Post#437 » by TrueLAfan » Tue Jul 18, 2023 2:27 pm
To me, the Diabete/Brown comparison is pretty indicative of the difference between drafting old and young.
Diabate probably came out a year too early; his draft position most likely (though not definitely) would’ve been higher a year later. But the gamble was the one you make on young players out of the top 20-25 that are clearly not immediately NBA ready. A couple of years in the G-League and some weight training, and maybe some spot time with the big team will have him ready to play some minutes and maybe start being productive in the NBA—when he’s 22 or 23.
Brown is “old”—already 23. OTOH, he doesn’t seem to need much, if any, G-League time. He’s a relatively finished product. He knows his game and it's pretty complete; it’s a matter of refining what’s already there. Higher floor, lower ceiling. He’s not likely to develop into an all star, or even a 30 mpg player. But he could be a solid 20 mpg contributor—and he might be close to doing that right now.
Diabate could, in a few years, be a very valuable defensive presence and good NBA player with his length--if he can pick up the shooting ability and improve his instincts. Big if, though.
Brown will never have the hops and height and quick feet to be a powerful defensive force. But he already knows that. He focuses on positioning and strength—he’s giving up about an inch and a half in wingspan and standing reach to Diabate, but he uses the power of his 245 pound frame to stay in position better. He already can shoot. Good passer. Moves well without the ball and knows where to go. I’m a huge, huge believer in instincts—and it seems like Brown has a good amount. Knowing where to go and the best place to get defensive position, and seeing how a defender’s weight shifts so you can get a strong first step—those things are worth a ton of speed and hops.
A couple of people here are throwing names around like Draymond Green. And ... just, no to that. Not that Green isn’t a terrific aspiration, but that’s a huge expectation. I’m more in the Kenny Thomas camp. Kenny Thomas was never an all-star—never really close. But he was a good locker room guy that played hard, was coachable, and had a solid 11 year career. If we’d could get some or most of that type of play and career out of Brown, it would be fantastic.
