Since Jalen is climbing the rookie rankings right now and it seems like we know, who each rookie is, I thought it would be fun to see, who everyone would draft in a redraft. Cade, the do it all PG with great scoring (but not the best efficiency), Mobley, the defensive glue guy that gets his points, Scottie Barnes, who fills up the stat sheet and is scoring at a very high efficiency, Giddey, the triple double machine, Wagner, who is doing his thing since day one, or Green, who ist the best shot creator of the bunch and scoring at a high efficency?
Is this going with the assumption that we still have the #2 pick? If so, then we probably can't draft Cade.
Honestly, after Mobley's start and how good of an all around season Barnes has had I can't believe I'm saying this, but I might still go Green. He looks like he's going to lead the lead in scoring someday at this point and be the best scorer in the draft. Mobley and Barnes are still the better players right now tho so it's a risk, but I think a lot of people had them more "NBA ready" at the draft anyway too. Also, Cunningham was not available so doesn't make sense to have him as a poll option.
I'm torn. On one hand, I'd probably still want to pick the better player and go with Mobley......but Jalen Green being a complete embarrassment for the first half of the season is one of the biggest reasons why the Rockets have a shot at another top pick. With Green no longer playing so terribly and actually showing some promise as a possible secondary star one day, plus the prospects of another top pick.....maybe overall going with Green is the better move.
Jalen. He was and still is my first overall pick. We are rebuilding so I will always favor the prospect with the highest pontential/ceiling and that's Jalen.
I'm pretty content with Green, not necessarily because his ceiling is the highest, but because scouting reports on his incredible work ethic, attitude and coachability (as well as having the "It" factor) seems to ring pretty true. In the long run, a player's attitude towards the game is a far better measure of success than their potential alone. There are simply far too many players in the league that have strong starts to their career due to immense talent, but fizzle out due to lack of passion and care for the game (Ben Simmons being the most recent example). Also, him playing next to 3-4 guys that all need their fair share of shots was potentially the worse possible position for a player of his skill set, especially when he has no PG to work with. It also doesn't help that the two players who dominate the majority of offensive possessions (KPJ and Wood) have known on and off court issues that would make the locker room difficult to navigate around. Then you also have a rookie coach to boot who wasn't really brought in as a re-building coach. The fact that Green is somehow still improving rapidly under these circumstances speaks volumes to his character, because he certainly didn't let the poor start get to him.
If all things are equal, Cade shouldn’t even be in your poll. Conventional wisdom still suggests Mobley should be the guy. He has the most diverse skillset on both sides of the ball and could potentially have the highest ceiling out of everybody if he puts it all together. His rookie season is overrated by some and who knows if he’ll ever actually be great, but if we’re just prognosticating, Mobley is super unique. 7 footer with actual basketball skills, good hands, and good feet. High basketball IQ. Long way to go though to reach his potential. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Barnes is a stud too, but limited athletically in my opinion. I wouldn’t put his upside above Green’s, but who knows. He just gets it done though. I advocated trading our pick last year to Orlando for both of their lotto picks to target Barnes. Turns out he wouldn’t have been at 5 anyways. I’m a fan. Green is one of the freakiest athletes I’ve seen come into the NBA at his position. The speed and explosiveness are a sight to behold. I’m happy with him even though I’d go Mobley. I think he can be just as good as Mobley or even better depending on how they both develop. He can get anywhere he wants on the floor already and score from all 3 levels and not many guys can say that. I mean if he gets to 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game with decent defense. How can you be mad at that? I’m thinking Mobley is 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks with elite defense. I don’t know, this is all just conjecture based on the unknown.
Originally, knowing we had the #2 pick - we didn't have a shot at Cade and that it was between Green & Mobley I went with Green based off of upside and I really didn't think Mobley was going to translate. I was wrong about Mobley .... his skills translate to the NBA. Green still has huge upside .... and has made major strides of late. I'd have to go with Mobley at this point. Ask me again in 3 years.
I’d go with Mobley based on what we know so far, but I was Green pre draft. Was getting worried but Green has closed the gap.
Exactly. What did BTG say? Today’s facts are not always tomorrow’s facts. That’s not exactly what he said, but you get the idea lol. Green may very well turn out to be a better player in the end. Nobody was going Ja over Zion a year ago. If Zion is healthy maybe he makes that a real debate again. Both can be great players. I don’t recall many people complaining that we drafted Hakeem instead of Jordan.
Im still taking Green. I’m ecstatic with the improvements he’s made the second half of this season. Draft Chet/Jabari and maybe TyTy Washington with the Brooklyn Pick and our foundation is solid.
That is a tough question. There are 6 players that look like they have the ability to make a large impact long term. Cunningham, Mobley, Green, Barnes, Giddey and Wagner. Wagner looks like he will be a good player and even a possible all star, but he doesn't look like he has the potential to be a franchise player, so I would pass on him at #2. Cunningham has not had a very good year, but his "ups" have been very high and he has shown he can score and pass and rebound. I am going to assume that the Pistons would keep him at #1 though, narrowly beating out Mobley. Green has the highest scoring ability long term among the players the Rockets could choose from, and as I said before the draft, his work ethic and hustle are huge pluses when dealing with someone that has the physical tools Green has. The negatives are that Green is likely will never be a good rebounder or passer. He is going to be more of a scorer and an okay passer. I do think Green will increase his steals though and possibly his blocks as well. So you get an alpha scorer that will likely mostly guard point guards and be pedestrian at most other parts of the game. Barnes is a guy that doesn't typically want to shoot 20 times a game, but he has the ability to score and he is a very good rebounder and gifted passer that has the physical attributes to be a very good defender. He floats at times during games and there are concerns that he may be more Robin than Batman. He still has superstar type upside, probably higher than Green or Cunningham. However he is also almost a year older than Green. Mobley is the safest pick. You know you are getting a near all stat level post player for a decade, that can defend the perimeter, pass well and can anchor a defense. He is going to make the right plays and help a team win a lot of games. He needs to improve as an outside shooter and a little with his handle. That is what would let him take the next step. The nice thing about drafting Mobley is that you can have a couple mediocre defenders in your starting 5 because he is so good. Giddey is the player no one is really talking about. Giddey is the younger player in this draft, he is almost a year younger than Green and is the age of some high schoolers. At 6'8" with the game of a guard, he is an exceptional rebounder and an excellent passer. He is the best passer in this class, and has shown an aptitude for rebounding. It wouldn't be a stretch to say he could average 10 rebounds eventually as a guard and be a top level passer. He has struggled with shooting the ball, but that has improved as the season has progressed. He will be a star if he becomes a good outside shooter. Defensively he struggles against quick guards. He is crafty and knows angles, but he will never be a good defender against guards. I guess I would take Mobley #2 narrowly over Green and Barnes.... but I would be happy with any of them at this point. I think Green will pass the other players as a scorer next season, it will come down to how well he does at getting rebounds, assists and defend, as to whether he is the best player in this draft or not. I really hope the Rockets get a point guard that can cover shooting guards, because Jalen can be a neutral or possibly a positive defender against point guards.
There were some. I always preferred Ja because he could potentially play both sides of the floor....... Zion is limited defensively..... not to mention he has always been hurt. There were some scouts that preferred Ja as well. I remember before the draft, there was a scout for the Rockets that has since passed away, and he told me that everyone raved about Zion's athleticism but Ja was just as good an athlete and actually loved the game.
A little hyperbole on my part for sure. There were people who liked Green over Mobley too although they probably won’t admit it now haha. He wasn’t ranked where he was for no reason. He’s finally starting to flash why people were so bullish on him. Thank goodness.
