I mean, I'd rather have Williams too... I have some reservations about Eason because of position, but sure. Problem is, those guys likely aren't there at #17.
According to the "consensus" mock draft (ie it allegedly aggregates draft positions from big boards) Eason is our pick at 17. https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nba-mock-draft-2022-consensus-order-post-lottery There is still a long way to go before draft day, and there will always be a shock riser (hello Josh Primo), so I guess we'll wait and see who falls to us. Mark Williams is at 13 in that consensus - so we'll see, he may well slip a few spots. Personally I have Williams being drafted ahead of Duren, so we'll see if that plays itself out... would love to get Eason at 17 though!!
Project is fine, assuming the project succeeds. It often does; much more often does not. Thanks for the run down.
#17 just needs to be a defensive minded player with above average length or athleticism. Obviously I love Eason a lot but there will be other players at #17 that fit that.
Perhaps Dyson Daniels might be a better fit here if he falls to 13, although he will probably go as high as 10.
I really hope that Orlando or OKC will take Banchero and Jabari Smith falls to us. He covers Sengus's two most glaring weaknesses, defense and 3pt shooting. And Sengun excels at what Smith is the weakest, playmaking. If we get Jabari, we can just take the BPA at 17 without having to worry about covering the weaknesses of both Banchero and Sengun.
Banchero is too slow to get to the rim in college but somehow Baldwin who abysmally failed his draft combine stats is supposed to make it work? Boozer didn't have an evolved offensive game like Banchero. I'm not in love with Banchero but the dude is almost a complete package offensive, he can hit mid range, he can score in the paint, he can hit fts and he can playmake and pass. Baldwin can do none of those things other catch and shoot 3s but somehow he is better than Banchero? Or even compared to Luka Doncic? LOL.
Yes Dyson Daniels would be a great pick up but he gone by 10 or lower. Dude's a cross between the 2 Ball bros.
Yes the rule of thumb is the NBA offers greater lanes as 3-pt shooters are better and more plentiful on teams.....but I can't guarantee an NBA team can offer two 40+% three point shooters in their starting lineup & Mark Williams type interior threat. They had an extremely good inside-out game structured. Duke had the perfect Strom ideal for Banchero to work that mid-range game. I find it amazing how you don't see 3 to 4 guys keying in on Baldwin before he even touches the ball as not having room to operate. I guarantee you if Banchero was at the University of Milwaukee with the same crew Baldwin had......Banchero's numbers would be garbage as he would have no room to maneuver. It takes two to tango and it takes two to get assists in basketball. Banchero could pass all day but if his Milwaukee teammates don't get the ball thru the rim.....nada.
If Banchero has a triple team that means 2 guys are open on his side, if he makes a pass those guys will be able to convert cuz its 4 on 2. His teeammates' %s will increase cuz of the open layup line due to the space Banchero creates as a prime threat. Baldwin can't do that cuz he can't pass all he can do is shoot. So if he is triple teamed his only choice is try to score on that triple team. That's why his teammates' nos are bad they don't benefit from having Baldwin double and triple teamed. Baldwin played in a weak conference his teammates are low level but so are his opponents. If Baldwin was really an amazing talent he should've dominated his conference ala Keegan Murray.
Two guys that can't shoot worth a lick. I give up on you, I know you are not hopeless; but I think you are being dense on purpose to get a rise out of me. Good luck with your thinking What part of his teammates were crap and not worth paying attention to are you not getting
Even crap teammates can score if it is 4 on 2. Its not like these kids are total scrubs they'd destroy you 1 on 1. The conference itself is weak so just as the teammates are trash the opponents are trash as well. It all equalizes Baldwin just failed to dominate and show out like people were expecting. If he played in Duke or w/e he'll have an easier time scoring and put up better %s but it wont change his lack of hustle and defense which is critical. His combine stats will also still be bad so his stock will remain low. People dont want unathletic no defense Davis Bertans clones high in the draft. Regardless how high you view Baldwin the Rox need better defenders and Baldwin isnt a good defender, in fact its one his most glaring weaknesses so he aint a good fit here.
I posted the 3-point % of his teammates the highest was 37% and the others were 30% from 3. Why is it difficult to understand one player stay within 6-feet from that one shooter and have 3 players converge on Baldwin and one focused on protecting the rim in case someone is attacking back door? Did you not see Harden guarded at half court? Forced to pass the ball out of his hands? Make Westbrook beat them? At least the players around Harden were decent....the ones at Milwaukee this season were barely worthy of a scholarship. Go figure, how they ended up at the University of Milwaukee? Why on earth would you play (defend) 30% or sub-30% three pt shooters close? You want to dare them to shoot. Which brings me to a very important question. Why on earth are they guarding Patrick Baldwin so close while being 30 feet away from the rim when he is only a 26% three point shooter? (See it in every Baldwin highlight video) Answer: because everyone in the gym knows he can shoot. You don't want him to sink one or two, because he can go off for 30 easy if he gets in a rhythm.
I'm not denying Baldwin can shoot, it's like the only positive scouting reports say about him. I'm just pointing out there's no way Banchero would be limited like Baldwin jr by double and triple teams cuz he can pass and playmake to an open man. Whether thats a 3 or a layup, their percentages would be better than normal cuz they are wide open if Banchero gets triple teamed. But that's neither here nor there. The Rockets need a defensive presence, they don't need a one dimensional shooter who apparently has bad athleticism and doesn't even try to defend on the court. With bad athleticism can he even get separation from his man in the NBA? I don't know, but there's lot's of other prospects that you dont even need to worry about that. Whether the Rox get Banchero or Jabari they still need a premier 3nD player which isn't Baldwin Jr from what we can see.
I'm just saying he may be an option if a defensive big like Mark Williams, Sochan, EJ Liddell, Tari Williams, others are not there at #17...or we move back or get an extra pick(s) by way of trade (Eric Gordon, Wood, Tate, etc) I draft Kessler if we mix in more zone defense and we keep him near the rim in a 2-3 zone or 2-1-2 zone. I don't mind Baldwin as the rim protector as Small Ball Center or used same way as I said use Kessler 2-3 zone or part of that 2-1-2. In that 2-3 zone can be used on the back line as just guarding one of the corner 3/baseline. Make his assignment simple on defense. If Baldwin's defensive assignment is guarding a zone, he can easily be trained up for that. It's his ability to shoot for distance that makes him an asset if teams run more defensive zone in the league in general. The team (Oral Roberts?) that ran defensive zone against his team found out the hard way when he put up 26 points and he was turning around and trash talking the opposing teams bench before the shot went thru the net. Give him space and he can be money. And the Rockets may feel the same as they have already interviewed him and possibly worked him out. Probably asked if he needs ankle surgery and if COVID made him weak during the season?
Patrick Baldwin is undraftable in my book. Not even second round. He looks like a complete stiff and his numbers were trash in a low level league. It doesn't matter who your teammates are; NBA-caliber talent, in a low division of college, universally dominates. Watching his highlights I feel like he must have had some masterful PR team in high school to get his rankings so high, because in the past year he looks like a complete stiff. Reminds me of Perry Ellis who was on Kansas for forever. Maybe fans squint and think they see a Shane Battier? Maybe he's well spoken? During the combine he was supposedly out of shape and completely outclassed athletically by the field. This is an example of anchoring bias, where the first exposure people have to him is that he is supposedly a high prospect in high school, and now you have to revise your projections downwards, but it's never enough because your initial impression of him anchors him to this status that he simply doesn't have.
There seem to be a plethora of wing options in this draft. I'm glad the Nets really underperformed expectations this year because while the #17 pick is just outside of the range of some of my preferred prospects, it might still be realistic to trade up to the #10 range or so to nab them. It would've been much more difficult to trade up from the #25 pick or lower. And you never know, one of those prospects might drop. I didn't expect Sengun to get past Charlotte. My preferred wing would be Eason, but I'd be ecstatic with Sochan or Daniels as well.
Those other guys are likely to be all gone before the 17th pick. I wouldn't be upset if the Rockets trade the Nets pick for a first rounder in the 2023 draft.
