The good players get an extension with that team that drafted him. I believe Udoka will tap into making Cam Whitmore a star with his off ball screening and cuts to the basket. Passing will come around as well. I had Keegan Murray and Mathurin doing well in the open spaces of the NBA......Can Whitmore will be a bull in a china shop. Hard to contain. A 6'7" Marcus Smart version.
I feel like people are underestimating Whitmore, Walker and Hendrix. You can't put a ceiling on these guys because all of them are young. What you should be thinking is these guys already have these skillets despite their young age, 2 yr from now when they are Amen's age they gonna be even better. OTH Amen has all the physical tools but it seems like he wasted all his time cuz he is rawer than these kids despite being 2 yrs older. When these kids were getting coaching an development Amen was getting limo rides and making viral tiktoks in the OTE.
I just don’t get the hype. I see the potential, sure, but the guy is only 6-2, can’t shoot, didn’t dominate in the G-league, no meaningful competitive experience (NCAA or Euro)… Scoot is a dicey project at best. He’s Steve Francis when he was at San Jacinto, basically… If he ends up on the Rockets, on merit he’ll be behind Nix and TyTy. So what do we do, then? Go back to Phase One when we play trash players because they are young and potential-full?
Well first of all GLeague is a step up from NCAA when it comes to competition. Outside of Ignite the GLeague teams are made up of former NCAA standouts or guys who got kicked from the league and want back in. NCAA has thousands of teams, only a couple of those are better than GLeague teams most of the time the team you face in NCAA are scrubs with 1 guy projected to go 2nd round if at that. Secondly Scoot ahs been playing in GLeague since he was 16 or something, he is very experienced thats why teams want him they want a DRose like dude to come in and make an instant impact. Third he is very Cp3 like yeah he can't hit 3s but he can do everything else including play good defense at the 1 and 2 as well as dunk all over everyone. With that said I don't like Scoot as well as I don't believe in a pg led team being a champion but if he's available at 4 without any trade up its kinda dumb to pass on him.
G-League skill level may be higher than NCAA but is not as competitive. It’s a showcase and experimentation league for players to showcase and work on stuff. That’s why these Ignite guys like Jalen Green and Kuminga and Nix suck so bad when they come to the NBA. They have skill and talent but zero concept of what it takes to compete and win at this level.
How many players come from NCAA and don't make it to the NBA? So did those guys not have any concept to compete and win at this level? I mean you got people winning Heisman trophy or w/e it's called and being a scrub in the NBA so those don't count but Nix and Kuminga get cruficied cuz they suck in the NBA? Most picks are one and done they split their time between studies and studying their coach's plays. You think they already got infused with college spirit to win in 1 year they had? DRose won mvp and it turned he even cheated to get in college. Gimme a break man.
Cam is not worthy of a top 5 pick. Tari Eason provides the same skill set. while I’m not entirely sold on Amen, his potential is through the roof (even more so than scoot). If he had any inkling of a jumper he’d be arguably the top prospect…. behind the skinny Parisian of course
That’s not it. Ignite takes top HS talent, they actually get paid. It’s a very small and elite recruitment. Kuminga and Green are elite talents. So far zero impact on winning for their teams. I strongly suspect Scoot will be the same deal, no impact whatsoever. I guess we can baby him like we did with Green, but isn’t the idea to start winning? If that’s really the case, will he respond to being glued to the pine and send back to G-league? I can see someone like Whitmore or Amen being agreeable to that, but a hyped-up celebrity like Henderson? I think there will be friction.[/QUOTE]
Work ethic is very important too. They are all young and will improve. It will all depend how well they work on their game and how well they adopt. Heat is 2 games away from the Finals playing with bunches of undrafted.
Lol Erik Spoelstra is rightfully furious at people doubting undrafted players. Undrafted are also pro players that have the same accomplishments as drafted players. They might even work harder because they did not get everything handed to them from the start.
Thia is what I see too. His abilities are almost more suited for the pro game than college. He’s a pesky player who moves without the ball continuously. Is sneaky athletic, has a pure shot and is a passable defender. As a package that generally translates into a solid nba player.
Surely you’re not putting Kuminga and Green in the same category of players? But speaking of Green What rookie has a concept to win at the NBA level? What second year guy? It takes Most NBA players several years to hit their stride and form their identity as an NBA player. And while Nix or Kuminga may never be stars they could still be very good or serviceable players in the league. You can track some of the All NBA first and second team guys and their careers represent a pattern of growth and improvement and not phenoms or savants in their first or second seasons. Even Kobe wasn’t great in his rookie or second year. Look at Tatum, Brown, Fox, Booker etc. Their numbers and performance showed an evolution taking them several years before stardom and accolades and got more attention as their teams overall got better.
Good points, but Amen’s athletism is somewhat of an illusion. When he played those few games overseas with OT Elite he was not able to get by his defenders because they were higher caliber players. He looks like Jalen Green when playing kids but like game 7 James Harden when playing adults. No issue if he’s 18, but at nearly 21 he’ll be a full three year project with many stints u. the G-League. Not what we need at the 4th pick.
How about Cason Wallace? Smart two-way player, high motor, good defender. They could probably trade down and get him if Udoka wants a Marcus Smart type.
Amen's athleticism is surely not an illusion. We're talking about a prospect that lands in the NBA as a top 5 athlete from day one. His shooting is atrocious, yes, but we've also seen sharpshooters become unplayable in big games. I'm very intrigued by what Ime could do w Amen and Green. Udoka has hinted at running guard on guard screens and the rim pressure those two would be able to create there is insane to think about. The defensive potential is also otherworldly and would be an ideal fit next to JG. You're talking about a cat that can guard 1-4 w that wingspan and athleticism. Amen, Tari and jabari out there running amok is a defensive nightmare.
lmao, Amen delusioners should be claiming that Amen will be the #1 athelete in the league from day 1, blowing by NBA defenders like he does in OTE scoring 16 points a game against 15-17 year olds as a near 21 year old man child at the start of his rookie reason. Fun fact, Amen sat in high school for an extra year. He was draft eligible last year at 19.7 at draft. Whitemore is such a superior Amen that it is not even funny. He is a prototypical power small forward. His warts are being a blackhole on offense. Think smaller Julius Randle with more motor.
