MagicMatic wrote:Skin wrote:MagicMatic wrote:
Right. I was using the two examples of Maker and Poeltl to suggest that there is a larger sample size between the two. Just saying there are different levels of "project".
Yes Maker "could be" the better prospect in the long run (I'm not a scout) . But if we are looking for players that we need to contribute now (as Vogel and Henny stated) it would make sense to look at players that we have a better idea of what they bring to the table. (Ex. Prince , Poeltl,Valentine, even Sabonis) .
Again, I think you're applying what they said about FA to the draft and it may not translate like you think.
Henny has typically drafted based on raw talent... not polished talent. Look back at it... Hezonja, Gordon, Payton, Oladipo... all mostly seen as guys who had raw talents needed to develop further... Nicholson might be the outlier, but he was also the 19th pick. Not a lottery pick. Henny also doesn't seem to care much about overlaying draft talent based on the current roster. I keep seeing big men talked about mostly, but maybe we go another direction.
I definitely don't mind going in a different direction than a big. Yes he has chosen most raw talent during the rebuild... But do you seriously think that adding another young raw athlete to this core is what we need? Who's to say. Maybe that is what Henny is looking for - yet again.
And yes I understand that they were talking about FA. However, what solid vets do you see besides the Conleys and Durants (long shots) that fit that category? We are a small market team and the draft is Hennys bread and butter.
Is drafting a guy that is considered to be 2-3 years out from contributing Thon/ Skal / Chriss / Davis based off of potential and athleticism going to fit the bill? It could , but we have similar players on the roster.
Yes, we should continue to draft high upside players. We can keep this player for at least eight years (4 yr rookie contract + 4 yr contract in RFA) if we want, so we need to look farther than just next season.
It's not like you have to be Conley or Durant to outplay a rookie with 0 NBA experience. Biyombo, Parsons, Bazemore, Ezeli, Mahinmi, Ryan Anderson, Pachulia, Marvin Williams, Teletovic, etc. can all match or exceed the role player production of someone like Poeltl.
And having high upside doesn't automatically equate to being unable to contribute for 2-3 yrs. Turner and Porzingis were considered raw, but they both made an impact this season and made All-Rookie teams. So did two of our own players, Oladipo and Payton. Raw, high-upside rookies can even outperform immediate-impact rookies because the former have size/athleticism/NBA skills that made them high-upside in the first place, and those traits can help them translate to the NBA right off the bat.
