Papa G in action overseas

Nightfall

Nightfall

G-League
First Greek NT friendly preparation game against Romania. The difference between the two NT is huge so we won 106 - 48. Every player played around 10-20 minutes.

PapaG was possitive : 16' : 8 PTS (4/6 FG) , 4 RBS (2 OR - 2 DR), 1 PF, 1 AST , 1 STL , 3 BLKS , 1 TO , he setup nice screens and scored mostly with his hook shot.

But as I said the difference between the 2 teams is huge.Summer League games are tougher than playing against Romania.
Today we play against England (a bit tougher but we should easily win). The second set of friendly games against Serbia and Montenegro in a few days should be more interesting.
 
Nightfall said:
First Greek NT friendly preparation game against Romania. The difference between the two NT is huge so we won 106 - 48. Every player played around 10-20 minutes.

PapaG was possitive : 16' : 8 PTS (4/6 FG) , 4 RBS (2 OR - 2 DR), 1 PF, 1 AST , 1 STL , 3 BLKS , 1 TO , he setup nice screens and scored mostly with his hook shot.

But as I said the difference between the 2 teams is huge.Summer League games are tougher than playing against Romania.
Today we play against England (a bit tougher but we should easily win). The second set of friendly games against Serbia and Montenegro in a few days should be more interesting.
Click to expand...

That Serbia match should be of major interest to Kings fans for obvious reasons
 
Second game for the Greek NT (again without Giannis Antetokoumpo, who was off for 5 days due to a discomfort on the knee (MRI was clean).

Greece - UK (who are coached by Joe Prunty btw) : 92-64
Again it was a chance for everybody to play about 10-20 min in avg.

Full game here (game was web broadcasted free worldwide, so I hope posting a link is not an issue) :

PapaG was mostly positive. You can see that losing weight has helped , he is more agile (better than his SL appearances). He did some mistakes especially when he entered the game, but he gained slowly and was much better during the last Q.

I liked the fact that, on occasions he ended up guarding smaller opponents, he managed to position well and not allow them through, on the other hand, there are cases that he forgets he is the bigger man in 99.9% of the games he will play, and some strong opponents outplayed him. I hope he improves there.

Stats:
In 16 minutes : 9PTS , 4/8 FG, 1/1 FT, 7RBS (3 OFF), 1 BLK, 0 PF, 0 TO , +15 (in +-)
 
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I just watched his game against Montenegro and matchup Papa vs Vucevic. Greece won in dramatic finish, Papa played about 15-20 minutes, and had bad game (i guess Nightfall has full stats). He started the game, and had one airball from midrange, one turnover while trying to post up and had some problems while defending Vucevic. Vucevic scored 6 fast points against him, so PapaG came out after only 3 minutes. He returned later, but did nothing on the court. Vucevic seemed too fast for him. I guess summer isn't the best time of the year for him.

Tomorrow night, Bogdan vs Papa. It will be interesting matchup, Marjanovic vs PapaG :D
 
I feel bad that I already want to give up on the kid.

He's super young but soooooooooooo slow. Seems like his best case is spot minutes role player.

But you can't teach huge, and I've been wrong before.
 
Missed the game vs Serbia as well (my mother was visiting us in Germany from Greece, the kids were happy and as expected overexcited, so my role was reduced to driving and explaining things at sightseeing :D ).
But I am glad I missed it. Worst defeat in more than 20 years even for a friendly game is too much...

Giannis didn't play because of knee pain, but still....I heard that PapaG had big troubles with their PnR. I haven't seen a box score either.

Good thing for Kings is that Bogdan rocked it on both games against Greece and Montenegro !
 
Serbia made 10 of 13 3pt attempts. And half of them were at the end of the possesion or quarter. I don't think we can repeat that again, but we did play excellent defense and Greece had troubles in offense. It's not the same without Giannis, who knows in what direction would game went if he played. As far as i remember Papa's stats, he played 9 minutes and scored 2 points (fadeaway from midrange over Marjanovic). When ball circles around, Papa doesn't a have chance to touch it; they are not using him at all. And yea, he had some troubles with pick and roll.
 
Hvala ti. I think it is your chance this time, especially after Llul's injury.
We still have many issues. Shooting from outside (especially against a good defense like Serbia), our guards don't use our Centers well. Our centers....PapaG is young, Bourousis too old and slow, Bogris would rather milf-hunt on the beach and all 3 have issues against PnR like Serbia's... PF depends on how well Printezis will hold
Even with Giannis, I predict him being double, triple teammed like against Montenegro, but when he passes for outside scoring our option are weak. Still most teams have issues and we should go further if the knockout draw is good.
It would be nice to meet Serbia in the final though.
 
It is our chance, but we always make better results as "underdogs". This is maybe the first time in last 10 years that we are one of the two or three favourites, along Spain and France. Greece, Croatia and Lithuania are strong medal contenders too.

If we talk about Greece, one big, successful generation needs to be replaced. Diamantidis, Spanoulis and Fotsis are gone, Printezis and Bourousis don't play with passion like before (hope i will be wrong this time), so you definitely need a few younger guys to step up at the national team stage. This is the first bigger opportunity for Giannis to be dominant for NT, and he will need a help from youngs: Agravanis, PapaG, Papapetrou, or someone like them, to step up at this championship. I am not sure if PapaG is ready to take that kind of role, but he will have his chance (i hope so), because as far as i know, he will split minutes at Center position only with Bourousis?

I always admired Greece style of play and i find it similar to Serbian (toughness and defense mixed with high IQ and talent) and i really hope that you will find new leaders for the team and new successful generation.
 
gunks said:
I feel bad that I already want to give up on the kid.

He's super young but soooooooooooo slow. Seems like his best case is spot minutes role player.

But you can't teach huge, and I've been wrong before.
Click to expand...

I recall people saying the same thing about Yao Ming. You never know!
 
gunks said:
I feel bad that I already want to give up on the kid.

He's super young but soooooooooooo slow. Seems like his best case is spot minutes role player.

But you can't teach huge, and I've been wrong before.
Click to expand...

When he knows what he wants to do and reacts he seems to have good speed and quickness for a man his size. He just needs time and experience so he knows when to be aggressive and how to anticipate ahead of time.
 
kingsfan1984 said:
When he knows what he wants to do and reacts he seems to have good speed and quickness for a man his size. He just needs time and experience so he knows when to be aggressive and how to anticipate ahead of time.
Click to expand...

Hopefully that's the case. I'd love to eat crow on this one!
 
Shamrock said:
He has 0 bball iq
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I don't know about that. He sets a nice pick, takes up space in the paint and rebounds. Once he stops putting it on the floor when it is not required his turnovers should go down. He does need to learn to defend the other big centers in the NBA.
 
Good performance for PapaG in close game against Slovenia. Stats: 10 points (5-9 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 21 minutes. He didn't play a lot in 4th quarter because Bourousis has lot more experiences, but Papa did really well in first 3 quarters, especially while protecting the rim. He also had one alley-up catch and dunk, i wasn't sure if DeAndre Jordan or PapaG :D

He didn't play a lot in first 2 games, 8 minutes against Island (only 1 rebound and 1 assist) and only 2 minutes against France.
 
Shamrock said:
If he can't get minutes in euroleague he shouldn't get ANY in NBA
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Not intending to nitpick, but it's Eurobasket not Euroleague. Papa G is part of a greek national team, where every player is at least 3 years his senior. He is playing behind a very experienced C in Bourousis Ioannis. I didn't pay much attention to Greece in this tournament, but it seems coach Missas likes to play 4 guys with 3 point range most of the time and/or the skill to defend on the perimeter.
Papa seems to be the second "true" big on the team. With his age in mind that's actually not that bad.
Yes he was the #13 pick and expectations are high because of it, but with his play in the NBA and the D-league in mind, we couldn't expect him to dominate Eurobasket. After all Papa isn't responsible for his draft position.
 
KingsFanGER said:
Not intending to nitpick, but it's Eurobasket not Euroleague. Papa G is part of a greek national team, where every player is at least 3 years his senior. He is playing behind a very experienced C in Bourousis Ioannis. I didn't pay much attention to Greece in this tournament, but it seems coach Missas likes to play 4 guys with 3 point range most of the time and/or the skill to defend on the perimeter.
Papa seems to be the second "true" big on the team. With his age in mind that's actually not that bad.
Yes he was the #13 pick and expectations are high because of it, but with his play in the NBA and the D-league in mind, we couldn't expect him to dominate Eurobasket. After all Papa isn't responsible for his draft position.
Click to expand...
Dominate? How about show up? If he wants to get out of the d league, he better outplay some guy who has no chance of the nba. Papa has terrible hands and is always out of position. Pretty much a less skilled Duane Causwell
 
Shamrock said:
Dominate? How about show up? If he wants to get out of the d league, he better outplay some guy who has no chance of the nba. Papa has terrible hands and is always out of position. Pretty much a less skilled Duane Causwell
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Ya know, after his first few years in the NBA, my disappointment in Jason Thompson began to creep into some of my posts. Lots of Kingsfans posters felt the same frustration, while others would always feel the need to defend him. So I get the disappointment and the need to express the frustration that accompanies that disappointment. Given the high draft pick Vlade used to get him, Papa G has also been a bit of a disappointment. But your Papa G salvos are out of right field given his young age and inexperience. It's almost like criticizing a one year old because he isn't walking yet. For me, I think Papa deserves this next season to prove that he belongs.
 
jcassio said:
Ya know, after his first few years in the NBA, my disappointment in Jason Thompson began to creep into some of my posts. Lots of Kingsfans posters felt the same frustration, while others would always feel the need to defend him. So I get the disappointment and the need to express the frustration that accompanies that disappointment. Given the high draft pick Vlade used to get him, Papa G has also been a bit of a disappointment. But your Papa G salvos are out of right field given his young age and inexperience. It's almost like criticizing a one year old because he isn't walking yet. For me, I think Papa deserves this next season to prove that he belongs.
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This isn't a league for babies. I pay to watch professionals. Back to the G League for him.
 
Like jcassio wrote I think Big Papa is going to need more time to excel. He has shown some flashes in very limited minutes. If you look back at that draft not many taken around Papa are really performing well yet. He does set great picks and rebounds well. And in the words of The Great Popovich he has "Shown a little nasty."

I am rooting for the Young Man.
 
jcassio said:
It's almost like criticizing a one year old because he isn't walking yet.
Click to expand...

That is the problem I have with with this pick - Vlade picked a one-yr-old who couldn't walk and tried to sell him as the next Marc Gasol. This falls under the "Sure, anything is possible but aren't you jumping to conclusion?" bit. The more I watch Papa plays, the more I am confused why anyone would think he is the next Marc Gasol. If the comparison was the next Koufos that would have made some sense. It's not that Papa can't be a very good player, but he is a different type of player from Gasol. It makes me question whether the Kings were even scouting the right player. Did they confuse Papa with some other big dude in the draft room? If Papa turns out to be a star it's because Vlade got lucky, not because of some astute scouting power.

If he had simply said, "Look, this is a weak draft. All I'm looking for is a rotation player that can last a while in the league.", that's one thing. But he made it clear he wasn't just looking for a role player. I am not calling Papa a bust and I wish him the best, but this pick is very irresponsible.

With that said, there is value in having a gritty big man who can give you 15 solid minutes. The jury is still out on whether Papa can be that and I question whether waiting 2-3 years for a backup center to develop is really worth it; but if Papa can be that guy I think many of us will be happy. Of course, if he turns out to be better than that, all the better. Again, not calling him a bust; I am simply saying he as a long, long way to go.

.
 
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beb0p said:
That is the problem I have with with this pick - Vlade picked a one-yr-old who couldn't walk and tried to sell him as the next Marc Gasol. This falls under the "Sure, anything is possible but aren't you jumping to conclusion?" bit. The more I watch Papa plays, the more I am confused why anyone would think he is the next Marc Gasol. If the comparison was the next Koufos that would have made some sense. It's not that Papa can't be a very good player, but he is a different type of player from Gasol. It makes me question whether the Kings were even scouting the right player. Did they confuse Papa with some other big dude in the draft room? If Papa turns out to be a star it's because Vlade got lucky, not because of some astute scouting power.

If he had simply said, "Look, this is a weak draft. All I'm looking for is a rotation player that can last a while in the league.", that's one thing. But he made it clear he wasn't just looking for a role player. I am not calling Papa a bust and I wish him the best, but this pick is very irresponsible.

With that said, there is value in having a gritty big man who can give you 15 solid minutes. The jury is still out on whether Papa can be that and I question whether waiting 2-3 years for a backup center to develop is really worth it; but if Papa can be that guy I think many of us will be happy. Of course, if he turns out to be better than that, all the better. Again, not calling him a bust; I am simply saying he as a long, long way to go.

.
Click to expand...

What's the hurry?

It's not like we're going to be contending with the Warriors anytime soon.

Papa's still the third youngest guy on the team.
 
beb0p said:
That is the problem I have with with this pick - Vlade picked a one-yr-old who couldn't walk and tried to sell him as the next Marc Gasol. This falls under the "Sure, anything is possible but aren't you jumping to conclusion?" bit. The more I watch Papa plays, the more I am confused why anyone would think he is the next Marc Gasol. If the comparison was the next Koufos that would have made some sense. It's not that Papa can't be a very good player, but he is a different type of player from Gasol. It makes me question whether the Kings were even scouting the right player. Did they confuse Papa with some other big dude in the draft room? If Papa turns out to be a star it's because Vlade got lucky, not because of some astute scouting power.

If he had simply said, "Look, this is a weak draft. All I'm looking for is a rotation player that can last a while in the league.", that's one thing. But he made it clear he wasn't just looking for a role player. I am not calling Papa a bust and I wish him the best, but this pick is very irresponsible.

With that said, there is value in having a gritty big man who can give you 15 solid minutes. The jury is still out on whether Papa can be that and I question whether waiting 2-3 years for a backup center to develop is really worth it; but if Papa can be that guy I think many of us will be happy. Of course, if he turns out to be better than that, all the better. Again, not calling him a bust; I am simply saying he as a long, long way to go.

.
Click to expand...

I think skill wise, Papa is a lot closer to Gasol than he is Koufos. What I mean by that is if Papa develops into a good player, he's going to play a lot more like Gasol than he will Koufos. He's already made shots, post moves and passes better than Koufos could ever do. His problem is that he hasn't been able to do anything consistently other than maybe shoot free throws. The skills are there, we've seen them but they've been few and far between. I'm not talking about a lucky shot here or there either. You can tell he works on them in the gym, he just struggles to know when and where to use them within the speed of the game.

If Papa had never shown us nice post moves, a good touch on his hook, 3 point range, excellent free throw percentage, shot blocking abilities and decent passing abilities....I'd say that he has no chance to ever become Koufos, let alone anything like Gasol. But we've seen those flashes out of him and that in itself requires us to be patient and wait it out.

Did he deserve to be picked 13th? No way but look at the guys picked from 14th on. There wasn't a whole lot to choose from there. I'd rather take a flyer on him than on Denzel Valentine or Wade Baldwin. His ceiling is much higher. He just doesn't have a big chance of reaching it.
 
beb0p said:
That is the problem I have with with this pick - Vlade picked a one-yr-old who couldn't walk and tried to sell him as the next Marc Gasol. This falls under the "Sure, anything is possible but aren't you jumping to conclusion?" bit. The more I watch Papa plays, the more I am confused why anyone would think he is the next Marc Gasol. If the comparison was the next Koufos that would have made some sense. It's not that Papa can't be a very good player, but he is a different type of player from Gasol. It makes me question whether the Kings were even scouting the right player. Did they confuse Papa with some other big dude in the draft room? If Papa turns out to be a star it's because Vlade got lucky, not because of some astute scouting power.

If he had simply said, "Look, this is a weak draft. All I'm looking for is a rotation player that can last a while in the league.", that's one thing. But he made it clear he wasn't just looking for a role player. I am not calling Papa a bust and I wish him the best, but this pick is very irresponsible.

With that said, there is value in having a gritty big man who can give you 15 solid minutes. The jury is still out on whether Papa can be that and I question whether waiting 2-3 years for a backup center to develop is really worth it; but if Papa can be that guy I think many of us will be happy. Of course, if he turns out to be better than that, all the better. Again, not calling him a bust; I am simply saying he as a long, long way to go.

.
Click to expand...

You know, I can't argue with anything you posted. Very fair! Personally, I'm not optimistic, but like you I wish him no ill will and hope he becomes an asset down the road for the Kings, whatever that might be. One thing I will say in his defense, at least in regards to the Marc Gasol comparison, is the Gasol was 24 years old when he arrived in Memphis, and I don't know if anyone remembers or not, but he looked like a bust at first glance. He was seriously overweight, slow and plodding. Of course in a couple of years, he became the trimmed down versions we all know and love.

Sooooo, right now, Papa is four years younger than Gasol when he first arrived on the scene. With that in mind, we should be willing to give Papa some time to catch up. I'll be surprised if he ever reaches Gasol's level, but then, there was a time when I didn't think Gasol would ever become a good, and certainly not, a great player.
 
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