Well, you are qualifying his quickness by his size: "for a guy of that build, he's very quick...." I'm not qualifying it. I just don't see the exceptional quickness that I look for in college point guards who are going into the NBA. Period. I'll have to check out his lateral quickness in future games. (The Jimmer reference was not a direct comparison of the two; just an observation that I thought Jimmer's quickness and handles were not what you wanted for the pros; I guess I did know what I was talking about).
2014 Draft Prospects:
- Thread starter bajaden
- Start date
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/marcus-smart
I think this description corresponds roughly to my own, especially in the quickness/athleticism grades. I don't know a thing about his leadership qualities.
I think this description corresponds roughly to my own, especially in the quickness/athleticism grades. I don't know a thing about his leadership qualities.
That was written after his last year in highschool, it's not up to date.
I don't know many PGs in the NBA who can do this sort of thing athletically:
And that's not even taking into account that he is bigger and stronger than pretty much all NBA PGs.
I can kind of understand questions about shooting and whether he's a full-time PG (I think he is), but I don't, and probably won't ever, understand questioning his athleticism.
I don't know many PGs in the NBA who can do this sort of thing athletically:
And that's not even taking into account that he is bigger and stronger than pretty much all NBA PGs.
I can kind of understand questions about shooting and whether he's a full-time PG (I think he is), but I don't, and probably won't ever, understand questioning his athleticism.
I can understand both your and Kingster's point of view about Smart's athleticism. I'm just not sure its relevant. No, he's not John Wall. And, he's not Tyreke Evans. He's who he is, and the question you have to ask, is will who he is, translate to the NBA. And that's where I'm at. Its not a matter of whether he can play in the NBA or not, its a matter of whether he can be a star in the NBA, and that's an entirely different question, and one that's a lot harder to answer. I've watched him play a lot. And yes, he constantly attacks the basket. That's his strength. But if you pay attention, he's more of a straight line attacker. He finds a lane, and barrels down that lane, using his size and strength to get to the basket. What you don't see very much of, is him changing directions on his way to the basket. He does have a beautiful spin move he uses, that at times just makes you sit back and go WOW!
I'm a little skeptical that he'll be as effective in the NBA. I hate to use Jimmer as a comparison, but Jimmer got to the basket quite easily at BYU, and he was a straight line attacker. Two different players, and in all likelyhood, two different outcomes. But still, I question. His outside shooting has definitely improved, but what bothers me, is sometimes his misses are just horrible. He does tend to shoot off balance at times, and perhaps that explains it. He has a terrific work ethic, and I'm sure he'll continue to improve. His ballhandling has improved quite a bit from last season. As has his outside shot. Its possible that he might be an entirely different player if he had more help from his team. Right now, so goes Smart, so goes Oklahoma St. As I said, he reminds me of Jimmer in that regard.
Just so I can separate Smart and Jimmer a bit, I think it should be mentioned that Smart is one of the best defenders in all of college. Not something you could say about Jimmer.
I'm a little skeptical that he'll be as effective in the NBA. I hate to use Jimmer as a comparison, but Jimmer got to the basket quite easily at BYU, and he was a straight line attacker. Two different players, and in all likelyhood, two different outcomes. But still, I question. His outside shooting has definitely improved, but what bothers me, is sometimes his misses are just horrible. He does tend to shoot off balance at times, and perhaps that explains it. He has a terrific work ethic, and I'm sure he'll continue to improve. His ballhandling has improved quite a bit from last season. As has his outside shot. Its possible that he might be an entirely different player if he had more help from his team. Right now, so goes Smart, so goes Oklahoma St. As I said, he reminds me of Jimmer in that regard.
Just so I can separate Smart and Jimmer a bit, I think it should be mentioned that Smart is one of the best defenders in all of college. Not something you could say about Jimmer.
Cauley-Stein was pretty awesome against Providence. 9 Blocks! I just love the way he moves for a guy that big. He doesn't look like the robot like so many of those guys do. He's an athlete. He's fluid. Love that.
As far as how these prospects fit on this team, he may be #2 after Wiggins. He would be huge for the Kings.
As far as how these prospects fit on this team, he may be #2 after Wiggins. He would be huge for the Kings.
Shabaz Napier reminds me of Chris Paul a lot. Obviously we all dont have a particular affinity for CP3, but as far as his game is concerned, we can all respect the talent.
Napier has that similar control of the offense, deadly J and gritty defense. He does seem to be quicker than Paul, but not as strong at this point.
Napier has that similar control of the offense, deadly J and gritty defense. He does seem to be quicker than Paul, but not as strong at this point.
Napier must have improved a boatload since last year, then. I haven't seen Uconn yet this year but I absolutely hated watching Uconn when he was a sophomore due to his play. Low IQ, complete chucker, didn't get the ball to the right people. Now maybe he genuinely has improved, but he's a senior and I still wouldn't touch him based on my past opinion on him. Chris Paul he is not. I guess fair is fair and I'll have to give him a fair shake this year when I see him.
You and I are on the same page with Napier. He still has more chucker in him than anything else. He's starting off the season similar to last season, with a bang. Last season it didn't last, so we'll see how he fares this season. To me, he's a 2nd round pick. As you can see, I'm not in love with him.
Not sure why your so negative about Cauley-Stein. He's a very good athlete, and since your intrigued by Embiid's lack of basketball experience, Cauley-Stein has a similar background. Stein's improvement since he came to Kentucky has been dramatic, and in his first year, he looked a lot like Embiid does this year. Stein had a monster game yesterday, so he deserves his due. He almost individually shut Providence down, and I don't think Kentucky would have won the game without him. In one sequence, he blocked two shots in a row, and then ran the floor faster than anyone else on the Kentucky team to score at the other end. Not many big men can do what he did.
I'm not trying to denigrate Embiid in any way. I'd love to have him on the Kings. But I'd certainly not turn down Willie Cauley-Stein. Who in my opinion, will be a top ten player by seasons end. So will Embiid. These kind of guys are very very hard to find.
I said the other day that so goes Marcus Smart, so goes Oklahoma St. More and more it appears that any time Smart has a bad game, Oklahoma St. loses. To be fair, they were playing one of the best teams in the country in Memphis, but that's when Smart really has to step up. He had a bad shooting day, which was typical of last season. However, its just one game so I'm not going to make too much of it. Smarts problem is that when he has a bad game, it really stands out, and isn't hidden like Randle's at Kentucky, where there are many who can pick up the load.
I'm not trying to denigrate Embiid in any way. I'd love to have him on the Kings. But I'd certainly not turn down Willie Cauley-Stein. Who in my opinion, will be a top ten player by seasons end. So will Embiid. These kind of guys are very very hard to find.
I said the other day that so goes Marcus Smart, so goes Oklahoma St. More and more it appears that any time Smart has a bad game, Oklahoma St. loses. To be fair, they were playing one of the best teams in the country in Memphis, but that's when Smart really has to step up. He had a bad shooting day, which was typical of last season. However, its just one game so I'm not going to make too much of it. Smarts problem is that when he has a bad game, it really stands out, and isn't hidden like Randle's at Kentucky, where there are many who can pick up the load.
Every once in a while I think people who don't have faith need a little summery of what is there in next year's draft. My personal guess is that the top three COULD end up in the Hall of Fame. Now I tend to overshoot at times but these guys are incredibly good. Smart is climbing up in people's estimation but he, Exum, and Embiid are a notch down but not a a big notch down. By the end of the year, that may change. Then there is the likes of Cauley-Stein who, even if not the absolute best big available, would be a huge addition to the Kings. I haven't mentioned Hood who has popped up and Gordon. I don't mind being criticized for my guesses but the point is and will continue to be that even if we bust butt and come up with a 30 win season, we will find an impact player for OUR team. The only guy that wouldn't fit on OUR team is Randle and I still have him as a top three. If we really do bad and/or the ping pong balls bounce well, we will improve wonderfully next year. What no one mentions is that all the other bottom feeding teams will improve also but we'll ignore that. We need to have some potential greats ready for that draft pick to jump ahead of the other bottom feeders. I personally don't think we are far from that but it is dependent on the development of Ben and Williams.
This was a "Relax S£im" message directed at those who don't know.
This was a "Relax S£im" message directed at those who don't know.
Are Demarcus and Isaiah hiding something from us?
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61662/isaiah-cousins
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61662/isaiah-cousins
When you say that Randle doesn't fit, I'm assuming that he doesn't fit in the sense he's not the shotblocker everyone desires. While that may be true, I would still take him because he would be a huge improvement over who we have now. Calapari, when asked to compare Randle, he said he was a taller, stronger version of Zach Randolph. Now while Randolph isn't known for his defense, and I don't think that's what Calapari was referring to, I'd certainly take Randolph over anyone we have now at PF. Not to mention, Randle is far more athletic than Randolph.
But point taken. We should be able to get another core player out of this draft, and if were lucky, a star player. By the way, and I know you haven't seen him play, but Exum is an outstanding player. He, like Vasquez is a 6'6" PG. Thats where the comparison ends. Exum is an outstanding athlete, and a terrific defender. He's been compared by many scouts to Penny Hardaway. One scout said it wouldn't surprise him, if five years from now, Exum is considered the best player to come out of this draft. And he's not the only scout to echo those comments.
But point taken. We should be able to get another core player out of this draft, and if were lucky, a star player. By the way, and I know you haven't seen him play, but Exum is an outstanding player. He, like Vasquez is a 6'6" PG. Thats where the comparison ends. Exum is an outstanding athlete, and a terrific defender. He's been compared by many scouts to Penny Hardaway. One scout said it wouldn't surprise him, if five years from now, Exum is considered the best player to come out of this draft. And he's not the only scout to echo those comments.
Yeah, I wouldn't read too much into one game. The Tyreke comparison is somewhat fair, although there are differences. Smart is more of a take charge guy than Tyreke was. I always thought of Tyreke as a reluctant leader, where Smart seems to thrive in the leadership role. And while I still have questions about Smart's outside shot, its still better at this point in time than Tyreke's was. I also think that Smart has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the NBA. Tyreke, could at times be a very good defender, but I think Smart can be much better. Time will tell.
I think we can all agree on this! Unfortuantely, most teams aren't so willing to get rid of their picks as they were in the past. Some of that has to do with this particular draft, and some of it has to do with the new CBA, which put severe limits on teams over the cap, and even more if your over the luxury tax limit. The new CBA limits player movement much more than before. For instance, if your over the Luxury tax limit for more than two years, there are limits on the kind of trades you can make. There are limits on how many players you can have on your team that have the Bird exception. And that's not to mention the huge financial penalty they have to pay.
So the draft becomes the cheapest and best way to build your team. Do your homework and you get a good player, maybe a great player, for 4 years at a very reasonable price. I really doubt that you'll ever see a team with three high priced players on it at the same time again. Unless your owner is a billionaire and doesn't care about throwing money away. And in that case, you had better already have them on your team.
So the draft becomes the cheapest and best way to build your team. Do your homework and you get a good player, maybe a great player, for 4 years at a very reasonable price. I really doubt that you'll ever see a team with three high priced players on it at the same time again. Unless your owner is a billionaire and doesn't care about throwing money away. And in that case, you had better already have them on your team.
Let us not get too carried away with the term superstar. Yes, its a possibility, and to be honest, if we draft him I don't really care if he turns into a superstar, as long as he's as advertised on defense. The superstar part would be a huge bonus. I just don't want to lay that kind of expectation on the kid.
By the way, Embiid does have one of Olajuwon's post traits that you don't see often. Most players have the habit of using their off arm to hook, or hold the defender in place as they spin in the opposite direction to get by them. Olajuwon always used his elbow to hook the other player and hold him in place. Its just as effective as using your arm, and you won't get a foul called, where hookiing with your arm is a foul. If you watch Embiid closely, whenever he makes that spin inside move, he uses his elbow the same way Olajuwon did. If I didn't know better, which I don't, I'd say the kid has been working out with Hakeem.