He's not doing anything different: Gordon is getting more shots around the rim and rebounds, because after Ashley's injury he's playing PF all the time and Tarczewski boxes out his man, though there is a reason for that: Gordon is pretty quick to get to out of area rebounds. He's shooting better lately, but it's much more likely a hot streak after a cold one, than actual improvement - his mechanics look relatively the same, according to my very amateur eyes.
2014 Draft Prospects:
- Thread starter bajaden
- Start date
I think your right. I don't see anything in particular that he's doing different. I think he just has more opportunity, and perhaps he's getting more comfortable in his role. I do see potential with him. But offensively he's going to be a project. Most of his scoring is going to come from his athleticism. Where I see him having an impact is on the defensive side of the ball. A couple of years from now, he could be pretty good. But its always a gamble. Some might compare him to Thomas Robinson. But in my opinion, he has much better BBIQ than Robinson.
I'm really starting to love what Vonleh is doing. For US, I think he'd easily be one of the best picks in the draft. He's just got such a solid grasp on both ends of the floor. He's very physical in the post, on both ends, and I see him being a top 10-20 rebounder in the NBA almost immediately. He's also got that great size and NBA ready body. Combine that with his physical play and I think he becomes highly productive at the next level. Also, the 3-ball and jumper is a big plus. He takes 1 3/game and hits at a 57% clip. That's a pretty important when looking for a big to play next to Cousins.
Obviously, he's not Embiid defensively, but I think he's got the potential to make just as big an impact. Specifically for us, he might make even more sense because it wouldn't force us to play Cuz out of position at PF.
Yeah, I like Vonleh a lot. He's gotten better as the year has gone on, and that's one of the things you look for. Progress! His release is pretty slow on his jumper, but then he doesn't take it unless he's wide open. Plus, with his wingspan his release is very high and harder to block. As I said in an earlier post, the thing that surprised me the most is how well he handles the ball. He has the ability to face up and put the ball on the floor if he's guarded too closely away from the basket. He has a very quick first step for a big man. I'm sure that some of his flaws will be more exposed once in the NBA, but right now, he's looking darn good. If he had a PG that wasn't trigger happy, and would get him the ball more, he'd be averaging more points.
Your right, he's not Embiid, but he does show decent shotblocking instincts, and he's also a good man on man post defender.
Your right, he's not Embiid, but he does show decent shotblocking instincts, and he's also a good man on man post defender.
After peeking at a few mock drafts, it seems some desirable people may fall to us although certainly these mocks will change a lot with March Madness. I think the person most likely to fall the most as compared to his skill level is Exum. Did that sentence make sense? He may be seen as a huge risk by many GMs because of his age, lack of major college experience, etc. My guess as to his development will be that he might look bad early on and a great deal of patience will be required. On the other hand, he may turn out to be the top pick of the draft when we look back at it 5 years or so from now. Males his age can easily gain another 2" in height.
Breaking with the desire to have neatly ordered threads, Exum also is a pick that may deviate the most from the "let's win now people" which to a certain extent I belong to. However, if he looks like he will evolve into a mega PG as is very possible, our old pros which will include DMC and Gay may be willing to hang around and see what develops. They may be very well willing to put up with losses if we have a real live tall PG who can do most of those PG things we all have wanted for quite awhile. He is supposedly 6'6" but he will grow. He will not be a Vasquez who was simply a tall PG. Let us hope he falls to us.
I also see Vonleh as still a bit under the radar but that should change if people read this forum.
Same goes for WCS although I like Vonleh better. We won't suffer if we get WCS. We don't need Wiggins or Parker when we have Gay. It would break my heart if Gay left. We don't need Randle and maybe it is better said we don't want him. That's harsh.
The major point I want to make is that this team can bust its ass and try to develop a winning tradition and not fall so far as to not have a shot at a future star. As we really don't need a mega star, we can exhale and quite watching the standings closely. We just need a damn good player.
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I think we have the beginnings of a new culture team in Cuz, Gay, Evans, Ray, and Acy. I suspect JT will be around long after I am put in a nursing home but the draft may determine his fate. We are a bit overloaded with big guys of OK quality (movable pieces?) and the draft may get one of good quality. Some of these 5 or 6 are stars and some are role players but they are the right kind of role players for this new culture and shouldn't be tossed away in a trade unless there is a very good reason. I do not leave IT off the list because I do not admire his skills. I leave him off the list because we need to get the ball to Cuz and Gay and have a PG who can play defense. Curiously, Ray may fit that role. I said "may." We need Ben to evolve but if he doesn't, let's either fixate him on defense which he may be able to grasp some day or simply replace him with a defender.
I think after this summer, we will have a starting defensive big, a defensive PG, and a defensive SG leaving us with an offensive big and SF. That's not bad. Malone will be able to cut back on his antacids. That's wishful thinking, perhaps, but not an outrageous guess.
Let's win big time today.
Edit: I think I just schmushed all over about three thread topics.
Breaking with the desire to have neatly ordered threads, Exum also is a pick that may deviate the most from the "let's win now people" which to a certain extent I belong to. However, if he looks like he will evolve into a mega PG as is very possible, our old pros which will include DMC and Gay may be willing to hang around and see what develops. They may be very well willing to put up with losses if we have a real live tall PG who can do most of those PG things we all have wanted for quite awhile. He is supposedly 6'6" but he will grow. He will not be a Vasquez who was simply a tall PG. Let us hope he falls to us.
I also see Vonleh as still a bit under the radar but that should change if people read this forum.
Same goes for WCS although I like Vonleh better. We won't suffer if we get WCS. We don't need Wiggins or Parker when we have Gay. It would break my heart if Gay left. We don't need Randle and maybe it is better said we don't want him. That's harsh.The major point I want to make is that this team can bust its ass and try to develop a winning tradition and not fall so far as to not have a shot at a future star. As we really don't need a mega star, we can exhale and quite watching the standings closely. We just need a damn good player.
_______
I think we have the beginnings of a new culture team in Cuz, Gay, Evans, Ray, and Acy. I suspect JT will be around long after I am put in a nursing home but the draft may determine his fate. We are a bit overloaded with big guys of OK quality (movable pieces?) and the draft may get one of good quality. Some of these 5 or 6 are stars and some are role players but they are the right kind of role players for this new culture and shouldn't be tossed away in a trade unless there is a very good reason. I do not leave IT off the list because I do not admire his skills. I leave him off the list because we need to get the ball to Cuz and Gay and have a PG who can play defense. Curiously, Ray may fit that role. I said "may." We need Ben to evolve but if he doesn't, let's either fixate him on defense which he may be able to grasp some day or simply replace him with a defender.
I think after this summer, we will have a starting defensive big, a defensive PG, and a defensive SG leaving us with an offensive big and SF. That's not bad. Malone will be able to cut back on his antacids. That's wishful thinking, perhaps, but not an outrageous guess.
Let's win big time today.
Edit: I think I just schmushed all over about three thread topics.
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So here's conundrum for you Baja! Or perhaps not really a conundrum.
Say Embiid is off the board. Do you take Vonleh over Parker, Wiggins, Exum, Smart? I leave Randle off, because even though he very well might be the best player in the draft, he's basically a Cousins clone. Not exactly what we need.
Say Embiid is off the board. Do you take Vonleh over Parker, Wiggins, Exum, Smart? I leave Randle off, because even though he very well might be the best player in the draft, he's basically a Cousins clone. Not exactly what we need.
I wouldn't take Vonleh, at least at the moment, over Embiid, Parker, or Wiggins. If it comes down to between Exum and Vonleh, that would be a hard decision. I like both of them. Hell, maybe I would just flip a coin. I guess I'm leaning just a little toward Exum. I would definitely take Vonleh over Smart and Randle. And if I had to choose between Randle and Smart, its Randle ten times out of ten. I think Randle is going to be a better NBA player than he is college player. Right now every team he plays is just filling up the paint and living there to stop him. You can't do that in the NBA. They have the silly little 3 second rule.
I don't like Marcus Smart. I've tried to like him, and it's not working. I hope for his sake that I'm wrong about him. But I don't think so.
For me personally, Randle isn't the best fit, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't take him. lt's just a matter of where he would fall in the pecking order. Randle isn't showing all his tools at Kentucky either. In highschool and in all the all star games and the International games, he showed a nice jumpshot all the way out to the three point line. Obviously Calapari isn't allowing him to use his jumpshot. Anyway, my point is that I believe there's more there than meets the eye. The reason I would take Vonleh over Randle is a matter of size and long range potential. Vonleh is a very good athlete, and is taller and longer than Randle, so he has more defensive potential. So I see Vonleh as more of a two way player than Randle. It's all very subjective though.
I agree with Telemachus that Vonleh is a four that could play some five if needed. Personally, I don't see him as a stretch four in the strict sense of the word. I think some scouts see him that way because he can hit the three consistently. At least so far. If I had to compare him to an NBA player that his game sort of reminds me of, it would be Chris Bosh. I think he has the ability to be more physical than Bosh, but there are some similarities to his game. Put him on the floor with Cousins, and he would certainly help spread the floor.
Vohnleh will also have the size, strength, and quickness to atleast bother the likes of love, Aldridge. And griffin. He also doesn't need any plays called for him, he rarely gets the ball in the paint but when he does he shows potential. I like the bosh comparisons but I see him being a better version of Taj Gibson
I think the Mashburn comparisons come from his ability to shoot from the perimeter and handle the basketball. However, I think he would struggle to guard many 3's in the NBA. He actually does most of his damage closer to the basket, and with his size would be tough for most PF's to handle. He is stronger than he looks and I wouldn't be surprised if he adds 20-30 lbs of muscle over the next couple years.
Well we can quibble over who he reminds us of, but in the end, it doesn't matter. Hopefully, if we draft him, players will be compared to him. I see him potentially, as the whole package. Its a shame he plays with a PG that thinks he's Allen Iverson, but it is what it is. It would be nice to see the ball go through Vonleh more.
Parker had a big game yesterday as did Wiggins. A team that has to be scarey to play in the tournament, is Creighton. If you catch them on a night where all their three point shooters are hot, and they have a lot of them, including lottery pick Doug McDermott, your probably going to lose. If I'm Syracuse, with my famous zone defense, the last team I would want to face is Creighton. McDermott went off for 45 points yesterday. The kid is an efficient scorer shooting almost 50% from the three. Tough kid as well. Should be interesting to see how he translates to the NBA. My advice, don't leave him open.
Parker had a big game yesterday as did Wiggins. A team that has to be scarey to play in the tournament, is Creighton. If you catch them on a night where all their three point shooters are hot, and they have a lot of them, including lottery pick Doug McDermott, your probably going to lose. If I'm Syracuse, with my famous zone defense, the last team I would want to face is Creighton. McDermott went off for 45 points yesterday. The kid is an efficient scorer shooting almost 50% from the three. Tough kid as well. Should be interesting to see how he translates to the NBA. My advice, don't leave him open.
I feel like McDermott will immediately become Kyle Korver the second he steps on an NBA floor. Which is to say, an incredibly valuable player. Along with the lights out shooting stroke, I think he's got enough athleticism/size/toughness to at least not be a liability on the defensive end. I just hope he goes to a team where he doesn't have to be relied on to score points. If he can play that Kyle Korver for somebody, he's going to make a huge impact for that team.
S
It's good for us because his draft pick value isn't as high as it should be which gives us a very good chance of drafting him at the #6 position I assume we might get.
Vonleh is a hell of a player. I have a hard time seeing him flop. I think he would add a lot to our already flamboyant squad. Having two big men who could dribble & pass (Cousins and Vonleh) wow that would be some team to watch almost like the Webber/Divac days. Unfortunately, Ben isn't as good of a shooter as Peja or at least not yet and we don't really have a leader at the PG position who makes proper decisions on both ends of the court. But it's getting there somewhat I guess.
McDermott is the last player I would take in my top 15. Sure, he's a great shooter in college...so was Ferdette. It means nothing. Unfortunately, as a white male myself, WHITE man can't jump. I think that is all I have to say in relation to translating from college to NBA. Very few Peja's out there and the majority of good "white" basketball players come from Europe and they succeed because of the Euro style of player that is extremely useful in the NBA but rarely translates to star potential (Dirk, Divac, Sabonis, Peja, Gasp, etc).
S
BTW, the most impressive thing from Wiggins on his 41 point night is that he had 4 blocks and 5 steals! Incredible athleticism almost always translates into at least a role player in the NBA. With Wiggins potential on all fronts, he could be a hall of famer and a top 10 all time player if he had a little more confidence like Kobe and Lebron. It would take him above and beyond. Speaking too early of course but that is his potential.
Meanwhile there are back problems for Embiid..
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...l-embiid-to-see-back-specialist-in-california
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...l-embiid-to-see-back-specialist-in-california
I'd say that there's a very good chance he wins it. Hard to argue with his accomplishments. It would be one thing if he only put up good numbers against lesser opponents. But he puts up great numbers against every team, some of them from the top conferences. More than anything else, he's a very very consistent player. You know what your going to get from him every game. And, despite his gaudy numbers, he's a very unselfish player. He seldom forces shots. Personally I love McDermott, but like everyone else, I wonder how much of what he's doing will translate to the NBA. Unlike Jimmer, who a lot of the scouts were leery of, most scouts like McDermott. I think if your picking somewhere between 9th and 12th, you have to consider choosing him.
I think Korver is his bottom. I think he can be better than Korver. McDermott is a very good rebounder, and is a very skilled post player. As you said, he has some toughness about him. He's not afraid to get into the paint and mix it up a little. Now I don't think he's a guy that you call a play for in the post, but he's certainly capable of playing there. On the defensive end, one thing you don't hear about him, is that he doesn't play defense. At the college level, his defense has been fine. So I agree, I don't think he will be a liability on the defensive side of the ball. He has great BBIQ, and is very good at defensive rotations. If he can be adequate on the defensive side of the ball, then what he brings offensively will more than balance the books.
I think you have to be careful of lumping all white players that are known to be great shooter together. Fredette and McDermott are two entirely different kind of players. McDermott is a very good scorer in the post. From the time of the entry pass to him and the time the ball is in the basket is usually a second or less. He has very quick moves that usually takes the defender by surprise. You seldom see him put the ball on the floor in the post, and he makes his move the instant the ball touches his hands. My point is, he can score from anywhere on the floor. He's shot close to 50% from the three for his entire college career, so he's not just some flash in the pan. I don't see him as a top 10 pick for obviously reasons. But he's certainly worthy of being a lottery pick.
Yeah, to be honest, I haven't seen him have enough opportunities to pass the ball. He seldom touches the ball, and the few times he does touch it, he either tries to score, or he almost immediately passes it back. Anyway you look at it, I'm not about to say that he's a good passer. I really have no idea what his potential is in that area, and at the moment, I'm not greatly concerned about it.
Wow, surprised to see DX has Jusuf Nurkic at #11 in their mock draft. Reminds a lot of Marc Gasol the way he plays. Pretty quick for a center, but non-existent elevation at this point, but hey, when you're a 7 footer...not an ideal match for playing alongside Cuz, but if I use the Gasol comp again, Sac could have the new version of Memphis' bigs.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jusuf-Nurkic-7118/
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jusuf-Nurkic-7118/