Agreed. To me Chet gets to load up on defense because he can take plays off on offense. It’s the reverse for Paolo. With Paolo its like having a bigger Cade on your team with a lesser 3 pt shot and capable defense that could get better. Chet is unique no doubt, but it feels like more has to go right for Chet to reach his ceiling vs Paolo IMO. In this draft I’d celebrate drafting Ivey too for example because that is another route that may involve more twists and turns, but still ends up as us returning to contender status. My opinion ultimately may hinge on these last few championship games - which one of these guys is going to perform best when the most is on the line since in all actuality we can use any of them.
I've soured just a little bit on Jabari. Listening to Tjarks and Kyle Mann of TheRinger discuss him, they really make a good point about what he does besides defense and shooting 3s. That is when Jabari catches the ball in open space, he usually doesn't want to dribble or attack off the dribble. He really doesn't get downhill at all or beat anyone off the dribble. They brought up a crazy stat, looking at only 2pt% of the guys drafted within the top 5 for the last ten years (50 players), he's dead last in 2pt%. This really tells you have little he scores in the paint as a 6'10" 220lb player. That's not to say he won't/can't improve his handle and overall offensive game, but it's pretty amazing how little he does offensively besides shoot from deep. On the other hand, you can't teach size and length.
We'll have to agree to disagree on some points here. I think its fair to evaluate banchero on his ability to play C and SF to determine if he will be a 4/5 or more of a 4/3. I don't see why that discussion wouldn't happen. the fact that he's not much of a rim protector puts more importance on his ability to defend the perimeter if he will be a 4/3 in the nba rather than a 4/5. I do have concerns about Jabari's lack of playmaking ability. but I tend to have more faith in skills coming along rather than athleticism improving (like with Banchero's quickness defending in space). plus jabari offers elite shooting from a very high release point, and elite wing defense. he's sort of like a forward version of Klay in his ability to score a lot without needing to dribble. but its still a valid concern. can he ever become a play initiator or will he always be just a play finisher? I'm pretty sure most scouts are convinced that Chet's elite college rim protection will translate. his standing reach, max vert, and NCAA block rate all project favorably into the NBA. the question about him is if he can defend post ups at his weight. the nba does like to switch a lot so I will agree with you that he will need to be able to guard some 3's, and he isn't as fluid as mobley. it might be a challenge for him. but there is a home for him on defense where he can succeed, under the basket. he's a plus on that end of the floor. not so much for banchero. and like I said its ok if we disagree. only time will tell.
One thing I noticed originally about him was how low his FG% was, but his 3P% is high. That didn't bode well for his 2P%. lol. No idea about the man, but I hope his 3P% sticks - especially when he's going to have to pull it back another 1-2 feet in the NBA.
I think so too. he might not be as quick as mobley defending guards, but his elite length allows him to recover at the rim. there are concerns over his ability to defend the post but, how many post ups do we see in an nba game anymore? and at his size even if you back him down under the rim he can still block the shot like he did to duren. duren used his size advantage to back chet down all the way to the rim, but it didn't matter because Che's arms are so long he still got a few blocks. aside from Embiid, Jokic, towns, etc.. he'll be fine. and who's great at guarding those guys anyway. takes a whole team to scheme against them. Chet's been my #1 for a while, with jabari #2, but Ivey and banchero are growing on me. I know I just made a few posts defending my concerns about Banchero's defense, but I really like his playmaking ability from the 4 spot. banchero is like who Christian Wood thinks he is lol.
I have no problem if you disagree, I am always open to something I may have overlooked. I think there is a question if Chet's college rim protection will translate because it did not translate very well in the last game against Memphis and none of those guys will be very good pros. I have no issue with questioning Banchero's defense but that seems like the weakest flaw of any of these top 3 guys considering how great his offense and playmaking is, we don't actually know how good Chet will guard as a perimeter defender. Chet will not be a great defender at that weight by parking under the basket against NBA type guys as shown by any time he went up against good interior guys it showed up against St Mary's both times. Who has made an impact as mainly a weak side defender? This is why I think people are overrating what he has done as an interior defender in the NBA, I am interested to see how he does going forward through the NCAA. You know as well as I do that people are going to be lining up to posterize Holmgren, cab he hold up with everybody coming for his head? The question I have is he going to be a real rim protector in the NBA and how does that work are you going to park him in the paint or are you going to let him chase everybody that beats their man? If you do that then the guy he is checking is going to feast on dump-offs. As for Smith, he does not have the handle of Klay so his ability to score is not going to be the same, can you name anybody who has even become an all-star playing the 3 or 4 who could not threaten anybody off the dribble?
Duren has zero post game did you notice how the other bigs scored on him? I think Few has done Holmgren a disservice he should have let him dribble and drive more, I think he could have the ability to be more dynamic on offense.
I feel like a lot of the conference narratives were built up early season. The tourney can't be the only determination of conference strength but looking at sweet 16 and you'll notice ACC is well represented. Tied with the big 12 for the most teams. Not to mention we just watched Miami, an ACC team, spank SEC powerhouse Auburn.
And I'm saying look at the tourney the supposedly weak ACC is doing better than all the other conferences.
-_- The narratives were built in the early season with all the preseason tournaments. The ACC is clearly not as bad as people think when they are creating most of the upsets against the higher seeds. The SEC teams are all getting embarrassed. Aside from Iowa sitting the bed B1G is performing as expected. Etc.
you're definitely allowed to have your own opinions, but being down on Chet's defense is definitely a more rare stance right now. I agree that Chet should've been featured more on offense.
He’s 42% from 3 and 80% FT can’t imagine he can’t focus on pnr dunks or put backs to get to a reasonable 2 pt%. Shooting and defense are the most important to me. Creates a very high floor. I’d be fine with Smith but I’m beginning to think Ivey is the true superstar this year.
I was thinking about this as well. if you think all 4 are in the same tier, then get an extra asset for moving down if another GM really wants to move up. I can see a scenario where OKC ends up #4 and Ivey falls to them. With Giddey and Shai on the ball I'm certain they'd have a strong preference for one of the 3 bigs ahead of him. if we ended up in the top 3 would we trade down for Ivey and strengthening the protection on our 2024 pick from top 4 to top 10? on the other hand if we end up at #3-4 and stone believes chet and Jabari are a tier above banchero and Ivey, could he convince another GM to trade down if they believe all 4 guys are on the same tier? we have assets to add such as #16, bucks pick, tate, wood, etc...
