Frank Kaminsky

[Johnlac1]

I think Kaminsky can absolutely play in the NBA. He is too skilled not to find a role. He won't be an all star, but he can be a solid starter. He is a matchup nightmare. He made everybody's All American Karl Anthony Towns look like he'd never defended a day in his life, and that is his calling card right now. That kind of offensive skill set will translate to the NBA.

Also, Kaminsky is a stronger defender than people in this thread are giving him credit for. He won't be making an All Defensive Teams, but he is a quality team defender who uses his body well and boxes out well.

Is Frank a top 5 pick? No, he's not athletic enough to be that. But, a 7 footer with his skill set has no business falling out of the lottery IMO.

I was watching Around The Horn last Friday, and all the "experts" were giving their opinion of Wisconsin's chances against Kentucky. The best any of them gave Wisconsin was about a 37% chance.
They asked Bob Ryan what he thought. He was the most dismissive of all the uh "experts" especially making fun of Kaminsky's game and predicting that Frank would face a diet of Wilson sandwiches with all his shots getting blocked. Well, WCS did block a shot or two. But Kaminsky scored liked he did all season against the rest of Wisconsin's opponents.
The moral of the story: skill and intelligence go a long way. And Kaminsky, while no athletic freak, is more athletic than people give him credit for.
A superstar or star in the pros? Maybe not. But solid contributor to a good team? Definitely possible.
And Frank will be similar to another Big Ten center Jared Sullivan who many people said lacked the size and athleticism to make it in the pros. Sullinger is slower than Kaminsky and doesn't jump any higher. He is stronger than Frank but not quite as quick. But Sullinger, like Kaminsky, plays smart and has an array of moves that get him open.
Interesting that Boston has two big men, Olynyk and Sullinger, who supposedly lack what it takes to play in the league. Both seem to be doing okay.

[Johnlac1]

I can't believe he'd won the Associated Press Player Of The Year and the Naismith Player Of The Year and he isn't even projected to be selected among the top ten or fifteen (depending on the site) in this year's draft. I guess that other candidates from other schools were on rosters that were so talented that they'd canceled one another out or they'd gone under the radar.

Is he better than Kelly Olynyk, Tyler or Cody Zeller or Mason Plumlee?

There is a difference between being a great college player and a great NBA prospect. Doug McDermott, Jimmer Fredette, Jameer Nelson, among others have all won the award without being top prospects.

Yes, IMO he is better than all 3 of those guys.

Of all those players (Olynyk, Hansbrough, Zeller, and Plumlee) I would predict Zeller to be the one who might eventually reach star level. But again, the least athletic of those four is probably Olynyk, but who at the moment he is the most skilled and has done the most production for his team.
If Zeller can reliably drill 15-18 foot jump shots, his prospects will improve enormously. At the moment, he's not quite strong enough to play center which is his natural position. In his two years at Indiana I never saw him take a shot out of the lane. And I saw a lot of Indiana.
That gave me pause that he might have problems in the pros if they played him at pf. Zeller is still young enough to improve his shot and get stronger. If that happens he could play center for some team and be an excellent player.

[skones]

The thing about the Hawes comparisons are that Hawes was a much better prospect at 18, than Kaminsky is at 22. Also Hawes was thicker, a post player primarily, with great footwork and post moves, but also had a nice stroke AND could pass.. I dont see any of that from Kaminsky, who looks to me like a Tyler Zelleresque player, though more perimeter oriented.

If you don't see great footwork, post moves, a nice shooting stroke, and passing in Kaminsky's game, I have NO IDEA what you're watching. Zeller was strength and energy with enough wrinkles to his game to keep guys off balance. Kaminsky is pure finesse.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Kaminsky, in the right system, can be a huge asset for a team. I think he's the type of player that needs to go to the right team to truly flourish at the next level. I think Stan Van Gundy, for example, can utilize him in a way that enhances his strengths at the benefit of the team. He'd look nice on the Hawks, as well.

[ISB]

I think Kaminsky can absolutely play in the NBA. He is too skilled not to find a role. He won't be an all star, but he can be a solid starter. He is a matchup nightmare. He made everybody's All American Karl Anthony Towns look like he'd never defended a day in his life, and that is his calling card right now. That kind of offensive skill set will translate to the NBA.

Also, Kaminsky is a stronger defender than people in this thread are giving him credit for. He won't be making an All Defensive Teams, but he is a quality team defender who uses his body well and boxes out well.

Is Frank a top 5 pick? No, he's not athletic enough to be that. But, a 7 footer with his skill set has no business falling out of the lottery IMO.

I was watching Around The Horn last Friday, and all the "experts" were giving their opinion of Wisconsin's chances against Kentucky. The best any of them gave Wisconsin was about a 37% chance.
They asked Bob Ryan what he thought. He was the most dismissive of all the uh "experts" especially making fun of Kaminsky's game and predicting that Frank would face a diet of Wilson sandwiches with all his shots getting blocked. Well, WCS did block a shot or two. But Kaminsky scored liked he did all season against the rest of Wisconsin's opponents.
The moral of the story: skill and intelligence go a long way. And Kaminsky, while no athletic freak, is more athletic than people give him credit for.
A superstar or star in the pros? Maybe not. But solid contributor to a good team? Definitely possible.
And Frank will be similar to another Big Ten center Jared Sullivan who many people said lacked the size and athleticism to make it in the pros. Sullinger is slower than Kaminsky and doesn't jump any higher. He is stronger than Frank but not quite as quick. But Sullinger, like Kaminsky, plays smart and has an array of moves that get him open.
Interesting that Boston has two big men, Olynyk and Sullinger, who supposedly lack what it takes to play in the league. Both seem to be doing okay.

Not to discount Kaminsky, but I think that relying on "skill and intelligence" in college is a red flag. High level NBA players have the athleticism to dominate college without that.

I think he will need to be a 40% NBA 3 point shooter to be particularly useful, and even then you are looking at a role player. Still worth a later first round pick though.

[Marcus]

I think he will need to be a 40% NBA 3 point shooter to be particularly useful, and even then you are looking at a role player. Still worth a later first round pick though.

i don't think anybody is/should really be looking at him to be anything more than that. I think he can shine in the right system i dunno about being the primary guy though. I think we look at someone like Niko Mirotic in Chicago and get an idea of what Frank may look like on the floor in the league. Effort, intelligence, shooter, put the ball on the deck in certain matchups. I don't think he's as quick as Niko but he's also packing an addition 20 pounds i believe as well. Just in terms of skillset and fit though Niko might the one to look at.

[poeman]

I can't believe he'd won the Associated Press Player Of The Year and the Naismith Player Of The Year and he isn't even projected to be selected among the top ten or fifteen (depending on the site) in this year's draft. I guess that other candidates from other schools were on rosters that were so talented that they'd canceled one another out or they'd gone under the radar.

Is he better than Kelly Olynyk, Tyler or Cody Zeller or Mason Plumlee?

Kaminsky is better then all three...Frank's post game is legit and he has a dagger from 3. He will go top 10

[greenandgold]

Kaminsky at 22, with 4 years of experience under his belt, outplaying 18 and 19 year olds is fine. But means little for his NBA potential.

What happened during his freshman and sophomore years? Why couldn't he beat out marginal players (who are accountants now) for playing time? Answer: Kaminsky lacks inherent talent.

Karl Towns is 19 now. By the time he's 22 it will be his third year in the NBA, and he'll be an NBA Allstar.

Rule of thumb for NBA GM's who want to keep on being NBA GM's: Don't draft March Madness overperformers, don't draft seniors, don't draft American white guys. Kaminsky ticks all the boxes.

[Marcus]

Kaminsky at 22, with 4 years of experience under his belt, outplaying 18 and 19 year olds is fine. But means little for his NBA potential.

What happened during his freshman and sophomore years? Why couldn't he beat out marginal players (who are accountants now) for playing time? Answer: Kaminsky lacks inherent talent.

Karl Towns is 19 now. By the time he's 22 it will be his third year in the NBA, and he'll be an NBA Allstar.

Rule of thumb for NBA GM's who want to keep on being NBA GM's: Don't draft March Madness overperformers, don't draft seniors, don't draft American white guys. Kaminsky ticks all the boxes.

no props for developing his skillset and making himself a NBA prospect over the last 3 to 4 years when he was nowhere near that starting his career at Wisco?

[mattg]

The thing about the Hawes comparisons are that Hawes was a much better prospect at 18, than Kaminsky is at 22. Also Hawes was thicker, a post player primarily, with great footwork and post moves, but also had a nice stroke AND could pass.. I dont see any of that from Kaminsky, who looks to me like a Tyler Zelleresque player, though more perimeter oriented.

If you don't see great footwork, post moves, a nice shooting stroke, and passing in Kaminsky's game, I have NO IDEA what you're watching. Zeller was strength and energy with enough wrinkles to his game to keep guys off balance. Kaminsky is pure finesse.

I agree with this post except for the part about frank having post moves, he has 1 and no legit counter move at this stage. 90% of the time he's going to spin right and if it doesn't work he passes out of it. He does a lot of pivoting in the post trying to repeatedly go back to his right but not much else. On occasion he does go for a lefty hook which he leaves short or he'll try a spin left with poor results.

People just need to realize kaminsky is not a center in the nba and will not be going to work in the post on either end of the floor. Just let him be a stretch 4 who attacks close outs with his pump fake into straight line drives and you won't be disappointed.

[Marcus]

People just need to realize kaminsky is not a center in the nba and will not be going to work in the post on either end of the floor. Just let him be a stretch 4 who attacks close outs with his pump fake into straight line drives and you won't be disappointed.

bingo

[babyjax13]

I would compare Kaminsky more to Okur than Olynyk or Zeller. Kaminsky has a bit better post game, but both could put the ball on the floor, both can reliably hit three point shots and both work within the flow of an offense. As a Jazz fan, I would love Kaminsky on my team.

[Cammo101]

People just need to realize kaminsky is not a center in the nba and will not be going to work in the post on either end of the floor. Just let him be a stretch 4 who attacks close outs with his pump fake into straight line drives and you won't be disappointed.

bingo

Something of a rich man's Ryan Anderson.

[mattg]

He mostly reminds me of a taller ersan ilyasova, not as big of a factor on the boards though.

[atlantabbq99]

Kaminsky has the classic bust profile:

1) 4 year player who overperforms in the NCAA tournament.

2) White American Center

3) Low steals rate, low block rate for a center.

Historically, the best sign that a college player is going to turn into a productive NBA player? Check out his freshman and sophomore years. Kaminsky was a footnote those years.

It will be interesting to see what dumb teams takes him in the lottery. Indiana? Utah? White heroes play well to their fanbases.

Millsap, Draymond Green, Boozer, Brad Miller, all come to mind about upper classmen who are very skilled post players with good jump shots. Kaminsky is highly skilled, we all agree on that. These players also had a toughness that they had in college that they brought over to the NBA. I don't follow Wisconsin but Kaminsky has shown toughness throughout the tournement.

[greenandgold]

Kaminsky has the classic bust profile:

1) 4 year player who overperforms in the NCAA tournament.

2) White American Center

3) Low steals rate, low block rate for a center.

Historically, the best sign that a college player is going to turn into a productive NBA player? Check out his freshman and sophomore years. Kaminsky was a footnote those years.

It will be interesting to see what dumb teams takes him in the lottery. Indiana? Utah? White heroes play well to their fanbases.

Millsap, Draymond Green, Boozer, Brad Miller, all come to mind about upper classmen who are very skilled post players with good jump shots. Kaminsky is highly skilled, we all agree on that. These players also had a toughness that they had in college that they brought over to the NBA. I don't follow Wisconsin but Kaminsky has shown toughness throughout the tournement.

All those guys had productive years as underclassman. Why? Inherent talent. Kaminsky was a footnote as a freshman and a sophomore (DNP-lack of talent). It's a big deal in terms of draft projection.

Kaminsky gets props for improvement. Most likely that improvement gets expressed as a career spent mostly in Europe or on the deep end of the NBA bench.

[greenandgold]

As a freshman and a sophomore Frank Kaminsky was outplayed for minutes and the starting center position by a dude named Jared Berggren, who actually has not become an accountant, but has carved out a minor European career for a Belgian team called Oostende.

This does not fit the profile of a draft pick who will become a successful NBA player.

I understand Kaminsky has matured and he's obviously having a wonderful tournament. But a GM will eventually end up losing his job partly because of selecting him in the lottery.

[greenandgold]

It's so predictable. Kaminsky's going to end up getting drafted higher than a freshman center with actual potential like Myles Turner.

Turner's freshman year, as flawed as it was, is still another stratosphere compared to Kaminsky's non-entity of a freshman year.

Grade along the age curve, or face doom!

[Marcus]

Frank upset you at some point in time in life?

might as well turn your signature into an Andrew Harrison press conference.

[Greek]

What i see is a player with defined role and good at it. Stretch big, who is not actually a stiff, and is not one dimensional. Drafting him around the late lottery looks like a good value. Almost every team have a need his kill set.