Just figured I'd mention this
Posted: Thu Oct 9, 2014 7:17 am
We all know that we need a small forward. This year we have our draft pick and are unlikely to make the playoffs, so we'll be stuck in that 8-14th pick dead zone. Here are the guys to keep your eyes on, baring either a disaster season or a miracle and we win the lottery:
Stanley Johnson-best prospect and least likely to be there for us, since someone will probably stay in college and thus bump him out of our range. At 6'7" or 6'8" with about a 7' wingspan, this freshman is a monster defensive wing prospect. He's very strong, physical and committed to defense. He's a stud athlete who can dunk with authority. He isn't selfish but is TO prone. Comes to play with an attitude, he's passionate with a good motor. He has only an okay handle but gets by because he's so strong and fast. Poor shooter who takes a few more shots than he should. Think a sane Ron Artest if things work out, or perhaps just a taller, more explosive version of Marcus Smart. It would be awesome to land him. He'll be playing at Arizona.
Sam Dekker- I know, I know, he's white, but this guy is a legit wing prospect. He's an above average athlete-very fast for a 6'9" guy, and he can get up and dunk nicely. Like all Wisconsin Badgers he is a committed and fairly savvy defender; that said, he's limited by his poor wingspan, he can only become a positive defender, not a real stud. Capable shooter, but not good off the dribble. He struggled this last season probably because he wasn't getting as many spot-up opportunities and had more defensive focus. Unselfish passer and uses his size to be an effective post player. Competent ballhandler, but not a secondary ball handler in the NBA or anything. Very good chance that he has a long career as a glue guy.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson- A freaking stud defender, he's also 6'7" with a 7' wingspan like Johnson, but we've already seen him play in college. Like everyone at Arizona, he's very committed on defense, always in his stance, quick and plays with excellent defensive technique. Conservative defense depresses his steals and blocks numbers-don't be fooled, he is great in the passing lanes and a top-notch shot blocker for a wing. Problem is that he has terrible perimeter skills- he's worse than Josh Smith at shooting as it stands, he doesn't have passing instincts and is a mediocre ballhandler. All of his offensive issues were compounded at Arizona where nobody could shoot and the offense was basically just chucking up long 2's and gunning for rebounds. He's a good enough finisher and strong enough to get through contact, but he could struggle to stay on the court in the NBA if he doesn't get better at something.
After that trio, we fall to the 2nd round for a SF, although who knows where they'll end up come draft day.
Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson- spindly, offense-only SFs going to UNC. Think Rodney Hood. IDK if they'll come out, really.
Brendan Dawson- analytics will really like him for his awesome ORB, steals and blocks numbers, which all indicate a stud in the making. However, like Hollis-Jefferson, he really doesn't have the offensive skills of a perimeter player. He can't shoot at all and he's uncomfortable with the ball in his hand. At least he shows a better feel for the offense with his cutting and by crashing the offensive glass so effectively. If he suddenly can hit 3's at like 33% he could be a good role player type at least.
Devin Robinson- pretty underrated SF candidate at Florida. Dude's about 6'8" with a 6'11.5" wingspan, can shoot and apparently has a solid feel for the game. He's skinny and not a great ball handler yet, but he has a size and length advantage over other stick-men like Pinson and Jackson.
Going back to the first round, if we don't have a SF available, we naturally have other options. I'll look for PGs and PFs, since I'm not fully comfortable with Jennings, and Monroe could walk leaving us with just Smith at PF.
Chris Walker- an athlete, not a basketball player. Basically Drummond but a bit shorter, skinnier and faster. Super-freak athlete though. Barely saw the floor for Florida last season.
Tyus Jones- mature, excellent passer, good shooter and ballhandler. Likely would be cool with deferring to our bigs and sticking to PnRs and shooting 3's. However, he's small, not a great athlete, and a poor defender at this point, although he does have instincts to get in the passing lanes like most smart PGs. Decent PG prospect who's going to Duke.
Bobby Portis- 6'10' with a 7'1.5" wingspan, and a good athlete. Mobile but not explosive or a big leaper. Very competitive and hard working on both ends of the floor. Very strong, comfortable playing in the post on either end, but not like Moose is on offense- he still needs a lot of polish. Aware and willing passer, doesn't turn the ball over. Good mid-range shooter. Crashes the offensive glass. Good quickness so he can guard the PnR for us, long enough to provide a bit of rim protection. Smart player, all of that 'feel for the game' stuff. Plays team defense. Despite being a good offensive rebounder he wasn't a good defensive rebounder. Face up game is limited at this point. He doesn't have the first step to get past people yet, or a good handle. Overall I think he's pretty underrated and can be a two-way starting PF and a good fit for us.
Delon Wright- criminally underrated PG prospect toiling at Utah. 6'5", really good finsher, draws fouls well, doesn't turn the ball over, crazy steals+blocks+ORB numbers for a guard, just insane numbers. Dribbles the air out of the ball a bit, but that's because his team is complete trash. Only real flaw is that he is totally incompetent at shooting the ball. He's sub-JSmoove in that department. We might be able to get him in the 2nd round, honestly.
Shawn Long- another 2nd round pick possibility, he played with Elfried Payton last season. Dude has solid numbers across the board for a center, but is a good 3 point shooter- shot 40% from 3 on good volume. Long plays for Louisiana Lafeyette.
Jerian Grant- 2nd round pick at this point, but not for any good reason. Dude can handle the ball, shoot, and draw fouls. A bit weak on defense but he should be a steal. Very similar prospect to RJ Hunter of Georgia State, who's projected to go a lot higher than him, although he's also pretty good and I'd like to have him. Grant plays for Notre Dame.
Terran Petteway- I'd like to see how he looks when he doesn't have to carry his team's offense. He's got some real talent as a scorer and has some good physical tools (pretty good shot-blocker for a guard). If he develops a 3 point shot he could make it in the league. He's playing for Nebraska. He'll go undrafted if he doesn't improve this season.
Domantas Sabonis- if he's anything like his dad he'd be nice to have around. He'll be at Gonzaga. Currently projected to be a 2nd round pick.
Just throwing this out there.
Stanley Johnson-best prospect and least likely to be there for us, since someone will probably stay in college and thus bump him out of our range. At 6'7" or 6'8" with about a 7' wingspan, this freshman is a monster defensive wing prospect. He's very strong, physical and committed to defense. He's a stud athlete who can dunk with authority. He isn't selfish but is TO prone. Comes to play with an attitude, he's passionate with a good motor. He has only an okay handle but gets by because he's so strong and fast. Poor shooter who takes a few more shots than he should. Think a sane Ron Artest if things work out, or perhaps just a taller, more explosive version of Marcus Smart. It would be awesome to land him. He'll be playing at Arizona.
Sam Dekker- I know, I know, he's white, but this guy is a legit wing prospect. He's an above average athlete-very fast for a 6'9" guy, and he can get up and dunk nicely. Like all Wisconsin Badgers he is a committed and fairly savvy defender; that said, he's limited by his poor wingspan, he can only become a positive defender, not a real stud. Capable shooter, but not good off the dribble. He struggled this last season probably because he wasn't getting as many spot-up opportunities and had more defensive focus. Unselfish passer and uses his size to be an effective post player. Competent ballhandler, but not a secondary ball handler in the NBA or anything. Very good chance that he has a long career as a glue guy.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson- A freaking stud defender, he's also 6'7" with a 7' wingspan like Johnson, but we've already seen him play in college. Like everyone at Arizona, he's very committed on defense, always in his stance, quick and plays with excellent defensive technique. Conservative defense depresses his steals and blocks numbers-don't be fooled, he is great in the passing lanes and a top-notch shot blocker for a wing. Problem is that he has terrible perimeter skills- he's worse than Josh Smith at shooting as it stands, he doesn't have passing instincts and is a mediocre ballhandler. All of his offensive issues were compounded at Arizona where nobody could shoot and the offense was basically just chucking up long 2's and gunning for rebounds. He's a good enough finisher and strong enough to get through contact, but he could struggle to stay on the court in the NBA if he doesn't get better at something.
After that trio, we fall to the 2nd round for a SF, although who knows where they'll end up come draft day.
Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson- spindly, offense-only SFs going to UNC. Think Rodney Hood. IDK if they'll come out, really.
Brendan Dawson- analytics will really like him for his awesome ORB, steals and blocks numbers, which all indicate a stud in the making. However, like Hollis-Jefferson, he really doesn't have the offensive skills of a perimeter player. He can't shoot at all and he's uncomfortable with the ball in his hand. At least he shows a better feel for the offense with his cutting and by crashing the offensive glass so effectively. If he suddenly can hit 3's at like 33% he could be a good role player type at least.
Devin Robinson- pretty underrated SF candidate at Florida. Dude's about 6'8" with a 6'11.5" wingspan, can shoot and apparently has a solid feel for the game. He's skinny and not a great ball handler yet, but he has a size and length advantage over other stick-men like Pinson and Jackson.
Going back to the first round, if we don't have a SF available, we naturally have other options. I'll look for PGs and PFs, since I'm not fully comfortable with Jennings, and Monroe could walk leaving us with just Smith at PF.
Chris Walker- an athlete, not a basketball player. Basically Drummond but a bit shorter, skinnier and faster. Super-freak athlete though. Barely saw the floor for Florida last season.
Tyus Jones- mature, excellent passer, good shooter and ballhandler. Likely would be cool with deferring to our bigs and sticking to PnRs and shooting 3's. However, he's small, not a great athlete, and a poor defender at this point, although he does have instincts to get in the passing lanes like most smart PGs. Decent PG prospect who's going to Duke.
Bobby Portis- 6'10' with a 7'1.5" wingspan, and a good athlete. Mobile but not explosive or a big leaper. Very competitive and hard working on both ends of the floor. Very strong, comfortable playing in the post on either end, but not like Moose is on offense- he still needs a lot of polish. Aware and willing passer, doesn't turn the ball over. Good mid-range shooter. Crashes the offensive glass. Good quickness so he can guard the PnR for us, long enough to provide a bit of rim protection. Smart player, all of that 'feel for the game' stuff. Plays team defense. Despite being a good offensive rebounder he wasn't a good defensive rebounder. Face up game is limited at this point. He doesn't have the first step to get past people yet, or a good handle. Overall I think he's pretty underrated and can be a two-way starting PF and a good fit for us.
Delon Wright- criminally underrated PG prospect toiling at Utah. 6'5", really good finsher, draws fouls well, doesn't turn the ball over, crazy steals+blocks+ORB numbers for a guard, just insane numbers. Dribbles the air out of the ball a bit, but that's because his team is complete trash. Only real flaw is that he is totally incompetent at shooting the ball. He's sub-JSmoove in that department. We might be able to get him in the 2nd round, honestly.
Shawn Long- another 2nd round pick possibility, he played with Elfried Payton last season. Dude has solid numbers across the board for a center, but is a good 3 point shooter- shot 40% from 3 on good volume. Long plays for Louisiana Lafeyette.
Jerian Grant- 2nd round pick at this point, but not for any good reason. Dude can handle the ball, shoot, and draw fouls. A bit weak on defense but he should be a steal. Very similar prospect to RJ Hunter of Georgia State, who's projected to go a lot higher than him, although he's also pretty good and I'd like to have him. Grant plays for Notre Dame.
Terran Petteway- I'd like to see how he looks when he doesn't have to carry his team's offense. He's got some real talent as a scorer and has some good physical tools (pretty good shot-blocker for a guard). If he develops a 3 point shot he could make it in the league. He's playing for Nebraska. He'll go undrafted if he doesn't improve this season.
Domantas Sabonis- if he's anything like his dad he'd be nice to have around. He'll be at Gonzaga. Currently projected to be a 2nd round pick.
Just throwing this out there.