Prospect watch 2011
- Thread starter asakkings
- Start date
I wouldnt mind us trading down to get more picks if possible. Or even shipping out one of our SFs for a pick.
Seems like if we miss out on the top tier guys we might as well try to grab as many high potential mid to low draftees as possible and hope we hit one out of the park.
I'm intrigued with any hyper athletic shot blocker. So I wouldnt be incredibly disappointed if we go the Biyombo route. Then we can nab Thabeet from the Rockets. With those two and Whiteside, we're bound to find our Dally replacement!
Seems like if we miss out on the top tier guys we might as well try to grab as many high potential mid to low draftees as possible and hope we hit one out of the park.
I'm intrigued with any hyper athletic shot blocker. So I wouldnt be incredibly disappointed if we go the Biyombo route. Then we can nab Thabeet from the Rockets. With those two and Whiteside, we're bound to find our Dally replacement!
I'll be honest and say that I didn't see him play as much as some of the other players. He has excellent size for a PG, and good PG skills. I know he declared for the draft, which surprised me. His biggest weakness is his outside shot, which needs a lot of work. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I'm pretty sure he was in the twenty percent range from beyond the arc. He scores almost all his points at the basket. He has pretty good handles and is a very good passer.
At best he'll be a second round pick, and could go undrafted, depending on how many underclassmen declare. My suggestion to him is to test the waters without hiring an agent, and then return to school. I'd give the same advice to Josh Selby, who I think is very talented, but not ready for the NBA.
At best he'll be a second round pick, and could go undrafted, depending on how many underclassmen declare. My suggestion to him is to test the waters without hiring an agent, and then return to school. I'd give the same advice to Josh Selby, who I think is very talented, but not ready for the NBA.
#6 slot with the ping pong balls might not be bad. There have been teams that have gotten the #1 pick with the 6th slot. If memory serves, Portland was one. We've got to be lucky this year, either in getting a higher pick than our slot, or some team getting scared by the size of Walker or maybe the rawness of Knight and one drops to us. If we do draft at the five or six slot, I pray that the GMs ahead of us fall in love with Barnes and K. Jones.
Very glad that Perry Jones has the wisdom to know that he needs a helluvalot of improvement before he's a legit NBA player. Like the weight room 8 hours a day 365 days of the year.
Very glad that Perry Jones has the wisdom to know that he needs a helluvalot of improvement before he's a legit NBA player. Like the weight room 8 hours a day 365 days of the year.
I think Walkers height could be the deciding factor in how high he's drafted. Chris Paul is really only 5'11", so if he's close to that, I think he'll likely be a top 6 pick. I was surprised by P. Jones decision. I agree with it, but with his mother being so poor, its amazing that he would pass up the guaranteed money. By the way, read the New York times article on Jones. Apparently he's been putting in a lot of work in the weight room and is up to a whooping 225 pounds. I guess if your 6'11", adding 15 pounds of muscle doesn't show.
With P. Jones returning, I think this draft is going to get a lot of looks on the International players. Kanter aside, some boards are already having at least 3 International players in the top 10. That's Motie, Vale, and Vesely.
It would be great if someone who watches a lot of FIBA/Euro games could share some insights on these players. It's already great to have Baja and co. sharing their insights on the NCAA players. It would be nicer is someone does this for the International player too. I remembered during the Rubio hype. We did have a few guys that were giving really good insights on Euro players.
Honestly, Motiejunas intrigues me as the 4th or 5th big on this team. It will be good to have another offensive minded big on this squad since Dally, JT, or Whiteside aren't really bigs that are offensively gifted. With our depth, he will have enough time to bulk up and learn.
It would be great if someone who watches a lot of FIBA/Euro games could share some insights on these players. It's already great to have Baja and co. sharing their insights on the NCAA players. It would be nicer is someone does this for the International player too. I remembered during the Rubio hype. We did have a few guys that were giving really good insights on Euro players.
Honestly, Motiejunas intrigues me as the 4th or 5th big on this team. It will be good to have another offensive minded big on this squad since Dally, JT, or Whiteside aren't really bigs that are offensively gifted. With our depth, he will have enough time to bulk up and learn.
Knight will be in the league due to his offense--he's a ready-made NBA offensive player and his college scoring numbers should carry over. He's a combo SG who can pass some along the flow of his points. That's pretty much it. He does have some real bust potential, I believe, because he doesn't do anything else besides score on the court. But he's riding some real momentum upwards in the draft. He might need the right team, much like Jennings had with the Bucks.
Terrence Jones's offense is what's dragging his stock down, and I do agree--he's just a very ordinary offensive player, and he might even be a better offensive player in college than what he'll be in the NBA. Meh passing ability. I personally think the highlights to his game are his rebounding ability and his ability to make defensive plays, and this should translate quite well to the NBA. He's not very tall and he's quite a widebody, however, so these things might not translate as well as when jumping jack athletes do them. So there's questionable upside, but he should be better defensively than offensively in the league.
I'm just not sure about Motiejunas. He's a definite project in the league, and the only thing that's really good about him is his offensive upside--there's real potential here, and he also has a very good chance of reaching it given that he produces numbers at the EuroLeague. But everything else is just not NBA material, and that could very well sink him.
Darius Morris's one intriguing, elite asset is his passing/ballhandling--it's at an elite level among college athletes. But I really, really, really think he needs another year and there's bust potential--that's the only thing he's good at, and his work on the other end of the court is very poor. His offense, meh to begin with, might look even worse in the NBA.
Kemba Walker is a NBA viable candidate, particularly on the offensive end. He's an excellent scorer at the college level, and while there will be a dropoff to the NBA he's still a very good scorer at this level. Not a pure PG at this level, but can definitely play PG full time, has the court vision. Can operate in both scoring and passing mode, I personally think. Also a very good disruptor, racks up tons of steals. He's really NBA ready, there's little bust potential with him. His height might be a drawback to some, but he does more than enough and there's quite a few waterbugs in this league, he'll fit right in and then some.
I like the very idea of D.J. Kennedy--the guy is a decent rebounder and passer in the league, he can make some defensive plays and he has an OK shot of reaching this sort of potential. His offense is terrible, but he should look quite better in the NBA than at college. As a versatile fill-in-the-blanks type player, he can make it for sure.
Iman Shumpert is the exact opposite--his offense looks NBA-ready, he has real NBA PG skills and he can wreak havoc defensively, and those look really tantalizing at first glance. But there's real bust potential in spite of that--all of those skills are up-and-down, as he's turnover prone, prone to gambling and his overall shooting ability needs improvement. He's one of those tantalizing NBA prospects that come out every now and then, but might end up doing noting in the league.
Jereme Richmond made what I thought was a very dumb choice to enter the draft, but it turns out scouts are still enamored with his HS play and thus have dubbed him as a second round pick. Richmond rebounds the ball like a lotto pick at the SF slot, but that's about his only bankable skill at the amount. He appears to have decent court vision as well, but his offense and defense appear to be extremely terrible. There's bust potential, but given the miniscule talent he displayed, it's not as much as you would expect--he does have a chance as a rebounding small forward, but I can't help but think of Rodney White part deux.
SUPER smart decision by Perry Jones. He didn't give scouts a whole lot to work with other than marvel at his physical tools all season, but now he can build on the two things he shows ok potential in--current scoring and rebounding. Make himself more viable as a prospect on those two fronts.
Terrence Jones's offense is what's dragging his stock down, and I do agree--he's just a very ordinary offensive player, and he might even be a better offensive player in college than what he'll be in the NBA. Meh passing ability. I personally think the highlights to his game are his rebounding ability and his ability to make defensive plays, and this should translate quite well to the NBA. He's not very tall and he's quite a widebody, however, so these things might not translate as well as when jumping jack athletes do them. So there's questionable upside, but he should be better defensively than offensively in the league.
I'm just not sure about Motiejunas. He's a definite project in the league, and the only thing that's really good about him is his offensive upside--there's real potential here, and he also has a very good chance of reaching it given that he produces numbers at the EuroLeague. But everything else is just not NBA material, and that could very well sink him.
Darius Morris's one intriguing, elite asset is his passing/ballhandling--it's at an elite level among college athletes. But I really, really, really think he needs another year and there's bust potential--that's the only thing he's good at, and his work on the other end of the court is very poor. His offense, meh to begin with, might look even worse in the NBA.
Kemba Walker is a NBA viable candidate, particularly on the offensive end. He's an excellent scorer at the college level, and while there will be a dropoff to the NBA he's still a very good scorer at this level. Not a pure PG at this level, but can definitely play PG full time, has the court vision. Can operate in both scoring and passing mode, I personally think. Also a very good disruptor, racks up tons of steals. He's really NBA ready, there's little bust potential with him. His height might be a drawback to some, but he does more than enough and there's quite a few waterbugs in this league, he'll fit right in and then some.
I like the very idea of D.J. Kennedy--the guy is a decent rebounder and passer in the league, he can make some defensive plays and he has an OK shot of reaching this sort of potential. His offense is terrible, but he should look quite better in the NBA than at college. As a versatile fill-in-the-blanks type player, he can make it for sure.
Iman Shumpert is the exact opposite--his offense looks NBA-ready, he has real NBA PG skills and he can wreak havoc defensively, and those look really tantalizing at first glance. But there's real bust potential in spite of that--all of those skills are up-and-down, as he's turnover prone, prone to gambling and his overall shooting ability needs improvement. He's one of those tantalizing NBA prospects that come out every now and then, but might end up doing noting in the league.
Jereme Richmond made what I thought was a very dumb choice to enter the draft, but it turns out scouts are still enamored with his HS play and thus have dubbed him as a second round pick. Richmond rebounds the ball like a lotto pick at the SF slot, but that's about his only bankable skill at the amount. He appears to have decent court vision as well, but his offense and defense appear to be extremely terrible. There's bust potential, but given the miniscule talent he displayed, it's not as much as you would expect--he does have a chance as a rebounding small forward, but I can't help but think of Rodney White part deux.
SUPER smart decision by Perry Jones. He didn't give scouts a whole lot to work with other than marvel at his physical tools all season, but now he can build on the two things he shows ok potential in--current scoring and rebounding. Make himself more viable as a prospect on those two fronts.
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I wonder if P. Jones got the word through a prospective agent about his draft status. Despite the hype, he didn't look like a top 10 pick to me, at least in a "typical" draft year.
I hope that Walker is 5'11 3/4". Kind of like $99 merchandise. It sounds sooo much less than $100. All the more reason to drop...
I hope that Walker is 5'11 3/4". Kind of like $99 merchandise. It sounds sooo much less than $100.
All the more reason to drop...
I wonder if P. Jones got the word through a prospective agent about his draft status. Despite the hype, he didn't look like a top 10 pick to me, at least in a "typical" draft year.
I hope that Walker is 5'11 3/4". Kind of like $99 merchandise. It sounds sooo much less than $100. All the more reason to drop...
I hope that Walker is 5'11 3/4". Kind of like $99 merchandise. It sounds sooo much less than $100.
All the more reason to drop...
Walker's height doesn't bother me. Lawson, Collison, Felton and Lowry are all about 6 feet and they're playing pretty well right now. Walker is tough and he competes. I don't think he's the best fit for our current team, but if he's the best player available I'd at least be satisfied that we're getting a real player. With so many guys returning to school this year, we'll just have to take what we can get.
If we end up picking, god forbid, somewhere between 5 and 8, then some players that might have been considered a reach, might not look so bad. There are some guys I really like. Jordan Hamilton, Kenneth Faried, Alex Burks, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmer Fredette, and Chris Singleton. I think all these guys will be good NBA players. A couple of them might be borderline all stars down the road. Its possible that T. Jones might drop that far as well.
While Walker, and I will include Fredette, aren't the best fit for our team, when you consider need. Either one could be a valuable asset as the fourth guard behind Evans, Thornton, and Beno. Either guy could bring something off the bench that could dramaticly change the game. And with the three guard rotation seemingly locked in, either guy would have the luxury of not having pressure on him to contribute right away.
While Walker, and I will include Fredette, aren't the best fit for our team, when you consider need. Either one could be a valuable asset as the fourth guard behind Evans, Thornton, and Beno. Either guy could bring something off the bench that could dramaticly change the game. And with the three guard rotation seemingly locked in, either guy would have the luxury of not having pressure on him to contribute right away.
If we get stuck in the 5-8 range, which is looking very possible .. I may just swing for the fences and go after a guy like Valanciunas, Biyumbo, Vesely, Montiejunas .... or the guy I would really like in that range, Enes Kanter.
Fact is, we dont even need the player on the team next season. It would be nice, but if a guy like Biyumbo is legit .. I have no problem keeping him overseas for a year or so until he is ready. Vesely could be the best SF in the draft when its all said and done ...
Hard to tell with these guys though. I've only seen a few of them play and in most cases its only been one game. Workouts will be key for these guys.
And I would still be very open to trading the pick if that turns out to be the best option.
Fact is, we dont even need the player on the team next season. It would be nice, but if a guy like Biyumbo is legit .. I have no problem keeping him overseas for a year or so until he is ready. Vesely could be the best SF in the draft when its all said and done ...
Hard to tell with these guys though. I've only seen a few of them play and in most cases its only been one game. Workouts will be key for these guys.
And I would still be very open to trading the pick if that turns out to be the best option.
If we're 6, 7, or 8...I'd take the safe bet and add pieces to the puzzles. Aside from Irving or Williams, maybe Walker, there's no sure bet stars in this draft. However, there are a BUNCH of solid, long-tenured NBAers in this draft. Let's not diminish that. Guys that plays roles are important to complement your Big 3(which I think we have in embryo) I'd target a guy like Jimmer Fredette or Jordan Hamilton and hit your double in the mid lottery and move on with the rebuild. Both those players can play important roles for our franchise. If we're not 1-3 in this draft, I look at one of those 2 guys to fill in on a cheap, rookie deal. Jimmer would be a phenomenal fit with Tyreke in the backcourt.
Actually, Knight is a very good defensive player. Also, he's come up big at the end of games with big shots. I think his bust potential is below 10%, which in a draft is pretty darned low. At the very, very least he'll be a guy who stands at the 3 point line and make shots (pressure shots), and a guy who gives you some good D. At the most he has All-Star potential imo when he gets more experience, in large measure because he's not only talented, but smart and very competitive, and he's a two way player - he does play defense and offense (unlike Jimmer, for example).
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I have Williams ranked #1 as well. He also fits the Kings biggest need, though I think the second-biggest need is more quickness in the backcourt. If Williams, Irving, Kemba, Knight, are gone I guess I could live with Jimmer, but it sure would be nice to get a two-way player, and Jimmer just isn't that.
You singled out the same guys I've been keeping an eye on in the first round. Regardless of where they're currently projected to go, they all have skills that should translate to the NBA. I liked Tristan Thompson too but I think he's returning to Texas. I was also impressed with that kid Jamie Skeen from VCU in the tournament. He might be a second-round steal (if we haven't traded that pick yet). I'm at least intrigued about Vesely, Kanter, and Biyumbo too. There's good players in this draft. Maybe not one of the elite guys we were hoping for, but it's not a complete washout.
I have no problem going with a european player. Its just that I can't comment on them, since I haven't seen them play. The one exception is Enes Kanter who I saw play in the USA/European highschool game last year. I liked what I saw of him in that game, in which he dominated. However it was just one game, and more of an all star game, with little defense being played.
So I'll stick to what I know, and leave the decisions on foreign players to Petri and company. In general, I don't like the success rate of foreign players compared to USA players, and, they tend to play worse defense than USA players coming out of college. I disagree a little bit on drafting a player in the first round, with the idea of leaving him in europe for a couple of years. I don't think the Kings quite have that luxury yet. However, they do have two second round picks, and that would be an excellent idea for either, or both second rounders.
A player I really like is Jordan Hamilton. He can play either SF or SG, and is a good defender as well as a very good offensive player. He's an above average athlete, and is an outstanding rebounder for his position. His biggest weakness is a tendacy to drive into traffic, and although he's a good outside shooter, I think his shot is a little too flat. Very correctable though. He can create his own shot, and he's good at coming off screens.
I don't believe he's declared yet, and he's just a sophmore, so he might opt to stay in college another year. My gut says he'll declare and at minimum, test the waters.
So I'll stick to what I know, and leave the decisions on foreign players to Petri and company. In general, I don't like the success rate of foreign players compared to USA players, and, they tend to play worse defense than USA players coming out of college. I disagree a little bit on drafting a player in the first round, with the idea of leaving him in europe for a couple of years. I don't think the Kings quite have that luxury yet. However, they do have two second round picks, and that would be an excellent idea for either, or both second rounders.
A player I really like is Jordan Hamilton. He can play either SF or SG, and is a good defender as well as a very good offensive player. He's an above average athlete, and is an outstanding rebounder for his position. His biggest weakness is a tendacy to drive into traffic, and although he's a good outside shooter, I think his shot is a little too flat. Very correctable though. He can create his own shot, and he's good at coming off screens.
I don't believe he's declared yet, and he's just a sophmore, so he might opt to stay in college another year. My gut says he'll declare and at minimum, test the waters.
Obviously the biggest question about Fredette is whether he can play defense. In fairness to him, his coach admitted that he didn't ask Fredette to play defense, because of having to play almost 40 minutes a game and the amount of pressure on him on the offensive side of the ball. So if he wasn't trying, or at best, was giving a token effort, its hard to really judge how good or bad he might be if he did try.
Just from watching him on offense, I think he's a better athlete than he's given credit for. My gut tells me that defensively, he'll fall somewhere around the Beno system of defense. Which isn't that good, but it is doable if he brings enough to the table offensively. Now he could be worse than that, or, he could surpise us and be better than that. I'm sure that when he has a team workout, they'll bring other prospective PG's and have them defend one another. Similar to what the Kings did when they brought in Evans, Jennings, Flynn and Curry all at the same time. They should be able to discern something from that.
Just from watching him on offense, I think he's a better athlete than he's given credit for. My gut tells me that defensively, he'll fall somewhere around the Beno system of defense. Which isn't that good, but it is doable if he brings enough to the table offensively. Now he could be worse than that, or, he could surpise us and be better than that. I'm sure that when he has a team workout, they'll bring other prospective PG's and have them defend one another. Similar to what the Kings did when they brought in Evans, Jennings, Flynn and Curry all at the same time. They should be able to discern something from that.
Selby I don't know about because I couldn't bring myself to watch Kansas play this year. For some reason their play-style doesn't appeal to me. He seemed to fade as the season went on though while his fellow high-profile freshmen got better so that's probably why he's slipping in mock drafts. He has a reputation for playing hard defense anyway.
Isiah Thomas I saw a few times the past couple years. He's small but fast, finds holes in the defense. Reminds me a bit of Aaron Brooks when he was at Oregon except Thomas is a better playmaker. He's a surprisingly good passer. And I like how he leads his team. He's probably going to be a liability on defense though because of his size.
Isiah Thomas I saw a few times the past couple years. He's small but fast, finds holes in the defense. Reminds me a bit of Aaron Brooks when he was at Oregon except Thomas is a better playmaker. He's a surprisingly good passer. And I like how he leads his team. He's probably going to be a liability on defense though because of his size.
Selby is a very talented player, that really didn't get into a grove this year. He missed the begining of the season, and it took him quite a while to fit in. Its possibe that some team would take a flyer on him toward the bottom of the first round, especially with some of the better prospects dropping out of the draft. More likely, he'll be a second round pick. His best choice is to stay in school. He's talented enough that he could easily be a high first round pick next year.
Thomas is a different story. He made quite a splash this year for a, at best, 5'9" player. The question I had about him, was what would happen when he ran up against someone just as quick as he was, and was also bigger than him. I got my answer when Washington played North Carolina in the tournament. N. Carolina put Strictland on him defensively. At 6'3", and just as quick, if not even quicker than Thomas, Strickland was a nightmare for Thomas. He couldn't shoot over him, and he couldn't get past him. Thomas looked very ordinary in that game.
Personally I'm not a big fan of undersized players unless they're very special. I see Thomas going in the mid part of the second round. Maybe a little higher if someone is desperate for a PG.
Thomas is a different story. He made quite a splash this year for a, at best, 5'9" player. The question I had about him, was what would happen when he ran up against someone just as quick as he was, and was also bigger than him. I got my answer when Washington played North Carolina in the tournament. N. Carolina put Strictland on him defensively. At 6'3", and just as quick, if not even quicker than Thomas, Strickland was a nightmare for Thomas. He couldn't shoot over him, and he couldn't get past him. Thomas looked very ordinary in that game.
Personally I'm not a big fan of undersized players unless they're very special. I see Thomas going in the mid part of the second round. Maybe a little higher if someone is desperate for a PG.
Yeah, I agree. Knight is a very good defensive player. He's very quick, and a above average athlete. All year long he shot the ball very well, and had a bunch of game winning shots. Its a shame that his last game had to be one of his worse, especially offensively. Not the way a player wants to go out. Just about every player on Kentucky had a below average game, and they still almost won the damm thing. But, you live by the sword and you die by the sword. I think Lamb was the only player that shot the ball well. The Lamb on Kentucky, not the Lamb on UCONN.