Following 2019 draftees!!!

I kinda think Rui would be a bit redundant with MBIII..
He could probably develop his 3pt shooting overtime. I think he has more potential to be tapped into. If we're being honest, the only top prospect this year that would remotely fit anywhere with us is RJ Barrett(to a degree) and Cameron Reddish. Even someone like Zion would be redundant with Bagley because neither can shoot.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
He could probably develop his 3pt shooting overtime. I think he has more potential to be tapped into. If we're being honest, the only top prospect this year that would remotely fit anywhere with us is RJ Barrett(to a degree) and Cameron Reddish. Even someone like Zion would be redundant with Bagley because neither can shoot.
Ok, I'm going to be honest. Right now, I'm not a big fan of Hachimura. I'm not convinced he'll ever be a good shooter for reasons I don't care to go into right now, but more than that, he makes real bonehead mistakes at times. I see him more as a PF than I do a SF, and I agree that if so, he would just be another big that needs development. The Kings need to draft a player that is primarily a SF. If the intent is to draft another big man, then draft a true center, and not wanna be centers like Giles and Bagley, who I think are better suited to play at the PF position. Just my humble opinion.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
A kid to keep your eye on is Jalen McDaniels of San Diego St. Yes, he's a legitimate stickman at 6'10" and 195 pounds, but he's a very good athlete who so far has upped his game this season. After shooting around 21% from the three last season, and to be fair he only took 19 shots in 33 games, making only 4. That's about a half a shot per game. This season he's already taken 9 shots in 4 games and made 5, for a 55.6% average. Yeah, I know, it's a small sampling, but he obviously more confident.

He's shown himself to be a willing, decent to good defender, with weakside blocks, averaging 1.2 a game. He also averages 1.5 steals a game and he rebounds as well, averaging 7.8 boards a game. He runs the floor extremely well, and seems to have a nose for the ball. He needs to improve his handles, and he obviously needs to get much stronger, but I think this kid could be very good in the future. He has excellent instincts. Not willing to commit to him just yet, but I find him very intriguing. Here's a short video from last season.


 
Ok, I'm going to be honest. Right now, I'm not a big fan of Hachimura. I'm not convinced he'll ever be a good shooter for reasons I don't care to go into right now, but more than that, he makes real bonehead mistakes at times. I see him more as a PF than I do a SF, and I agree that if so, he would just be another big that needs development. The Kings need to draft a player that is primarily a SF. If the intent is to draft another big man, then draft a true center, and not wanna be centers like Giles and Bagley, who I think are better suited to play at the PF position. Just my humble opinion.
Agreed, seems much more like a PF than a SF at this stage. What do you make of Brandon Clarke?
 
Hahah what an end to that game Gonzaga blocked the crap out of them in crunchtime. Reddish with basically a no show to start then he got benched. RJ had what 3or 4 chances?
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Agreed, seems much more like a PF than a SF at this stage. What do you make of Brandon Clarke?
Well, to be honest, up to now, he wasn't on my radar, but he had a very nice game today, and for those that haven't been paying attention, Duke is beatable as Gonzaga just proved. Very good and entertaining game. I thought RJ has a couple of bonehead plays, but Clarke played very well. He hasn't taken enough three's so far to pass any kind of judgement, but he's on the right team to get national attention. I have Gonzaga in my final four, and I think they proved today that they can play with the big boys.

Isn't there a player on Duke named Reddish or something? ;)
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
By the way, P.J. Washington had another nice game in Kentucky's victory. He's starting to look like a legit NBA prospect. I liked him last year, which I thought was a very strange year for Kentucky. Anyway, I think P. J. might be turning into something.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
He could probably develop his 3pt shooting overtime. I think he has more potential to be tapped into. If we're being honest, the only top prospect this year that would remotely fit anywhere with us is RJ Barrett(to a degree) and Cameron Reddish. Even someone like Zion would be redundant with Bagley because neither can shoot.
If Tatum, Tobias Harris, and Gay are considered 3s, I don't see any reason why Rui can't be either. I think he's ultimately stuck in that 3/4 tweener role but that's become less of an issue as the modern NBA offense has sorta shifted away from clean delineations like that.

I think his first couple of years in the league, Rui can be a sort of Aaron Gordon-esque guy (probably not gonna have the defensive impact fo the guy but probably less wild on offense than Gordon was his rookie season).

The main thing you have to remember with Rui is that the dude literally didn't pick up a basketball until middle school and even then, that was in Japan, where basketball is so far down the sports totem pole that it's practically buried underground. His freshman season at Gonzaga, Rui didn't speak a lick of English which stunted his development a bit.

Offensively, he's got good feet, is a great athlete, and attacks the post like a 1980s PF, and is turning into a better passer than I anticipated him doing at this stage of his development. On defense, his awareness can wax and wane but, when engaged, he can be an absolute difference maker as we saw in the last couple of sequences in the Duke game.

I think it all really depends on who ends up drafting him. If a fantastic player development franchise like the Spurs or even the Nets got a hold of him, I could see the kid blossom into a perennial all-star Kawhi-lite guy. Put him with the wrong coaching staff though *coughThibsorScottyBrookscough* and I could see him out of the league after his rookie contract.
 
LaGerald Vick is out of his mind with these 3point makes.. It's like he's been on fire for 2 weeks straight...... Kansas is losing to Marquette right now in the first half.

Vick is 18/27 from 3 so far this season.....
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
LaGerald Vick is out of his mind with these 3point makes.. It's like he's been on fire for 2 weeks straight...... Kansas is losing to Marquette right now in the first half.

Vick is 18/27 from 3 so far this season.....
Fun to watch though. Marquette is the best team in the Big East this year in my humble opinion. I think Kansas is the better team, but if you don't come ready to play, you can get your head handed to you. Vick in on another planet so far this year. I do expect him to make a landing back on earth at some point. But hey, kudos to him.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Looks like Sam Hauser is finally starting to get his stroke going. Up to around 35% now but is 5 of 9 from the three today. He's shot over 45% from the three his first two years so it was just a matter of time before he went off. His younger brother Joey is a very good shooter as well. I see they moved him into the starting lineup.
 
Here's a good article on a player that I like, and have mentioned in previous posts. Dylan Windler from Belmont. He's the type of player the Kings should be focused on. He's a very good three point shooter who can play either SG or SF at 6'7" with a 6'10" wingspan.

https://theathletic.com/655041/2018...-interesting-story-of-belmonts-dylan-windler/
Seems like an interesting player, maybe a later boomer with room to grow. I haven't seen any games, but the one question I have to ask: is he NBA caliber? He has a pretty light frame at 6'8 200lbs with below average athleticism. Justin Jackson has a similar physical profile(tad more athletic) but we've seen Jackson struggle adapting to the physicality of the NBA. Would that be the same case with Windler? Jackson played in the ACC meanwhile Windler is playing in the OVC. It would be an extremely big leap for him to go up against guys in the OVC to the NBA.

Just from the highlights I'm watching, I see a less athletic verison of Jackson at UNC.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Seems like an interesting player, maybe a later boomer with room to grow. I haven't seen any games, but the one question I have to ask: is he NBA caliber? He has a pretty light frame at 6'8 200lbs with below average athleticism. Justin Jackson has a similar physical profile(tad more athletic) but we've seen Jackson struggle adapting to the physicality of the NBA. Would that be the same case with Windler? Jackson played in the ACC meanwhile Windler is playing in the OVC. It would be an extremely big leap for him to go up against guys in the OVC to the NBA.

Just from the highlights I'm watching, I see a less athletic verison of Jackson at UNC.
Not sure where you came up with him being a below average athlete. He's not an elite or freak athlete, but he's a good athlete, and in my opinion has better lateral quickness than Jackson. He's an inch shorter but still has good length. Also, remember that those measurements and weights are the same that were posted when he was a freshman. If you look at his body, he's much thicker than Jackson. He doesn't look skinny like Jackson, so he's likely gained some weight since his freshman year.

As to the conference he plays in, well they had the same questions about Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Stef Curry, etc. What I know is that he's played some of his best basketball against bigger conference teams, like Arizona or Vanderbilt. Another thing, Jackson was a one year wonder at shooting the ball from the three. His two previous years he has shot around 30%. Windler shot a tick under 40% his sophmore year, and over 42% his junior year. So far this year he's shooting just a tick under 39%. So I have more confidence in him being a good shooter in the NBA than I did Jackson prior to the draft.

Windler is also a better rebounder than Jackson and a good finisher at the rim. He's not afraid of contact. The only thing he has going against him is he plays for a smaller conference, and he's a senior. Other than that, if you can pick him up in the 2nd round, he could be a steal. Here's a video of his coach talking about him that might ease your fears a bit.



Here's another short video with some highlights from last season. As you can see he can play above the rim, he has pretty good handles and he's also a very good passer.

 
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Not sure where you came up with him being a below average athlete. He's not an elite or freak athlete, but he's a good athlete, and in my opinion has better lateral quickness than Jackson. He's an inch shorter but still has good length. Also, remember that those measurements and weights are the same that were posted when he was a freshman. If you look at his body, he's much thicker than Jackson. He doesn't look skinny like Jackson, so he's likely gained some weight since his freshman year.

As to the conference he plays in, well they had the same questions about Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Stef Curry, etc. What I know is that he's played some of his best basketball against bigger conference teams, like Arizona or Vanderbilt. Another thing, Jackson was a one year wonder at shooting the ball from the three. His two previous years he has shot around 30%. Windler shot a tick under 40% his sophmore year, and over 42% his junior year. So far this year he's shooting just a tick under 39%. So I have more confidence in him being a good shooter in the NBA than I did Jackson prior to the draft.

Windler is also a better rebounder than Jackson and a good finisher at the rim. He's not afraid of contact. The only thing he has going against him is he plays for a smaller conference, and he's a senior. Other than that, if you can pick him up in the 2nd round, he could be a steal. Here's a video of his coach talking about him that might ease your fears a bit.



Here's another short video with some highlights from last season. As you can see he can play above the rim, he has pretty good handles and he's also a very good passer.

In terms of the athleticism, I was basing it off the limited highlight videos and what Vecenie said. You're right though, he's much more aggressive than Jackson around the rim. I'll definitely keep an eye on him and try to catch a full game next time.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
In terms of the athleticism, I was basing it off the limited highlight videos and what Vecenie said. You're right though, he's much more aggressive than Jackson around the rim. I'll definitely keep an eye on him and try to catch a full game next time.
Yeah, I think the point is, we don't at the present have a 1st rd pick, and a player like Windler would be nice player to grab in the 2nd round, if he doesn't work his way into the 1st rd. Another player I like, but actually is an average to below average athlete is Sam Hauser, but the dude can really shoot the rock, and might be big enough to play some stretch four. And then, there's the Daumenator!
 
Windler looks good to me. I watched him a few games last season because of the obscene stats he was putting up and thought "I don;t think there's another player in the nation who can do quite what he can"
 
sheesh. UCLA got stomped out by MSU... 51-26 at the half....


6'11" long-armed MSU Freshman Marcus Bingham Jr. is 4/7 from 3 so far this year. That kid is one of the ultimate sleepers in the nation as far as I'm concerned. His HS ranking will look ridiculous when it's all said and done.
 
Jaxson Hayes for Texas had a huge impact in that UNC win. 5/5 from the field, 5/6 from the stripe, 9 boards and 3 blocks.


He actually passes the eye test with flying colors. He's extremely mobile and extremely light on his feet for 6'10 or 6'11. His wingspan appears to be 7'3 or more....

This is one of those stories where u can attribute his low HS ranking with a late growth spurt, if they had more time to look at this kid when he was 6'10 he'd have been top-50..

Will be very interesting to see how he follows this performance up vs MSU. This kid has extreme upside.
 
6'10 Freshman Yor Anei at OK St is a possible sleeper, added him to the watchlist. This kid will play for the Sudanese national team one day.

Looks like he's gonna be a force defensively and he dunks everything..
 
sheesh. UCLA got stomped out by MSU... 51-26 at the half....


6'11" long-armed MSU Freshman Marcus Bingham Jr. is 4/7 from 3 so far this year. That kid is one of the ultimate sleepers in the nation as far as I'm concerned. His HS ranking will look ridiculous when it's all said and done.

Steve Alfraud. When talent is roughly the same, take the opposing team.
 
Steve Alfraud. When talent is roughly the same, take the opposing team.
Heh honestly UCLA is way more talented than MSU, it's not even close and I am as high on that MSU kid Bingham as anyone you'll find.

He's not relevant to this thread, but to your point, Prince Ali's

(sorry I feel obligated to post this song everytime I mention him on a forum)

progress has been EXTREMELY disappointing. He looks like the same player to me all 3 years pretty much.


Since we last brought him up in this thread I gotta say I still like what I see from Chris Smith though, definitely got a good feeling about him.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
sheesh. UCLA got stomped out by MSU... 51-26 at the half....


6'11" long-armed MSU Freshman Marcus Bingham Jr. is 4/7 from 3 so far this year. That kid is one of the ultimate sleepers in the nation as far as I'm concerned. His HS ranking will look ridiculous when it's all said and done.
Well, I have to wait until he gets some significant minutes before passing any judgement. He certainly looks like he can have a defensive presence, but he's only averaging around 5 or 6 minutes a game. I'm hopeful that as the season goes on he'll earn more minutes. But your right, he's looked good in the short time he's been on the floor.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Heh honestly UCLA is way more talented than MSU, it's not even close and I am as high on that MSU kid Bingham as anyone you'll find.

He's not relevant to this thread, but to your point, Prince Ali's

(sorry I feel obligated to post this song everytime I mention him on a forum)

progress has been EXTREMELY disappointing. He looks like the same player to me all 3 years pretty much.


Since we last brought him up in this thread I gotta say I still like what I see from Chris Smith though, definitely got a good feeling about him.
There's a reason he looks like the same player all three years and it because your right, he hasn't improved at all in my opinion. I think there should be a prerequisite that you be able to shoot the ball before being labeled a SG. He's jacking up over 4 three's a game while shooting only 27% from the three. He's not a particularly good rebounder or passer and he shoots under 40% overall. I'll pass thank you...
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
My hat is off to Jay Wright. Somehow he's righted that ship and turned then into winners. He's an amazing coach. I don't know how he does it.
 
Think I mentioned him once before but Sophomore CG at Creighton, Ty-Shon Alexander, is way under the radar nationally. His numbers are insane right now to start the season almost 50% from 3 on 8 attempts per.


36pts, 12/16 FG's, 7/12 from 3, 11/11 Ft's, 4rebs 1ast 1stl in this upset of Clemson.

He's a combo and he's 6'4" I think the Kings could use players like this.

I actually first saw this kid many, many years ago and he was ranked really high at the time but it might have been when he was in middle school tbh. I remember thinking I like this kid, he's got a chance, and then he plummeted the rankings, he's very athletic too. built for high speed ball.