You’re right, they’ve had a ton of picks but I didn’t realize they were mostly late firsts and seconds until you and Wikipedia set me straight He might be a good drafter then, but maybe Paolo’s skill set fits his team better? I’m happy with any of the top 3 regardless.
they’re not perfect. They traded Alpi last year. They traded Clarke a few years ago. Not that they’ve had great picks but the last solid hit before Giddy was Steven Adams. recency bias would say he still has it though. The Giddy pick was great. Sure, one can argue Wagner was just as solid a pick and they could have gone with him but Giddy is a very exciting young player that fits their team with lots of upside. But again no one is perfect and I’m not going to sit here and be like “if they pick Chet then he must be better but if they pick Paolo then he must be better but if they pick Jabari then he must be better…”. Especially given we draft one behind them. I respect their scouting and believe they’ll select a player that will likely be solid but they have their needs and pick 3 can easily be better than pick 2 or 1 or not.
No one is infallible and drafting is not an exact science. Just saying, looking at Presti’s history, I wouldn’t be too excited about him letting someone “slide” to us, as someone else was suggesting. Chances of that being the better player is slim. Thinking otherwise is random internet guy being way too confident in their armchair scouting abilities.
I think he’s a great GM who has a plan, follows it as seamlessly as possible and has historically been solid at drafting.I could argue it’s taking a little bit. But I guess HOU is only 1 year behind them. In any case… he’s good… BUT, it doesn’t mean he’s always perfect and more importantly it doesn’t mean he can’t pick his dude and the rockets pick their dude and both be happy with it in 5 years. when he draft Russ at 4… who went at 5? Kevin Love. They had just taken KD and didn’t want another forward yada yada. In hindsight, KD/Love would have been hella cool especially if the rest went the same way and they got Harden the next year. But the Russ pick made sense. And the next pick was great too.
This is my worst case with Jabari in the NBA. Isaiah Whaley is an NBA player and he gives Jabari fits on this night. Imperative that Jabari develop some dribble penetration to avoid good defenders from taking his shot away. (sorry about the language - basically saying its 48 seconds of Whaley tossing Jabaris sht).
I need more convincing on Jabari as well. It doesn’t seem like any mock has him dropping to 3 and I’m ok with that. His shortcomings seem more glaring than Chet or Paolo’s.
Been finding myself more and more intrigued by Duren. Would never guess he's just 18 years old with the level of maturity and self awareness he shows.
Not putting too much stock in an Anonymous, some junior exec probably had a couple extra martinis at happy hour. He should put his name on it or keep it inside his org.
I thought this was interesting and kind of alarming. Holmgren vs. Tier A teams (14 games): 25.6% 3-point shooting, 70.5% 2-point shooting, 11.6 points, 10.1 rebs, 3.5 blocks Holmgren vs. Tier A and Tier B teams (16 games): 30.0% 3-point shooting, 71.6% 2-point shooting, 12.3 points, 9.9 rebs, 3.7 blocks Holmgren vs. all opponents (32 games): 39% 3-point shooting, 73.7% 2-point shooting, 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks
The way his 3 pointer completely abandoned him during the tournament was terrifying. His inability to punish lesser players/teams is also concerning for a guy who is billed as a maniac competitor.
Unstoppable? He will be easy to knock off his roll route and he will not be a great pick guy either because of his lack of a great base. Why would anybody be concerned with a fit of a roster that had the worse record in the NBA? This is not me trying to call you out I just don't understand why anybody is more concerned with fit than actual talent. All of these 3 guys fit anyway.
I agree about fit, I think some fans will be happier with Chet because of his defensive aptitude, as our defense is laughable currently.
You realize that just because you say something doesn't make it true right? Holmgren's efficiency at the rim, over 80%, is the definition of unstoppable. He is just too damm long, even when knocked off his spot, he will still finish. And you've been told this from multiple sources, Holmgren is extremely physical and not at all contact adverse.