My fear with Chet isn't his game or how it will translate into the NBA as much as it is his durability.
that's been pretty much the prevailing sentiment. Can his body hold up to the more physical playing style of the NBA?
I think he's a hybrid: DEF Golbert - instant elite team D anchored by perennial DPoY favorite + OFF Kristaps - OG Unicorn combo of talents in 7ft+ very thin frame
He's less Kristaps than you would think. The ball never gets stuck to him and he's more willing to do the dirty work. He's truly a 1 of 1. Always where he needs to be on both sides of the ball. The highest court awareness I've ever seen from a college player. All three top guys this year seem to have elite court awareness to be honest. Smart guys at the top of this draft. He's better than Rudy on the perimeter too but not as good as Mobley out there.
Rudy Gobert with a 3pt shot and passing would be pretty great. But even Gobert gets exploited in the playoffs by teams that play 5-out. Mobley's little bit of extra mobility makes a huge difference.
This is just so far off it’s crazy. Chet is literally one of the most athletic 7 footers in the country. His mobility is what makes him elite.
Chet is more than mobile enough to play on perimeter. You guys really need to watch games. Or read a scouting report
The way yall talking about opposing teams being physical with him should equate to a high number of FTAs for him.... I'm all in! .. He just gotta learn the European flopping technique
I'm almost certain that Chet will present more problems for these more physical players, yall speak of, than vice versa... He has that kind of offensive/defensive ability IMO
Hmm - I seem to remember Yao doing quite well against strong, athletic players. He pretty much dominated all of the best centers of the day with exception being Shaq (against whom he still played quite well). He utterly destroyed Dwight Howard (the strongest and most athletic center in the league for the 2nd half of Yao's career). Where he tended to falter was against guys with outside shots and teams with quick 3s and 4s who could front him. The Jazz beat us not because Boozer bullied him but because he either hit the outside shot or ran around him. Meanwhile, Okur stood on the perimeter. So I don't see that much similarity between Chet and Yao.
It’s because they aren’t similar. Chet is more like Mobley. Not quite as explosive but very close. Not elite athlete but very good, specially for a 7+ footer
Also, Yao’s upper body was small but man his lower body was hard to push around. Shaq was the only player that could have posted Yao up with any kind of success
Right, Yao’s base was ridiculous. Chet fights, but he’s not going to be able to bang with the big fellas. What he can do is be faster and quicker than them while being one of the longest dudes in the league.
Chet is very agile with a good center of gravity for someone his height. He is a better athlete than you think. He has a mediocre first step but an excellent second step, he moves well laterally, he is fast up the court and is a solid leaper. He just doesn’t look like a good athlete because he is long, white and gangly and hustles. He moves on the perimeter better than 90% of centers and he is extremely long. You bring up Giannis, Embiid and Durant as players he cannot guard. Please tell me who guards them well? He will match up well with Durant because he moves as well as KD, is longer and just as explosive. He will likely struggle to guard Embiid, but the guy averages 30 points a night; so no one guards him well… as for Giannis, Chet will be able to at least alter his shot as he has like a 9’6” standing reach. On the other end of the floor centers will struggle to stop Chet because of his length, three point shot and ability to cut to the basket.
Chet is athletic for a 7 footer, yes. But he is Gobert-level athletic, not Giannis-level athletic. The hard question is, is that enough? Yao was by far the most athletic 7 and half-foot dude the NBA has seen. Again, was that enough? That's a matter of opinion. I'm sure Chet will be a good player. Just watch the recent Gonzaga vs USF highlight video. He has a fantastic spin move dunk at 0:17. But then he also has this awkward play at 1:55 where he falls down and it looks like both his ACLs are gonna pop. That worries me.
Yao could put Tim Duncan in the popcorn machine and bamboozle him with the same move Dream used only it was at .7 speed Block at 2:18 mark is a foul on Chet or any Rocket in every game. =(
I’ve watched every minute of every game Chet and Paolo have played. He is a far better athlete than Gobert. Like not even comparable. He’s more close to Mobley athletically speaking. Fluid, agile, smooth. A very good athlete for NBA and even better for a 7+ footer.
I get people being worried because of his body type. But the kid is wiry strong and has a dog mentality. He’s a tough kid
I suppose I just have high standards. My opinion is that playoff success is largely determined by how good your best player is. So if we manage to get a top pick my criteria is, does this player have the potential to be the best player in a playoff series?
