Skal Labissiere

[Bricklayer]

Hey, if Big Papa got one, after what we saw in Summer League, Skal definitely deserves one.

Projected to be a Top 5 pick before last season began...what if that's actually what he was? He's looked better than Chriss, or for that matter, Bender, in SL.

C? PF? SF? I vote stretch 4 with both 3pt range and post up ability. In fact if Rudy is traded, the 2nd most post up ability on the team after Cuz.

 

[jcwkings]

I would really like to see him play alongside Cousins. Talk about a long, skilled frontcourt. Plus playing alongside a tank like Cousins hides some of his physical(to this point) shortcomings much like WCS.

 

[dude12]

Sometimes you need a little luck or to be more accurate, make your luck. Vlade picking up that extra pick and taking Skal and then also acquiring Bogdanovich to go along with Papa is going to be a really good move for this franchise. Can't wait to see Skal with the vets and possibly push WCS for time at PF eventually. Encouraging SL for Skal.

 

[kingsboi]

Love this kid. Said it then, say it now...my favorite draft pick out of the four. I couldn't for the life of me understand what he was doing on the board at 28...but sometimes, it's nice to be lucky for a change and he just happened to be there for the taking. I hope he continues to grow and shows all the other teams what they passed up on.

 

[Sac.Kings]

 

[Sac.Kings]

You know, with time, he may be the better fit for Cousins than WCS, if WCS does not develop any sort of jump shot. Clearly not as good a defender, still weak compared to most big men, but if he can improve the strength (should be able to) and becomes a good defender (jury is out on that one), he may be able to reach that point. That stroke is smooth and he's got a solid all around game. Seems to be a good and hard working kid so I hope he maximizes his ability/potential. He's got a lot of it.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Solid interview from Vlade here, he talks about summer league (Skal, Papa) and free agency.

 

[Gary]

I would love for Skal to be able to play the 3 in certain situations and have WCS guard the opposing teams 3.

 

[KingMilz]

He actually reminds me of Trey Lyles a lot who I think will be very good, I don't see him being able to play the 3 much he's clearly a 4 man imo.

 

[kingwin]

Just from summer league, I like Skal better than Willie as a prospect (could be cus of how bad Willie looked). But When I close my eyes and pray - I can see a little bit of Dirk from his skillset - he's not a prototypical stretch 4 because he has skills In post and looks just as comfortable there than on the perimeter - He jus simply needs to get stronger.

 

[upinsmoke]

5. Cuz
4. WCS
3. Skal?

Intriguing.

 

[HndsmCelt]

I love what I saw in Skal! He has Good Foot Skills I don't know if he has the speed to defend at the three or not but if you can develop that Ace call Willie cousins lineup would just be brutal in a few years. Call SWAT City

 

[ElRey]

Hey, if Big Papa got one, after what we saw in Summer League, Skal definitely deserves one.

Projected to be a Top 5 pick before last season began...what if that's actually what he was? He's looked better than Chriss, or for that matter, Bender, in SL.

C? PF? SF? I vote stretch 4 with both 3pt range and post up ability. In fact if Rudy is traded, the 2nd most post up ability on the team after Cuz.

Well if he can post up then he's not really a stretch 4. When people say stretch 4, they are thinking of someone who is a PF and parks on the three point line . Think Channing Frye. Skal has a inside and outside game , closest similar player I can think of is Kevin Garnett . Except Skal doesn't have the crazy athleticism of Garnett .

 

[Bricklayer]

He actually reminds me of Trey Lyles a lot who I think will be very good, I don't see him being able to play the 3 much he's clearly a 4 man imo.

There's some of Lyles there, but Lyles is stronger/a better athlete, and Skal is longer and a legit shotblocker along with the rest.

If Skal can just somehow put 20lbs of muscle onto that skinny little frame he could be something. Hi, my PF posts, shoots threes, brings the ball up and attacks off the dribble, and blocks shots -- what does yours do?

 

[Sac.1989]

Kids going to be really good for us. Him Willie and DMC together are our future

 

[kingsboi]

I love what I saw in Skal! He has Good Foot Skills I don't know if he has the speed to defend at the three or not but if you can develop that Ace call Willie cousins lineup would just be brutal in a few years. Call SWAT City

That title, at least for this upcoming season, will belong to the Orlando Magic.

 

[kingsboi]

There's some of Lyles there, but Lyles is stronger/a better athlete, and Skal is longer and a legit shotblocker along with the rest.

If Skal can just somehow put 20lbs of muscle onto that skinny little frame he could be something. Hi, my PF posts, shoots threes, brings the ball up and attacks off the dribble, and blocks shots -- what does yours do?

I think 15 pounds of muscle is a realistic goal here, if he gets anything over that it's a bonus.

 

[Iced Espresso]

Looks good so far Brick.

I'm thinking with a little luck, some hard work, maybe we will have a wiry Rasheed Wallace, not as strong, a whole lot nicer, and a bit more pep to his step.

That's my ceiling for him right now.

 

[Iced Espresso]

You can see a bit of young Rasheed here, maybe you can see a bit of the feel early on.

 

[The_Jamal]

He's clearly a stretch 4, no question. He doesn't have the athleticism or ball skills to be a 3.

I'll have to look back at more Kentucky footage, but playing the PF here in SL really opened up his game. A lot of that might have been him playing smaller dudes than he did at college, because I know he played C for Kentucky a lot of the time. And as strange as it sounds, there are a lot more 7'0 270-280 pound behemoths in college in the NBA because they get scholarships just because of their size and not really their skill. Which is obviously a horrible match-up for Skal

But yea, he looked like the star talent out of our rookie crop. Advanced offensive game where he can put up points from anywhere on the floor. Lots of potential from the elbow with a faceup game (Princeton offense if he learns how to pass? Him and Boogie at the elbow) Clean shot form and range. Ability to make an impact with his length defensively and protect the rim. And we saw him play with some fire/energy, something that was missing for quite a few games last year.

For him, it's all about how he adapts to the bullies in the NBA. The great news for us is the post PF is essentially dead once ZBO retires. His length and athleticism to be able to defend outside the key is what good PF defenders need to be able to do in the new NBA But can he keep Russ Westbrook or LeBron from running him over once they get in the paint? Box out Blake Griffin or Kevin Love?

 

[King Baller]

Skal played well enough in SL to get a good long look in Training Camp and Pre-Season as a rotation player. He should be able to defend stretch 4-5 type players right now and maybe some 3's in the team defense environment. His offense looks to be good already with no place to go but up.

 

[206Fan]

Love this kid. Said it then, say it now...my favorite draft pick out of the four. I couldn't for the life of me understand what he was doing on the board at 28...but sometimes, it's nice to be lucky for a change and he just happened to be there for the taking. I hope he continues to grow and shows all the other teams what they passed up on.

He was still on the board at 28 because he was terrible in Kentucky. He was getting dominated by their bigs. There's even times where he's been dominated by guards who backed him up...

His basketball skills are in question. He didn't show anything at Kentucky that would make you think he's a legit NBA basketball player.

He was barely able to stay on the floor. He was so bad to the point where he got benched by Calipari.
Lack of strength. Lack of feel for the game. Lack of defensive fundamentals. Lack of rebounding ability.

There's real reasons why he fell the way he did.

 

[206Fan]

Skal is extremely talented, but I have a feeling he won't be able to contribute for a few years. Unless we decide to rebuild and tank, I don't see anyway how Skal gets more than 10mpg. Raw on both ends right now. However, his jumper is the most NBA ready tool he has. Him having a jumper does not mean he can play the 3...

I know Skal is athletic, but he's not Marquese Chriss type of athletic.. there's no way he can guard SFs... SFs are way too fast and mobile for him. The bigger SFs will post him up easily. Putting him at SF is a recipe for disaster. He's a natural PF.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Skal has looked very promising and possibly an ideal fit next to Cuz. That Cuz/WCS/Skal trio could be a great fit together if they all work out.

Surprised at how assertive and aggressive Skal has been given that it was his biggest knock coming out. Have to love his shooting ability and he's shown a very good foundation for a post game with his hooks and spin moves. He also looks active as a rebounder. He didn't block many shots in SL but he's a proven shot-blocker at the collegiate level so I have no worries about that translating.

 

[whozit]

Skal has looked very promising and possibly an ideal fit next to Cuz. That Cuz/WCS/Skal trio could be a great fit together if they all work out.

Surprised at how assertive and aggressive Skal has been given that it was his biggest knock coming out. Have to love his shooting ability and he's shown a very good foundation for a post game with his hooks and spin moves. He also looks active as a rebounder. He didn't block many shots in SL but he's a proven shot-blocker at the collegiate level so I have no worries about that translating.

Sort of makes you wonder if Calipari is the George Karl of the collegiate ranks (other than he actually won it all). Can win his way and only his way (at least in terms of bigs). Random thought.

 

[Bricklayer]

Sort of makes you wonder if Calipari is the George Karl of the collegiate ranks (other than he actually won it all). Can win his way and only his way (at least in terms of bigs). Random thought.

Well...I mean, I considered it maybe the single biggest red flag Skal had. Failing in college is fine by me -- I consider college a dubious predictor because of all the wacky and at times counterproductive systems used at various schools. But Calipari/Kentucky is obviously THE preeminent talent producing school in the country, and not only talent, big man talent. Calipari is Boogie and A.D. and Noel and WCS and KAT. If there is ANY coach who finds and maximizes his big men talent, its Calipari.

But perhaps not in Skal's case. I'm not sure why, but I guess even the great ones miss from time to time. They seem to have been pretty intent on making him a center, and maybe that was the mistake. Seems like there was a lost confidence spiral, they lost confidence in him, causing him to lose confidence in himself, causing them to lose confidence...etc. And for once Calipari may have missed on one here. We'll have to see. Still worried Zbo might break him, but the skillset is complete, and there was no sign of lack of compete in Vegas.

 

[funkykingston]

Well if he can post up then he's not really a stretch 4. When people say stretch 4, they are thinking of someone who is a PF and parks on the three point line . Think Channing Frye. Skal has a inside and outside game , closest similar player I can think of is Kevin Garnett . Except Skal doesn't have the crazy athleticism of Garnett .

Any PF that can stretch the defense with his shooting is generally tagged as a stretch 4 even if that guy can do other things. KG doesn't fit the bill as a career 28% shooter from three who averaged less than half a long range attempt per game.

I think Skal will struggle to post up or score inside against NBA defenders so early on his value will come from his outside shooting. But I was pleasantly surprised to see him scrap for rebounds and initiate contact close to the basket.

Again, we can look at it as Skal being the end of the lottery pick and Papagiannis being the late 1st round project big.

 

[funkykingston]

Well...I mean, I considered it maybe the single biggest red flag Skal had. Failing in college is fine by me -- I consider college a dubious predictor because of all the wacky and at times counterproductive systems used at various schools. But Calipari/Kentucky is obviously THE preeminent talent producing school in the country, and not only talent, big man talent. Calipari is Boogie and A.D. and Noel and WCS and KAT. If there is ANY coach who finds and maximizes his big men talent, its Calipari.

But perhaps not in Skal's case. I'm not sure why, but I guess even the great ones miss from time to time. They seem to have been pretty intent on making him a center, and maybe that was the mistake. Seems like there was a lost confidence spiral, they lost confidence in him, causing him to lose confidence in himself, causing them to lose confidence...etc. And for once Calipari may have missed on one here. We'll have to see. Still worried Zbo might break him, but the skillset is complete, and there was no sign of lack of compete in Vegas.

Calipari wants his big men to play like big men. Stay in the paint on both ends - post up and defend the basket. Don't shoot jumpers, don't handle the ball Etc. Cousins showed a ton of skills in the NBA that we didn't see at Kentucky.

And it generally worked for his guys' development. KAT was more perimeter oriented. So was AD. And forcing them to play inside expanded their game.

It didn't work that way with Labissiere. At all.

 

[Glenn]

Any PF that can stretch the defense with his shooting is generally tagged as a stretch 4 even if that guy can do other things. KG doesn't fit the bill as a career 28% shooter from three who averaged less than half a long range attempt per game.

I think Skal will struggle to post up or score inside against NBA defenders so early on his value will come from his outside shooting. But I was pleasantly surprised to see him scrap for rebounds and initiate contact close to the basket.

Again, we can look at it as Skal being the end of the lottery pick and Papagiannis being the late 1st round project big.

I think we are seeing why some people thought coming out of high school that he might be a 1st or 2nd pick. The problem in college is that he is not a center and never will be - my opinion. I really like him.

 

[ParniValjak]

This guy definitely has some serious talent and polished skills. Someone mentioned that he is extremely raw. I disagree with that. The kid definitely has NBA skillset right now. The only thing holding him back right now is the lack of strength. Get him into the gym on a serious weights program and he will be something in the NBA. Have to be careful though that building him up rapidly doesn't affect his mobility and pace.

He is more of a PF but I would love to see him trialed at SF. With his size, skill set and athleticism he could spend some time there. Could be a that 3/4 but at legitimate 7 feet.