mpharris36 wrote:Deeeez Knicks wrote:mpharris36 wrote:
I think my issue is that when I try to see his role in the NBA I don't see where people are seeing the high ceiling. Like if he reaches his full potential of a elite combo guard with a nice first step and a reliable shot and ok playmaking do they see Zach Lavine?
What are the odds that he gets there vs someone who has a much more translatable NBA skill.
I guess my argument is I understand the risk vs reward of going high ceiling but in terms if you are just looking at youth and athleticism that is where you start missing out on highly skilled guys like the draymond greens and the malcolm brogdens and the list goes on and on that maybe they don't have the flash but they contribute to winning.
I also understand the need to get a lead dog. That is clear and I guess I don't expect to get one in this range so I wouldn't just shoot for the stars with the odds that being not good that Hampton gets to the ceiling people are hoping he gets to.
In terms of RJ's upside, it can be tough to say. There's a ton of good scoring combo guards these days though... Lavine, Donovan Mitchell, Murray, Bledose, Dipo, Jrue, Nunn, Russell, Booker, etc. They are all kinda different, and not sure RJ lines up with any of them perfectly...I could see his upside being something like a mix of some of those guys with 20/5/5 type numbers or something. More and more teams use multiple combo guards or multiple secondary playmakers so I dont think its necessarily a bad thing if we duplicate. We do need 2 or 3 guys that can make plays, as well as shooters.
A lot of the upside does come down to hoping RJ can improve his 3. His shot doesn't look broken or anything. He has a nice mid range game. So think there is some promise there where he can maybe be at least an ok 3 point shooter enough to keep defenses honest
understandable but I see major gaps there.
You have guys like Mitchell, Dipo, Jrue, Bledsoe who were all difference makers on defense in college and continue to have 2-way value.
Hampton even the best outlooks have him as a avg defender at best.
I also don't think he is a lavine/mitchell dipo level athlete either. Quick first step but sure doesn't attack the rim like those guys do.
And then I don't think he has the shooting of a Murray (who was a elite shooter in college on high volume). Guys like Booker and Russell even in freshman small sample sizes were already really good shooters as well (over 40% on high volume).
There is a long way for Hampton to get to that status and the the other combo guards we desirable because they had other elite translatable traits like defense.
There are gaps, but all those guys are pretty unique in their own way. At the time, it could be hard to see how those guys could develop too. RJ could be his own type of player. Sometimes it's not a bad thing when there are no direct comparisons and a player carves his own path.
Yea, he is more of a project and a lot of those guys took some time to get there anyway. Hampton would be a top 5 pick if he looked more ready and there wasn't risk. No risk, no reward though.
Athletically, I think he is on a lot of those guys level or close especially in terms of speed. He might be faster then any of those guys and speed can be a major weapon. He def needs to add some muscle and get stronger. The comparison to those guys is tough cause RJ was 18 playing in a pro league compared to playing in college against peers. He was getting muscled and it was a steep learning curve, going from a HS Junior to a pro league. Maybe a reason why he struggled a bit and may slip.
Again, don't know if he gets there and there are plenty of question marks. He needs some time and to develop to see what his game will be like exactly. Think there is some upside for sure though.
