He looks like he is 19 and has a long, long way to go. Still, you can't teach that vertical leap. Question is, what else is he bringing to the table? Can he pass, can he defend, can he grab every rebound?
After a couple of those jumps, I thought his vertical would be 40+, but apparently he clocked in at 38.5" at the NBA Combine. Here's a write-up by Peachtree Hoops on him : https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2020...deo-athleticism-atlanta-hawks-high-school-img
Harden has a 38” vertical with 6’11” wing span.... Gordon registered a 39” vertical with a 6’10” wingspan.
Can he pass? Not very well. He just doesn’t have good court vision. He isn’t a turnover machine but he doesn’t read and react well so he won’t find cutters or pass to set up teammates. Can he defend? He defended 3-5’s in high school and did a good job. He is a good shot blocker and is good at sealing off inside. In the NBA he will need to guard guards and that is a work in progress but he has the lateral foot speed to do it. Can he rebound? He only has a 6’7” wingspan on his 6’6” frame but he is a strong rebounder. He gets off the ground very quickly and is a gifted repeat jumper. He is strong for his frame and is persistent on the boards. Essentially he is a very good athlete with a game that is best suited to be a role player. Teams usually don’t draft raw high school players to be role players so he fell to the end of the draft.
That's fine, but I think he should spend time in the G-League if it's games take place. Working on his jumper is a must.
Harden doesn’t have that vertical anymore. That should be obvious. Watch his OKC games and you’ll see how much more explosive he used to be.
Had no idea I don't mean to knock their athleticism, but that's not what I see now when they dunk. I think they're both awesome players and happy to have them.
He does when he isn’t banged up. I have seen him during the summer screwing around have his head level with the rim... he just paces himself.
I absolutely love Stone's vision of adding super run jump explosive athletes to complement Harden, I've been calling for this for the last 4-5 seasons. KJ Martin Trevellin Queen Kenny Wooten Brodric Thomas It's too bad they are not long (except for Christian Wood) as well but hey ... baby steps, I'll take it.
