eventually they may be redundant, but that’s way down the road. If they draft Clingan, he’ll be fighting Adams and Landale for back-up minutes and maybe some spot double-big stretches here and there. If he progresses quickly and the fit proves awkward there will be a trade. That’s a good problem, however, it would mean that we drafted an NBA starter, and it is likely that there will be interested suitors.
Right, but the 3 headed rotation is Gobert, Towns and Reid at least it has been in the playoffs. Naz plays a vital role in what they do as he's often rotated in and out for Gobert late in games to maximize matchups. Clingan as a project doesnt interest me for a long term backup role. Are we expecting him to eclipse what Sengun provides? If Jabari isnt going to be that guy then having someone that can provide output commensurate to that big wing archetype would be valuable next to Sengun not another slow footed space eater.
I think IF the Rockets do pick Clingan, it will be for that exact idea.....building towards the future. They don't need him now. He is the one thing they do not have in their core as of now....size! To me, the Rockets are looking at SA and OKC, not so much Minn. at this point. SA and OKC are on the same timeline as the Rockets. Both teams have young bigs, guys who are over 7ft. Clingan is sound defensively and he shows nice form at the 3pt line. And considering they went HARD after Brook Lopez last yr, it would not surprise me a bit, if Clingan was the pick! The fans who want shooting, I think the Rockets can get that in FA or in trade to add to the roster.
The answer to defending Chet/Wemby would be development of Jabari, tall, lengthy forward who can move on the perimeter. Not a drop big who is going to force Sengun to chase around stretch 4s.
I think Clingan will be insurance for Adams. Remember, he is 7'1, 300lbs, over 30yrs old coming off if a leg injury and Landale will probably be traded or let go, depending on what they do in FA. Clingan is a project. Most bigs take time to develop. But to have a defender, who is a rim protector, and who has shown he has good form at the 3pt line is priceless in the NBA.
If they are looking towards the future with star aspirations they would be doing it in the wrong draft. Clingan being able to hit 3 pointers in the combine does not constitute a sense of confidence from me when he didnt shoot them at all in college and is a 56% free throw shooter. In response to missing out on Lopez these guys went in on Adams who presumably has a few years left in the tank. If looking for a star big or star in general is in order then next year would present a much better crop to choose from. I still have faith in Sengun adding an outside shot to make all these talks moot. We'll see. Overall shooting is the biggest red flag for this team and I'd have to weigh the cost benefit of whether a free agent with the incoming salary would be a wiser move over just taking the best shooter in this draft.
His 3 pt form is fantastic for his size. Smooth and pretty quick. It's not his fault he was relegated to the paint by UConn.
Who’s fault is it he can’t make a free throw? If he was shooting 80% on free throws it’s one thing….but he didn’t
One aspect of Clingan's game I think is underrated is his passing ability. His AST/TO ratio was basically 2/1, which is great for a center. In that vein, he can serve as a more defensive oriented offensive hub when Sengun sits, which means there is no break in our offensive scheme.
He improved by 7% between his Freshman and Sophomore seasons. I think it's pretty clear his shooting will continue to improve. Wemby shot around .65 from the line for ASVEL and improved to .8 this season.
I call Reed the Kentucky Jimmer Fredette. Sheppard's low end outcome is "Not an NBA Player". Just having shooting is not enough, if you don't have the body to even stay on the court. He juiced his max vert by not trying on his standing reach. As another podcast mentioned, even though he had good defensive metrics in college there's no way in hell he could even aspire to being a Derrick White. They just have completely different bodies. White, Donovan Mitchell, PatBev, all the smaller guards who have still stuck around in the NBA have wingspans 6'7-6'10. And everybody needs to stop making Steph Curry comparisons. Steph Curry will never happen again. He's not even a real thing. Adam Silver changed the rules of the NBA to allow a Curry to succeed.
What do you mean he didn’t “try” on his standing reach? That’s one of the most absurd conspiracy theories I’ve ever read.
I don't understand why people have Clingan so clearly ahead of Edey. Edey was faster and quicker than Clingan at the combine, hell he was quicker than Sarr in lane agility and shuttle run. Has a significantly larger wingspan and jumps higher than Clingan. He's 7'4" without shoes and played every minute of the Final Four. It's hard to compare stats as Perdue was just carried by Edey while Uconn was a well rounded team but when carrying the load, Edey was amazing. You could maybe talk me into Clingan being a better prospect, but to not even be mentioning Edey in the conversation is crazy.
Im not saying he's a star nor will he ever be. Out of our core six, we may have 2 that has star quality. Everybody can't be stars. I think they need to start developing pieces to the puzzle. We have pieces but they have questions; Sengun - will he develop a shot outside of 10ft? Is his future at PF or C? Jabari - is he a better SF or PF? Tari - is he better as a starter or bench player? Jalen - can he perform all season or just in phases? Cam - can he develop into a starter? Amen - can he develop a shot? I still don't think we have that 7ft shot blocking presence. And looking at next yrs draft, there are not as many centers to chose from.
I doubt the point of drafting Clingan is to play him with Sengun. I’ve seen this over and over and I don’t believe it’s based on a logical conclusion. Sengun doesn’t play 48 minutes a game 82 times a season. Particularly this team coming off last season, where we struggled so mightily with depth.
