Nope. No they weren't. He's one of the best prospects to ever enter the league, and only a total moron can't recognize that. He may not achieve his potential, and he's more than likely to have injury problems. But if you think the hype around his 7-1 frame and skill is over-hype, then you have no business projecting nba futures.
I hear you on bpa in the lottery and it’s potential to lead to the lack of fit on the roster. I’m just not understanding the tool selection he’s been targeting. I scratch my head when I look at Giddy and SGA. Dort is a nice role player. At some point, your collection of assets needs to form a team. when I look at Houston, we likely have 3 complementary players that can grow together into an amazing core. We have a couple peripheral talents with upside that actually blend well with the roster construction. it’s going to take a few years for either team and it’s likely that both teams see significant roster change before they are highly competitive- but I feel the rockets have the chance for this core to establish itself and advance their schedule while OKC still needs another star.
Kid only 19 already installing fear in offensive players. Offensively not gonna be a star though. Good enough to be part of very dangerous team though
That Summer League team he faced was also one of the worst ever... Definitely the worst one in this Summer League for sure lol
I agree and this is spot on.... I'm not saying he can't be an effective NBA player, but I don't see a star unless he's able to effectively bulk up and maintain his movement while staying healthy.
how can you watch those highlights and think his offense will be a problem His moves look as clean as dirk and kd already
we are talking about his potential. He is a rookie btw He will absolutely have an offensive game eventually. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise. And yes he actually is already close to kd and dirk fundamentally. Thats why everyone is making that comparison. He just needs the nba level strength
We've never seen a center with his level of frailness in the NBA and I don't trust it panning out for him becoming a legit star... Mobley was also fortunate to not have to play much center because he has Jarrett Allen anchoring the D.... Is OKC gonna be having him start at the 5 most of the season? I'd be concerned with his health and effectiveness.
He may not even play 5. Since he has handles, he may be more of a 4 or even 3. That's the problem with being a 7footer. It's why Kevin Garnet refused to be listed as a 7' because he never wanted to play center. If you are 7', everybody, including coaches, assume you are a center. But the dude shoots 35% from 3 and has good handles. Does that sound like a center? KD is 6'11" and isn't a center, right? I'm looking forward to watching him play.
When I say play center... I'm talking about on defense primarily... How he's used offensively is irrelevant to my point as teams will still likely guard him with 4s and 5s. If they're not starting a bigger center alongside him, then he'll have to hold up with that frame against much bigger centers nightly. You're mentioning his offensive skillset, but that's missing my point entirely. KD is clearly a perimeter player based on how and where he plays.... And with his speed, fluidity, and handle at his size... He also mostly defends on the perimeter... Chet will almost certainly spend more time primarily in the paint.
Dunno. If he's camping out on the 3pt line offensively, he creating a mismatch if they guard him with a 4/5. On defense, he can probably guard 4s well enough if the opposing center is too big. We'll see. If you are just basing it of strength/size, then Zion should be reliable. Greg Oden couldn't stay healthy. They said Yao was too skinny. Some folks are just injury prone. Is what it is. It's not a size thing. If Chet is a baller, he's a baller. They'll figure out where to put him later.
Chet can easily guard on the perimeter. He’s shown that time and time again, one of the most athletic, mobile and fluid guys his height to ever come out. He’s looked good in every game outside of making shots. The handle in traffic needs tightened up, but it’s good in space. As much as Jabari defended him well, he defended the entire rocket team well. It would be a huge mistake by OKC to play him as a 5.
Chet being already close to KD and Dirk fundamentally is like saying Jalen Green is already close to Michael Jordan/Kobe. Just no. KD and Dirk are/were two of the greatest forwards of all time on defense, KD might be in the conversation for the greatest scorer of all time. there's way too much hyperbole. Chet is long and has potential, but his strength right now is his defense. I will admit he has shown some flashes on offense because he's quite fluid, but the scoring probably will never reach KD level.
I'm skeptical of just how well he can guard on the perimeter in the NBA till I see it... His foot speed certainly seems too slow to keep up with most wings... A situation like what Mobley got drafted into would probably have been ideal for him tho. Zion is someone that's too big for his frame and as explosiveness as he is... It's put a lot of strain on his lower body. Yao was almost 300 pounds as a rook... This isn't even apples and oranges... we're talking about a 7 footer in Chet that's not even 200 pounds. Yes Oden couldn't stay healthy and sometimes players just have bad luck and tough injuries happen, but certain body types especially among bigs are more likely to have these things happen. I'll be more specific... It's not simply a size thing... It's more to do with his frame and how he's built in his lower and upper body... He has a terrible frame and very narrow shoulders. We'll see if he ends up guarding 4s then, but then they'll need to pair him with a bigger center... They have Poku who isn't really better in that department either. Of course he needs to add some strength and weight, but even that could be problematic. If he gains too much weight he’ll lose some of the agility and perimeter skills that makes him special... Putting much more pressure on his knees and ankles.... Chet is going to need to bulk up some and I suspect it's going to be difficult for him to put on weight effectively without losing any effectiveness which will be an issue and a player built like him is a major injury concern.
point being, the NBA is littered with examples of guys that had NBA ready bodies that were not NBA ready or Guys that the experts said were too skinny and ended-up being all-world players. It just comes down to one thing; Is he a baller?
I hope you're not counting KD or Yao among those.... Also there's "too skinny" and then there's Chet. We're talking about an unknown.... We've never seen a player at his size and weight much less with that frame pan out and become a star.... Is he a baller? I have my doubts, but can he be a solid NBA player and rim protector... I think so.
I have my doubts about every rookie. So far, The #1 and #2 picks have outshined our #3 pick, as they should. (yea yea, summer league, still early, yada yada)
