Is Jarace Walker the most Udoka player in the draft?

I've seen a lot some analysts have him as high as 5 or 6, so he's not a huge reach at #4. The reason I've stepped off on Jarace a little is that I've come to believe the Thompson twins can become nearly as impactful on the defensive end under Ime's tutelage while offering more offensive potential and, for Amen specifically, being a better fit on the team in the long term. (Even if we do bring Harden back, he won't be around that long, while our draft pick could be here for anywhere from 5 to 15+ years.)

Would I be upset if we took Walker at #4 or traded back for him? No, not at all. I would suppose the Rockets saw something they didn't like with Amen Thompson and decided it was better to go a different route. Jarace is going to be a really nice contributor in the NBA. But we'll definitely have to hope Jalen, Jabari, or Alpi become a legit superstar, which is not something I'm totally sold on.

 

I think this is true to a certain degree. I think you're 100% correct if you mean in the sense that Amen is much less ready to step in and be a positive contributor on day one. You get Jarace Walker and his feel for the game and his size and defensive instincts are absolutely going to be a positive impact on the Rockets immediately and help us win more. That's one way of expressing "high floor".

But at the same time, I also think Amen's floor is a little underrated. It's going to take him a bit longer to adapt to the NBA because he's less polished due to playing in a league that's not very serious or organized, where they kind of just run up and down the floor in transition the majority of the game. So I wouldn't be surprised if he's honestly a pretty terrible player his entire rookie year, or at least most of it. The haters are going to come out in droves, book it.

But at the end of the day, I believe that's just going to be a temporary rough patch, and that he is a pretty safe bet to push past it and adapt. Ultimately: I'd be surprised if his athleticism, defense, and playmaking don't translate to him being a valuable contributor even if he never learns to shoot at all.

Now, that could place him in kind of an awkward Marcus Smart, Markelle Fultz kind of range, but I believe he is a much, much better playmaker and athlete than those guys, who are also both 6'3" instead of 6'7". So I really think he's a good starter in the league even without the shot.

 

Not really. Just take him if FO likes him.

They have to live with the decision.

Perfect combination of smooth and blue collar....

People have to stop taking bigger risks and take the guy that is solid once in a while.

 

I admit to not doing a super deep dive on Jarace, but I just have a really difficult time figuring out how he works on this team (outside of him just being a very good player).

We're so stacked in the front court, which is where he'd play. I feel his ideal position is PF, but Jabari has that position locked down. Next might be SF, but currently have KJ/Tari there. I think KJ should be traded at some point (though I *love* him), which would open up minutes, but then I also think the Rockets need to sign a vet SF. I also have concerns if Jarace can actually play SF full-time. OK, then you have center. And Sengun. If we're not taking someone like Scoot or Amen, then IMO we need to build around Sengun as a primary playmaker. 35ish MPG. Also I'd like a legit rim protector, either with the other draft pick or via free agency. I think Jarace could do alright at that, but his standing reach makes that unlikely. Honestly I actually think Garuba could do a lot of what Jarace does as a defensive big (except the skilled offense stuff on the other side).

So unless you want to move Jabari, Sengun, and/or Tari OR you want to spend the #4 pick on someone who will come off the bench for 15mpg the next 3-4 years, I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense. But maybe I just need to dig into him more and that will have things make sense.

 

Amen probably has the closest mean stare that Udoka has.

 

I think he would back up both the 4 and the 5 for around 30 minutes a game. I see him more as a PF/C than a combo forward. With his long wingspan he should be fine as a small ball 5.

His skills would actually complement Jabari and Alpi pretty well as a complete frontcourt rotation; they each bring very different sets of skills to the table, IMO. Would give Ime a lot of flexibility in deploying different-look lineups based on matchups.

 

I see him more as a 4/5 too, but that also kinda limits him imo. His wingspan is long, but his standing reach isn't super impressive imo. I think if you want to go small ball 5, you use Jabari at the 5 (think he probably has a better standing reach), Tari at the 4, and maybe the vet SF at the 3. Or possibly even use Garuba if you're high on him.

I can sorta convince myself of that, but I feel you still end up with a bench guy assuming most of these guys hit. Obviously if Sengun, Bari, Tari, etc flop, things change. But just doesn't seem ideal for a top lottery pick, even if the potential versatility is nice.

 

His game reminds me a whole lot of Draymond.

 

I wish you could end up with Scoot and Jarace, while trading most of the Nets assets and Sengun. Sign Harden and Lopez or another good vet C. That would be too much to ask probably though. Scoot would come off the bench for 2 seasons. I suppose he would still get a ton of minutes backing up Harden and Green along when they miss games. One hell of a lineup though.

Harden TyTy
Green Scoot
Eason Martin
Jabari Garuba
Lopez Jarace

 

Real talk: I don't think we have a good idea of what an "Udoka player" even looks like. He hasn't had enough time as HC to really have a say in drafting or anything like that. He had to work with what he already had in Boston for the most part.

 

I might like Hendricks more on both ends...

 

Scoot should be a PG, but sure I see what you mean overall. I'd suggest some tweaks (and I don't like Harden if the team gets Scoot/Amen/etc. unless it's cheap), but yeah. That could work for me.

I assume you'd groom Jarace as the future 5. Which if he could be a Bam type player (not the best rim protector, but awesome at most things), sure. And with Sengun gone, those minutes and touches would be available. This does makes sense to me in terms of utilizing Jarace IMO.

 

Sure. But I'm hoping Rockets get a vet SF (possibly in return for moving those 2). And if you're like me, you think Jarace is a 4/5, so that doesn't really open up many minutes there.

You'd have to move Jabari, Sengun, and/or Garuba for 4/5 minutes. And there might be at least one vet big man signing (or someone like Lively also being drafted).

 

Why does Thompson have a really low floor?

Even if he never learns to shoot, he is still an excellent passer and defender, he gets out in transition and he is excellent once in the lane.

Guys with those skill sets typically last in the NBA until they lose their quickness.

 

#4 for Orlando's #6 & #11. Sell into all the Amenmania.