Emoni Bates

How good is he? He isn't a once a decade guy coming out of high school but he is pretty damn good as a prospect. If he could magically enter this draft, he would go #1.

He isn't as good a prospect as Chet Holmgren is though. Holmgren has incredible fundamentals, his father was a high level basketball player and he was coached since a child by prospect Suggs father. Holmgren is currently 7'1" with a wingspan measured a year ago at 7'6"..... he is an exceptional shot blocker from the strong side, weakside and in transition. Holmgren has a very strong vertical jump, is explosive, has an exceptional handle and passer... and he is probably the most gifted shooter in his draft class.

Assuming he stays healthy, Holmgren is going to be a franchise player.

 

I used to hoop with a girl named Emoni when I was a teen, she was cold everybody called her E-Money.

So I give this prospect 10/10

 

After years of never watching prospects thanks to the LTS era... this is one positive moving forward. We can watch highly touted prospects and actually have FRPs to possibly draft those players...

 

both these dudes need to add like 50 lbs lol. its not even an exaggeration when folks call them sticks. haha

 

Bates I am not worried about gaining weight, you can already see that he is going to gain muscle by his age and definition.

As for Homgren, he is going to certainly gain weight but with how the game currently is, it will not matter as much as people think. He is an exceptional ball handler, passer, very fast in transition and a very gifted shooter. He can be pushed around inside, but with a wingspan that will likely top out at 7'8"-7'9", it matters less.... he can be bull dozed over and still block shots.

These kids are not being basically raised in basketball labs. This kid has been a teammate of Jalen Suggs since they were 9 years old. His teammate is Suggs, and his AAU team has three other 5 star prospects on it. He was taught to play guard, he was taught exactly how to shoot and where to be on the floor. There is no more "street ball" or "pick up ball". This kid has had exact and organized practices and scheduled workouts since he was a child. They even have the advances cameras to measure movement, etc.

He looks like he shouldn't be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, he looks like a child but he is all business. I saw an interview where they were following him around for a "typical day" and he wakes up and has a regimented breakfast, has yoga.... then practice before school.... at lunch he eats and then goes to the gym where he works with a shooting coach.... he then after school has practice and then at home uses a special laptop and software to review practice and his coach sends him edited video.

It was the same with Jalen Suggs. They are no longer kids that play basketball, they are cyborgs.

 

I think Chet was a standout in one of Curry's camps either last year or the year before if i recall correctly. I just started looking into both guys at the beginning of last year. both are so full of length and height. Gonna be interesting to see how some of these picks houston has align with the careers of these guys.

 

I don’t necessarily disagree. But I will say, Emoni Bates is probably the safer bet in terms of longevity and durability.

Chet has injury prone written all over him.

 

Bates is the safer pick, he is a little younger and he has a more conventional body type and game. The main issue with Bates is that he doesn't have the array of skills that Holmgren has.

anytime you have a human being as big as Holmgren (7'1" and a 7'7" wingspan and 200 lbs) there are red flags because of his frame.... the only thing I can really say to counter that is Kevin Garnett and Kevin Durant. Both were similar sizes (smaller wingspans) and have had long careers.

The reason I say Holmgren is the better prospect is because the total package of his game is unique. While KD is a good comparison, KD does not handle or pass like Holmgren and he is not near the shot blocker or post player.

It is the old argument about guys like Arvydas Sabonis, Toni Kukoc, David Robinson, Magic Johnson, Yao Ming and a few others.... these players all had tools at an early age and abilities that no one else in basketball had. Some of them turned into all time greats.... others got injured... some didn't do as well as expected, and some got hurt.

 

Feel like he may end up taking the G-league/overseas route

 

Bates looks better than any of the '21 or '22 prospects, exc. Kuminga whose handle is much better.

 

Is Holmgren assertive? Has he shown to put together all his skills with fluidity and intuition on the court? I've been keeping up on him since he crossed up Curry and was shocked to see his size. Its exciting to think of, Who would you give as some comparasions if any?

Bates looks like he has all the talent and athleticism to easily be an nba player, he also has a lot of similarities to Andrew Wiggins and maybe another canadian in Rj Barret. If he can put together the court awareness, have the motivation, and motor then he can be special.

Holmgren will be up for the draft next year correct? Which would work great for the Rockets, Emoni is another year away I believe. I'd like to see more propsects goto the Gleague. Better translation and talent to the NBA game and easier to evaluate, but excited to see how holmgren does in Gonzaga next year. If by some dream scenerio we get Cade and Holmgren, our team becomes one of the most exciting ones and tilman gets to do it on a rookie contract budget. Everyone finally wins.

 

Seems like he has been hyped as the no 1 pick for a while.

 

Sharing an interesting ESPN Insider article that was posted to Draft Reddit. Stuff I found interesting.

• Bates is still a really good prospect, but maybe not generational. Closer to Brandon Ingram than Kevin Durant?
• Prospect development isn't linear. All top ranked prospects go through peaks and valleys. Emoni is no different.
• Lack of physical growth and elite measurables. His peers are catching up.
• People don't like that he transferred to a highschool his dad created. (Reddit says his dad is like Lavar Ball, but worse?)

 

Cont..

 

End.

 

He's a steve novak

 

Yes, Holmgren is very assertive. He has no problem scoring, forcing contact or bringing the ball up in transition. With Holmgren it all comes down to injury risk. If he stays healthy he will be a top 5 player in the league and possibly better. He is an excellent passer, he is an excellent shooter, he has moves in the post and he can put the ball on the floor. He has drastically improved his one on one game as well. He has to tighten up a few parts of his game, but he is so involved and active that he is going to fall into double doubles and some triple doubles.