LOL Portis took less than one 3 pt attempt a game during college. It def won't move you since the guy you are comparing him to doesn't shoot 3s and doesn't defend.
Blake is a much better prospect than Banchero he could dunk, he could score on the post and he could shoot 3s while being extremely athletic. There's a reason Blake Griffin was the consensus no 1 and was prob the most obvious consensus no 1 since Lebron. Just that Blake lacked that competitive fire and was more busy trying to be a celebrity than working on his game and taking care of his health. There are reports he and the rest of the Clippers would do impromptu dunk contests all day during practice, obv that kind of insane wear and tear wore out his knees really quickly.
One thing I have found useful when assessing a prospect is to think about how their game might look at NBA level. The athleticism is very different in the NBA, and the game is faster, and there are few places to hide on either end of the court. The NBA meta also changes on a regular basis, meaning that the roles needing to be filled are constantly changing. Shooting is always a valuable asset, and athleticism a prized commodity, as is a sturdy frame, wingspan and size (height and length). This is why someone like Griffin projects 5th currently - despite not standing out individually. What you want to see are full size athletic shooters who display the intangible "winning" mentality and can make their own shot. One attribute missing can still make for a very good player! Sometimes it still doesn't work out. I think back to Thomas Robinson, and was convinced he would be a sure fire success, despite being undersized. He had a great drive, but it didn't happen. Draymond was a late prospect I was certain of, despite being short. He was a winner at college, and had a knack for making plays and driving his team. Nailed that one. Battier looked "all world" scoring as a senior and was picked high - but what prevented him becoming a first option star was the lack of shot creation. Look past the stats and try find the intangibles that will translate
Not going to lie i lost interest in half-watching by the time this game got going and after realizing that the Auburn guys were frauds based on casual viewing i couldn't take the potential disappointment. But, between this dunk and the fact that "Bennedict Mathurin" is basically the perfect name for a villain in Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie or whatever it really makes sense to draft him.... could it be he's an alias of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief?
So how do we feel about the top players now? Jabari's clunker vs Miami was pretty bad Chet had some difficulty holding down the fort/paint against Duren Banchero had a good game vs MSU Ivey continues his superb tournament play still too early to call?
Hell of a bounce back 2nd half from Ivey. Has all the tools - Jalen taking turns burning defenses with Ivey would be fun. Mathurin is also another big guard who can get his own shot whenever he wants, but his defense is suspect at times - I may even like Ogbaji a little more. . This draft may lack the star power from 2021, but its pretty deep with starting level talent. Rockets should be able to infuse the roster with great players this year. If a continued run on wing talent is going to be the strategy I'd prefer a combo of Ivey/ and a Big wing3 (Murray/Brown/Jovic/Sochan/Eason/PBJ) to upgrade from Tate (use Tate/KPJ/Wood/Gordon/Picks to move up in the draft). Leaves the door open for a Victor Wembanyama possibility next season and a versatile roster without much overlap and redundancy. Im not sure I'd be on board with Mark Williams or Walker Kessler myself because I view Sengun as integral to that future frontcourt duo and would prefer a more versatile player next to him vs just a rim protector. I'd prefer one of the bigs this year myself, but this is the way I would play out the chain of events if they do go with Ivey.
If we got the 3rd pick in the draft and Chet and Jabari are gone, would you take Ivey over Banchero and Mathurin? You know more about these college players than I do; just curious at how high Ivey's stock has risen since the beginning of the season...hell or even at the middle of the college season.
I’ve been saying it in other threads but I really feel like Banchero is going to be a star in the NBA. He’s already the most polished out of every prospect. I think I would still take Chet just because his ceiling could be superstar level. However if we get the 2 or 3 pick I’m taking Paolo all day.
Its just a question of roster construction vs BPA vs Fit debates. I've been starting to wane a little on my love for KPJ as offense initiator. I wouldnt add Ivey to the mix without alleviating some of the redundancy from that positional group. I do view Ivey as the 2nd best wing talent on our team if he was here, but it may prolong the process a bit or at least incorporate a longer term approach. Rockets are so small that its hard not to get excited for one of the big guys as each one would bring unique talents to the team and each one would be valuable for the nucleus moving forward. Does Stone and Co view next years big crop more favorably and is their vision for the team established that far in advance? It just makes me think what combo maximizes the talent for Houston in a best case scenario --- Ivey this year & Wembanyama/Derick Lively next year or Chet/Jabari/Paolo this year and Scoot Henderson next? I'd probably still believe we could improve from Tate. I'd love for Ivey to develop more as a traditional PG if he ends up here, but he may not be that type of player. It would mean he and Jalen would share playmaking which may not be a bad thing, but as we have seen having a pass first guy setting things up keeps a nice rhythm going. Ivey is long AF and has the tools to be a great defender. I can see why guys are really high on him. I'd be fine with him as a Rocket - my own preference has Banchero equal if not better to both Chet and Jabari in his own ways so I wouldnt even blink to take him at 3 if those other guys are gone if this team is fully committed to the current glut of wings on the team.
Mathurin is not a top 7 prospect at this time. It’s pretty consensus top 4 and you can change the order somewhat. Chet, Jabari, Paolo, and Ivey. I think you may see teams convince themselves to take anyone after Chet at any position. I’m still sticking with the premise that Chet is going 1 or 2 because you’re not finding two teams in a row who have him anywhere but 1. If Shaedon Sharpe enters I think he could make it a consensus top 5. after that you may see something weird happen. AJ Griffin from Duke. Keegan Murray from Iowa. Jalen Duren from Memphis. Johnny Davis from Wisconsin. maybe Mathurin sneaks into this group. Right now he’s probably right on the edge. I personally like AJ Griffin out of this tier due to age and upside but his medical is important. After that I like Keegan Murray. For the Rockets I actually like Mathurin as a fit more than the others in that tier, but that is more of a pick 8 scenario which would include terrible luck and a lot of winning in the next 11 games.
Chet held Duren to 3-11 shooting and blocked him thrice, he gave up some OREB and got laid out/flopped once but overall played good enough defense to be a plus 18 on the game. The real concern was that he couldn't hit anything from beyond the 3 point line and never bothered to drive in himself after Duren fouled him early on. Best I've heard Chet's offensive game described as is "More Useful than Good". Excellent rim finisher, decent 3 point shooter on the break, can take other bigs off the dribble, but it really doesn't mesh together at this point into a coherent offensive game. Not unlike C-Wood, his skillset looks better on paper than it does in practice. But unlike C-Wood, Chet actually tries on defense.
Chet provided value in the ways he provides value minus the three point shoot being off. He had less scoring than usual, but he isn't the focal point of Gonzaga's offense. The not driving part doesn't bother me as I'm not counting on him being able to do that outside of countering aggressive close outs in the NBA.
I agree with you VC Images of Kevin Porter Jr last night slowly walking off the court has gotten under my skin. The reason I block an Ivey selection is because I wanted Porter to get the most of his opportunity; but my patience is being tested and crossing that line. Getting the most out of a Porter trade is beginning to pick up steam. I'm now at the crossroads of being fine with any of Jabari/Chet/Banchero/Ivey in no particular order. I prefer the Rockets get taller and with greater mobility; but an Ivey/Jalen Green tandem would be so dynamic. And I would like our Ivey-Green name colors..... nickname possibilities. Lol. Of course that's important.
Yeah man Scooter has been concerning me. Playing point may not be maximizing who he is as a player. Too much to break down and analyze on the fly and he may just not process that fast and when things dont go as planned he sulks and retreats. Was hoping he would be one of the leaders for the team, but selling high on him may make the most shrewd business sense for this franchise moving forward.
Chet had no issues against Duren. He dominated Duren head to head and controlled the paint on the defensive side. Ivey had the best game in second round.
Outside of the 1 dunk Duren got, he got absolutely shutdown by Chet all night long. I was laughing the entire game bc he exposed Duren's lack of actual basketball skills and iq. Duren had one of the worst games of his year easily. I knew that one dunk some folks overreact as if Duren got the best of him. Which is obviously far from the truth Folks who actually watched that game in it's entirety know what happened. Folks who caught a 5 sec video on IG/twitter do not.
Rockets have like 50 guards....I've mentioned earlier in the season how Silas could sub out anyone just about every 5 minutes, there is no room for a person not getting back on defense. If tired get out (off the court) If the ankle hurts take games off (I've suggested he take March/April off) Refs not giving you the call (don't argue while the rest of the team in hustling). ________________ I also thought moving him to SF and having the Patrick Fertitta dream of everyone playmaking and passing; but the ball will stick in Porter's hand wherever we put him. Trying to be too much like Harden when Harden would dribble the air out of the ball. With Ivey the dude will just get it and go with no qualms about passing it. That's what I've wanted from Porter all season long. Sub 60% from the FT line as well. I can't have two starters in Porter and Wood around 60% from FT line and expect to be successful. Especially your main ball handler. Right now I just don't like the Ivey 3-pt shot form.....but like Franz Wagner hopefully he gets that shot off in the NBA.
Exactly. And not just size but a true baller. His shot will only get better. He can size you up, go left or right, and if all else fails get you with the spin move and get the bucket. I wish people would see that his game will absolutely translate into the NBA. He’s 6’10 250 and has finesse. Cmon now.
If we're at three and Chet and Jabari are gone, I'm trying to trade down a spot. If Paolo is as good as others expect, I expect Rockets would get quite a haul. Take Ivey in trade down and use the haul and Brooklyn pick to get length. I really don't care about size unless it helps on defense or offense. If can't get a good offer for the No. 3 pick, I would go Ivey. As a primary ballhandler, Ivey is just better despite being smaller.
