Juco24 wrote:I can't believe I actually agree with Reggie Miller:
“I think with the triangle, you need great passing bigs,” said Miller, the longtime Knicks nemesis with the Indiana Pacers. “If you go back to Chicago with [Bill] Wennington and Bill Cartwright. If you go to Phil Jackson with Kobe and Shaq, Shaq was a great passing big. Having said that, to me Karl-Anthony Towns would be unbelievable because I think he’s an unbelievable passer at that high post, especially when you come up to that pinch-post area, you’ve gotta be able to see the floor. Plus, he can score down low. If you’re playing more of a traditional offense, Jahlil Okafor, not to say he can’t pass, but he’s not the passer that Karl-Anthony Towns is.”
Now I'm thinking.... Maybe we should take JO.
I completely disagree. Jahlil plays out the low post so we should really only care about his ability to pass out the double (which he will actually get unlike Towns) and Jahlil makes the right play very often. His passing reminds me of Shaq actually. Shaq wasn't a great passer but he was smart enough to learn the triangle, read the doubles, and know the cuts. He also had the ability to control the ball extremely well and complete the passes. Shaq's assist numbers the two years before playing in the triangle: 2.4 and 2.3 assists a game. His assist numbers his first two years in the triangle: 3.8 and 3.7 assists a game. Jahlil holds the ball like a grapefruit (reminds me of Jordan and Dr. J) and can make some great passes (he's not the greatest yet - his accuracy on some of those bullet passes are off).
He's also so commonly doubled that he can make super fast reads out of them. Towns in the Triangle will play more of a Pau Gasol/Horace Grant role than a Bynum/Shaq role.
This video shows his passing ability well.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qkdsz3cs68[/youtube]
echelonNYK wrote:taker328 wrote:Suggest people take a look at the interview Mike Francesa had with John Calipari on March 4th here
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/audio/mike-francesa/Towns is growing into something special and can impact the game in every way. Calipari talks about what Town could soon become, and it's scary good we could actually have a guy like this who can shoot, rebound, defend, pass, hit freethrows. I'm still torn b/w the two of Okafor or Towns, but I trust Phil will make the right call. His people have the better eyes and scouts, so they know what to look for to make the right choice.
The earlier Towns goes in the draft only benefits Calipari and his recruiting. I wouldn't read too much into what he has to say about one of his own players
And out of all those attributes you listed. Which one is he exceptionally good at? Because he can still end up just being a 8\8 guy in the League. Those are not the type of numbers i want from a top pick.
Shooting, both from the field and freethrows, and protecting the rim. Those skills are up to an NBA standard already with Towns. Everything else is there and above par for an 18 year old but not NBA level.
