Luka Doncic (pre and post-draft discussion thread)
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It seems the argument is getting made that Luka is the only skilled choice while Porter some raw athlete??? Thats not accurate. Luke is MORE skilled but Porter is still akilled and what he is skilled makes him a deadly scorer in the nba
Luka the better handker and distributur
Porter better scorer and probably be better defender and rebounder
Too bad we cant have both with Bamba
Luka the better handker and distributur
Porter better scorer and probably be better defender and rebounder
Too bad we cant have both with Bamba
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In watching both MPJ and Luka play in full games on YouTube, here is what has stood out:
Luka
Positives
MPJ
Positives
With regards to MPJ, I think he has more potential, but athleticism will not matter if he doesn't use it to get past defenders. Ultimately, his back injury scares me to death. I think he will recover; however, that injury really limits the load an athlete can put on their back. That means he will have a hard time building leg strength.
Luka
Positives
- Outstanding Passer
- Unreal in the Pick and Roll
- Great Grab and Go Player
- Winner
- Will struggle to blow by defenders 1 v 1 until he becomes an elite shooter
- Will have trouble keeping 2's in front of him. He will have trouble with 3's with elite size
MPJ
Positives
- Elite Athletic Gifts
- Extreme elevation on his jumper
- Explosive in the open court
- Very rarely uses is handle or athleticism to get to the basket.
- Lacks lower body strength
- Often passes only when driving lanes close. A necessity passer not a willing passer.
- Completely lost on help side defense. Too often hugging his man or very late on rotations or closeouts
With regards to MPJ, I think he has more potential, but athleticism will not matter if he doesn't use it to get past defenders. Ultimately, his back injury scares me to death. I think he will recover; however, that injury really limits the load an athlete can put on their back. That means he will have a hard time building leg strength.
The more I’ve been listening to podcasts about the draft and the prospects the more I want Luka. I’ve been regularly listening to 3 podcasts and everyone single one has Luka as the #1 prospect. I don’t understand why people are so scared of drafting him. It feels as if some kings fans are so used to getting the short end of the stick with everything that the one time we get into a position to draft an elite prospect they try to over analyze the kid and convince themselves that the kings should go into a diff direction. Everything I hear about Luka is that he will drastically change the culture of the franchise with his personality and passing ability. Someone said it best, there are 2 traits players can possess that can change a team’s culture: a charismatic elite passer or an elite defensive player. Let’s not get cute here. Luka is the pick.
I could not possibly agree more! We need to get this one right. We've waited too long to get in this position to outthink ourselves - and I believe any choice other that Luka - or maybe Bagley - would be doing exactly that. Drafting for potential at the #2 spot isn't something a team in our position can or should do, especially with no pick next year. Grab the BPA - which will be either Luka or Bagley - and walk out smiling.
I like Jackson quite a bit, which I've stated in the prospects forum. I think there's a lot more there than we've seen. In many ways, he's the most well rounded big man in the draft because he's skilled on both ends of the floor. Admittedly he's shown more highlights on the defensive side, but that's not his fault. If he had been featured more in Mich St's offense, we might have a different opinion of him. But most of the time he was something like the 3rd option, while at the same time, being the most efficient offensive player on the team.
Some of his limited minutes were his fault, but there were many games where he wasn't in foul trouble, and still only played 20 to 23 minutes. Not sure what Izzo was thinking, but it made no sense to me. All I know is that some team is going to get a very very good player when they draft Jackson.
Some of his limited minutes were his fault, but there were many games where he wasn't in foul trouble, and still only played 20 to 23 minutes. Not sure what Izzo was thinking, but it made no sense to me. All I know is that some team is going to get a very very good player when they draft Jackson.
I think the Kings are down to a three man race between Doncic, Bagley, and Porter. I also believe that if the Kings can get Porter to agree to be examined by the Kings medical staff, and he passes with flying colors, he'll be the Kings pick. Make no mistake, the two most skilled players in this draft are Doncic and Porter, and if both are totally healthy, Porter can make a bigger difference than Doncic. Let me put it this way. Doncic has all star written all over him, and I would expect him to eventually be a regular visitor to the all star game. Porter, if healthy, has superstar written all over him, and I don't think Doncic will ever be a superstar.
Now that's just my opinion, but I've been following Porter for quite a while now, and all I can say is, that all the naysayers on this forum that portend to have knowledge of Porter from a negative point of view, have no idea what their talking about. Some say he can't pass. False! They say he has poor handles. False! They say he never attacks the basket. False! They say he's soft. False! They say he's arrogant. True, but every great athlete has some arrogance. If you don't think your better than every other player, then you'll never be great. That doesn't make him a bad teammate. Michael Jordan was arrogant, and so is Lebron. You want them on your team?
Now if Porter doesn't allow the Kings to see his real medical records, and be checked out by their medical staff, then I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. Then it comes down to Doncic and Bagley. Doncic is more skilled than Bagley, but Bagley has a higher ceiling, and if, and its a big if, he can develop a consistent jumpshot, your again looking at a potential superstar. Do the Kings need to come away with a superstar. No! But they do need to come away with a very good basketball player that fits what the team is doing. There's no doubt that Doncic fits that description.
So in my opinion, Doncic is the safe pick. I don't think you can go wrong, and superstar or not, he might be the difference maker the Kings need. Porter and Bagley both have some risk attached to them, but the reward could be higher. Both players are players with the potential to singlehandedly carry a team to a win. Doncic did that at times for Real Madrid, but most of the time, he was the motor that kept that team running. By the way, the Spanish league is the 2nd best basketball league in the world, and college basketball doesn't come close to comparing. On a scale of one to ten, the NBA is a ten, the Spanish league is an eight, and college basketball is about a five. Doncic dominated in that league at 18 years of age.
I'll be happy with any of those three players, and I trust the Kings to do their due diligence. If they choose Porter, then I have to believe that they feel his back won't be a problem. If they choose Bagley, then after working him out, they saw more there than he was allowed to display at Duke. From a personal point of view, I wish they would bring JJJ in for a look see. He really intrigues me. I'd hate to see them overlook someone with that much potential.
Now that's just my opinion, but I've been following Porter for quite a while now, and all I can say is, that all the naysayers on this forum that portend to have knowledge of Porter from a negative point of view, have no idea what their talking about. Some say he can't pass. False! They say he has poor handles. False! They say he never attacks the basket. False! They say he's soft. False! They say he's arrogant. True, but every great athlete has some arrogance. If you don't think your better than every other player, then you'll never be great. That doesn't make him a bad teammate. Michael Jordan was arrogant, and so is Lebron. You want them on your team?
Now if Porter doesn't allow the Kings to see his real medical records, and be checked out by their medical staff, then I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. Then it comes down to Doncic and Bagley. Doncic is more skilled than Bagley, but Bagley has a higher ceiling, and if, and its a big if, he can develop a consistent jumpshot, your again looking at a potential superstar. Do the Kings need to come away with a superstar. No! But they do need to come away with a very good basketball player that fits what the team is doing. There's no doubt that Doncic fits that description.
So in my opinion, Doncic is the safe pick. I don't think you can go wrong, and superstar or not, he might be the difference maker the Kings need. Porter and Bagley both have some risk attached to them, but the reward could be higher. Both players are players with the potential to singlehandedly carry a team to a win. Doncic did that at times for Real Madrid, but most of the time, he was the motor that kept that team running. By the way, the Spanish league is the 2nd best basketball league in the world, and college basketball doesn't come close to comparing. On a scale of one to ten, the NBA is a ten, the Spanish league is an eight, and college basketball is about a five. Doncic dominated in that league at 18 years of age.
I'll be happy with any of those three players, and I trust the Kings to do their due diligence. If they choose Porter, then I have to believe that they feel his back won't be a problem. If they choose Bagley, then after working him out, they saw more there than he was allowed to display at Duke. From a personal point of view, I wish they would bring JJJ in for a look see. He really intrigues me. I'd hate to see them overlook someone with that much potential.
I wouldn't get caught up in semantic's. Where he plays on offense doesn't preclude him from defending a different position on defense. In a way, having Doncic, Fox, and Bogdanovic on the floor together is like having three PG's on the floor, all a little bit different from one another. Makes the team harder to defend.
I know there are quite a few people that like Bamba for the Kings. And to be clear, I also like Bamba, but not at number two. I think Bamba has tremendous potential, but I think his bust potential almost matches his plus potential. Of all the top players, Bamba is more of a one trick pony than any of the others. By that, I mean he's really only great at one thing, and that's blocking shots, with emphasis on the word GREAT! If your honest in you judgement, you'll agree with me. That's not to say he's not capable of doing other things, he's just not great at any of those things.
He has yet to prove he can shoot the ball from beyond 8 feet. Practice highlights won't convince me, I have to see it in a game. He has yet to prove he can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket when guarded. He has shown no passing instincts at all, and is extremely slow to make offensive reads. He doesn't have a creative post game. I put it that way, to separate a one on one post up against a defender from an alley oop, an offensive put back, or a basket from running the floor on a break. In otherwords, a skilled post up move versus a chippy.
That's not to say he can't become good at all those things. But folks, that's a lot of if's for the 2nd pick in the draft. And, it's going to take time, and, it may never happen. Yeah, I know, he's a smart guy. But I know a lot of smart guys that can't build a campfire, or change a tire. Just being smart won't get it done. I think you have to have some natural instincts for the game, and I'm not sure that Bamba does. I hope for his sake, and the sake of the team that drafts him that he does. I hope I'm dead wrong about him. Especially if he becomes a King.
He has yet to prove he can shoot the ball from beyond 8 feet. Practice highlights won't convince me, I have to see it in a game. He has yet to prove he can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket when guarded. He has shown no passing instincts at all, and is extremely slow to make offensive reads. He doesn't have a creative post game. I put it that way, to separate a one on one post up against a defender from an alley oop, an offensive put back, or a basket from running the floor on a break. In otherwords, a skilled post up move versus a chippy.
That's not to say he can't become good at all those things. But folks, that's a lot of if's for the 2nd pick in the draft. And, it's going to take time, and, it may never happen. Yeah, I know, he's a smart guy. But I know a lot of smart guys that can't build a campfire, or change a tire. Just being smart won't get it done. I think you have to have some natural instincts for the game, and I'm not sure that Bamba does. I hope for his sake, and the sake of the team that drafts him that he does. I hope I'm dead wrong about him. Especially if he becomes a King.
Well, the smiley face mean't I was joking. And, while I like Mason's toughness, I do question his BBIQ at times. His determination to drive into traffic and get his shot blocked drove me nuts at times. So I agree that he's far from the ideal backup PG, and he's likely only holding down the fort until a better one can be found. I do like Jevon Carter quite a bit, although he's only a little taller than Mason. Another guy I like is Landry Shamet. Both are good defenders at the college level, especially Carter, and both can shoot and pass. Wouldn't object to Joseph though.
I hear ya, I'm just saying the type of unicorn Ibaka is/was isn't as valuable as the guy Doncic could turn into. If Doncic is the #1 guy, you'd only need Fox or Buddy to become a legit #2 option and you'd have a good shot at the playoffs. If you take JJJ and he's Ibaka, you need a few pieces to really turn into good players because that skill set isn't something that leads teams to the playoffs. It just makes good teams even better.
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