Podz Stan Thread

[EvanZ]

I'm continually surprised that people think Podz is "skinny". Maybe it's because he's white people are not objectively good at seeing how lean and muscular he is already. He's 6'4" 205. This is not "skinny". The reason he can get easily get posted up is because he's **** short and has t-rex arms. Not because he is 20 pounds of muscle away from being an elite post defender lol. This is not future Lou Dort. Desmond Bane isn't walking through that door (because he's too wide).

[DoubleLintendre]

Podz is such a good role player already. The hustle, scoring bursts, BBIQ, charges taken, rebounding. I'm super high on him.

[Jester_]

I'm continually surprised that people think Podz is "skinny". Maybe it's because he's white people are not objectively good at seeing how lean and muscular he is already. He's 6'4" 205. This is not "skinny". The reason he can get easily get posted up is because he's **** short and has t-rex arms. Not because he is 20 pounds of muscle away from being an elite post defender lol. This is not future Lou Dort. Desmond Bane isn't walking through that door (because he's too wide).

I mean... Desmond Bane is the same height as him with a smaller wingspan, the only difference between them is 20 pounds of muscle.... lol

[KevinMcreynolds]

Podz is a beefcake

[Onus]

It's really weird that Podz doesn't seem to be a great shooter. The one skill scouts said would be the only thing he could do.

[TB]

It's really weird that Podz doesn't seem to be a great shooter. The one skill scouts said would be the only thing he could do.

Seems like most rookies (especially younger smaller guards) need to adjust to the NBA range and defensive length/speed for a year or two. Podz was a projected .375 or so shooter, and he's been around that number for the most part. I was actually expecting around .350 year one before he settles into being consistently in the .375-.415 range... similar to how Donte has been. But ya, he's definitely been in a slump over the last month or so.

[vvoland]

It's really weird that Podz doesn't seem to be a great shooter. The one skill scouts said would be the only thing he could do.

It's even more crazy that he doesn't have a pull-up. If he has to dribble, it's a floater, even from 3 (that end of shot-clock possession last night as an example). How does someone who was the no1 option in HS and college not have a dribble pull-up, at least from mid-range.

[TB]

I think he's a stats junkie that wants to get into the paint or take a 3. If he's open in the mid-range his mindset seems to be "we can get a better shot than a mid-range 2".

[Onus]

It's really weird that Podz doesn't seem to be a great shooter. The one skill scouts said would be the only thing he could do.

It's even more crazy that he doesn't have a pull-up. If he has to dribble, it's a floater, even from 3 (that end of shot-clock possession last night as an example). How does someone who was the no1 option in HS and college not have a dribble pull-up, at least from mid-range.

It's crazy that he avg 30+ in hs and doesn't have a mid range game.

[CDM_Stats]

It's really weird that Podz doesn't seem to be a great shooter. The one skill scouts said would be the only thing he could do.

It's even more crazy that he doesn't have a pull-up. If he has to dribble, it's a floater, even from 3 (that end of shot-clock possession last night as an example). How does someone who was the no1 option in HS and college not have a dribble pull-up, at least from mid-range.

It's crazy that he avg 30+ in hs and doesn't have a mid range game.

HS game has become a lot like a statisticians paradise. Dunks/layups and 3s, the stuff in-between is kinda frowned on

[CDM_Stats]

I think he's a stats junkie that wants to get into the paint or take a 3. If he's open in the mid-range his mindset seems to be "we can get a better shot than a mid-range 2".

Honestly love this kind of thinking. Eventually the midrange will be developed once the rest rounds out to a consistent level. Because then it really does behoove him to have a midrange or pullup game. But he's also got a floater which will probably be more relevant than a midrange pullup. Hard for guys like him to have those midrange pullups

Like day 1 of SL, said his game is molded after Harden, almost down to a T. Harden not good at midrange pullups either because he gets by with craftiness, so to pullup in the middle means he likely has someone behind him, catching up. Harden went with floaters and rip throughs to solve that problem. Hopefully Podz sees that and thinks - why not me?

[TB]

I think he's a stats junkie that wants to get into the paint or take a 3. If he's open in the mid-range his mindset seems to be "we can get a better shot than a mid-range 2".

Honestly love this kind of thinking. Eventually the midrange will be developed once the rest rounds out to a consistent level. Because then it really does behoove him to have a midrange or pullup game. But he's also got a floater which will probably be more relevant than a midrange pullup. Hard for guys like him to have those midrange pullups

Like day 1 of SL, said his game is molded after Harden, almost down to a T. Harden not good at midrange pullups either because he gets by with craftiness, so to pullup in the middle means he likely has someone behind him, catching up. Harden went with floaters and rip throughs to solve that problem. Hopefully Podz sees that and thinks - why not me?

Interestingly enough young Harden had the same high end comp that Podz gets... Manu.

[vvoland]

I think he's a stats junkie that wants to get into the paint or take a 3. If he's open in the mid-range his mindset seems to be "we can get a better shot than a mid-range 2".

Honestly love this kind of thinking. Eventually the midrange will be developed once the rest rounds out to a consistent level. Because then it really does behoove him to have a midrange or pullup game. But he's also got a floater which will probably be more relevant than a midrange pullup. Hard for guys like him to have those midrange pullups

Like day 1 of SL, said his game is molded after Harden, almost down to a T. Harden not good at midrange pullups either because he gets by with craftiness, so to pullup in the middle means he likely has someone behind him, catching up. Harden went with floaters and rip throughs to solve that problem. Hopefully Podz sees that and thinks - why not me?

Harden has the off the dribble 3, and not just the step back. Harden is also significantly bigger, longer, and was a better athlete. He was an elite rim finisher (not above but not below) and his floater was one of the best in the league. The manu comp made sense for harden because they were a similar size and while being decent athletes, did it without quickness.

Podz has the quickness limitation but he's not an at-rim player and certainly nowhere near Manu's athleticism. I like his crafty post game and it gives off jalen brunson vibes. That seems to be his ceiling but it'll be a long road to get there.

P.S. am I the only one that doesn't believe Podz is a shooter? Between the FTs and the inconsistency from 3, he seems like a below average shooter who got hot early in the season:

3pt % by month: Nov: 43.3% ; Dec: 41.5% ; Jan: 31% ; and 0% in 3 feb games.
FT % by month: Nov: 77% ; Dec: 67% ; Jan: 36%(!!) ; 73% in 3 feb games

[Onus]

I think he's a stats junkie that wants to get into the paint or take a 3. If he's open in the mid-range his mindset seems to be "we can get a better shot than a mid-range 2".

Honestly love this kind of thinking. Eventually the midrange will be developed once the rest rounds out to a consistent level. Because then it really does behoove him to have a midrange or pullup game. But he's also got a floater which will probably be more relevant than a midrange pullup. Hard for guys like him to have those midrange pullups

Like day 1 of SL, said his game is molded after Harden, almost down to a T. Harden not good at midrange pullups either because he gets by with craftiness, so to pullup in the middle means he likely has someone behind him, catching up. Harden went with floaters and rip throughs to solve that problem. Hopefully Podz sees that and thinks - why not me?

Harden has the off the dribble 3, and not just the step back. Harden is also significantly bigger, longer, and was a better athlete. He was an elite rim finisher (not above but not below) and his floater was one of the best in the league. The manu comp made sense for harden because they were a similar size and while being decent athletes, did it without quickness.

Podz has the quickness limitation but he's not an at-rim player and certainly nowhere near Manu's athleticism. I like his crafty post game and it gives off jalen brunson vibes. That seems to be his ceiling but it'll be a long road to get there.

P.S. am I the only one that doesn't believe Podz is a shooter? Between the FTs and the inconsistency from 3, he seems like a below average shooter who got hot early in the season:

3pt % by month: Nov: 43.3% ; Dec: 41.5% ; Jan: 31% ; and 0% in 3 feb games.
FT % by month: Nov: 77% ; Dec: 67% ; Jan: 36%(!!) ; 73% in 3 feb games

Podz actually made most of his 3s off the dribble in college.

[CDM_Stats]

I think he's a stats junkie that wants to get into the paint or take a 3. If he's open in the mid-range his mindset seems to be "we can get a better shot than a mid-range 2".

Honestly love this kind of thinking. Eventually the midrange will be developed once the rest rounds out to a consistent level. Because then it really does behoove him to have a midrange or pullup game. But he's also got a floater which will probably be more relevant than a midrange pullup. Hard for guys like him to have those midrange pullups

Like day 1 of SL, said his game is molded after Harden, almost down to a T. Harden not good at midrange pullups either because he gets by with craftiness, so to pullup in the middle means he likely has someone behind him, catching up. Harden went with floaters and rip throughs to solve that problem. Hopefully Podz sees that and thinks - why not me?

Harden has the off the dribble 3, and not just the step back. Harden is also significantly bigger, longer, and was a better athlete. He was an elite rim finisher (not above but not below) and his floater was one of the best in the league. The manu comp made sense for harden because they were a similar size and while being decent athletes, did it without quickness.

Podz has the quickness limitation but he's not an at-rim player and certainly nowhere near Manu's athleticism. I like his crafty post game and it gives off jalen brunson vibes. That seems to be his ceiling but it'll be a long road to get there.

P.S. am I the only one that doesn't believe Podz is a shooter? Between the FTs and the inconsistency from 3, he seems like a below average shooter who got hot early in the season:

3pt % by month: Nov: 43.3% ; Dec: 41.5% ; Jan: 31% ; and 0% in 3 feb games.
FT % by month: Nov: 77% ; Dec: 67% ; Jan: 36%(!!) ; 73% in 3 feb games

Took 5 seconds to confirm that both are 6'5, and that Harden was not considered a good athlete being drafted. I know because I stumped on this board for 2 years for the guy back when he started out as a mid-late 1st the year prior. Draft sites always cited his mediocre athleticism. So aside from being longer - which is true - how can you say that Harden was a better athlete?

Givony says:

Taking in two games in person here in Tempe gave us an excellent opportunity to evaluate the progress of James Harden, clearly one of the top prospects in this year’s draft. He’s one of the more unique players you’ll find this year, and opinions about him are bound to vary widely. The first thing that stands out about Harden is the fact that he is likely to be considered a below average athlete for the NBA level. His first step and pure explosiveness are nothing to write home about, meaning he has to find other ways to make his presence felt. - Source: https://www.draftexpress.com/profile/james-harden-1241/ ©DraftExpress

[Coxy]

It's really weird that Podz doesn't seem to be a great shooter. The one skill scouts said would be the only thing he could do.

It's even more crazy that he doesn't have a pull-up. If he has to dribble, it's a floater, even from 3 (that end of shot-clock possession last night as an example). How does someone who was the no1 option in HS and college not have a dribble pull-up, at least from mid-range.

It's crazy that he avg 30+ in hs and doesn't have a mid range game.

That's because his floater game is money. I can't decide what's more enjoyable to watch, an Air Podz floater or a prime Vince Carter dunk package.

[TB]

Podz is ahead of or on track with tons of guys considered "shooters"... Paul, Trae, Brunson, Donte, Lowry, and on and on. He does have a unique looking shot, but he's got pretty elite touch on his shots. I think he will be just fine shooting, but we won't see consistent results until he's had a summer or two improving it.

[Onus]

Podz is ahead of or on track with tons of guys considered "shooters"... Paul, Trae, Brunson, Donte, Lowry, and on and on. He does have a unique looking shot, but he's got pretty elite touch on his shots. I think he will be just fine shooting, but we won't see consistent results until he's had a summer or two improving it.

I do expect the shooting and offense to improve. Usually that's what is easiest to improve. It's just funny that most outlets had him as a luke kennard type player, when he just does so much more than shooting.

[vvoland]

Honestly love this kind of thinking. Eventually the midrange will be developed once the rest rounds out to a consistent level. Because then it really does behoove him to have a midrange or pullup game. But he's also got a floater which will probably be more relevant than a midrange pullup. Hard for guys like him to have those midrange pullups

Like day 1 of SL, said his game is molded after Harden, almost down to a T. Harden not good at midrange pullups either because he gets by with craftiness, so to pullup in the middle means he likely has someone behind him, catching up. Harden went with floaters and rip throughs to solve that problem. Hopefully Podz sees that and thinks - why not me?

Harden has the off the dribble 3, and not just the step back. Harden is also significantly bigger, longer, and was a better athlete. He was an elite rim finisher (not above but not below) and his floater was one of the best in the league. The manu comp made sense for harden because they were a similar size and while being decent athletes, did it without quickness.

Podz has the quickness limitation but he's not an at-rim player and certainly nowhere near Manu's athleticism. I like his crafty post game and it gives off jalen brunson vibes. That seems to be his ceiling but it'll be a long road to get there.

P.S. am I the only one that doesn't believe Podz is a shooter? Between the FTs and the inconsistency from 3, he seems like a below average shooter who got hot early in the season:

3pt % by month: Nov: 43.3% ; Dec: 41.5% ; Jan: 31% ; and 0% in 3 feb games.
FT % by month: Nov: 77% ; Dec: 67% ; Jan: 36%(!!) ; 73% in 3 feb games

Took 5 seconds to confirm that both are 6'5, and that Harden was not considered a good athlete being drafted. I know because I stumped on this board for 2 years for the guy back when he started out as a mid-late 1st the year prior. Draft sites always cited his mediocre athleticism. So aside from being longer - which is true - how can you say that Harden was a better athlete?

Givony says:

Taking in two games in person here in Tempe gave us an excellent opportunity to evaluate the progress of James Harden, clearly one of the top prospects in this year’s draft. He’s one of the more unique players you’ll find this year, and opinions about him are bound to vary widely. The first thing that stands out about Harden is the fact that he is likely to be considered a below average athlete for the NBA level. His first step and pure explosiveness are nothing to write home about, meaning he has to find other ways to make his presence felt. - Source: https://www.draftexpress.com/profile/james-harden-1241/ ©DraftExpress

Podz is not 6'5. He's 6'3.75, at least that's what he measured at the combine. Harden was longer and bigger but he was not a good athlete in college. If I said otherwise, I misspoke. He became a much better athlete once he got to the league. The most underrated part of Harden's atheleticism? the change of direction and deceleration (best in the league, by some metrics).

Problem is, podz plays smaller than his listed height. Maybe it's the short arms. Maybe the lack of explosiveness. But he doesn't attack the rim, he attacks the other side of the bucket to protect him from shotblockers. He has that awful hook shot for the same reason. Young harden, much like young manu, would attack the rim and put people on posters. You think podz will ever put someone on a poster?

It's not about flash or sc top 10 or whatever. It's about finding advantages and being able to exploit them. Podz does a ton of stuff well. Attacking the rim is not one of them. Hence the disagreement on the harden or manu comparisons. Bruson is the high-end comp. If he gets to even half that level, we'll all consider the pick a win.

[CDM_Stats]

Harden has the off the dribble 3, and not just the step back. Harden is also significantly bigger, longer, and was a better athlete. He was an elite rim finisher (not above but not below) and his floater was one of the best in the league. The manu comp made sense for harden because they were a similar size and while being decent athletes, did it without quickness.

Podz has the quickness limitation but he's not an at-rim player and certainly nowhere near Manu's athleticism. I like his crafty post game and it gives off jalen brunson vibes. That seems to be his ceiling but it'll be a long road to get there.

P.S. am I the only one that doesn't believe Podz is a shooter? Between the FTs and the inconsistency from 3, he seems like a below average shooter who got hot early in the season:

3pt % by month: Nov: 43.3% ; Dec: 41.5% ; Jan: 31% ; and 0% in 3 feb games.
FT % by month: Nov: 77% ; Dec: 67% ; Jan: 36%(!!) ; 73% in 3 feb games

Took 5 seconds to confirm that both are 6'5, and that Harden was not considered a good athlete being drafted. I know because I stumped on this board for 2 years for the guy back when he started out as a mid-late 1st the year prior. Draft sites always cited his mediocre athleticism. So aside from being longer - which is true - how can you say that Harden was a better athlete?

Givony says:

Taking in two games in person here in Tempe gave us an excellent opportunity to evaluate the progress of James Harden, clearly one of the top prospects in this year’s draft. He’s one of the more unique players you’ll find this year, and opinions about him are bound to vary widely. The first thing that stands out about Harden is the fact that he is likely to be considered a below average athlete for the NBA level. His first step and pure explosiveness are nothing to write home about, meaning he has to find other ways to make his presence felt. - Source: https://www.draftexpress.com/profile/james-harden-1241/ ©DraftExpress

Podz is not 6'5. He's 6'3.75, at least that's what he measured at the combine. Harden was longer and bigger but he was not a good athlete in college. If I said otherwise, I misspoke. He became a much better athlete once he got to the league. The most underrated part of Harden's atheleticism? the change of direction and deceleration (best in the league, by some metrics).

Problem is, podz plays smaller than his listed height. Maybe it's the short arms. Maybe the lack of explosiveness. But he doesn't attack the rim, he attacks the other side of the bucket to protect him from shotblockers. He has that awful hook shot for the same reason. Young harden, much like young manu, would attack the rim and put people on posters. You think podz will ever put someone on a poster?

It's not about flash or sc top 10 or whatever. It's about finding advantages and being able to exploit them. Podz does a ton of stuff well. Attacking the rim is not one of them. Hence the disagreement on the harden or manu comparisons. Bruson is the high-end comp. If he gets to even half that level, we'll all consider the pick a win.

I said his game is molded after Harden.. it doesnt seem that way to you?