The only player I'm certain of is Bogs. That's because the evidence is right there before my eyes - he is a good NBA player. The only question with him is his ceiling.
I see great potential in Fox, both because his athleticism and intelligence, but there is a ways to go between here and there for him. He could be an All Star, but he could also have some injury issues because of his thin frame that prevent him from being a good player. He's certainly not Wall in that he cant' just drive in the paint, throw his body around, and go crashing to the floor on a regular basis and still have an NBA career. It's ridiculous to be down on him in his rookie year; he was a point guard project with a potentially high ceiling from the very beginning and it will take him a while.
WCS seems to be improving, but he still leaves me wondering about his consistency as a rebounder and his impact on the defensive end of the floor. I still see a player more interested in showcasing whatever offensive talent he has (for his upcoming contract) rather than putting great effort on the defensive end. He needs to to be physical in defense and rebounding. I just want to see him impact the game more on a regular basis than be a complementary player. Look at Sampson and what he did in his brief stint with the big boys. Here is a player who is athletic and physical and who positively impacted the game. He did that in a very brief stint with the Kings. WCS needs to have more Sampson in his game for me to be a believer. Lastly, I'd just love it if WCS would defensively bother an opponent enough so that there was a little altercation on the floor. I'm not asking for a bench brawl, but c'mon, when has the guy gotten into it with anybody on the opposition?
Hield - he can shoot, no doubt. But to use his word, he's "showcasing" his skills, one of which is his dribbling skill or lack thereof. I sometimes wonder if he knows he's in a game and not in a skills camp. He can be very good if he would just focus more on moving without the ball on offense. On defense, he's never going to make much of a mark, other than an occasional steel. He can rebound well though for a guard if he puts his mind to it. All in all, he just doesn't have the quickness necessary for a top tier NBA two guard, but he can be an excellent "shootist" in time. Lastly, I appreciate that Hield is primarily a shooter and therefore has to shoot to be effective, but I do find him stretching that maxim to selfish proportions at times. If he is guarded and Bogs isn't, I would like to see him pass the ball to Bogs.
Jackson - shows the BBIQ. Needs to get more consistent with his shot, but especially needs to improve in defense and rebounding. He's one of the "light in the shorts" kind of guys on this team. A couple years of strength training will show what he can become. I sure do like his creativity and BBIQ on offense though.
Skal is in the "light in the shorts" group also. As I've said before, he's two years away due to his strength issues. We need to be more patient with him than probably anybody on this team, with the exception of Papa. I want very much to see Skal over a 10-game stint where he plays 30 minutes a game. I hate it when he has his back to the basket and he dribbles against the defender, trying to get position for a jump hook; invariably, he goes nowhere. I love it when he gets the ball with his back to the basket and turns with aggression to face his man and then drives with aggression to the basket. My advice to Skal would be: You can't be too aggressive. Think aggression, be aggression. If you foul out, so be it, but do it aggressively. The pendulum needs to swing far to the aggression side before it can it can find the happy medium.
Papa - has the offensive skills, no doubt, but can he ever guard anyone? And what role will he have in a 3 point league? Twenty years ago I'd be much more comfortable with Papa's future because of the physicallity that was allowed and the lack of 3 point shooting. Today, I'm just not sure if he's one of the last dinosaurs. I'd really like to know what Vlade's views on the young man would be if he were under a truth serum.
In sum, the raw materials are not in place. In particular I want more athleticism and length and determination on this team, more physicallity. How about a couple of Sampsons with more offensive skill? This team just doesn't have the raw physicallity that it needs on a night-to-night basis to defend well and to rebound well, and therefore to compete well.