Pharaoh wrote:]No it doesn't become me tbh
Agreed. You seem like a nice guy.
The facts I referred to are his ratio, his FG% being high due to shots at the rim and his 3% being just as bad as Edwards and Ball (if memory serves all 3 are pretty poor).
His percentage at the rim comes largely thanks to two factors: his teammates, and his far, far greater athleticism than the vast majority of NCAA opposition.
As stated I'm willing to entertain the idea that Okoro doesn't improve offensively and ends up being a role player - that seems to be where you sit with him.
Not sure why you're unwilling to entertain the idea that a 19 year old Okoro couldn't improve offensively to the point he's a strong #2, #3 or #4 option on a good team.
Don't get me wrong: I like Okoro. For all I've said about the old style no longer working, I'm nonetheless strongly predisposed toward hardworking, team-first players; I grew up watching the Going to Work Pistons and the likes of Yzerman, Lidstrom, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, skilled players who always worked hard and never played for themselves. That's one reason why I could not stand the likes of Drummond and (in his first two seasons) Jackson. The period during which those two were the foundational pillars of the roster was an insult to the ethos of the great teams that came before them. I'd love to see another Pistons squad that plays gritty, team basketball. The difference between the present day and the days of the past championship teams, however, is that success must now primarily be found offensively. A very old Scotty Bowman maxim comes to mind: you can teach scorers to grind, but you can't teach grinders to score. That's not to say that players can't improve, but the necessary talent simply must be there. The culture can come next.
I'd love a future in which Okoro were one of the pillars of a successful team, and he could be pretty darned good if he were to succeed as a shooter. But (figuratively speaking) I don't think my psyche could handle the Pistons failing another pick on yet another bad shooter. And I don't think they can afford to take the risk of drafting one. I'd feel differently if the Pistons already had some pieces in place, particularly a promising primary handler (Okoro may never be an adept handler at the NBA level). But they don't have those. Or perhaps if a long rebuild were certainly in the cards. But I'm not so sure that's the case.
I think it's likely to be a moot point; I'm 90% confident that Okoro will be #1 on Cleveland's draft board when the fifth pick is called, though admittedly that organization is rather unpredictable (thanks to limited competence).
One thing that hasn't been taken into account when comparing offensive numbers is the low usage rate for Okoro.
Seems he was more of a glue guy to start the college season but as it progressed his role expanded to include more iso, more handling, more playmaking and shooting attempts.
He took on a larger load, and improved, as the season went on. But he never developed the capacity to take over games on offense. He faced opposition drastically easier than he'll see in the NBA, and with a far greater athletic advantage than he'll enjoy in the big league.
Anyway we seem to have discussed Okoro for days, might be time to dive deep on Hayes or Vassell or Okongwu.
I've done a lot of research on all of them.
To sum up: Hayes has all-around talent, but lacks elite-level athleticism and suffers from a bizarre brand of left-hand dominance that will forever hobble him in the NBA if he does not resolve it; Vassell is a prototypical athletic three-and-D wing with a sweet shot and a skill set that will very likely transfer well to the NBA, but has a limited ability to create offense and must add substantial strength in order to maintain upward switchability on defense in the NBA; Okongwu is a strong, athletic center with high defensive upside and good ability as a basic interior scorer, but lacks the ability to create offense at the NBA level, cannot shoot, has no pedigree at all as a shooter, and may never develop beyond a traditional center. I would be happiest with Hayes. I don't think Vassell is good enough at #7 for a roster that doesn't have any of its primary handlers for the future. I see no merit at all in the Pistons drafting Okongwu; I do not think the Pistons have any business drafting a center right now, and certainly not a traditional center.
I could point you toward a podcast that did an extensive preview on all of the top-tier talent, if you'd like.
