If AJ Griffin's medicals check out he should be a top 6 guy. Would be best 3-D player in draft, and still has upside.
Not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous about our pick with OKC going full tank pre All Star Break. Time to start wheeling and dealing?
I've seen NBA twitter compare Nikola Jovic to Paolo Banchero. They are both 6-9ish that can handle, pass and are shooting threats at all 3 levels. Both have high IQ and can also play above rim but will never be elite rim protectors due to below 7-0 wingspan and lack of elite verticality. But unlike Banchero, Jovic is a natural wing and not a 4/5 because he is barely 210. Banchero also has an elite first step and can post up or face up even NBA centers. Jovic should be able to defend 1-3 and some small ball 4's. But Jovic plays really fast, especially in transition, and puts more effort and emphasis on D than Banchero. Banchero has potential to be a better defender due to better size, strength and slightly better quick twitch but needs to want to. At worst, Jovic could be lethal as 3ball sniper, great form and gets the shot up high and very quick release even when contested. More natural on catch and shoot than Banchero. Jovic should be 1st International player off the board and a lottery pick. Maybe even higher if teams believe he can be a legit point forward.
It is what it is. Rockets FO just needs to follow their board and listen to their scouting and analytics team. And I really REALLY hope they do not leak their pick preference before all the top players are in for work outs/interviews.
Chet is a classic case of growing up as a guard (guard skills), but after a couple summers: growth spurt, so the coach put him in the front court. Skinny people need love too. #SkinnyCanBeThicc
It was raining 3's but given you guys liking one anothers posts and building on one anothers argument... Gilmore, Kareem, Wilt - all pre-NBA/ABA merger which was just such a different era in sports I don't think you can use as examples and beyond my point. All I am saying is that tall skinny guys are high risk - even if talented. Shortened careers include Bowie, Oden, Walton, Yao, Bradley, Sampson, and Prozingis isn't looking that healthy either. The 7 footers who have lasted have generally been more outside players - Durant or Nowitzki. Garnett was an athletic freak. Guys like Shaq also had a very unusual body type for a 7 footer and were considered athletic freaks. Regardless of whether you agree with the above statement or not, you can't deny that the history of 7 foot thin big men is not a good one and the odds based on history tell us that there's at least a 50% chance their careers will be ended early by injury. Now, which mold does Evan Mobley fit into? Is he more Kevin Garnett / Tim Duncan, or is he more Sampson / Bowie? What about Chet? Again, just saying there's a higher risk with these kinds of players than others - that's it.
Shades of CP3 and Harden are both ball dominant it could never work! And none of these guys even touch that level of ball control. Green's future will be off quick actions and simple plays. It'd be really nice to have Banchero as an option at end of plays to dump the ball out and get a bucket. If everyone can pass I still don't see that many problems with the fit. Unless you're talking about keeping KPJ which then 100% I agree that lineup would be terrible. I'm imagining Green/Christopher/KJM/Banchero/Sengun as a nice lineup.
Gotcha, I like Chet's game but his Shawn Bradley body bothers me. RIP How long did Bradley play in the NBA?
A while - he had knee and hip injuries that every year slowly made him worse and worse until he just was a bench warmer
Chet is far more skilled than Bradley was. and not nearly as fall (about half a food shorter). He gives me porzingis vibes, but he's a better passer on O and more mobile on D. KP has had his own share of injury problems too. however, you never know. look at Zion. opposite body type and still injury prone.
Not just OKC, but I'm also worried about Indy selling off and tanking. we're only a few games back from them. NOP too. Its not hard to imagine ending up in 6th. my worry is that Stone has to have basically a playoff team by 2024 since we owe our pick to OKC. I'm not sure if he'll want to part with wood so quickly. maybe that's the best player he thinks we can keep/land with all of our cap space in the 2023 summer. can we be a playoff team with just JG/Alpy in year 3, and the 2022 draft pick in year 2? probably not. I think the summer 2023 FA will have a lot to do with it. I'd love to see gordon land on a contender and make room for increased JG and Christopher usage. that might still happen. Not so sure if stone will give up on wood yet. I hope so, since I'd rather prioritize minutes for Alpy and tanking for 2022. the good news is the draft is shaping up to be a little deeper at the top then originally anticipated. it was a 2 man race between chet and Paolo. but now it appears Jabari and even Ivey have a chance at any of the top 4 picks. AJ griffin is making a run as of late. we should all hope for 5-6 players to emerge in tier 1 and 2, especially guys who fit with JG and Alpy.
The more I watch Jabari Smith Jr the more excited I get about his game. Smith at 6'10 is very possibly the BEST shooter in this draft. His shot mechanics are so smooth, release so quick. NBA comps keep saying Smith is Rashard Lewis or JJJ but I love the comps in CF Draft thread that compare Smith to a 6'10 Klay Thompson or a 6'10 Ray Allen. Smith is an uber elite 3 level shooter. He is a 6'10 SG imo. But he can also defend 1-4 at high level, his 7'2 wingspan combined with his body control and lateral agility allows him to be extremely disruptive - deflections, steals, blocks and shot changes. I liken him to a smaller less lengthy Mobley in regards to perimeter defense and switch ability. Smith may not have quite Mobley's defensive IQ but it's close. While Smith is significantly greater shooter he is not quite as adept as ball handler, passer, screener, rim protector or finisher in traffic.
^ I think a good comp for Jabari is MPJ. Less fluid offensively, but a much better motor on defense. I’d be happy with him or Holmgren at #1. The Pistons finally win. Hopefully they hang on to Grant and this loss to a terrible team pushes Cleveland to trade a pick for EG.
I thought of MPJ too but MPJ is strictly a 1 way player and will never be the defender that JSJ already is. Jabari has better length (7'2 v 7'0 wingspan), lateral agility and defensive IQ than MPJ. And I think Jabari will also be the better scorer. And most importantly Jabari has zero injury concerns like MPJ did.
Sweet. They've been playing some closer games lately (sorta), too, so maybe they're getting better. Almost would rather have OKC lose, in a way, because you know they're going all out with the tank. Only negative of this Detroit win is it doesn't help our 2nd pick much, but whatever.
Just pick a Mobley comp and do NOT for any reason draft anyone from the G-League especially from Ignite....
