2013 Draft Prospects

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bajaden

Hall of Famer
I agree with what Burke said about combine results and real game time. When the juices are flowing during a game, your going to react differently than when your standing under a pole with little bars on it that your susposed to hit with your fingers, establishing your vertical. Burke knows how to play the game. He has good BBIQ, and I don't have to see a video of a workout to know he can shoot the ball. He mentioned something that I mentioned in some of my early posts on Burke. And that he's a master of changing speeds with the ball. It enables him to get to places on the floor that sometimes a better athlete can't get to. I still think he's the best PG in the draft if thats what your looking for. And yes, I think he's starting material.

Having great athleticism is certainly a big plus. But I'll take good instincts and good fundamentals over athleticism without those attributes. John Stockton was a decent athlete, but hardly a great athlete, and yet he's the all time assists leader in the NBA. He was one tough hombre, and some would probably call him a dirty player at times. You can argue that he was the Ying to Malone's Yang. Maybe thats true, but maybe Burke can be Cousins Ying. You never know. Not an endorsement, just an observation.
 
Steve Luhm:
When media allowed into Jazz workout, Dennis Schroeder shooting threes: 4-8 left elbow, 4-8 straightaway, 4-8 right elbow, 5-7 right corner.
That's only .548, and in the open gym it's pretty bad result. It's still a limited sample but I'm at least having some doubts about labeling him "good shooter".
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Steve Luhm: That's only .548, and in the open gym it's pretty bad result. It's still a limited sample but I'm at least having some doubts about labeling him "good shooter".
I agree! Most good shooters will shoot in the 75% range without a hand in their face. Shooting 50% with no competition isn't anything to write home about. I'm not saying it condemms him for life as a bad shooter, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Carter-Williams put up better numbers with no competition, and I know he's a bad shooter.
 
Have people labeled him a "good shooter"? I've personally labeled him as having potential for a good set shot, but other than that, he has a lot of work to do. He needs to at least get to the point where he can get his shot off well enough off the dribble to shoot it over the screen, that's really the most important aspect of his shooting.

Still, I really wouldn't put any stock in workout numbers.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Have people labeled him a "good shooter"? I've personally labeled him as having potential for a good set shot, but other than that, he has a lot of work to do. He needs to at least get to the point where he can get his shot off well enough off the dribble to shoot it over the screen, that's really the most important aspect of his shooting.

Still, I really wouldn't put any stock in workout numbers.
As a follow up on Schroeder, I've read that in some of his workouts he's struggled against some of the more physical players he's come up against. He hasn't shot the ball well in general when going against actual competition. One scout said that in his opinion, he was a second round pick. Late first round at best. I seriously doubt that we'll entertain taking him at seven.
 
I agree! Most good shooters will shoot in the 75% range without a hand in their face. Shooting 50% with no competition isn't anything to write home about. I'm not saying it condemms him for life as a bad shooter, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Carter-Williams put up better numbers with no competition, and I know he's a bad shooter.
Carter Williams is actually a fair shooter, and his form is solid. Much better shooting than he is finishing, which he is terrible at. What wasn't solid was his shot selection. He really has no idea when he should take a shot, so he either takes a contested jumper, or tries to drive
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Carter Williams is actually a fair shooter, and his form is solid. Much better shooting than he is finishing, which he is terrible at. What wasn't solid was his shot selection. He really has no idea when he should take a shot, so he either takes a contested jumper, or tries to drive
Your talking to the wrong guy mi amigo. I've watched Williams play over 30 times or more in the last two years, and I don't know what your idea of fair is, but 38% overall is not fair, its terrible, especially when you add in his 29% from the three. And what scares me is that his freethrow percentages aren't very good either, and thats usually an indicator of the touch a player has.. He had a few games where he got hot and shot the ball well, but overall, he was just terrible and I cringed when he ever took a shot. Your right about finishing at the basket. Not good there either. But I think some of that has to do with lack of strength.

I honestly don't know what all the buzz is about him. Aside from being a good ballhandler, and being a good passer, the rest of his game is either bad, or just acceptable. Hey, I wish him well, but frankly I'm tired of the Kings drafting players that can't shoot the ball, and saying, no problem, he can learn to shoot. Well this will be Tyreke's fifth year if we resign him, and he's finally gotten to where his shooting is acceptable. Not great, but acceptable. And guess what, he'll probably be playing for another team next season.
 
I honestly don't know what all the buzz is about him.
The buzz is clearly due to his height and vert. I'm not a fan either although I get the excitement to some extent... he has some things going for him physically that can not be taught. It's a big pass for me though... just not a good enough basketball player and definitely not the type of guard I want next to Tyreke.
 
As a follow up on Schroeder, I've read that in some of his workouts he's struggled against some of the more physical players he's come up against. He hasn't shot the ball well in general when going against actual competition. One scout said that in his opinion, he was a second round pick. Late first round at best. I seriously doubt that we'll entertain taking him at seven.
I don't think we'll entertain taking him at 7 either, which is why I haven't really been talking about him that much anymore. Still, I wouldn't put much stock in what scouts are saying about him either, you can't really trust what they say to the media right now.

An interesting thing to think about is how much contact do they allow in workouts as opposed to NBA games? And, it's obvious to me that Schroeder wouldn't necessarily be a workout warrior type, he needs a 5-on-5. Still, the strength issue is a concern, I don't want to downplay it, but players like him can make it in today's game, with the way it's officiated now.
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
I don't think we'll entertain taking him at 7 either, which is why I haven't really been talking about him that much anymore. Still, I wouldn't put much stock in what scouts are saying about him either, you can't really trust what they say to the media right now.

An interesting thing to think about is how much contact do they allow in workouts as opposed to NBA games? And, it's obvious to me that Schroeder wouldn't necessarily be a workout warrior type, he needs a 5-on-5. Still, the strength issue is a concern, I don't want to downplay it, but players like him can make it in today's game, with the way it's officiated now.
Your right about the BS being thrown around. If a team did really like him, they'll probably say the opposite. The only thing I have to go on is the Nike Summit game, which is a very small sample of a player, playing with others he's not accustomed to, which is important to a PG. On another front, I fell in love with Anthony Bennetts game early in the season, and I still can't shake that. He's so talented, and if he was 6'9", he probably be the number one pick in the draft.

I know I'm in the minority, but I still think he can play SF. He's so athletic! People see power forward next to his name, and they automaticly think of a slower, bigger player that would have to learn how to play away from the basket. And thats the thing. Bennett has a hell of a game away from the basket already. His jumpshot is excellent. He can put the ball on the floor and he has very quick feet. And obviously, he can finish at the basket. Someone is going to get a very good basketball player.
 
On another front, I fell in love with Anthony Bennetts game early in the season, and I still can't shake that. He's so talented, and if he was 6'9", he probably be the number one pick in the draft.

I know I'm in the minority, but I still think he can play SF. He's so athletic! People see power forward next to his name, and they automaticly think of a slower, bigger player that would have to learn how to play away from the basket. And thats the thing. Bennett has a hell of a game away from the basket already. His jumpshot is excellent. He can put the ball on the floor and he has very quick feet. And obviously, he can finish at the basket. Someone is going to get a very good basketball player.
Even assuming SF was the best way to maximize his talents (and I don't think that it is,) what makes you think he can defend the perimeter well? His defensive motor is already in question, how do you expect him to chase down perimeter players? If you want just shooting/scoring at the 3, then Muhammad can do that, and he can give you potential for defense there. As many problems as I have with Muhammad, I do think he can give you solid-good off-ball scoring, with the potential to develop an off-the-dribble game and solid defense.
 
I dont understand, why you put so much value in a players position. Tobias Harris is 6'8, played some PF for Orlando this season and averaged solid 17 Points and 8 Rebounds for them. Bennet may be 6'7 but why shouldnt he be able to play PF in the NBA if he is quick enough to take bigger players off the dribble and step outside to stretch the floor? If it's working for Harris, why Bennet shouldnt be able to do it? Cause he is 1 inch smaller?
 
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bajaden

Hall of Famer
Even assuming SF was the best way to maximize his talents (and I don't think that it is,) what makes you think he can defend the perimeter well? His defensive motor is already in question, how do you expect him to chase down perimeter players? If you want just shooting/scoring at the 3, then Muhammad can do that, and he can give you potential for defense there. As many problems as I have with Muhammad, I do think he can give you solid-good off-ball scoring, with the potential to develop an off-the-dribble game and solid defense.
Whether Bennett is able to defend the SF position at the next level is something I can't answer. But people are vastly underestimating his athleticism. This kid is an elite athlete, and is as quick as just about any SF in the NBA. How that translates to defense is anyone's guess. But if he was a bad defender, it wasn't because he wasn't physically able, it was because he didn't put forth the effort, or because it wasn't expected of him. Corliss Williamson played center at Arkansas, and he wasn't nearly as athletic as Bennett, and Corliss played SF in the NBA. Unfortunately we don't have Bennett's combine numbers to go by for comparison. But I think everyone would have been surprised by the results. Hey, its just my opinion which is worth what you paid for it.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I dont understand, why you put so much value in a players position. Tobias Harris is 6'8, played some PF for Orlando this season and averaged solid 17 Points and 8 Rebounds for them. Bennet may be 6'7 but why shouldnt he be able to play PF in the NBA if he is quick enough to take bigger players off the dribble and step outside to stretch the floor? If it's working for Harris, why Bennet shouldnt be able to do it? Cause he is 1 inch smaller?
Bennett also has a huge wingspan, so he plays bigger than his height would indicate. I'll be surprised if he makes it out of the top five or six.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
What's your opinion on Jerami Grant out of Syracuse? Good upside on defense (7'2 wingspan) could develop behind Rudy next year. I know he is a project, but can he be a longterm solution as a lock-down defender?
He's a little out of the range of our pick. Also, you're a year too early.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
What Tetsujin is saying, is that your on the wrong thread. This is the 2013 thread, not the 2014 thread. The 2013 draft is over. Best not to live in the past.
 
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