2014 Draft Prospects:
- Thread starter bajaden
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He looks like Ibaka with two main differences: much better finisher inside (moment at 6:27 along with others shows his understanding how to use the glass) and can't shoot at all (pathetic on his jumper and more importantly at this moment on FT line). Maybe Serge put too much weight to be able to bang in the NBA effectively, but Capela looks to be quicker, so he might be better as a rolling man on PnR.
I just had to say something about Smarts form. Its terrible! He does a split with his legs on the way up, and is off balance as a result. He will never be a good outside shooter without totally rebuilding his outside shot from scratch. Just about every jumpshot he takes, is off balance. He struggled against Kansas because he couldn't get to the rim the way he usually does, and got his shot blocked just about every time. If he hadn't gone to the line so many times, he wouldn't have put up much in the way of points.
His shooting form isn't terrible, problem is that he's off balance a lot, as you say. That's correctable. He's never going to be a lights out shooter but there's absolutely no reason he can't be a solid, reliable shooter. MCW was a worse shooter than Smart and he's doing fine. And I think Smart is a better player than MCW.
The point is even when he doesn't score he contributes in pretty much every other way. I'm not sure why you are so against Smart - you always say it's important to look at what a young player can do, not what they can't (and you're right on that, BTW). Well shooting is the only thing Smart can't do IMO. Shooting is still the easiest NBA skill to improve upon.
I'm not even saying I'm that high on him. But I do think he's going to be an excellent PG and probably better than some taken ahead of him. I know you trust your gut on these things, which is fair enough, but objectively speaking, there really isn't much he can't do. And I think he's much stronger and more athletic than people think, but will become clear in the NBA. He does have poor shot selection sometimes but he's such a smart kid (and a leader) that I don't think that will be a long-term problem.
The point is even when he doesn't score he contributes in pretty much every other way. I'm not sure why you are so against Smart - you always say it's important to look at what a young player can do, not what they can't (and you're right on that, BTW). Well shooting is the only thing Smart can't do IMO. Shooting is still the easiest NBA skill to improve upon.
I'm not even saying I'm that high on him. But I do think he's going to be an excellent PG and probably better than some taken ahead of him. I know you trust your gut on these things, which is fair enough, but objectively speaking, there really isn't much he can't do. And I think he's much stronger and more athletic than people think, but will become clear in the NBA. He does have poor shot selection sometimes but he's such a smart kid (and a leader) that I don't think that will be a long-term problem.
I don't know? Your telling me that a player that does the split when he shoots isn't terrible form. MCW's form is way better than Smarts. I'm not knocking the other things he does. He's a terrific defender, and a very aggressive player. I still don't think he's a good fit for the Kings. Hey, I didn't like MCW either and he's turned out OK. At least so far. I could be wrong again! But as of now, I'm not a big fan.
Wait, wait!! He's a terrific defender and a very aggressive player but he's not a good fit for the Kings?? I don't understand unless you are more in a win now mentality and that big defenders can make the transition quicker to the NBA. I happen to trust what I see in a big man's game as to it's ability to translate to the NBA more than what I see in a pg. I can understand that argument. I also can make an argument that Smart will make it and we should resign IT and trade him in whatever seems to be the appropriate time - that time when we trust Smart to take over. With Gay and Cuz, I question why Smart isn't an eventual fit.
Just curious. You guys know what I know and don't know. < 3 "knows" in one sentence?
Just curious. You guys know what I know and don't know. < 3 "knows" in one sentence?
Well, they certainly weren't saying take Embiid over Austin, just that Austin's performance was impressive enough that they now think he's top-10 worthy. I don't watch the games, so I'll defer to you on that front.
That said, I don't really care much about the offensive game of whatever piece we slide next to Cousins. In fact, I'd prefer it if he could space the floor to allow Boogie to work inside. It's the ability to be a defensive anchor that I care about more.
That said, I don't really care much about the offensive game of whatever piece we slide next to Cousins. In fact, I'd prefer it if he could space the floor to allow Boogie to work inside. It's the ability to be a defensive anchor that I care about more.
I mentioned him in a post a week or so ago, but I've really been impressed with the new version of Nik Stauskas. He totally rebuilt his body in the offseason adding around 15 or more pounds of muscle. He almost looks like a different player. Last season he was nothing more than a player that ran to the corner and waited for the ball. This year, he's turned into a very aggressive player, not only with his attacking the basket, but with his passing. He's shooting 49.4% overall, and 44.0% from the three. For the last ten games he's averaging 18.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 4.7 APG. Here's a little highlight video of his last game against Iowa St.
I'm talking about his shooting mechanics, ie. how his hands/arms/shoulders move when he shoots. Not perfect of course, but not terrible. Plenty of NBA players have effective jumpers with awful form. He can fix the poor balance with work. I don't know about MCW's form being way better than Smarts, but we can agree to disagree. Smart's jumper, for the record, is more effective than MCW's was. I do think he's a good fit for the Kings - a big, powerful, physical and defensive PG who can also distribute and get into the lane is a PG who is built for the playoffs. Would be cool if he was a knockdown shooter, but not many players are weaknessless (yeah, I just used that word...) coming out of college. He's not my number 1 choice, but I'd be very happy to put him next to Cuz and Gay (who everyone is assuming is part of the long-term future here, but may not be).
Anywho, let's go back to agreeing, I like it better that way.
Anywho, let's go back to agreeing, I like it better that way.
Hey, we can just agree to disagree on Smart. I'll give you this, I think he's the size, or height I'm looking for. I don't however see him as a pass first PG, which is what I think this team needs. I also think that any PG we have has to be able to hit his outside shot well enough to keep defenses honest, and therefore has to be guarded. Exum leaps to mind. To be honest, I'd prefer an experienced PG over a rookie, but if I had to go with a rookie, then Exum is my choice at PG. Sorry if I came across as a bit cranky. Been having some personal problems that aren't resolved yet.
Right now Michigan is running away with regular season title. And Nick is their best player. This season Stauskas is much more than a standstill shooter. He runs PnR really well and is their de-facto PG. He's not ball-dominant and Michigan runs PG by committee, but it's Nick, who initiates offense. His handle still a bit shaky, so JJ Redick (I know, I know, comparing one white guy to another is a cliche) looks like a reasonable comparison. Now that McGary is gone, Michigan is pretty thin upfront, but if they avoid strong front courts, they are going really deep in the Tourney, so place in the teens is not an unreasonable draft position for him, but most likely late first-rounder.
I have no idea why he does that. Its one of the strangest looking shots I've ever seen, and I believe its the main reason he's off balance all the time. However, he does take some strange off balance shots as well. Just about all great jumpshooters are squared up, go straight up and release the ball just slightly before reaching the peak of their jump shot. You can have flaws in there and still be a pretty good shooter, and of course you can do everything perfectly and still not be a good shooter. But if your a bad shooter, and your not squared up and going straight up, and your out of balance, your probably not ever going to be a good shooter until you correct some of those deficiences.
That's not to take away from all the other things that he does well. He's a pretty good ballhandler. He's not Tyreke Evans good, but certainly good enough. He's a pretty good athlete, but not an elite athlete. He has outstanding lateral quickness, which is part of what makes him a very good defender. Aaron Craft may be the only other PG in college that is superior in that area. His passing ability is fine, but it doesn't blow me away. I think he's more aggressive offensively than he is at being creative for others, which is fine if that's what your looking for. He's very strong, and uses it well in college. I'm not sure how that will translate to the NBA. As an example, I'm not sure how Julius Randle will translate to the NBA for the very same reasons. Right now, he can overpower just about anyone in college, but I doubt it will be that easy in the NBA. It doesn't mean either of them won't be able to adapt their games once there, and still be good players. But it does raise doubts.
That's not to take away from all the other things that he does well. He's a pretty good ballhandler. He's not Tyreke Evans good, but certainly good enough. He's a pretty good athlete, but not an elite athlete. He has outstanding lateral quickness, which is part of what makes him a very good defender. Aaron Craft may be the only other PG in college that is superior in that area. His passing ability is fine, but it doesn't blow me away. I think he's more aggressive offensively than he is at being creative for others, which is fine if that's what your looking for. He's very strong, and uses it well in college. I'm not sure how that will translate to the NBA. As an example, I'm not sure how Julius Randle will translate to the NBA for the very same reasons. Right now, he can overpower just about anyone in college, but I doubt it will be that easy in the NBA. It doesn't mean either of them won't be able to adapt their games once there, and still be good players. But it does raise doubts.
Doesn't change my view of him much, but WCS just had ridiculous 6 steals/6 blocks in 26 minutes game.
Okaro White just shut down Parker on the perimeter. Jabari was still able to get some offense going inside as he has some 30 pounds on White.
PJ Hairston's second game in the NBADL was even more successful than the first. Roy Williams commented that the player he saw in practice in the first half of the season is the most dominant he ever coached, and that list includes Paul Pierce. Looks like Hairston is well on his way to a lottery selection.
Okaro White just shut down Parker on the perimeter. Jabari was still able to get some offense going inside as he has some 30 pounds on White.
PJ Hairston's second game in the NBADL was even more successful than the first. Roy Williams commented that the player he saw in practice in the first half of the season is the most dominant he ever coached, and that list includes Paul Pierce.
Looks like Hairston is well on his way to a lottery selection.
Doesn't change my view of him much, but WCS just had ridiculous 6 steals/6 blocks in 26 minutes game.
Okaro White just shut down Parker on the perimeter. Jabari was still able to get some offense going inside as he has some 30 pounds on White.
PJ Hairston's second game in the NBADL was even more successful than the first. Roy Williams commented that the player he saw in practice in the first half of the season is the most dominant he ever coached, and that list includes Paul Pierce. Looks like Hairston is well on his way to a lottery selection.
Okaro White just shut down Parker on the perimeter. Jabari was still able to get some offense going inside as he has some 30 pounds on White.
PJ Hairston's second game in the NBADL was even more successful than the first. Roy Williams commented that the player he saw in practice in the first half of the season is the most dominant he ever coached, and that list includes Paul Pierce.
Looks like Hairston is well on his way to a lottery selection.
Hairston was indefinitely suspended by Williams, but was later allowed to practice with the team. Williams said that during practices, Hairston was the best player on the team. Then strangely, when the opportunity came for Williams to apply for Hairston to be reinstated, he decided not to exercise that option. One has to wonder why, especially since the team, after a quick start, has been struggling. Where he's drafted will probably depend on a teams needs, and how Hairston fares during team interviews and workouts. But he definitely has some red flags flying around him.
Would you rather take Smart or Randle? I haven't been all that much impressed by Smart and I can't figure out how he would fit into our team. He's definitely a top 10 player, but I think he's one of those players who will probably develop better with another team as if he would here. Reminds me of a very very poorman's D-Wade and Tyreke. I think Randle worsens the problems in our front court