I just can't wrap my head around anybody who thinks we should go with Bamba over Doncic. I think it would be a massive mistake to draft a HUGE project like Bamba over someone who just had a historical year in one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
IMO, drafting for defense and HOPING someone will develop offensively with such a high draft pick is a horrible idea. Ending up with a Hasheem Thabeet or a MKG type player with pick #2 and no draft pick next year would potentially kill our whole rebuild.
If Bamba is the guy, then trade back. I don't think he should even be in the conversation at #2. We botch this pick with a bust, then this team is never getting back to the playoffs.
I doubt we are trading back as long as Brandon curtails Vlade's destructive impulses. In Brandon
Vlade I trust. You are going to be averse to Bamba like others if you dismiss him as a "huge project" and the next Thabeet. These labels are shortcuts in quest for certainty in an uncertain process. It is best to see the imperfect nature of labeling in lieu of a more deep dive in search for clarity absence of labels.
Where and how I get on and off the bandwagon with players and has served me well over the years, including when I jumped off the Jason Thompson bandwagon while 95% of the fan base had him pegged as the "ideal third big" instead of identifying him as the scrub he was and turned out to be (I say with no malicious intent, just calling like it is) is a simple study of reaction time for lack of a better term.
Reaction time encompasses agility, hand-eye coordination, body balance, fluidity and concise footwork. Reaction time is more or less a subset of functional athleticism and strength. Superior reaction time means you are often first to the ball. You are more anticipatory than your opponent. You may see plays before they develop and react accordingly. All great players have great reaction. Players who bust out like Thabeet or underachieve like Ben have poor to average reaction time even when there is some foundational basketball and athletic skill.
Reaction time interestingly correlates to intelligence. Bagley and Bamba entertained going to Harvard.... I rest my case
As an aside there's this video dance game where you have to move your feet really fast. The best gamers have the best reaction time. Asians who happen to have high relative IQ (generally speaking) dominate this game at the highest levels.
So we want a player who checks the boxes with physical profile, well-spoken off the floor (high IQ) and displays superior reaction time. If reaction time is too abstract, look for players who are fluid, well-coordinated, who defy their height relative position, that is, if they are a center they play like a wing, and if they are a wing they play like a guard. This perspective will serve you well to project future stardom! There I just spilled all my secrets.
Now back to Bamba. To emphasize the significance of reaction time I call your attention to two beautiful plays in this clip. Watch how he destroys this guard on one play and Sexton on another:
0:42: Here the kid gets down in his defensive crouch at the three point line. He shades him to drive left. The player steps back. Bamba recovers just enough to prevent the shot. At this point the player is in Bamba's Torture Chamber
He cannot get the shot off and passing angles have been taken away. He drives into Bamba's body. Bamba stays vertical the whole time and destroys the shot with his off hand. That is a spectacular play by Mo! (Willie wishes he could do this, and never have once in three season with the Kings).
2:25: This play is equally spectacular. Here Sexton turns the corner and Bamba goes to meet him. His man tries to interfere and actually steps in between Bamba and Sexton. 9 times out of 10 this takes the rim protector OUT of the play. Does Bamba get taken out of the play? Nope! He erases the shot with his left hand! This the type of deep dive I am referring to that is rooted in reaction time. This is how you discern between busts and booms, Thabeets versus Embiids.
These plays do NOT imply project. They imply put-me-in-coach. I will be very excited if we draft Bamba or Bagley. I will be slightly disappointed if we draft Luka but he's a kid I can root for. If we draft Porter Jr I will pull a "Bricklayer" on this site and team.
