Banchero is not even better scorer than Green or KPJ. Wood is better scorer than Banchero. So why would Banchero be the primary scorer for the Rockets? That said, if Banchero is BPA when Rockets pick then do not trade down or trade him away. You draft him.
That is correct. Alpi will be matching up against the brawnier centers or centers that are primarily post on offense. Chet will get most of his blocks as a weak side shot blocker and help defender. His long arms also help when guards drive into the lane and try to pass out. He is not going to magically put on 50 lbs and bang with the bigs and we don’t need him to. Next step is to find someone that can coach defense.
I know Paolo has an unproven jump shot, is an unproven defender and isn't particularly impressive athletically, but he has no real weaknesses and people are looking too hard for shortcomings. That's what's the Paolo is number 1 people sound like. Don't get me wrong, I think his offensive upside is very high so I don't think having him number one is absurd. However the argument that he has no major flaws, and people are assuming best case for Chet and Smith while overanalyzing Banchero is preposterous.
I highly doubt Banchero will be available as BPA (i.e., Chet, Jabari, Ivey, and possibly Sharpe are gone). If other teams are willing to trade picks/players that will help the Rockets more towards their goal of winning a championship than picking Banchero, I will go with whatever helps the team. If other teams aren't willing to trade assets like Banchero is a primary scorer and Banchero is the BPA, sure, you draft him.
I have this draft 4 deep with players that are deserving of being in consideration for the #1-2 pick in this draft. I personally include Jaden Ivey in that group, I think when it is all said and done, he will be one of the top 2 players to come out of this draft 5-6 years from now. Had the Rockets drafted Mobley or Barnes last year, I would be a bigger fan of Banchero for the Rockets in the top 2 of this draft. The problem is that the Rockets already have defensive limitations with Green and Sengun and I don't think Banchero is as good a fit. Regardless, if the Rockets end up with Banchero I will be happy, because the drop off from the top 4 to number 5 is big. Banchero is going to be a 20+ point a game scorer with real offensive upside if he improves his shot (which I think he will).
The Banchero only fans simply refuse to understand this or are unable to understand this very simple point.
Sengun should not move needle on who to select. If a player can't fit with Green, they probably aren't a great talent (i.e.., fit = talent in regards to Green).
Fit matters when there is little to no gap between prospects in regards to upside. Thus if you rate Banchero, Jabari, Chet, and Ivey about the same you consider fit.
I have Chet, Jabari, and Ivey ahead of Banchero as best players available. If Chet and Jabari are gone I would have tough time passing on Ivey. Sharpe is also a wildcard. I have no way of knowing if he is worth a top five pick or not, but Stone probably does or will soon enough. If the pick is Ivey or Sharp then I am working especially hard to land Eason or Murray, because Banchero will be gone before the 7th pick which to me is the only shot we have at moving into the top 10. I really doubt Portland is giving that up to us unless we add our 2023 pick to our 17th pick and other pieces like Tate and/or Wood.
I appreciate the calm delivery and respect your position and preference. We all have our projects and favorites. Thats what makes being a fan fun especially for those of us who enjoy the draft process. I REALLY like Ivey even though i've cooled on him as a #1 option for THIS team and he carries some concerns with him as well as every other prospect ever probably. In the right situation he should flourish. I think Greens defense has gotten better and better as the year progressed. Some metrics even have him as the best rookie isolation defender. He wont be the weak link on defense. Sengun needs to get in the gym - lose the baby fat and work on quick twitch drills all summer. I think he will improve as well. His IQ is what distinguishes him on the floor and I feel Paolo shares some of that ability to read the court and know what to do and what play needs to be made. Banchero is expected to get better as all the other prospects are being given the benefit of the doubt when addressing their concerns. Im pretty sure we are not watching his final form, I like the leadership he would bring and personally feel like his game fits with everyone on the roster due to how smart of a player he is. If Ivey is the pick I'd be perfectly fine with it. I'd defer to Stone and his fantastic 1st draft and hope he has a knack for these things.
What advanced stats are you using that says he can guard the perimeter well? And what NBA type talent has he been asked to guard on the perimeter? I was tongue and cheek about playing dentist but he was not playing elite inside talent in the WAC and even ST Mary's big men had success against him and Memphis big men kept them in the game, Dandrige and Williams were both effective. You still have not answered the question of is he going to be the paint protector guarding bigs in the NBA or a help side wing guy? Because if he is going to be this elite shot blocker he is going to have to guard a big who is always around the paint and that's only the highly skilled bigs. That word elite keeps getting thrown around considering Holmgren and his elite skill does not really translate to what he is going to be asked to do or what is important in todays NBA.
If there is little to no difference in talent, but there is in fit...there is a difference in talent. Edit: Centers excluded, but this discussion isn't about centers.
Who is saying Banchero has no major flaws? Most pro Banchero voices have been extremely moderate. Its been the opposing voices that have felt the need to disparage and be overly critical of Paolo for whatever reason(s). I have a working set of eyes, can read and use comprehension and ultimately a fair amount of REAL analysts and scouts feel he is a great prospect and make a compelling argument. I dont need Clutch Fans to convince me! LOL Just guys shooting the sht around the water cooler - thats all that goes on here. Some dudes just get offended too easily when people disagree with them.
Jaren Jackson Jr brings help side shot blocking for the Grizz playing the 4 next to Steven Adams. So yeah, it can be both ways. His shot blocking is still a huge asset if he's playing the 3 or 4.
So how is he going to be this shot blocking difference maker if he does not play center? What weakside/ help defender is a difference maker currently, do you see him the same defensively as Mobley or Giannis? You keep saying elite, but that's only as a shot blocker, and he was elite against lesser competition, what exactly is an expert at? Me personally will hire the well-rounded guy because he will be more useful because he do more stuff to help my business, especially if the expert is a guy who is an expert on something that has not been shown to be that important and I don't know if he actually is an expert because he has not done it at the top level. I ask this question again, since when has elite shot blocking ever been a reason to pick a guy top 5? So now we are picking a guy in the top 5 to be a weak side defender? This is the NBA you can't just leave guys open to be going for blocks all the time, this is not the old NBA where you had 2 bigs Holmgren would have to guard a skilled wing, so he will not be able to roam around. Seems to be a lot of wish fulfillment going on about what Holmgren be, I am not saying he can't but it's a lot of projection.
