2022 G League Ignite guys
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:36 am
Well it's still early, but get this thread started
So here are the guys that's committed to G league ignite next year, and my very basic thoughts on them so far obviously will be subject to change especially once we actually see them play later in the year.
( opinions mainly my own, not a pro by any means at this.)
1. Michael Foster Jr.:
General outlook: a thickish body 6'9 wing/forward type 5 star recruit that has a pretty complete game
The good: the body is already quite developed, long wingspan, hits 3s at high accuracy, really fills up the stat sheet
The bad: I feel he doesn't... pop... everything about him feels a bit slow IMHO, he obviously can jump but it just doesn't feel like he gets off the ground quickly, the shot also takes a long time to get off even though it goes in quite well. (but he's clearly wayyy behind Hardy and most likely Zeng as well in terms of actual shot quality and feel.) Obviously will be a NBA player but the bar we're looking at is more like "is he star/ superstar" which I have my concerns at least. Also his body type, the guys I remember of such type don't have an awesome track record, they often get too heavy and just change into a different type of player ( Marvin Williams is a good example. maybe it's more about the face but I keep thinking of "more skilled Terrence Jones" when I see him, neither are great comps at least if we're talking about high-end picks.)
2. Scoot Henderson: (2023 class)
General: an explosive point guard 5-star recruit, shades of Russell Westbrook, 6'3 ish?
The good: well... the comp to Westbrook might be a bit extreme but obviously he got high end explosiveness, and actually he plays way more under control than Westbrook ever did, so it's maybe a bit more like a slightly bigger Morant (not quite as quick though) or a somewhat more explosive Fox? His off the bounce 18 footer is really pure, gets it off easily. The handle looks pretty good for his age.
The Bad: ?? have not seen enough, but he doesn't seem to shoot much 3s, or even pass a ton tbh, because the nature of HS basketball and his game it's a lot of run the break stuff, and yeah it's cool that he can be a good transition player, that's not exactly the most valuable thing in the NBA. The passing when he does throw it looks ... fine..
So I dunno, the physical profile suggest and that he can actually keep his dribble alone should be enough for a pretty high pick, but is that more like 10~14 or 5~7?? we'll need to see if he can actually run an offense and/or develop his shot a bit more.
3. Jaden Hardy:
General: a guy that put the "shooting" back in shooting guard again, a 6'4 ish shooting guard
The good: did I say that he's a "shooting" guard? he's probably the most ridiculous shooting prospect I've seen in a while, he bombs it from half-court, and all sorts of other matters, he's very Harden like and not just the name, the body type, and shoot form all looks very similar, but Harden wasn't THIS advance of a shooter in high school.
The bad: well he is kinda a one-dimensional guy? though he's not Steve Novak, but he does kinda not do a ton of other things, definitely shoot first ask questions never guy, though obviously in the current NBA if you are going to be just totally awesome at one thing then that's obviously the thing. But yeah, he's strong and certainly athletic enough that he should hold up defensively just fine, but at least on court mostly it's just about bombing 3s like no tomorrow. though obviously, if you can just hit a 3 every time from half-court, why do you need to do anything else?
( Watching some of this more 2019 2020 films he had more shake and played more like a point guard, getting sturdier and the shot becoming more prominent part of his game made his play a bit more one dimensional then before, but still, if you tell me you get a Rockets era healthy Eric Gordon I'm in, and he have a bit more upside than that. )
4. Dyson Daniel
General: a smooth Aussie wing player around 6'6
The good: the feel from the game looks really good, he's kind of a point forward, the general shape/type of player you'd love, plays good defense too.
The bad: well...is he a master of none and just not good enough overall? his shooting is pretty shaky for a perimeter player so far. he's probably the most project of the 5 guys at least from what I can tell. There are flashes, but there is a also decent sample of him sucking badly (granted, mainly against much older players.)
( oh ok guys like Giovonny actually rates him quite high, like mid first rounder, mainly based on that they view him more as a big point guard, that has pretty good feel on the pick and roll game and where to go on the court. I'm not quite sure I agree but obviously they're the pros. )
5. Fanbo Zeng
General: a lanky bouncy lefty 6'8~6'9 forward from China with serious skill sets. Played sophomore in Flordia during high school and was 4 star, stuck in China last year, de-committed from Gonzaga.
The good: got real springs in his bounce, gets off the floor in a hurry with great second jumps, really good shot too, quick release, pretty good feel. This guy is a putback/weakside block machine in high school, but what I really like is how his shot looks
The bad: obviously thinner stick body type players always give you concern, he's not super extreme but still, looks average to below-average wingspan, might have a serious problem defending at a high level. Assuming he can adjust to the physicality, the question is "what position can he really guard?"
Between Zeng and Hardy though, there should be much better spacing for the other guys this year. I assume they'll probably keep signing Jarret Jack type of vet PGs and other serious vet center types
So just throwing this thread out there to start things off.
If you just ask me, Hardy is the most "interesting" of the group in terms of "I've basically not seen this before" type of player. I'll be most interesting to see how he's used.
So here are the guys that's committed to G league ignite next year, and my very basic thoughts on them so far obviously will be subject to change especially once we actually see them play later in the year.
( opinions mainly my own, not a pro by any means at this.)
1. Michael Foster Jr.:
General outlook: a thickish body 6'9 wing/forward type 5 star recruit that has a pretty complete game
The good: the body is already quite developed, long wingspan, hits 3s at high accuracy, really fills up the stat sheet
The bad: I feel he doesn't... pop... everything about him feels a bit slow IMHO, he obviously can jump but it just doesn't feel like he gets off the ground quickly, the shot also takes a long time to get off even though it goes in quite well. (but he's clearly wayyy behind Hardy and most likely Zeng as well in terms of actual shot quality and feel.) Obviously will be a NBA player but the bar we're looking at is more like "is he star/ superstar" which I have my concerns at least. Also his body type, the guys I remember of such type don't have an awesome track record, they often get too heavy and just change into a different type of player ( Marvin Williams is a good example. maybe it's more about the face but I keep thinking of "more skilled Terrence Jones" when I see him, neither are great comps at least if we're talking about high-end picks.)
2. Scoot Henderson: (2023 class)
General: an explosive point guard 5-star recruit, shades of Russell Westbrook, 6'3 ish?
The good: well... the comp to Westbrook might be a bit extreme but obviously he got high end explosiveness, and actually he plays way more under control than Westbrook ever did, so it's maybe a bit more like a slightly bigger Morant (not quite as quick though) or a somewhat more explosive Fox? His off the bounce 18 footer is really pure, gets it off easily. The handle looks pretty good for his age.
The Bad: ?? have not seen enough, but he doesn't seem to shoot much 3s, or even pass a ton tbh, because the nature of HS basketball and his game it's a lot of run the break stuff, and yeah it's cool that he can be a good transition player, that's not exactly the most valuable thing in the NBA. The passing when he does throw it looks ... fine..
So I dunno, the physical profile suggest and that he can actually keep his dribble alone should be enough for a pretty high pick, but is that more like 10~14 or 5~7?? we'll need to see if he can actually run an offense and/or develop his shot a bit more.
3. Jaden Hardy:
General: a guy that put the "shooting" back in shooting guard again, a 6'4 ish shooting guard
The good: did I say that he's a "shooting" guard? he's probably the most ridiculous shooting prospect I've seen in a while, he bombs it from half-court, and all sorts of other matters, he's very Harden like and not just the name, the body type, and shoot form all looks very similar, but Harden wasn't THIS advance of a shooter in high school.
The bad: well he is kinda a one-dimensional guy? though he's not Steve Novak, but he does kinda not do a ton of other things, definitely shoot first ask questions never guy, though obviously in the current NBA if you are going to be just totally awesome at one thing then that's obviously the thing. But yeah, he's strong and certainly athletic enough that he should hold up defensively just fine, but at least on court mostly it's just about bombing 3s like no tomorrow. though obviously, if you can just hit a 3 every time from half-court, why do you need to do anything else?
( Watching some of this more 2019 2020 films he had more shake and played more like a point guard, getting sturdier and the shot becoming more prominent part of his game made his play a bit more one dimensional then before, but still, if you tell me you get a Rockets era healthy Eric Gordon I'm in, and he have a bit more upside than that. )
4. Dyson Daniel
General: a smooth Aussie wing player around 6'6
The good: the feel from the game looks really good, he's kind of a point forward, the general shape/type of player you'd love, plays good defense too.
The bad: well...is he a master of none and just not good enough overall? his shooting is pretty shaky for a perimeter player so far. he's probably the most project of the 5 guys at least from what I can tell. There are flashes, but there is a also decent sample of him sucking badly (granted, mainly against much older players.)
( oh ok guys like Giovonny actually rates him quite high, like mid first rounder, mainly based on that they view him more as a big point guard, that has pretty good feel on the pick and roll game and where to go on the court. I'm not quite sure I agree but obviously they're the pros. )
5. Fanbo Zeng
General: a lanky bouncy lefty 6'8~6'9 forward from China with serious skill sets. Played sophomore in Flordia during high school and was 4 star, stuck in China last year, de-committed from Gonzaga.
The good: got real springs in his bounce, gets off the floor in a hurry with great second jumps, really good shot too, quick release, pretty good feel. This guy is a putback/weakside block machine in high school, but what I really like is how his shot looks
The bad: obviously thinner stick body type players always give you concern, he's not super extreme but still, looks average to below-average wingspan, might have a serious problem defending at a high level. Assuming he can adjust to the physicality, the question is "what position can he really guard?"
Between Zeng and Hardy though, there should be much better spacing for the other guys this year. I assume they'll probably keep signing Jarret Jack type of vet PGs and other serious vet center types
So just throwing this thread out there to start things off.
If you just ask me, Hardy is the most "interesting" of the group in terms of "I've basically not seen this before" type of player. I'll be most interesting to see how he's used.