Yeah, that's what I was watching. His jumper is super flawed. His defense is pretty silky. He's a crazy combination of having it all on defense and it looking so smooth guarding shifty players but his shot is clunky AF. I'm curious whether he'll work on it or is this who he is?
IMO, yes he is. He will blossom into something more than what he was in college. He is this years Scottie Barnes.
Updating these rankings in the quote above. Lots of moving around in my personal rankings as we get closer. In tier 1 for pick 3, I have Paolo now on par with Chet. I still think Chet has a higher ceiling and I'm enamored with him still, but the floor is definitely much lower with his frame. I've always thought Paolo and Jabari have low floors, but I'm really starting to like the idea of Paolo. I'm salivating at adding his playmaking to our team. I'm still worried that he won't be a good enough perimeter defender to be a great defensive 4, nor a good enough rim protector to be consistently played at the 5, but I also don't think his defense will be as big an issue as I originally thought. I think he will get mismatched sometimes but I think he'll be fine against most teams. I love the idea that when Jalen is on the bench, that Paolo could be great to run the offense through. I think their dynamic would be great. Jabari is definitely a third, I think he has a very high floor but not as high a ceiling. He could be one of the best 3 and D guys in the league, but I have trouble seeing him be more than probably the third best guy on a championship team with his lack of finish at the rim. He just won't have the gravity I'd like out of a top pick, yet I think he'll be productive enough to still get paid a max just on the pedigree which could be the sort of thing that screws a team. I know that's a thing most people don't think about and potentially for good reason, but it's a thing that top picks get bigger contracts on their first rookie extension. Paolo and Chet feel like they could easily be max guys, not sure if Jabari will be. I feel like Ivey could be too, but he's fourth just because I don't think he's a fit with Jalen. If we didn't have Jalen, I actually would put Ivey at 3 above Jabari. Worth noting that if we get Jabari though I'm not going to be that upset, I still think he would be great and on my non Rockets specific big board I still have him at 4 overall In tier 2 for pick 17, I've dropped Ousmane Dieng a lot. Yes, he's a lottery ticket with all the right tools, but his production just doesn't warrant how high he's been on boards. He can't shoot and he's averse to attacking hard at the rim. He has the tools to be a great defender, but Sochan has proven he's a great switchable defender, which IMO makes him a better choice. Sochan I don't think will be there at 17 but having a guy that can guard all 5 positions is so valuable and can fit in nearly any line-up, he'd be a perfect glue guy to pair with the Jalen/Paolo combo. Mark Williams has a ton of experience playing with Paolo and already knows how to take lobs from Paolo. I'd love his rim protection on a budget contract, he could be a better version of what Robert Williams is giving the Celtics with his size. That being said, his lack of a perimeter game make him more of a bit player, but that's fine since we have Sengun. He'd be great in certain line-ups and cover a lot of interior defensive issues at a budget price. Tari Eason is another switchable guy but has more offensive abilities to go with it, he could be a nice 3rd offensive option on the team and he has potential as a playmaker too and I love the idea of building a team of playmakers. In tier 3 for pick 26, Dalen Terry still remains my top guy, and I'd be happy with him at 17. IMO He'd be a fantastic glue guy, like a taller Jae'Sean Tate who can drain 3's at a higher clip. Switchable defender (this is really important to me if you haven't noticed). Beauchamp I view as very similar, but with a worse 3 but more overall offensive talent as he's better at attacking the rim. He also has a history of playing some guard and again, I love having a team full of playmakers. Tyty Washington has seemingly fell on boards and I dropped him off my tier 2 into tier 3. I'd love him at 26 though, I think he has a chance to be a great PG, he played out of position a lot in college. I'd love him backing up KPJ and possibly taking over that starting role as some point. Granted I know the team views Nix very highly, but I don't mind those two competing for minutes, specially when you are talking pick 26. I am more interested in Tyty if we go wing at pick 17, if we went big at 17 then I'd go with Terry, Beauchamp, Jovic, or Laravia. My biggest faller is Walker Kessler, I still like the idea of a rim protector but I worry he's too slow to be actually useful in the league much. I talked myself into him on how great he was shot blocking in college, but I think he could be exploited too much in the NBA. That being said, if we had a second round pick I'd love him there. I think his ceiling is averaging 10-15 mins a game as I said, but on a cheap contract that could be useful in a lot of situations.
The latest Givony mock has us getting Paolo, Eason, and Beauchamp. That would be a home run of a draft, IMO.
Good values but a ton of overlapping skillsets there. I want at least a little variety positionally/skill-wise. I know there have been reports we're not drafting a C, but if M.Williams falls to 17 (unlikely) or even Kessler is there at 26, I'd take them. Take a versatile 2-way player like Dalen Terry with the other pick and call it a day.
Beauchamp is the only wing of the 3, IMO. I see Paolo and Eason both as PFs. One is very offensively oriented and the other is very defensively oriented. To me, this is a good mix. We don't currently have a PF that we should be committed to long-term so I am ok with drafting both.
What does rising/falling on draft boards refer to? Internet experts many with popular sites or NBA teams’ unseen ‘white boards’? And as trades happen, get announced or revealed by Woj and/or Shams and/or Tuesday Bert how much effect will that be on whatever boards?
Beauchamp played most of his minutes at PF for the Ignite...I'm not saying this means he's a PF, but he is most comfortable in the paint, as a slasher and cutter, not unlike KJ for us. He only shot 24.2% from 3 (and 65% from FT), which doesn't bode well for him being able to play on the perimeter early on in his career. KJ is the same HT/WT, and he played 81% of his minutes at PF for us last year (Beauchamp has a longer wingspan at 7'1"). And Eason is definitely most comfortable in the paint. I know he shot 36% from 3 last year, but it's not a natural release and it's on a low volume, and I expect him to only take those when he's left open in the pros. But he's definitely a 4 at the next level, with occasional minutes at the 5 in micro-lineups. I do like him as a prospect, but with Banchero likely in place, I do question their fit together just a bit. And Paolo is Paolo. He's the most comfortable of the 3 on the perimeter, even though he's the biggest of them. But at the end of the day, he's a 4 much more than he's a 3 or a 5. Positions might be more fluid these days, but drafting three guys whose best position is the 4 is not ideal for me.
That's good info. I really thought Beauchamp was much more of a 3+D perimeter player than those numbers indicate.
really informative take. I had been assuming Beauchamp and Eason were wings; didn’t see either play much last year. But that makes sense. I really don’t want to take a wing that can’t shoot and we don’t want to load up on 4’s. I guess that’s why I’m so high on AJ Griffin for the rockets if we can move up. The defense needs work but he’s a plug and play wing with elite shooting efficiency and doesn’t need the ball in his hands. Seems perfect playing next to Green. And of course there’s the strong Paolo connection
I listened to a podcast today called “upside swings nba draft podcast” and they had the rockets taking Griffin at 3. Never listened them before but they held true to their name lol
Yeah, at the end of the day, you can be pretty creative with lineups these days, as long as you have versatile pieces (on both ends) and the system/coaching to utilize their skillsets. I don't think drafting Eason at #17 after Paolo would be the worst thing -- I have him at #11 on my Big Board, and he'd be a great value there. He can take bigs off the dribble, but is too loose with his handle (and TO-prone) to be handling much on the perimeter as a pro (right now). But if Paolo becomes the elite handler/creator from the 4 spot that he could be, and ups his 3-ball into the 35-38% range, that makes Eason's shortcomings a lot less of a problem. Same thing with Sengun, if we plan on him being our long-term C, his 3-ball development will be key. If they both do, spacing improves significantly, and Eason's high-motor, swiss-army knife game becomes more valuable, especially with his ability to hit the offensive glass and draw fouls. But if he is the pick, then at #26 I'm looking for someone who doesn't play the 4 spot, and can shoot the 3 at a high-clip.
If Eason can't space the floor (or initiate offense from the 3-spot) then he really is a power forward (sort of like Iman Shumpert). That doesn't look like a position of need on the Rockets. To me, there's enough tape to suggest Eason could be a larger wing. But our coaches haven't shown much ability to think outside the box. I guess we pass if Eason is more comfortable playing closer to the basket.
He's 6'5 195, he is most certainly not a PF in the NBA. KJM is 6'5 215 20 pounds of muscle makes a difference, and KJ is the younger player of the two.
Beauchamp, Eason, Sochan, Dyson, and Kendall Brown all appear to be capable defending like wings, but it is a question on what happens with their shooting. On playing PF in the NBA, I'd say quite a few of them are wings now. Dalen Terry is a guy I really didn't notice at Zona, but his stats and highlights make him look like a low usage 3/D wing.
He definitely will be a wing in the NBA, but I was under the (incorrect) assumption that he had been playing as a wing already and was a decent 3-point shooter.
KJ combine (2020): 6'7.0" 213; 6'7.25" wingspan Beauchamp combine (2022): 6'6.25" 197; 7'0.75" wingspan The wingspan also makes a big difference. But Beauchamp is going to have to gain weight to play a KJ role in the pros, agreed. I personally don't think he's a great fit here either way. ***Combine measurements without shoes +1 inch is the most accurate height descriptor, I've found. Eliminates the platform shoe measurements (I've seen some adding 2+ inches), and also gets rid of the false equivalent height comparisons (NBA players' HT listings are never barefoot).
Yeah it's a weird dynamic, Beauchamp isn't young (will be 22 before the season), he doesn't have terrific size (6'5 195), and he hasn't proven to be a good shooter yet (24% from 3 in showcase, 30% in tour). There have to be some intangibles that stand out because on paper he seems like a mid-late 2nd in most drafts.
