo is the guy sliding right now, and he needs a strong finish to the season to cement himself in the top 3
I'm on the AJ Griffin train and I could be talked into taking him with the 3rd pick or later. There's still a lot more basketball to be played but he looks like a stud.
Well Auburn's poor guard play finally caught up with them tonight Jabari started out awful too, but he eventually rounded into form, just too little too late The SEC has figured out the book on defending them - press the guards into mistakes and make Jabari & Kessler try to beat you by creating their own shots, something neither excels at in 1-on-1 situations
I don't watch the games, but what is so special about what AJ's done the past month? He threw up a dud in the last game and before that he had a few good games, but for the most part, he's either inconsistently used or just inconsistent. Banchero has been relatively consistent every game. His last game seems to have been one of his worst games, but the entire team played like crap and lost. I used to be for Paolo (and still am) but am leaning towards Chet, but even watching his recent surge, it looks like they're playing a bunch of high school teams. Paolo has been fairly consistent no matter the level of talent he's played - whether it's a nationally-ranked team or something that sounds like a 3A school. I don't know. Getting worried about what I'm seeing in the college ranks and if they'll translate to the NBA... talk me off the ledge @cmoak1982 and @Nook
On AJ - The most impressive part of his play the past 6 weeks is that this is the first time he's really played basketball in over 18 months Also, he has become the main guy for a team with 4 other potential 1st-rounders after barely playing before DEC It's the meteoric ascent that has grabbed my attention The part of his game I'm falling in love with is the shot creation I believe he is now shooting around 50% from deep on the season, or maybe just in conf play, but I had no idea he could shoot like this Also impressed with his handle and ability to get to the rim and finish Basically all the things that have frustrated me about Green's rookie season are now strengths for AJ With his frame and build, he could also become a monster on D if he committed to that end I see true 2way superstar upside in Griffin that hadn't even flashed before December Here's a decent breakdown with more in-depth analysis: https://accsports.com/acc-analytics...onable-to-ask-does-duke-have-two-top-5-picks/
Of the top3 PFs, Paulo is clearly the most NBA-ready His build and game are pretty much fully developed, and I have no doubt he would impact the Rockets win total most in year 1 My hesitation with him vs the other 2 is that Banchero doesn't seem to impact the game very much without the ball in his hands This worries me bc we just made this mistake by taking Green over 2 other 2-way, multi-dimensional players (Mobley, Barnes) who already look like far better players Not saying Banchero is Green, but they each have a weakness that I worry could limit their ceiling Whereas Green has proven to be all athlete with little skill, Paulo could be the opposite - highly skilled with limited athleticism PROS He is the best 3-level scorer in this class among the non-wings/guards, hands down He can create space outside to get off a clean shot whenever he wants He is already a steady midrange shooter, either from the high post or pulling up off the bounce He also has a very smooth, diverse low post game when back to the basket, and is elite at powering thru contact inside to finish He is a very good playmaker, especially for his position, but he is not the point-foward type like a LeBron or Simmons that is more of a point in a big's body I see him as a high-level secondary ballhandler and playmaker My favorite part of his potential is as a mismatch nightmare He is an impossible mark for most defenders More than capable of abusing with his size/power vs wings, or his handle/movement vs bigs He should become equally dangerous working out of the PnR, whether rolling to the rim or popping outside, and could work as the ballhandler with another big Ceiling - 20+ PPG / 10+ RPG / 5+ APG alpha shot-making creator on a contender, a true cornerstone superstar CONS He is a good rebounder, but nothing special Not very tenacious boxing out, and often loses body contact with his man as the rebound comes off Definitely not a scrapper to fight over taller guys or chase down loose balls He is not really a rim protector Williams typically guards the paint, unless they go small with Paulo at C, which is when opponents start to attack the rim He is quick/light enough on his feet to get by, but hasn't shown much aptitude or willingness to guard the perimeter That could be a weakness teams look to exploit on switches All of those play a part in another issue ... intensity His passion and effort seem to wane without the ball in his hands I've seen enough of that for a lifetime from CWood My least favorite aspect of him as a prospect is the overall average athleticism The brute force power is obviously a plus, and he moves well for his size He lacks the vertical explosion and straight-line speed/acceleration of the elite NBA athletes This makes me worry he has nearly maxed out, and may not have much room for improvement at the pro level Floor - solid starter that gets a few buckets and boards, but lack of energy/athleticism keeps him from true stardom vs CHET Chet has a similar lack of quick-twitch explosion, and is obviously completely lacking the power that defines Bachero's game He is also much longer, and can possibly add weight/strength, whereas Banchero cannot add length His movement is above average as a PF, elite for a C He also has just enough get-up to be a real lob threat on the PnR Chet's skill-set offensively is equal or better in every aspect except as an ISO scorer vs Paulo He is far more active on the OFF boards for putbacks and moving without the ball for easy backdoor buckets They are about equal spotting up outside, handling the ball, finding open teammates, and working from the post Defensively, he is on another planet Chet could make a Mobley-like impact on team DEF from day one He could blossom into a generational talent as a rim protector and on the boards I expect him to anchor elite team defense throughout his career This is my favorite part of him as a fit for these Rockets vs JABARI Jabari is similarly average length-wise, but with a much slimmer frame, Unlike Paulo, he has elite lateral quickness and suddenness for a 6'10" big, and exceptional foot speed He should easily become the best transition player of the 3 On OFF, he is even better as a shooter from deep and midrange He has a lightning-quick release whether from catch-and-shoot or on the move His lift plus high release makes the jumper almost unblockable He has 2 major weaknesses on the OFF end: His inability to create space off the dribble has become a real problem, and is a glaring weakness compared to the other 2 Teams now smother him or double on the catch and dare him to attack the rim He shows almost no options attacking other than straight-line speed, with no wiggle laterally or in-and-out to create separation I'm am starting to wonder if he can ever become a true go-to scorer This leads to his other critical weakness - complete lack of an inside game He is terrible at using his size to back down smaller defenders He has shown zero low-post moves The vertical explosion is there, but he hasn't learned how to use this in finishing over/thru contact I don't think I've seen him as the roll man once this entire season after setting a pick up top On the defensive end, Jabari is the easily the best perimeter defender He can switch onto anybody and moves his feet exceptionally well to stay in front of his man with excellent positioning/footwork He uses lightning-quick hands to constantly create turnovers and deflections on and off the ball He is a subpar rebounder and easily the worst of the 3 in this area Like Paulo, he loses body contact on box outs and lacks the ability to position properly by reading the angles, but can explode over a crowd to grab contested caroms He isn't the natural shot-blocker Chet is, but his length and hops make him at least average for a PF OVERALL Both Chet and Jabari still appeal to me more as a future Rocket over Paulo for the same 2 main reasons: Intensity & All-around Contributions They are team players who willingly add value in all kinds of ways on both ends with or without the ball Most importantly, they are relentless competitors that seem to love the game and prioritize winning above numbers Maybe I'm wrong in putting this on Paulo, but on the most talented team in college basketball, somehow Duke is underachieving Auburn lacks the talented roster of future pros, yet they've been #1 most of the season Gonzaga has similar elite talent all over the court, but they're playing up to that potential, and look like the clear favorite to cut down the nets
When have you seen Chet be the equal of skill set wise as Pablo? Just the fact that he can't power people like Pablo means he does not have that in his game, and he has not shown the ability to attack the basket like Pablo or punish people on the block. If Chet did have an equal skilset to Pablo he would be hands down the #1 pick IMO. I agree for the most part about Smith and the last game is the 1st I have seen him make a move toward the basket, I think he could add that to his game without much of a problem but if he shows more he would be the pick hands down because he would have no weakness, the last couple of games I have been impressed with his rebounding he really goes and gets it. Duke has been #1 longer than Auburn I think, and they have played better competition IMO, so I don't see how you put that on Pablo. Would really like to see more diversity on offense from Smith and Chet, I think I know what I get from Pablo and yes that scares me.
Might as well kill this tread, since Wood and Gordon are still here we can kiss a top 3 pick goodbye.
Jabari, Chet, AJG, Banchero would all be great here. Ivey should push one to five. Rockets need to tank to 1.
This should have been the plan all along. Have no clue why Rox traded their tank commander and got a win now pg.
They've been here all year and we are 15-40. Gordon and Wood will be on cruise control the rest of the way.
