And can player do any of those things at a ELITE level. Chet is elite defender. Jabari is elite shooter. Ivey is elite transition player. What is Paolo elite at?
Post Game/Footwork. Midrange bag. Playmaking. Court vision/Passing. Best big man ball handler in the draft.
Right now, I'm gonna "Bet on Chet" if he's available with our pick. It's almost as if it's made to order: this team needs a defensive anchor in the middle and Holmgren can be that guy. On the offensive end we need a center that can stretch the defense with 3 point shooting and Holmgren can be that guy. I wouldn't be mad if we took Smith, Banchero, Ivey, etc. but this team doesn't have a problem scoring even after netting the worst record in the NBA; we just can't making any ****ing stops. If Chet delivers on his hype/potential/projection to be an above average defender coming out of the gate, that's a huge win for this team. The only gap left is to draft/acquire a 3&D guy to play SF.
Just for clarity the Houston Rockets had the 5th worst offensive rating in the NBA. Their PPG is in the bottom 3rd. I agree when you guys say that we have the worst defense (well 2nd worst), but I cant disregard how bad the offense is and convince myself that only a defensive minded player would need to be the pick. This team needs more guys who can create for others in a bad way. Ideally you could get a great 2 way player, but the blue chippers this year seem to be specialists.
The thing with Holmgren, even if he never becomes a guy you run the offense through, he will still be extremely valuable offensively with his skill set and worth the number 1 pick. He isn't like a Rudy Gobert where you merely tolerate him on the offensive end. He has good hands, and his length/agility combo make him a good lob finisher on top of invaluable floor spacing. He will be a major asset to any offense. It isn't as if he has a low offensive ceiling either, he has the potential to be an offensive superstar. He can put the ball on the floor and shoot over anybody, although I'm not as confident he will reach that potential. He has yet to look comfortable in that role from what I've seen. His frame holding up is literally the only question mark to me.
I don't see mamba mentality at all with either of them, if they had it they would not sometimes be afterthoughts on those teams. Kobe would have strangled those guards for Auburn and no way would Kobe be the 3rd option on that Gonzaga team. This is not a knock on either of these guys, but they have not displayed any mamba mentality.
Valid points but I don't see Chet as a specialist just like how I don't see Jabari as a specialist. Chet has more offensive skill/potential than, say, Rudy Gobert or Clint Capela or other defensive big men currently in the NBA just on his shooting range alone. He might not be an elite two-way player like Embiid or Jokic but I wouldn't pin the specialist label on him. In terms of offense, I agree, there's not much to write home about this past season but there are things that can be done to improve upon the offense with the current crop of players. For one, it's highly probable that Green and Porter can grow and improve on the offensive end of the floor. Another, you add a willing passer and complementary big like Sengun to the mix it should make the offense flow a lot better. Then, and I hope to God this will occur, you remove Tate, the starter, from the equation and replace him with Tate, the bench/role player. He plays a position that demands/requires a higher level of proficiency on the perimeter than the 30% he's chucking up the past two seasons. On the flip side, we don't have a lot of ways to improve upon defense with the current roster. I hope Porter can maintain his respectable defense moving forward, I hope Green can get to slightly below average defense this year, I hope Sengun can do the same...but we don't have anyone on the roster that has the potential to be elite on the defensive end. Now does this mean I would draft fit over BPA? It might seem that way but, like I said, I wouldn't be mad if we took any of the other top prospects because all are projected to grade out to be solid NBA players. But if I had my pick, I'd take the guy that has potential to be an elite defender but also be your 2nd or 3rd scoring option because while we might be bad on the offensive end we're downright anemic on the other end.
We have a franchise player. Plus we have good scorers around him (Porter, Wood?, Sengun, Christopher). We need to add defense to become a well-rounded team.
So Banchero does not have superstar potential and Chet does? How do you figure that? 1st of all there are not 30 Franchise players in the NBA maybe 10-15 if I am stretching it. You definitely need a creation skill set to be a franchise player because if you can't create your own shot at crunch time you are not a franchise player. Name 1 franchise who cannot create his own shot? That's not what a franchise player means at all, it's the one guy you can build around to lead your team to a championship or if you have this guy you have a chance. I don't understand the bolded, you have to have certain skill sets to be a franchise quality player. A franchise player can do most of what you listed at a very high level not just 1 or 2 of those things. I disagree. I am not saying he does not deserve to be the #1 pick but you can't say he deserves to be the #1 pick because of those reasons and not look at who else is available. It's not about what he can and cannot do in a vacuum, it's about if other players are better and can do more. I have no issue with anybody that thinks Holmgren is deserving of the #1 pick, but he is not deserving just because he is not like Rudy Gobbert, the question is and should be is he the best talent that projects to be the best NBA player of the players available, point-blank. His frame holding up is a huge question and another big question for me is can he be the focal point of an offense, I think what is being missed also is that at his size will he have the same defensive impact, he will be going against bigger and more skilled people in the NBA than he did in college. There are questions for all these guys and projections will be needed, just want a guy if available, I have seen the ability to create his own shot if everything else is fairly equal as a player.
So you think JG averaging 22 ppg at the end of a season where they did not crack 20 wins means he is a franchise player? Interesting. Since when is averaging 22 ppg over a month the sign of a franchise player? Do you think Gordon was a franchise player, since he has averaged as much over the same sample size? So you think we should just run it back and add defense? Really?
Chet and Jabari are high level 3&D specialists as of today. Banchero is an offensive player as of today. None of them are absolute 2 way players. Closest to that IMO may be Keegan Murray. Neither Chet or Jabari can create for themselves (or for others) routinely. Regardless If the vision is to showcase the scoring of our backcourt then I could see either Chet or Jabari being good fits. If the vision entails having more than one guy who can create for others and play team ball then you can slot Banchero into that unit. If KPJ is not in the future plans for this team I can see Ivey on the team. Totally agree with the need to upgrade Tate with hopefully a bigger 3 who can shoot consistently. BPA is something you think about in the middle rounds not so much in the top 5 picks - any player in that range should be a positive impact player for us. We will know what Stone see's as the blueprint with this pick though thats for sure.
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/04/14/n...smith-chet-holmgren-paolo-banchero-jaden-ivey 1. Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr., F, Auburn Height: 6' 10" | Weight: 220 | Age: 18 | Freshman As was the case for much of the season, Smith should be viewed as the favorite to go No. 1, with a versatile skill set and major upside. Players with his combination of size and athletic ability have no business shooting the ball with his level of ease and range, and his shot-making should immediately translate to the NBA. He’s not going to be a player who wastes dribbles, and his handle isn’t a strong part of his game, but as he adds strength and skill, expect his interior scoring and comfort creating shots to expand. He should also be a plus defender, with the length and agility to defend wings and bigs. Factoring in Smith’s youth (he turns 19 next month), strong competitive makeup and work ethic, he’s the prospect in this draft class I’d be most afraid of passing up. His jumper and shooting touch are special, and there’s a pretty sound foundation here for future stardom. The Rockets have loaded up on young guards and, regardless of where they land in the top four, should be in position to pick from among the top frontcourt players. Smith wouldn’t be a perfect fit with Jalen Green, but he’d be tough to pass on here. He’s the safest bet as well as the youngest of the draft’s top prospects, and you can argue his ceiling is also the highest. The confluence of those factors makes him the pretty clear-cut top prospect in the minds of many around the league. 16. Rockets (from Nets): Kendall Brown, F, Baylor Height: 6' 8" | Weight: 205 | Age: 18 | Freshman Brown ended the season trending downward, as his offensive limitations made it harder for Baylor to rely on him when it mattered, which NBA teams noticed. Although his upside as a scorer isn’t immense, which may cap him out as a role player, he remains a prospect of interest due to his size, high-level athleticism, and above-average feel as a passer and defender. Brown shot 34% from three on just 41 attempts, but his shot isn’t viewed as broken, and building his confidence in that department should be a developmental priority. He’s still just 18 years old, and looks like a worthwhile project for a team that already has creative players in place. The Rockets loaded up on scorers in last year’s draft, and what direction they go with this pick likely hinges on where their lottery pick falls. They have a long enough timeline to take a shot on a guy like Brown and let him work things out in a low-stakes role.
I do think he is the best NBA player, point blank. Defense is part of the NBA, a major part. Aside from Ivey, I would be very surprised if any of the top 4 ever become the focal point of a winning offense. Ivey also has (by some margin) the highest bust potential of the 4. I do think Chet has the highest offensive ceiling of all 4, and a comfortable floor.
Why does he have to be elite at any one thing? Is Chet really an elite defender, since he has mainly been asked to be an elite help defender? For him to be elite at rim protection in the NBA he is going to have to play close to the paint, is that what you want for him to do in the NBA? Banchero is on par and better than everything else Holmgren and the others do except for the one thing you claim they are elite at but for some reason this makes him lesser than those guys? This is terrible logic I can name busts and bench players who are elite at one of these things, and it did not translate to the NBA. Its interesting that you think rim protection makes you an elite defender, yet Gobbert is unplayable in the playoffs.
Who would you like to see the Rockets draft, if all prospects were available? Real honest genuine question.
