Labissiere, what is his ceiling?

[VF21]

The whole key to Skal developing into what we need him to be is in Dave Joerger's hands. Hopefully he'll have a better plan for developing an obvious talent than what we've seen in the past decade or so. I'm impressed with what little I've seen so far and I would love to be able to see a Kings rookie develop properly.

 

[KingMilz]

Charlie Villanueva

I was thinking of Toronto Charlie V (had a 47 point game as a Raptor I believe) as well although I think Skal looks like a more fluid athlete and shot blocker so I would say a cross between Charlie V and Anthony Randolph but he plays a lot harder than both from what I saw in SL

 

[The_Jamal]

Why not? The kid clearly has the talent and the ability to play some minutes at the 3. He would not primarily be a 3 as he would be spending some time at 4 but if I can roll out a DMC-WCS-Skal starting frontcourt in 2-3 years time it is going to be an absolute nightmare for the opposing teams. They can small ball all they like against us, we just beat them with length, athleticism, post play.

Why follow someone else's lead? Why not be leaders ourselves?

Sure Skal will certainly start his career as a stretch 4 but I see no reason why he could not split his time between 3 and 4 in a couple of years time. He already has NBA game but severely lacks strength and he just might be one of those guys that struggles to put on good weight.

No...., he doesn't. He doesn't have the lateral quickness, nor the passing ability, nor the ball-handling ability to play a wing position. He had one of the worst assist rates out of anyone in college basketball last year.

It's not about being followers. It's about actually being smart for once with development and turning a player who fits the stretch 4 mold like a glove with actual defensive upside. Putting him on the perimeter literally takes away his 2 best assets in relation to us (space in the paint for Boogie and weakside shotblocking) and forces him to do things he can't do.

 

[KingMilz]

No...., he doesn't. He doesn't have the lateral quickness, nor the passing ability, nor the ball-handling ability to play a wing position. He had one of the worst assist rates out of anyone in college basketball last year.

It's not about being followers. It's about actually being smart for once with development and turning a player who fits the stretch 4 mold like a glove with actual defensive upside. Putting him on the perimeter literally takes away his 2 best assets in relation to us (space in the paint for Boogie and weakside shotblocking) and forces him to do things he can't do.

Yeah I don't understand this obsession with trying to play big also aside from Kevin Durrant/Giannais who are freaks of nature in terms of the way they can move who is the last 6'10 + guy to successfully go from being a stretch 4/C in college to a capable SF in the NBA (maybe Ben Simmons does this year but same thing as Durrant freak of nature). Skal can't move like other SF's nor is he as skilled he moves well for a PF and most the guys in recent memory who were lottery picks and were similar size/skillsets to Skal such as Anthony Randolph/Chris Singleton failed miserably trying to be SF's in the NBA

 

[funkykingston]

Skal doesn't need to play SF.

Cousins, WCS and Labissiere could be a fantastic PF/C rotation where all three guys compliment each other pretty well. Throw in one more big body (Papagiannis?) for those increasingly rare big bully centers and you're set for those two positions.

 

[Blob]

The interesting thing is that Skal measured out an inch and a half taller than KD at the combine and Durant still had a 2 inch wingspan advantage. He was also only a pound heavier than the shorter Durant whose biggest knock coming into the NBA was his slight frame and lack of strength.

Skal doesn't look like Kevin Durant light to me. Brandon Ingram does. He's a lot more like KD but less smooth, more mechanical. Still a ton of upside with Ingram.

I don't know who to compare Skal to. Porzingis maybe? The difference there (and what I underestimated about Porzingis pre-draft) is that Kristaps clearly has a huge passion for basketball and the drive to improve and excel. We don't know if Skal does.

His ability to gain strength and his level of commitment/desire to be good or great is going to govern what kind of player he becomes.

Good analysis. Every time a tall lanky dude comes along with a face-up game fans and silky jumper want to to call him the next KD Actually I was guilty of making such a comparison last season with a guy I rated high pre-draft and had close on my radar: Myles Turner, who was one of the best rookies in his class with 10 PPG 5 RPG and a 16 PER! His game reminded me of a young KD.

Now comparing Myles Turner to Skal to KD.....So Skal is more deliberate in making his moves....he's still feeling his way. He has some deceptive offensive moves, but you can sort of see the wheels spinning. I think Skal slid in the draft because he was not always decisive on the court. There was that passivity and indecision and it made the scouts nervous. I think too trying to play him as a center when he is more of a combo forward did not help him.

I am still trying to figure out his upside. I don't know. I need to see more. Nice footwork. Nice shooting touch. Stronger than he looks. Needs to get nasty like Ben....fight for minutes and fight to make a name for himself. I would like to see him wear jersey #28 as a reminder of the 25 or so teams who didn't think he was worthy of their investment.

I know I am exception among Kings fans, but I actually am higher on Papa than Skal. I think Papa is going to be a force with time and seasoning.

 

[Blob]

I don't believe Skal has the quickness nor skillset to defend SFs in the NBA. This is just a disaster waiting to happen if we're trying to convert him into a SF. Every NBA player is getting quicker. Cs are getting quicker. PFs are getting quicker. SFs are getting quicker.


Ideally, we'd want a Skal-Cousins future front court with WCS off the bench. WCS jams the crud out of our floor spacing.

It is a disaster waiting to happen for opposing SFs trying to check Skyin' Skal in the post....MOUSE IN THE HOUSE!

 

[CelticsFan]

Myles Turner KD comparison? Kevin Durant? The only comparison I see is they both went to Texas.

 

[Iced Espresso]

Rasheed Wallace.

 

[funkykingston]

If he develops Skal is ideal as a stretch/face up four I'm not sure why there's a need to make him anything other than that.

He can drag opposing PFs from the basket and if they try to cover him with a wing he can post them up.

I think trying to make him guard opposing wings would be a disaster and offensively it takes away some of what could make him a good to possibly special player on offense.

 

[The_Jamal]

Rasheed Wallace.

Ooh, I really, really like this comp. Skal projects out as a better shotblocker, but he profiles out well for what Skal's ceiling is. Great defender, can space the floor, enough offensive moves to where we can dump the ball to him 10-12 times a game if needed. Obviously needs to develop the mean streak/weight that made Sheed so effective, but this is better to me than the Ibaka comp I made earlier or anythingelse in the thread.

 

[ESP47]

Rasheed Wallace.

Wow that game was stacked with talent.

 

[kingsboi]

I just hope the Kings don't ruin Skal's development because he is one of the few talents in recent years that has a chance to be better than an average ball player, don't turn him into something he is not...a small forward.

 

[Bricklayer]

Rasheed Wallace.

That's far from terrible as a comparison, at least skillset wise.

 

[Iced Espresso]

That's far from terrible as a comparison, at least skillset wise.

He seems to have that patience when highly pressured and to be able to get a decent shot off, be it close to the basket, top of the key, just about anywhere.

Just athletic enough, smart enough, crafty enough.

Some skills there you can't really teach but is how it comes to someone on the court.

I'm sure you remember how Webber for example could take a moment in the key under pressure with clarity and do something special with the ball. While a guy like Reggie Evans could scrap away a possession.

With some guys be it a real special all NBA talent guy in Webber, or a legendary rebounder in Evans, there's just a knack they get under pressure that's hard to explain.

Skal has something. Something that reminds me of Rasheed.

 

[jcwkings]

That's far from terrible as a comparison, at least skillset wise.

He doesn't have that dog attitude that Wallace had though. I see him falling somewhere between Lamarcus Aldridge and Channing Frye. I do want to see what type of ball skills he has though, as far as putting it on the floor and creating.

 

[One and Done]

Unless Skal magically puts it all together in training camp and can deserve minutes in our crowded frontcourt rotation early on, I say give him minutes in Reno.

Skal missed key development years in HS due to injury - he needs to get his groove back. I think the D league will give him the minutes and freedom he needs to get his head back in the game.

But if he's got the hot hand early on, play him! We need all the help we can get.

 

[King Baller]

He seems to have that patience when highly pressured and to be able to get a decent shot off, be it close to the basket, top of the key, just about anywhere.

Just athletic enough, smart enough, crafty enough.

Some skills there you can't really teach but is how it comes to someone on the court.

I'm sure you remember how Webber for example could take a moment in the key under pressure with clarity and do something special with the ball. While a guy like Reggie Evans could scrap away a possession.

With some guys be it a real special all NBA talent guy in Webber, or a legendary rebounder in Evans, there's just a knack they get under pressure that's hard to explain.

Skal has something. Something that reminds me of Rasheed.

Interesting observation you make about players having that "something special". It is hard to explain but when a player has it it is there for everyone to see. With Skal and the other Rookies we will just have to wait and see if they have "it". Skal did shine in SL though!

 

[funkykingston]

Unless Skal magically puts it all together in training camp and can deserve minutes in our crowded frontcourt rotation early on, I say give him minutes in Reno.

Skal missed key development years in HS due to injury - he needs to get his groove back. I think the D league will give him the minutes and freedom he needs to get his head back in the game.

But if he's got the hot hand early on, play him! We need all the help we can get.

Here's the thing - if Vlade had signed Ryan Anderson there would be zero available minutes for Skal.

As it is his biggest competition for minutes at the backup PF spot are Tolliver and Casspi/Barnes shifting to the four spot.

I think it's very possible he's going to get meaningful burn this season, especially if WCS misses any time. All he has to do is show that he can do some of what he did in Summer League at the next level.

 

[bajaden]

Here's the thing - if Vlade had signed Ryan Anderson there would be zero available minutes for Skal.

As it is his biggest competition for minutes at the backup PF spot are Tolliver and Casspi/Barnes shifting to the four spot.

I think it's very possible he's going to get meaningful burn this season, especially if WCS misses any time. All he has to do is show that he can do some of what he did in Summer League at the next level.

I think your posts have been very accurate in regards to Skal. I saw every game he played last year, and to be honest, the way he was used by Calapari didn't help him succeed. Calapari used Skal the same way he used Town's the previous year. He stuck him in the low post and asked him to learn how to operate there. Towns rose to the occasion after some early struggles, but Towns was much bigger and stronger than Skal. While that experience may have helped Skal in the long term, it led to a disappointing season. He had one good game and that was it.

In highschoool, Skal played away from the basket where his skills were more evident. Contrary to what some have said, he's a very good ballhandler for a player his size. If you watched him closely in summer league, he had no problem getting where he wanted on the floor with the ball. He's also a very good jumpshooter, something he wasn't allowed to do at Kentucky. As far as his assist abilities, I think you have to consider that he hardly touched the ball at Kentucky. He averaged 15 minutes a game, but in 2 or 3 minute spurts, averaging about 5 shots a game. So he didn't really have much of an opportunity to display what passing talent he had.

I don't see him as a SF, and not sure why you would want to play him there. I agree with you that his best position on offense is as a stretch four, and defensively I see him as a very good weak side shotblocker. He does need to get stronger, and I'm sure he working on that as I speak. I think it's possible that Skal is the surprise of the year as far as the Kings go. He has obvious talents and it should be fun to watch him develop. He may be the most talented draft pick we've had in some time.

 

[Chupacabra]

Did i mention that i think his ceiling is franchise cornerstone? He can be THE guy. I love me some Demarcus Cousins, but man im thirsty to see a developed WCS and Labissiere on the floor at the same time.

 

[Jimbob]

Im also very excited about a front court of Skall, Cuz,WCS. I have no clue about Skalls ability to play SF but mice to here he handles the ball well for a near 7 ft player.
Im looking equally forward to how Ben and Malichi look against each other in training camp. Sounds like Ben welcomes the challenge these new guards present.

 

[Kingsfan23]

He's the franchise after Cousins. Very talented, good kid, has pretty much all the tools in the shed for a modern 4. Can't see the questioning

 

[Padrino]

Did i mention that i think his ceiling is franchise cornerstone? He can be THE guy. I love me some Demarcus Cousins, but man im thirsty to see a developed WCS and Labissiere on the floor at the same time.

He's the franchise after Cousins. Very talented, good kid, has pretty much all the tools in the shed for a modern 4. Can't see the questioning

 

[Telemachus]

James Ham interviewed Peja on his latest podcast. When asked about Skal, Peja said he reminded him a lot of Chris Bosh talent wise.

 

[Dime Dropper]

James Ham interviewed Peja on his latest podcast. When asked about Skal, Peja said he reminded him a lot of Chris Bosh talent wise.

That's actually another decent c0mparison that I hadn't thought of.

Still, people getting way ahead of themselves. Lets give him a couple of years and see what we have.

 

[bajaden]

James Ham interviewed Peja on his latest podcast. When asked about Skal, Peja said he reminded him a lot of Chris Bosh talent wise.

Not a bad comparison. I was thinking of LaMarcus Aldridge. Hey, think big or go home. Right?

 

[King Baller]

I was really impressed with Skals ball handling during the Fan Fest. I don't recall a 7 footer with handles like this???

 

[Tetsujin]

I was really impressed with Skals ball handling during the Fan Fest. I don't recall a 7 footer with handles like this???

Demarcus Cousins. KAT

 

[datamanwes]

Skal could very well be our best draft pick since Demarcus