Rookie approval rating after 1 month in

[Stillwater]

What is your impression of Garland and Porter after 1 month in?
Obviously no signs of Windler yet and very little pt for cook or wade.

I am pretty happy with Garlands handles,vision and overall bb iq. Not so happy about how out of shape he looks,his obvious need to repair his jumper, how lost he seems at times defensively and overall his come see, come saw attitude on the bench kind of rubs me the wrong way.
KPJ has been electric and his rookie mistakes are expected imo(type that only come from experience). He make high level passes, plays with a solid motor,& hops...& seems to be having fun out there

I think the sky is the limit for both of these newbies but right now I like KPJ better did before the draft too. major sleeper due to his off court troubles and his unorthodox wip shooting form.
Garland starts hitting those shots and relentlessly attacking the hoop and all that could change overnight, he has the iq the skillset etc just needs to put it all together

[jbk1234]

I'm pretty meh on both of them tbh. They're 19 but they have a long way to go. I'm disappointed in Garland's shooting. Not just his percentages but his release point. A guy his size can't be shooting from his chest.

KPJ is really raw. He's a 2 not a 3. The best thing that can be said is none of the players they passed on look all that impressive (Clarke and PJ Washington look solid but not great).

We need to deal TT as soon as we get a decent offer. This team has gone long enough without a rim protector.

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[Stillwater]

yeah im concerned some with Garlands mechanics release etc much like trae youngs where they need significant separation to get clean looks every time.
problem with Garland could just be hes so out of game shape. hopefully that is also contributing to the shot mechanics.

[gflem]

Garland hasnt impressed me at all, but he is only 19 and hasnt played much in the last year, but I am starting to wonder if he is an all-star in an empty gym and just a guy when he is being guarded. I cant tell if he really cares about anything when he is on the court or on the bench, he seems to lack the fire to win.
Porter has been better after looking totally lost in the first few games. If the team can develop him properly he looks to have the talent to be a very good player in NBA. The more he has played the better he has looked to me, unlike Garland. I almost wonder if Garland should sit out for a few games to either get his attention or at least let him catch his breath so to speak. He just looked like he didnt care at all last night to me, maybe its the losing or maybe he just doesnt know where or how he fits in this offense. Either way it looks to me like he could use a break to try to figure things out.

[Stillwater]

Garland hasnt impressed me at all, but he is only 19 and hasnt played much in the last year, but I am starting to wonder if he is an all-star in an empty gym and just a guy when he is being guarded. I cant tell if he really cares about anything when he is on the court or on the bench, he seems to lack the fire to win.
Porter has been better after looking totally lost in the first few games. If the team can develop him properly he looks to have the talent to be a very good player in NBA. The more he has played the better he has looked to me, unlike Garland. I almost wonder if Garland should sit out for a few games to either get his attention or at least let him catch his breath so to speak. He just looked like he didnt care at all last night to me, maybe its the losing or maybe he just doesnt know where or how he fits in this offense. Either way it looks to me like he could use a break to try to figure things out.

i always get nervous when a team drafts a prospect that is recovering from surgery, due to the risk that they may never be the same athlete if for no other reason than lost muscle memory.
his shot could be off due to his meniscus tear as unlikely as it seems .
but, i dont think he ever was a freakish leaper or anything, i mean i saw at least a couple soft slams pre injury tape so he muat have had some hops, i dont see that pop to his game now hopefully its just "not yet" .
kpj is actually more raw as far as a system player than i expected, but his ball skills iso ability and awareness are solid foundations.

[gflem]

Garland hasnt impressed me at all, but he is only 19 and hasnt played much in the last year, but I am starting to wonder if he is an all-star in an empty gym and just a guy when he is being guarded. I cant tell if he really cares about anything when he is on the court or on the bench, he seems to lack the fire to win.
Porter has been better after looking totally lost in the first few games. If the team can develop him properly he looks to have the talent to be a very good player in NBA. The more he has played the better he has looked to me, unlike Garland. I almost wonder if Garland should sit out for a few games to either get his attention or at least let him catch his breath so to speak. He just looked like he didnt care at all last night to me, maybe its the losing or maybe he just doesnt know where or how he fits in this offense. Either way it looks to me like he could use a break to try to figure things out.

i always get nervous when a team drafts a prospect that is recovering from surgery, due to the risk that they may never be the same athlete if for no other reason than lost muscle memory.
his shot could be off due to his meniscus tear as unlikely as it seems .
but, i dont think he ever was a freakish leaper or anything, i mean i saw at least a couple soft slams pre injury tape so he muat have had some hops, i dont see that pop to his game now hopefully its just "not yet" .
kpj is actually more raw as far as a system player than i expected, but his ball skills iso ability and awareness are solid foundations.

KPJ is such a smooth athlete, he does some things that look so easy when in actuality they are extremely difficult. I really hope he has bought in to being coached and puts the work in because I believe he can become an all star if he does.

[Stillwater]

Garland hasnt impressed me at all, but he is only 19 and hasnt played much in the last year, but I am starting to wonder if he is an all-star in an empty gym and just a guy when he is being guarded. I cant tell if he really cares about anything when he is on the court or on the bench, he seems to lack the fire to win.
Porter has been better after looking totally lost in the first few games. If the team can develop him properly he looks to have the talent to be a very good player in NBA. The more he has played the better he has looked to me, unlike Garland. I almost wonder if Garland should sit out for a few games to either get his attention or at least let him catch his breath so to speak. He just looked like he didnt care at all last night to me, maybe its the losing or maybe he just doesnt know where or how he fits in this offense. Either way it looks to me like he could use a break to try to figure things out.

i always get nervous when a team drafts a prospect that is recovering from surgery, due to the risk that they may never be the same athlete if for no other reason than lost muscle memory.
his shot could be off due to his meniscus tear as unlikely as it seems .
but, i dont think he ever was a freakish leaper or anything, i mean i saw at least a couple soft slams pre injury tape so he muat have had some hops, i dont see that pop to his game now hopefully its just "not yet" .
kpj is actually more raw as far as a system player than i expected, but his ball skills iso ability and awareness are solid foundations.

KPJ is such a smooth athlete, he does some things that look so easy when in actuality they are extremely difficult. I really hope he has bought in to being coached and puts the work in because I believe he can become an all star if he does.

yeah jury still way out on both these kids imo. but so far KPJ looks better suited for star status in the NBA than Garland , maybe if we are lucky they will both make as much of a leap as Sexton did in one season... but that's probably asking too much

[JonFromVA]

Gotta be patient with 19yr olds... the potential is clear to me for both.

[JonFromVA]

Garland has already pulled his 3pt% up to .38 in short order by focusing on taking open shots .vs. dancing and firing.

His FG% sits at the same, though. He's reportedly working on his floater and if he gets that down, we should see his FG% rise. It's a tricky shot at times but it's going to be hard to appreciate without some sort of ORB factor. TT and Larry typically have a free dive to the rim on those shots and if it takes the right bounce it's an easy putback if not an outright lob

[Stillwater]

Garland is finally starting to do some work offensively and he has at least tried to defend, although not successfully.
that floater is ugly right now, but it keeps on sailing instead of the right shot of stopping and pulling up or thinking lob first which I suspect could be less due to trying to improve his floater as much as not wanting to put heavy stress on his leg joints and not having any established chemistry yet with the bigs.

I wonder what the veterans think about his decision making...some of it flashes elite pg but most of it says not nba ready at all like most rookie pg prospects

[JonFromVA]

Garland is finally starting to do some work offensively and he has at least tried to defend, although not successfully.
that floater is ugly right now, but it keeps on sailing instead of the right shot of stopping and pulling up or thinking lob first which I suspect could be less due to trying to improve his floater as much as not wanting to put heavy stress on his leg joints and not having any established chemistry yet with the bigs.

I wonder what the veterans think about his decision making...some of it flashes elite pg but most of it says not nba ready at all like most rookie pg prospects

I suspect veterans understand he's being force-fed the NBA game. If he was playing on a better team he'd be coming off the bench, his matchups could be managed, and he could be be put in to situations he could deal with to build his confidence. But our primary goal is player development, and there's just going to be a lot of learning-on-the-fly going on.

I mean in Kevin's own words:

“He has a chance to be a really great playmaker in this league,” said Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love. “He can shoot it, gets into the lane, plays at a great pace and passes the ball when pressured. His quiet confidence will help him grow in this league.”

There's just a wide gap between potential and reality that's starting to close.

One thing useful to look at are a player's month by month splits, but we'll have to wait until the end of December before we'll have two full months to compare.

[JonFromVA]

I'm pretty meh on both of them tbh. They're 19 but they have a long way to go. I'm disappointed in Garland's shooting. Not just his percentages but his release point. A guy his size can't be shooting from his chest.

Can you point to an example of this? Since your comment, I've been trying to pay closer attention to his form, and it looks to me like he starts his shooting motion from eye level (a very common technique) not from his chest.

[jbk1234]

I'm pretty meh on both of them tbh. They're 19 but they have a long way to go. I'm disappointed in Garland's shooting. Not just his percentages but his release point. A guy his size can't be shooting from his chest.

Can you point to an example of this? Since your comment, I've been trying to pay closer attention to his form, and it looks to me like he starts his shooting motion from eye level (a very common technique) not from his chest.

Watch his three point attempts. His release might be eye level but he's bringing the ball up from his chest. I think it's one of the reasons he's having a harder time getting a shot off when he's not wide open.

Watch on YouTube

[Stillwater]

^ yep it isnt as bad as trey young but its restrictive and easier to disrupt.

[JonFromVA]

I'm pretty meh on both of them tbh. They're 19 but they have a long way to go. I'm disappointed in Garland's shooting. Not just his percentages but his release point. A guy his size can't be shooting from his chest.

Can you point to an example of this? Since your comment, I've been trying to pay closer attention to his form, and it looks to me like he starts his shooting motion from eye level (a very common technique) not from his chest.

Watch his three point attempts. His release might be eye level but he's bringing the ball up from his chest. I think it's one of the reasons he's having a harder time getting a shot off when he's not wide open.

Watch on YouTube

I see him dip the ball down to his waist before starting his 3pt shooting motion, but I see Steph Curry do that too. As he's playing his way in to shape he's started making his open looks more consistently, I suspect we'll see him start making his shots off the bounce more frequently as well. DG knows how to create space, it's just his accuracy hasn't been there on those shots (yet).

[JonFromVA]

I voted "excited as can be" because there was nothing between that and "too soon", but what I really mean is "meeting expectations".

Has anyone checked out Carsen Edwards? Boston's 21 year old rookie guard who torched us in pre-season and lit us up pretty well in the regular season too? He's currently shooting 30% from the field and from 3pt, averaging just 12mpg.

This is what player development looks like.

[Stillwater]

Can you point to an example of this? Since your comment, I've been trying to pay closer attention to his form, and it looks to me like he starts his shooting motion from eye level (a very common technique) not from his chest.

Watch his three point attempts. His release might be eye level but he's bringing the ball up from his chest. I think it's one of the reasons he's having a harder time getting a shot off when he's not wide open.

Watch on YouTube

I see him dip the ball down to his waist before starting his 3pt shooting motion, but I see Steph Curry do that too. As he's playing his way in to shape he's started making his open looks more consistently, I suspect we'll see him start making his shots off the bounce more frequently as well. DG knows how to create space, it's just his accuracy hasn't been there on those shots (yet).

in a perfect world his handles and ability to create space would not be as needed if he had a better stroke. But yeah he can get open I just don't know if he will have clean enough looks with that form once defenders start paying him mind.

[Jamaaliver]

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[gflem]

Garlands shoots from a low release point, and he hasnt figured out that he can't shoot that floater directly into the hoop against bigger more athletic defenders in the NBA. IF he decides to go off the square with his floater he will have much more success. He can get into the lane and get his shot off due to his handle and shake, but he exclusively tries to swish it when in most cases he doesn't have a clean enough look to make the shot. Defensively he has a long way to go, as most rookies do.
At least we are getting close to Windler getting on the court. I really cant help but get excited by Porter though. Yeah he does turn the ball over too much, and he does fall in love with his below average behind the back dribble, but man does he have a smooth athleticism that allows him to get by his defender. And, his shot from deep is better than I expected, when he doesn't hesitate with it.
At this point I just want to see the young guys be competitive, I'm not really concerned with wins since it is counter productive at this point. I need to see improvement as a whole for the young players on the team, it doesn't matter to me if Clarkson or Love goes for 30 plus and the team ekes out a win against Orlando or some other bottom feeder at this point of the season.