He ok but at 6'4 (6'2/6'3 really without shoes) there is a ceiling for him. We gonna end up paying Suggs the max and another team paying Cade who is doing what Suggs is doing the max so the Rox will always be at a disadvantage. There's a reason pgs havent been the best player in a champ team since Chauncey Billups. I mean Steph is there too obv however he had 4 all star teammates that were just beating up the entire league. When he faced a similar talented team (that wasnt injured), he got owned by Lebron. Cp3 been dubbed the point god but he has a history of choking, prob not cause he is a choker but because his size always leaves him short. Right now the most promising pgs in the NBA would be Ja Morant and Trae Young and while those guys can make a lot of noise can anybody really see them beating Luka or Giannis if their teams are relatively equal in strength? I'd rather get Caleb, Green or even take a chance on Barnes and somebody else like Moody/Sengun/Giddey/Kai Jones. I just dont value pgs a lot anymore we got KPJ I think he gonna do a good job and it'll be a waste to use the pick on Suggs unless Rox get something else on top. Both Green and Mobley have playmaking potential, they just werent able to showcase it cuz they needed to be the no 1 option on their teams. They didnt have a team like Gonzaga with Kispert and a couple other seniors I mean Green was passing to 25% 3 pt shooter Kuminga so.... Suggs game is made to dominate NCAA he is a man among boys just like Zion. But when he transitions to the NBA he isnt gonna be as dominant imo, when he barrels down the lane he aint up against scrawny white college kids.
If this yrs #2 pick works out, I think we have enough talent to compete. We have Milwaukee's and Brooklyn's 1st rnd picks moving forward. We compete now!
I fully expect this to happen: "With the second pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets select, Jalen..." *pause* "Suggs." Not sure why, just a feeling.
Lol thats whats happened so far doesnt matter what you believe thats the reality. Remember when Lob City lost to feuding Harden/Dwight? When Rox lost due to Cp3 injury? When Cp3 bricked that layup and OKC lost in the first round? Now if Bucks win its due to bad Cp3 play. It's pretty obvious at this point.
This is the second installment in a two-part series with college basketball expert Seth Davis discussing two of the lesser talked-about lottery prospects, USC’s Evan Mobley and Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs. In this installment, we discuss Jalen Suggs. Kelly Iko: Seth, I enjoyed our discussion about all things Evan Mobley last time out. Now, I want to pivot to the last member of the four that isn’t getting as much love as Cunningham and Green, Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs. The most recent memory people have of him is the March Madness run, a cold end to a 31-1 season losing in the final to a physical Baylor Bears side. Do you think that him not getting as much buzz as Jalen Green, Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley has more to do with how people view the tournament overall or is there an actual gap in talent between Suggs and the rest? Seth Davis: I don’t think it has anything to do with how March Madness turned out, but if that was the case, then Suggs would be the number one pick. I don’t know that there was a better player during the tournament, and of course that includes his shot for the ages to beat UCLA. I remember sitting in the Turner/CBS green room in Indianapolis and Charles Barkley kept saying that Suggs should be the number one pick. I don’t agree (there’s no doubt that Cunningham is going first), but Charles is a smart guy, and he knows a stud when he sees one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see any team, including the Rockets at No. 2, select Suggs once Cunningham is off the board. Suggs' Offensive Breakdown PLAY TYPE % TIME PPP RANK Transition 32.3 1.069 60th P&R Ball Handler 28.3 0.819 68th Spot Up 13.8 0.903 52nd Hand Off 6.7 0.867 56th Isolation 3.8 1.235 97th Cut 3.8 1.529 93rd If you’re looking to pick at nits, Suggs has a few. First and foremost, he shot 33.7 percent from 3. Not terrible, but not exactly lights out either. Suggs could use his athletic burst to get to the rim against college defenders, but in the pros he’ll need more tools in his toolbox. The other thing you wonder about is whether he is a bit of a tweener. He’s not a pure two (and if he were he’d be undersized), but he’s not a pass-first, set-the-table point guard either. So he’s going to have to find his way. But from a character, toughness and work ethic standpoint you’re not going to do any better in this draft than Suggs. He’s a winner, full stop, and I expect him to keep excelling and keep winning. Iko: When you talk about the character of some of these younger players, I think that’s a part of the evaluations that get overlooked in some of these mock drafts. The Rockets are looking to build a new culture, a winning environment. That will only be spurred by drafting the right people, different from just the most talented or the ones that fit the best. I guess from a Rockets standpoint, you’d have to think of what is already on the roster and what can be added to it. John Wall and Kevin Porter Jr. are shouldering the load right now. When you watch Wall operate in the high pick and roll with Christian Wood or other smart screeners, you instantly see how the veteran guard can commandeer a half-court offense and manipulate screens to get optimal outcomes. Regardless of whoever Houston takes at No.2, they’ll get a great lesson in playmaking and running the show just by being around Wall. I’m not all that concerned about the three-point percentage. I understand Houston’s woes in that department last season but there’s a hell of a lot more to Suggs than his streaky shooting. None of these guys are pure playmakers right now (Suggs and Green) and hell, they might never be. I think they can make simple reads right now though and Silas likes a lot of high pick-and-roll, side quick hitters and branches out of those options. But you watched them all season — what separates the two in ballhandling and playmaking? Davis: Both these guys are pure scorers. Green probably has more scoring potential than any player in this draft. He led the G League Ignite in points per game (17.9) while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and 36.5 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers come with the caveat that this team was set up for the youngsters to be featured in the offense (the top three scorers were all straight-out-of-high-school guys), but all you have to do is watch Green slash, change directions, pull up and finish to know that he has the goods. Suggs isn’t quite as wiggly as Green, but he also has that scorer’s mentality and the burst you’d expect from an All-American football player. If you’re looking for a combination of scoring and athletic ability, these are the best two players in the draft. Neither is a stellar playmaker, but if you’re hoping to turn one of these guys into a future NBA point guard, then I would go with Suggs. He averaged 4.5 assists per game to just 2.9 turnovers, and that was at a level with a longer shot clock and fewer possessions than the one where Green played. Green, on the other hand, averaged just 2.8 assists to 2.7 turnovers. He simply does not think like a point guard, or even a playmaking wing. This is a skill he will have to develop to succeed in the NBA long-term. If he doesn’t, it will be too easy for teams to double-team him. Suggs is not a pure point guard either, but he’s closer to that mold than Green is right now.
Iko: If Houston is thinking long-term when the time comes to draft, how do you decide then? We all know Wall is on huge money and a smart bet says he probably won’t be with the franchise in a year’s time. If that’s the case, and Porter still needs a backcourt partner, is there a school of thought that says Suggs is a better fit right now than Green? Especially when you factor in uncertain futures? Davis: As I said, if you’re looking for a replacement for John Wall at point guard, then Suggs is your man. Suggs actually reminds me a lot of John Wall when he was coming out of Kentucky. Wall was also quite raw but blazing fast. Suggs isn’t quite as fast end-to-end as Wall was, but he’s a better outside shooter at the same stage. The problem is that Suggs has more of a scoring mentality, whereas even when Wall learned how to be a big-time NBA scorer, he still had that pass-first mindset you want in your point guard. Wall is a point guard who learned how to scorer. I see Suggs as an elite scorer who needs to develop his point guard skills. That said, Houston has the No. 2 pick in this draft, and I am a big believer that when you are picking that high, you should take the best player available, regardless of position. Look at how NBA basketball is played these days. If Stephen Silas can’t figure out how to play Wall and Suggs together then he needs a different line of work. Overall, though, if we’re choosing between Green and Suggs, I would probably lean towards Green. Scoring is the most important commodity in this game, and Green has more of it than any other player in this draft. Iko: The onus will be on Houston to develop him from Day 1. Silas is as good as they come as a young mentor, judging off what I heard last season. But those that ride hard for Suggs are banking on his swagger, his killer mentality and his will to win. You mentioned his epic game-winner against UCLA, a shot that proved he’s made for the bright lights and the big stages. But what do you see his ultimate ceiling as? Is it too early to even make judgment calls like that? What stood out to you from his lone season with the Bulldogs? Davis: The ceiling is the roof! The thing that stood out most for me about Suggs is his mentality. The kid is a fighter, a competitor, and a winner, and he is absolutely bursting with confidence. When it came time for someone to take that buzzer-beater in overtime against UCLA, everyone on Gonzaga knew who was going to take it. Suggs’ shooting percentages weren’t great, but in the few times during the regular season where Gonzaga faced game pressure, Suggs was the one most likely to take — and make — a big shot. And I’ll never forget standing just off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium after the NCAA championship game was over, and seeing Suggs walk by me with a couple of teammates. I couldn’t see his face because he had wrapped his head with a Gatorade towel, and he was sobbing. When you want to win as badly as he does, losing hurts so much you can’t bear it. Everything I heard about Suggs all season long from the Gonzaga coaching staff was that he came in full of confidence but with no ego, he was a team player from the start, enjoyable to be around, appreciative of the culture and the chance to play for Gonzaga (he turned down a LOT of money to do that) and desirous of only one thing, and that was to win a championship. He didn’t quite accomplish that, but he did enough to make me believe it’s only a matter of time before he does it in the NBA. He only played college basketball one season, but we were lucky to have him. Iko: Suggs isn’t coming in as a finished product, although none of these guys are. You mentioned the shooting earlier as well as the need to learn the ins and outs of ‘point guarding’. What areas do you see him struggling in at the next level though? Davis: I think “struggle” is too strong a word. My main question with Suggs is how well, and how quickly, he will develop as a basketball player. He is certainly very skilled right now, but he was such an elite athlete at the college level that he didn’t have to develop as an all-around player. He also was able to get away with some mistakes. That epic block he had late in the semifinal win over UCLA was made possible by a mistake in his ball screen coverage. In college, he’s able to make up that ground defensively, blow by any defender and finish over guys at the rim. I wouldn’t say he can’t do that in the NBA, but it’s a lot harder. Almost everyone he plays against will be a freak athlete. What is your Plan B, C and D when you’re matched up against a guy who’s just as freaky as you? Iko: Good point, Seth. Even when you look at him defensively, he has the tools to be a longtime stout defender at the next level. His athleticism alone can cover some ground that may arise from mistakes (like the period leading up to the UCLA block). Given where Houston is, though, I think they need to focus more on the areas where Suggs is good at and highlight/champion those parts. Whether Houston leans towards Suggs or Green, it’ll be up to Silas and the coaching staff to construct next season’s rotation. Houston still wants to stagger their ball handlers even though the days of James Harden and Chris Paul are long gone. There will come times where Silas will need to trot out lineups featuring two of Suggs/Wall/Porter Jr., deploy one of them or even have all three for long stretches. Will there come a time in the future where you can see Suggs lead his own team as the primary playmaker, or will he always be better served as a strong secondary playmaker? Davis: I’m not ready to commit to this answer. Right now, Suggs is a great player. I’m not sure I would ever see him as a pure, pass-first point guard in the NBA. I see him more in the Stephen Curry mold as someone whose primary role is to score but can move over to the one at any time and make plays for his teammates. That part of his game is behind the scoring part, but I expect it will catch up quick. Just about everyone needs to be a scorer in the NBA these days anyway, and as the years go on that will only become more true. The notion of someone being a pass-only point guard, or even a pass-first point guard, is moving further and further into the rearview mirror.
I believe the Rockets want green but the hype was getting out of control and they dont want Detroit to take him number 1. So now they gotta hype all these other guys and put out that they're in love with Cade and would trade up to get him. Pump up Cade and keep Detroit cade focused. The Green hype was too much and they didn't want his stock to rise too much. But in the end Green will be their guy. I hope
Yeah but to be fair we are only just starting to rebuild and have been one of the older teams in the league for years. We’re a long way from being Sacramento. This years and next years draft are deep. This is the time to double down and grab as much talent on rookie scale deals as we can. We need more talent on this team.
This is very interesting. How the bettors looked at Jalen Suggs and Evan Mobley prior to the Gonzaga-USC matchup in the tournament. Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga ($7,100) - Despite winning all three NCAA tournament games by 16-plus points, the Gonzaga Bulldogs' floor general has been disappointing from a DFS perspective, averaging 20.6 FanDuel points. However, that should turn around soon as Suggs' rates are exceptional. The freshman has a 25.6% usage rate, 55.0% effective field goal percentage, 18.1% defensive rebounding rate, 23.3% assist rate, and 3.7% steal rate. Additionally, the Bulldogs have an implied team total of 81, which leads the slate by nine points. Evan Mobley, Southern California ($8,500) - The future pro is a dominant force on both ends of the court. He has a 23.6% usage rate, 60.0% effective field goal percentage, 9.8% offensive rebounding rate, 19.1% defensive rebounding rate, 14.1% assist rate, and a 9.1% block rate. Mobley has been borderline unstoppable in tournament play. In five tournament games (Pac-12 and NCAA tournament), Mobley is averaging 41.0 FanDuel points per game.
Ya but why not all 3. Just load us up and see which ones sink and which ones rise to the occasion. Wall is obviously out. Kpj thinks he's a point guard but he's just a score first guard with good passing abilities. I'd also rather us try to trade and get both Jalens than try to move up for Cade who has an ego larger than a house.
This current season feels never-ending. So itching for some new Rockets news/transactions and next season of a drastically new team.
*Lob City lost to Rockets Legends Corey Brewer and Josh Smith. Not sure if that makes it better or worse but they were beating Hardens ass until he sat down in game 6. CP (and Schroeder) went toe to toe with Harden through a tight game 7 with a rebuilding team that 0 people had making the playoffs. I remember feeling sick that whole series. Granted I was sick before 1 game of watching Westbrook play. CP3 can't fix the Bucks getting what they want in the paint. Where is Harden btw? Oh, an injury excuse? I bet you wouldn't take those for CP3's choker past. Btw when CP3 went down what did Harden do against GSW in 2 games? Presided over a 0-27 3 point streak. It might be ironic to consider you could bash Harden with all of your same points. Basketball is a team sport and Paul's assists to turnover ratio alone shows that he has been an elite PG his entire career. If CP3 wins a ring, neat. If not, enjoy your twitter circle jerk with other casuals who think Paul is a choker and Curry is top 5 all time.
No they ain't. Jalen Green is the pick. They are torn on what nonsense news to put out next to hold us over for the next 9 days.
FWIW, some important context with respect to the OP is that Zach Harper originally had the Rockets drafting Suggs at #2 in his first mock back in June. So in Harper’s 2.0 mock when he says the Rox are ‘torn between Suggs/Green’, but now he actually has them drafting Green that is movement toward Green, not away from Green. This isn’t ‘OMG Suggs!’ news, this is actually just Harper taking one foot off Suggs Island and pivoting toward the Rox taking Green.
