Georgios Papagiannis

#61
For real? I didn't watch but I can't believe what I'm reading - that Paps played like a grown man and got double digit boards? This is one game after he got stitches in his chin.

Man if Dave Joerger and his staff can help grow some stones on ol Paps we are sitting awfully pretty. I remember a smart guy who used to post here said his concern with Paps was that he lacked any "nastiness" and worried that it could be picked up this late in life.

If Paps can get a little nasty Ostertag type nasty attitude infused, look out - because his shooting is money.

Maybe the 2019 we give up will be a late teens pick after all!!
You must be joking, Ostertag!? - guy was a total tool and scubbadoo! Not a player I would aspire to in any sense.
 
#62
Hi Kingsfans,

newcomer here. I frequently post in other forums, but the S.Kings community there is rather small and wanted a more active board to follow the Kings.
As a greek (living in Germany though) I was always watching the Kings to follow Kostas progress, I was always an NBA fan since the mid 80s, then due to College, family, kids work due to the time difference it was difficult to follow it closely
and my team in Athens (Panathinaikos) was doing quite well in Euroleague i got most of my BBall fix there.
Moving to Germany with limited ability to follow my teams games in stadion and having watched Giannis Antetokounmpo playing in Greek League B (the stadion was 10 minutes from my home and was often there) and his coming of age in the NBA, I started following NBA closely again and became primarily a Bucks fan.
When you drafted Papagiannis and having watched most of his games in his brief career in Greece, I started following the Kings even more often. I always thought he had NBA potential, if he was seriosu enough, worked his a** off in gym and was patient.

This is what I wrote on another board the day you drafted him :

Just dropping by (a little late maybe) to congratulate you on drafting George. Maybe only time will tell if it was a good pick or not. To be honest out of all the possible teams to draft him on the 1st round, Kings where the last I could think of, due to the existing players at this range. I wish the Bucks had signed him . I don't know what the plans are. If you invest on him , I am sure he will reward you.

If he had played at one of the 17 Colleges that made him an offer (including Oregon, St. John's, Kentucky), he would have been a lottery pick. By choosing to stay in one of Europe's biggest club (my home team Panathinaikos), he might have stayed a bit off NBA radars (as seen on the mock drafts until very late) but he got to play, at a very young age, in very important tournaments, and if it wasn't for "the thing that posed as a coach" we had on the beginning of this year , he would have played and developed even more

Some things about him (some you must have already heard) : His biggest strengths are his size (obviously), the speed he has for he size when offending mostly, very good basketball IQ, good rim protector, can pass and has a decent jump shot and also can shoot 3pts.
His weaknesses: Stamina (especially for NBA), despite his size his upper body need to strengthen, he was problems with strong Cs even if he is 1-2'' taller. F.ex someone like DeAndre Jordan would destroy him under the Rim. He also needs to be a bit quicker especially in defense. The good thing is that he can improve most of them .

If I was a Kings coach I would lock him up in a gym and throw away the keys . Letting him play another year in Europe or in D-League would not help him at all. He already has more games than most 19 years old that start in the NBA. Work his stamina, strengthen his body, allow him to play enough minutes on the first year to keep him motivated and he is a really hard working guy. In a year he can be a beast.
This is what I wrote after watching the last games he participated more (after OKC game) :

I've been watching him play all his professional career (as he was playing for my team in Greece). I didn't expect him to play 20 minutes against a team with strong centers at this level so soon.

This is what i wrote when he was drafted : (link to the quoet above)

I stand by most of what I said. He has become leaner, and his stamina, at least what I saw in the last game, is better than expected at this stage.

As I said back then, lots of gym and work on the body and 5-10 minutes in the beginning and increase in the future would have been better, but it seems that playing in the D-League had its benefits as well.

Apart from his shape, his baby hook shot looks very strong, he seems to be dealing well with stronger opponents. In about a year he will be fir sure in the rotation with good impact, and I hope he can improve even more.

I think if you keep doing the good work on his body and strength and he gets 15-20' in rotation we would develop rather quickly. And he is only 19!

I was also impressed with what I've seen from Skal so far (I was already a fan of WCS). WCS/Papa/Skal looks promising for years to come. Maybe Cousins leaving , even in a bad deal, was a blessing in disguise for you guys. All the best in the future
Anyway sorry for the overlong post. I hope it was not that boring and you got some insight from someone who watched PapaG playing from day 1, and that you want mind me hanging around here.

I am very confident with WCS/Skal/PapaG in PF/C (and rookie contracts for many seasons more, more youth talents like B.hield, Malachi and the good work your coaches do with the talent the future is bright. Some good moves in PG/SF and you are playoff contenders starting next year.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#65
Hi Kingsfans,

newcomer here. I frequently post in other forums, but the S.Kings community there is rather small and wanted a more active board to follow the Kings.
As a greek (living in Germany though) I was always watching the Kings to follow Kostas progress, I was always an NBA fan since the mid 80s, then due to College, family, kids work due to the time difference it was difficult to follow it closely
and my team in Athens (Panathinaikos) was doing quite well in Euroleague i got most of my BBall fix there.
Moving to Germany with limited ability to follow my teams games in stadion and having watched Giannis Antetokounmpo playing in Greek League B (the stadion was 10 minutes from my home and was often there) and his coming of age in the NBA, I started following NBA closely again and became primarily a Bucks fan.
When you drafted Papagiannis and having watched most of his games in his brief career in Greece, I started following the Kings even more often. I always thought he had NBA potential, if he was seriosu enough, worked his a** off in gym and was patient.

This is what I wrote on another board the day you drafted him :



This is what I wrote after watching the last games he participated more (after OKC game) :



Anyway sorry for the overlong post. I hope it was not that boring and you got some insight from someone who watched PapaG playing from day 1, and that you want mind me hanging around here.

I am very confident with WCS/Skal/PapaG in PF/C (and rookie contracts for many seasons more, more youth talents like B.hield, Malachi and the good work your coaches do with the talent the future is bright. Some good moves in PG/SF and you are playoff contenders starting next year.
Welcome to the board but I can't believe you just said this. I want some of what you are having. Besides, what's the rush? Kings could use multiple lottery picks and this year and next is the perfect time to do so because in 2019 it's going elsewhere, unless one is acquired via trade.
 
#66
Welcome to the board but I can't believe you just said this. I want some of what you are having. Besides, what's the rush? Kings could use multiple lottery picks and this year and next is the perfect time to do so because in 2019 it's going elsewhere, unless one is acquired via trade.
Kingsboi... you are probably the most pessimistic posters on this board but that's okay.

Lol.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#68
Welcome to the board but I can't believe you just said this. I want some of what you are having. Besides, what's the rush? Kings could use multiple lottery picks and this year and next is the perfect time to do so because in 2019 it's going elsewhere, unless one is acquired via trade.
What the heck? He's a new member and you have to start with the snark in reply to his first post? Geez...
 
#71
Welcome to the board but I can't believe you just said this. I want some of what you are having. Besides, what's the rush? Kings could use multiple lottery picks and this year and next is the perfect time to do so because in 2019 it's going elsewhere, unless one is acquired via trade.
Nightfalls analysis seems on point to me. What's unbelievable? I ranked Papa G as a better prospect than Steven Adams and I wanted the Kings to take Steven Adams! Papa G was the guy I had highest hopes for after the draft. I ranked Papa G high because he was huge and had (has) good hands and coordination. What I missed is when he came over it looked like his conditioning regressed and his moves were more mechanical than expected. There was no hop or bounce to him like clips showed. I think he got fat off an injury or competition in Europe masked his poor conditioning.

But the upside and starting center projections are still there. Papa G has only attained like 30 to 40% of his potential in terms of strength and athleticism. Once he gets lean and ripped watch out. Once he doubles his squat, dead lift and cuts 100 yard sprint by a couple of seconds he will make more plays. Drafting a player out of shape and weak is a double edge sword. He is not ready but there's more upside once he whips his butt into shape. This is one of the reason I am not so high on Miles Bridges. He already has a pro body so there may be a lower ceiling to his game. I am not down on him just don't like him as much as other prospects.
 
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#72
Welcome aboard Nightfall.

-Blob-

Well said, I share your opinions on the very high potential Papa George has, and must admit my initial thoughts on his pick by the Kings had me a bit perplexed, especially at 13 in the first round. Give Vlade the kudos, if anyone would see the possible rewards in big centers he would qualify.

As you pointed out, it's now up to George to demonstrate he has the will and discipline to reach the lofty goals. I think the Kings front office has done a very commendable job in his development. We have in addition, the right coach to further his progress.

Looking good, very optimistic about the Kings franchise moving forward. Let's finalize the new commitment with shrewd and strong draft this year.
 
#73
Hi Kingsfans,

newcomer here. I frequently post in other forums, but the S.Kings community there is rather small and wanted a more active board to follow the Kings.
As a greek (living in Germany though) I was always watching the Kings to follow Kostas progress, I was always an NBA fan since the mid 80s, then due to College, family, kids work due to the time difference it was difficult to follow it closely
and my team in Athens (Panathinaikos) was doing quite well in Euroleague i got most of my BBall fix there.
Moving to Germany with limited ability to follow my teams games in stadion and having watched Giannis Antetokounmpo playing in Greek League B (the stadion was 10 minutes from my home and was often there) and his coming of age in the NBA, I started following NBA closely again and became primarily a Bucks fan.
When you drafted Papagiannis and having watched most of his games in his brief career in Greece, I started following the Kings even more often. I always thought he had NBA potential, if he was seriosu enough, worked his a** off in gym and was patient.

This is what I wrote on another board the day you drafted him :



This is what I wrote after watching the last games he participated more (after OKC game) :



Anyway sorry for the overlong post. I hope it was not that boring and you got some insight from someone who watched PapaG playing from day 1, and that you want mind me hanging around here.

I am very confident with WCS/Skal/PapaG in PF/C (and rookie contracts for many seasons more, more youth talents like B.hield, Malachi and the good work your coaches do with the talent the future is bright. Some good moves in PG/SF and you are playoff contenders starting next year.
Willkommen! Great to have just another European joining this board.

I like Papa. He seems to be doing things the right way, which to me is to focus on the easy things and try to do the best job possible there, before trying to do the difficult things on the court. He is pretty much the opposite of WCS in that regard, even though I like the potential fit and versatility of the Kings future front court rotation, when all these guys pan out.
What makes me a bit sceptical is his lack of quick moves. Everything seems to be very slow, when he tries to score. His hookshot can be a weapon going forward and I like the potential of his jumpshot, but his body type reminds me a bit of Jusuf Nurkic. The big difference is that Nurkic is suprisingly nimble on his feet and has all types of quick spins or dropstep moves along with his solid hookshots.
 
#74
Thank you all for the welcome.

@KingsFanGER
Danke :) ! I have to agree about the lack of movements so far. In the D-League highlights/games I saw, it was mostly the same hook shot. He does have a good jump shot though (like the first he scored against OKC) and 3 pointer.
I don't know if his instructions is to focus on playing like that most of the time and then add more moves. But having the mobility he has for his size and a decent jump shot, if he could combine his hook shot, with some fade away and mid/long range jump shots it would be ideal. Let's see how he progresses. The most important fact for me is that he shows willingness to work a lot and has patience. Many greeks have the typical mentality "If I am not a starter, I go back to Europe" (*cough* Spanoulis *cough*) or as a greek proverb says the prefer to be "First in the village, than last in town..." :D
 
#75
Nightfalls analysis seems on point to me. What's unbelievable? I ranked Papa G as a better prospect than Steven Adams and I wanted the Kings to take Steven Adams! Papa G was the guy I had highest hopes for after the draft. I ranked Papa G high because he was huge and had (has) good hands and coordination. What I missed is when he came over it looked like his conditioning regressed and his moves were more mechanical than expected. There was no hop or bounce to him like clips showed. I think he got fat off an injury or competition in Europe masked his poor conditioning.

But the upside and starting center projections are still there. Papa G has only attained like 30 to 40% of his potential in terms of strength and athleticism. Once he gets lean and ripped watch out. Once he doubles his squat, dead lift and cuts 100 yard sprint by a couple of seconds he will make more plays. Drafting a player out of shape and weak is a double edge sword. He is not ready but there's more upside once he whips his butt into shape. This is one of the reason I am not so high on Miles Bridges. He already has a pro body so there may be a lower ceiling to his game. I am not down on him just don't like him as much as other prospects.
Be nice if he improves his lateral quickness to stay in front of the Pau Gasol's of the League. I would think that having Willie and Skal to go against in practice should help with that:)
 
#76
Willkommen! Great to have just another European joining this board.

I like Papa. He seems to be doing things the right way, which to me is to focus on the easy things and try to do the best job possible there, before trying to do the difficult things on the court. He is pretty much the opposite of WCS in that regard, even though I like the potential fit and versatility of the Kings future front court rotation, when all these guys pan out.
What makes me a bit sceptical is his lack of quick moves. Everything seems to be very slow, when he tries to score. His hookshot can be a weapon going forward and I like the potential of his jumpshot, but his body type reminds me a bit of Jusuf Nurkic. The big difference is that Nurkic is suprisingly nimble on his feet and has all types of quick spins or dropstep moves along with his solid hookshots.
I agree, he does look slow at times. He just tries to pound the ball and back his guy in. I think that might be a result of him just not having a great assortment of post moves yet. I think once he develops a few and gains some confidence with them he'll be fine. I'm very encouraged by him!
 
#80
He's been setting really good screens lately. Better than WCS or Cousins have ever done. One thing I noticed is that a lot of them are definitely illegal screens but for whatever reason the officials aren't calling it so as a rookie I say carry on until they start blowing the whistle. They definitely blow the whistle on him when he's defending in the paint. He was standing straight with his arms up on a couple of those calls against Pau in the last game. Tolliver never gets whistled for doing that but the refs were definitely picking on the rookie.

Need him to start rolling to the hoop better after the screen. Seems like he stops to think and hesitates many times, which causes us a potential basket. When he doesn't hesitate and rolls correctly, our PG's aren't doing a very good job of finding him.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#84
Welcome aboard Nightfall.

-Blob-

Well said, I share your opinions on the very high potential Papa George has, and must admit my initial thoughts on his pick by the Kings had me a bit perplexed, especially at 13 in the first round. Give Vlade the kudos, if anyone would see the possible rewards in big centers he would qualify.

As you pointed out, it's now up to George to demonstrate he has the will and discipline to reach the lofty goals. I think the Kings front office has done a very commendable job in his development. We have in addition, the right coach to further his progress.

Looking good, very optimistic about the Kings franchise moving forward. Let's finalize the new commitment with shrewd and strong draft this year.
Welcome to you, too! It's nice having some new blood around here. :)
 
#85
For some reason big papa reminds me of a young unpolished Brad Miller...
Hm not really seeing it. Brad Miller was 6'11 and exclusively a high post pick and pop guy, very good passer. Papa is 7'2 and seems to love getting post ups, hasn't really shown range(although seems capable). I mean yeah I could see it, if he develops his outside shot and learns how to pass from the high post I can see him as a taller Brad Miller with post game, but at that point your talking about another level of player...needs to keep working but has interesting raw tools.
 
#86
Hm not really seeing it. Brad Miller was 6'11 and exclusively a high post pick and pop guy, very good passer. Papa is 7'2 and seems to love getting post ups, hasn't really shown range(although seems capable). I mean yeah I could see it, if he develops his outside shot and learns how to pass from the high post I can see him as a taller Brad Miller with post game, but at that point your talking about another level of player...needs to keep working but has interesting raw tools.
Thing I've noticed about Papa is he has very good coordination for a guy his size, as well as good balance. He's not awkward with his hands and feet at all. For a guy that big, and that young, that is rare. Add to that that he's not completely floor bound and you have an interesting set of tools. His fundamentals are ahead of schedule, too, undoubtedly due to the high level of coaching he's been getting since his early teen years. Very intriguing.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#87
Hm not really seeing it. Brad Miller was 6'11 and exclusively a high post pick and pop guy, very good passer. Papa is 7'2 and seems to love getting post ups, hasn't really shown range(although seems capable). I mean yeah I could see it, if he develops his outside shot and learns how to pass from the high post I can see him as a taller Brad Miller with post game, but at that point your talking about another level of player...needs to keep working but has interesting raw tools.
Brad Miller also never displayed half of the defensive potential that Papa has.
 
#89
Brad Miller also never displayed half of the defensive potential that Papa has.
Have not seen much of the games, but does PapaG have a mid-range stroke at all? Brad Miller had perfected a consistent mid-range jumper for several seasons. Miller was a decent player who found his ceiling. PapaG strikes me as an inside player who finally is getting evaluatory minutes, so its early to compare. I think Miller was in his 3rd or 4th season at least when the Kings got him.
 
#90
Have not seen much of the games, but does PapaG have a mid-range stroke at all? Brad Miller had perfected a consistent mid-range jumper for several seasons. Miller was a decent player who found his ceiling. PapaG strikes me as an inside player who finally is getting evaluatory minutes, so its early to compare. I think Miller was in his 3rd or 4th season at least when the Kings got him.
Bam Bam has a nice shooting touch. No worries there.