Let’s Talk Potential: The Young Guns: 25 and Under

It is too early to tell whatll happen in 3 years. If Dallas and Toronto decided they have no shot without even trying vs Miami and GSW they wouldnt have rings.

 

If we tank next year we got our pick no matter what. If we tank this year its a 50-50. We cant try it cuz we dont want to lose assets and then benefit OKC. Its pretty simple.

 

Dallas and Toronto had franchise players. Unless you think Mason Jones is gonna take a gigantic leap in the next two years, than we dont have the guy. We need "the guy."

 

I'd rather take this risk and benefit us instead. That way, we might not have to tank next year. Scared money dont make money.

 

You can trade for "the guy" or the important final piece like the 04 Pistons did.

 

Why dont we need to tank nex year? You're the one who said Rox wont be contenders in 3 yrs so why no need to tank after 1 yr? Lol

Its not just a risk there is also a cost to it as the Rox arent bad enough to be a top 3 pick. You need to jettison assets and gut the team starting with Dipo, Wood, Cousins, Tucker and EG. And you need to do it before the deadline because by then it wiuld be too late to catch Detroit, Minny and Washington. I highly doubt Rox would net amazing assets for those players rn so you will actially be at a loss.

Lossing assets to benefit OKC? Nah.

 

Its doubtful that will happen, that's why they are so rare.

 

I mean....Im all for tanking next year too. Im just saying that if we had "The guy" we wouldn't "have" to tank outright

You can get a trade for Dipo, EG and Tucker by the deadline pretty easy. Woods and Cousins we dont need to trade. We are two games back of Detroit...its not too late to catch anything lol. EG looks good enough to get an asset, so does Dipo and so does Tucker.

Scared money dont make money.

 

Wood, Jones and Brown will be here for the foreseeable future. Love watching all of them!! Very excited. Tate I could see us lose down the line with wanting too large a contract, him not progressing as we want or giving him up in a trade for a veteran in 2-3 years.

 

Yes, I can see Wood being that good. Easily, in fact.

 

I personally enjoy watching this squad and hope we don’t tank. However, I think nihilism is absolutely the logical attitude to have if the goal is a championship in the next decade. In fact, the main reason I like watching right now is I think it’s hopeless tank or no tank, so I’d rather at least watch somewhat winning basketball.

My favorite part about watching this squad is seeing young(ish) guys that could go on to have good careers, that will often be on other teams down the road.

 

If I'm the rockets FO, I try to restructure Woods contract by upping his annual salary modestly and extending him out a few more seasons. Not sure he'd go for it, but he might.

 

Nah. Just give him the max at the end of his current contract.

 

Fist, good thread OP. The most interesting and refreshing thing about this season so far is that we have a bevy of young guys who are playing and we can discuss their potential.

I love Wood--his game and his attitude have won me over. Can he get better? Absolutely. I think he'll benefit from playing with Wall, Cousins and PJ. NOTE: While I understand the sentiment to trade PJ, House Mac, and Gordon immediately, I'm hoping the latter 3 can rebuild their games a bit more before Stone makes a move. I also believe PJ's on court communication is an incredible asset for Silas right now and will help these young guys learn more and faster.

Tate--fan favorite already because he's got a bit of that Bev attitude we all loved. Very different player, because of his low-post game. He's got a nice overall game that makes him solid, but believe he's better suited off the bench right now. I don't see him developing into a star, but a very solid starter who can do a little bit of everything.

Brown has been nice surprise, more athletic and better offensive player than I expected. Again, really solid rotational player who can spot start when needed. Should continue to develop.

KJ Martin has special shot blocking skills--I mean he rejected Boban, c'mon that was ridiculous. His left handed drives have been strong, he has a lot of work to do on his shooting and passing, but lordy he creates excitement as a rim protector.

The strange case for Mason Jones. Jones doesn't really look special athletically, but his 3pt shooting has been phenomenal. Is it a hot streak or can he sustain something close to this consistency? We have him running point, but he's more of an off-guard and I think that's where he'll eventually find his role. Bottom line is that he's made the most of his limited opportunities and you have to admire his confidence. He's a guy that could take Gordon's role this season if we have find a suitor for Eric.

B. Thomas is someone I want to see play more. He may have the best hybrid skills of the young guns (sans KPJr).

Kurucs has size and skills, but will have to work his ass off in practice to get any playing time. His rookie year was impressive, but he's faded since then--why? Perhaps the legal issues have been weighing on him. Sooner or later this season will likely give him a chance to show Silas what he can do, he needs to be ready.

KP Jr. based on his skills he's got the potential to be an elite player. His athleticism, handles and scoring ability at 20 are special. Getting his head right is the key. His shooting form is a bit of a fade style, not saying its bad, just a little different. Really excited to see what Silas, Lucas and team can do to help this young man develop.

That we have eight 25 and under players to talk about is an incredible testimonial to Stone's ability to reshape this roster in a very short time. The kind of defense we played last night was impressive. We may be a championship contender, but at least we can have some fun watching this team grow.

 

KJ Martin has been super impressive so far, especially seeing that he is basically a straight-from-high-school player.

I expected Martin to get limited NBA minutes and look like a lost rookie. He has not.

I can see Martin developing into a legit NBA starter.

It will be interesting to see who gets sent to the G League Disney bubble

Spoiler

besides Jones and Thomas (our 2 two-way players, right?). I had expected Martin to get serious G League minutes this season . Not so sure now.

As an aside, it would not surprise to see Kevin Porter Jr. log minutes in the G League bubble to get into shape, though that might be a hard sell given Porter's temperament.

 

I think it would be good for KJ to get some Vipers time, especially after having some live NBA minutes now. He can continue to work on his game and do it with others aspiring to do what he's already got a taste of. KPJr would probably benefit from the playing time and a chance to learn the system in game action before getting thrown into the big show.

 

I really like Mason Jones. He is very smooth and efficient with the ball.

 

Another great thing is how many of those guys we have locked up for a while on small contracts. Wood, Tate, Martin Jr, and Porter Jr. are all locked up for 3+ years. I'm guessing we convert Jones soon. We'll have plenty of time to figure it out.

 

Plus the reward would likely be to watch a brutal sweep by the lakers and after that Lakers two step that led to Harden’s comments... that would be torturous to watch... but hey we made the playoffs...

It does suck to feel this way but I’d rather take the coin flip for a top pick than being guaranteed the Miami pick either way

 

Jones needs to be our backup PG for the foreseeable future

Wood needs to be our offensive focus

Tate needs to be our starting 3

Nwaba and Brown have positives to their games, but will be journeyman for us in the end